February 2020
Dr. Lena Edwards
FEB,1 , 2022
Was Weight Loss One of Your New Year’s Resolutions?
Getting healthy is consistently number one on New Year’s Resolutions lists nationwide. That’s probably because almost 75% of men and 60% of women are overweight or obese!
If one of your 2020 New Year’s Resolutions was to jump on the ‘get healthy’ wagon, and you haven’t fallen off yet…KUDOS to you! Others aren’t doing as well. In fact, nearly 80% of others with the same ‘get healthy’ resolutions have already fallen off the wagon or will do so within the next few months.
Change is hard…Why?
...Because a change in mindset MUST come before any consistent change in action can ever take place. The body can never follow a path the mind has not set before it.
SO…whether you commit to establishing an exercise routine or ending your love affair with junk food, your success will depend on your mindset. Here are some key things you can do right now(or keep on doing if you’ve already started) to ensure you succeed in your health goals:
1. Set realistic goals. It took you years to develop your eating and exercise habits. Don’t expect your habits to change overnight. In fact, research has shown that it takes at least two months of persistence for habits to change.
2. Don’t make drastic changes. If you try going from couch potato to CrossFit overnight, your body will probably revolt…fast…and you’re less likely to keep it up.
3. Partner with someone who has similar health goals. If it’s hard for you to be accountable to yourself, teaming up with someone can really help keep you on track.
4. Indulge in moderation. Remember the red button? You know, the one you’re not supposed to press no matter what happens? All you can think about is pressing the red button. If you tell yourself you can never have a chocolate chip cookie again for the rest of your life, guess what you will think about eating day and night? Allowing yourself to indulge once in a while prevents you from feeling resentful and deprived, and it let’s you control your food instead of the other way around.
5. Journal. Keeping a daily journal has been shown to help people achieve any health goal, especially losing weight. In fact, people who keep a food journal at least six days per week lose twice as much weight as those who only journal one day or not at all. Journaling what you eat helps you monitor not only what you eat and drink but why.
6. Work with a competent healthcare practitioner. It’s important to have a baseline check up and blood work before you embark on any health journey. Your practitioner can also serve as your guide to help you make changes according to your unique lifestyle, body type, and metabolism. You’re also more likely to keep up your momentum when you see your cholesterol levels come down and your pre-diabetes disappear.
Achieving optimal health is a journey, not a destination. Keep your eye on the prize and make realistic, gradual changes to ensure success.
You may also consider adding some natural supplements to help improve metabolism and naturally reduce appetite. Look for supplements that contain one or more of the following ingredients:
· Chromium
· EGCG (an extract from Green Tea)
· Ginseng
Anything is possible if you are committed!
February is Heart Awareness Month
Have you seen the latest statistics on heart disease??
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
One person dies every 37 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.
About 647,000 Americans die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.
Heart disease is scary because it can sneak up on you without your even realizing it! Often, there are no symptoms until something major happens.
You may think heart disease is hereditary. But, in fact, less than 5% of all diseases are truly genetic. Environment and lifestyle account for over 95% of disease…which is great news because it means you have much more control over your health than you may think.
Nearly half of Americans have at least one of the biggest three risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Other predictors include being diabetic, being overweight, and having a sedentary lifestyle.
Contrary to popular belief total cholesterol levels appear to be unrelated to heart disease risk. In fact, ongoing scientific research has found the story to be much more complicated. It has been shown that it’s the combination of various metabolic abnormalities, including the type of cholesterol (“good” HDL vs. “bad” LDL), levels of oxidation (akin to rusting on the inside), levels of inflammation, blood sugar control, and hormone balance, that culminate to create cardiac chaos.
What can you do to be proactive in preventing heart disease?
The obvious answers include things like stop smoking, lose weight, get enough sleep, and eat a healthy diet. But, there are other things you can do like asking your doctor to check your blood pressure and certain blood tests like:
Hemoglobin A1C (>5.5% puts you at increased risk for diabetes)
C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation; levels between 3 and 10 put you at high risk)
Comprehensive cardiac lipid profile (like QUEST’s CardioIQ or the Boston Heart Test).
You also take supplements known to help prevent heart disease. These include: