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In this Issue-- January 2009
Take Yourself On in 2009
Functional Fitness is Where It’s
At
If You Only Do One Thing This Month….
Bleeding Edge Science
Ask the Doc
Exciting Developments from Dr. P
Take Yourself On in 2009
I’m here to save your life….if you let me.
We live in a post 911, post Katrina, post financial meltdown world. Do you have what it really takes to survive life in the 21st century? If you had to suddenly leave your comfort zone and run for your life, hoist your body out of a broken elevator, run after a child headed toward a busy street, or grab a tree limb to stop from falling, could you do it? Are you Fit to Live…
To survive: fit through the exit door of an airplane, lift yourself up after falling, race down four flights of stairs, get through a medical emergency,, handle a divorce, financial crisis, chronic care giving without self destructing?
To enjoy life: sit on the floor with your kids or grandchildren, throw them up in the air without throwing out your back, run along the beach with your dog, hike a mountain despite chronic medical problems, garden, volunteer in the community?
To challenge yourself: write that book, go back to college, become a community activist, walk or jog a 5K despite a chronic medical condition, rock climb, river raft in the Grand Canyon, bike across New England?
For most of us, the answer is no--and we don't even know it.
I’m here to issue you a wake up call to the fact that our lifestyle has, for so many of us, become dangerously Toxic. We've become not only Unfit to survive life once we’re out of our comfort zone, but are actually wearing the weight of our Toxic Lifestyle around our bellies. Forget about your thighs and rear end. The bottom line is the waistline. For the first time in history, the bellies of the majority of American men and women are carrying around a life-threatening load of Toxic Fat. We’re drowning in excess on every level:
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Too much distressing
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Too much eating
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Too much sitting
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Too much debt
All of which leads to too much Belly Fat. It’s in the way when we try to zip up, squeeze into the airline or theater seat, and is obstructing our ability to run for our lives if we needed to, as well as live without heart disease, diabetes and cancer. As the participants in my TV show Can Your Survive? are discovering, that bulge of Toxic Belly Fat is keeping us from being able to survive, enjoy, and challenge our lives.
Make 2009 the year you Take Yourself On once and for all and turn this Toxic situation around.
Functional Fitness is Where it’s At
Forget looking like the latest clothes hanger, I mean super model. What we’re going for here is Fitness that matters, what my friend Sister Genevieve Kunkle, one of the famous Notre Dame nuns studied by aging expert Dr. David Snowdon, calls alert and vertical. In a nutshell, there’s your goal. To be Functionally Fit so you can be mentally and physically independent for a lifetime.
Are you Functionally Fit? When I ask that question, where does your mind go? Here are some answers I got recently: “No because I gave up working out a year ago. Today I ran up a flight of stairs and was so breathless I had to stop.” “No because I used to be a marathoner. Then I fell and hurt my neck. I can’t run now and when I can’t run, I go nuts.” “No, because I’m a big worrier. The economy has me stressing over everything that could possibly go wrong and I overeat as a result. I can barely walk.” How you would respond? Now ready to do something about it?
You can become Fit to Live. And I’m here to help with twelve months of support to make sure that New Year’s fitness resolution turn into reality. Starting now, I’ll be challenging you each month of the year to take one small step in Mind, Mouth and Muscle toward optimal Functional Fitness in the “If You Do Only One Thing This Month” section of this newsletter. If you need more support, as I announced in my December newsletter, I’m now offering personalized lifestyle management.
For more info, click here or call
301-407-0467
x 111.
If You Only Do One Thing This Month…
Mind: Make an actionable plan with measurable outcomes. Getting Functionally Fit is not an action. What are you going to do and how are you going to know when you’ve succeeded? Here’s an actionable, measurable plan: reduce my body fat by 5% within 6 months by walking 30 minutes a day and lifting weights twice a week for 30 minutes. That’s an actionable plan. Make sure you build in a tracking system, like a chart. Trackers do better than non trackers. Buddy up if that helps you stay accountable. And stop and evaluate weekly: How’s it going? Is my body fat coming down? How do I need to adapt and adjust? Remember, progress, not perfection.
Mouth:
This month, attack the kitchen. If it’s not whole foods, fruits and veggies, and lean proteins, throw it out (or give it away). If it’s white, it ain’t right. Concentrate on whole grains. If it’s processed or a bingeable, it’s a no no. Tell your true truth--you know what your bingeables are. In my kitchen is a big bar of organic dark chocolate that I like to have a tiny piece of every now and then. One bar can last for a month.
Muscle: Commit this month to walking 30 minutes a day at least five days a week and upping your activities of daily living—take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the back of the parking lot.
Bleeding Edge Science
Guzzle that H2O. Stanford researchers have discovered that if you drink six glasses of water a day, you are consuming 200 fewer calories than non-water drinkers who are quenching their thirst with calorie-laden beverages.
I’m a nut nut and there’s new evidence that’s a good thing. Eating a handful of nuts a day has been shown to lower belly fat and improve cholesterol and blood pressure. But make sure it’s not more than a handful—that’s 6 walnut halves, or 7-8 almonds or hazelnuts, folks.
Ask the Doc
Dear Dr. Peeke,
I’
m freaking out that Oprah put on 60 pounds
again. She’s said it was thyroid and then admitted she’s just addicted to food. Well, I’m the same age as Oprah, been through menopause, and I’m having the same problem. And she got in this mess despite being surrounded by experts 24/7. Is this hopeless, because that’s the way I feel?
-- Tonia, Minneapolis, MN.
Dear Tonia,
No it is most definitely not hopeless. You can regroup and come out of this a smarter and more fit woman than you’ve ever been. Oprah’s issue highlights the fact that you can be surrounded by all the “gurus” you want and still end up overweight, unfit and unhappy. You have to be willing to take yourself on and be consistent and do the lifelong work that’s necessary to achieve your dream. As I’ve noted in
Body for Life for Women (the 10 Power Mind Principles Chapter), you need to embrace adversity. This means we’re challenged with the perimenopause. You need to look at your MIND MOUTH and MUSCLE elements of daily living, incorporate better choices and be very patient and persistent. Mentally, stay focused on the fact that you deserve to feel fantastic about yourself and your life. Find some measurable outcome that you can use as a goal. Not just weight or jeans size. These are great, but are there more? What about walking that first 5 K, applying for that new job once you’re feeling better, or taking on the challenge of meeting a new potential partner in life? Nutritionally, do small things that will make a difference. Eat that healthy breakfast every morning (see MOUTH section in my book). Trash any junk food in your kitchen, get organized to eat well each week. Get my exercise DVD (click here to order) and learn simple exercises you can do at home. Get out and crunch out those 10,000 steps a day. Gift yourself with a pedometer to stay accountable. Put it all together and you have the recipe for success. You can do this, Tonia. Start right now.
Good Luck,
Dr. Peeke
Exciting Developments from Dr. P
Don’t forget to tune into my new series on the Discovery Health channel, Could You Survive. It’s on Thursdays at 9EST. Check your local listings for the time in your area to
join me as I help a group of people learn how become Functionally Fit to survive the challenges of 21st century living.
If you want to get the four week workout my folks are doing for the show, go to:
http://health.discovery.com/fansites/dr-peeke/could-you-survive/could-you-survive.html.
Start your healthy, mindful living today. If not now, when?
Pam Peeke MD, MPH, FACP
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