|
In this Issue
Oct. 2008
Staying on Track Through Fall Temptations
·
Savoring is the Name of the Game
·
If You Only Do One Thing This Month….
·
Bleeding Edge Science
·
Ask the Doc
·
Exciting Developments from Dr. P
Staying on Track Through Fall Temptations
Are you getting twitchy as you look at the mounds of Halloween candy in grocery stores? Already worrying about navigating all those high calorie items at Thanksgiving? Wondering about keeping up your walking routine as the weather turns miserable? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
What are your Fall danger zones? Take a moment right now to identify them. Next it’s time to Adapt and Adjust—or
A2
as I wrote in Fit to Live.
A2 means you plan to stay on track. You plan to give away the leftover Halloween candy to the last kid at the door. Or choose a kind you hate. Or not have it in the house to begin with. Rather than giving up walking because it’s raining, for instance, you plan to walk at the mall in bad weather.
Let’s say you’re been invited to Thanksgiving dinner at the relatives. You KNOW what that means. Get your “I’m Gonna Survive this” body-tude going. A2 it. Volunteer to bring something healthy that you love to eat. So what if it’s not the traditional yams with marshmallows and brown sugar? No one should eat that stuff anyway! When the day arrives, scope out what you can have and stick to it. Turkey without all the high fat trimmings is a wonderful choice. Once you learn to A2 , you should be able to go into any restaurant, anybody’s party, at any time of the year and make it work. You don’t have to justify yourself. Calmly ask for what you need. You’ll feel empowered. And you’ll look like it, too!
==============================================
Savoring is the Name of the Game
What if you really love candy corn or pumpkin pie? Taste research reveals that after about the second small spoon or forkful, you have optimized the entire sensual taste experience. So if you’re looking to really enjoy food without getting fat, it’s all about savoring tiny tastes.
No one does this better than Sharon Stone. I was invited to speak at a conference in Maui. Sharon Stone was there to shoot the cover of Elle and invited me to dinner. I watched how much she ate, remembering that in the morning she was going to be photographed in bathing suits. I noticed that she ate an appropriate amount of greens and protein. Then the waiter came up with the dessert menu. She said, “I understand that you have fantastic desserts.” He replied, “Why yes,” and proceeded to reel off three high calorie items. “I’ll have one of each,” she said. I thought, “Oh dear. She’s bulimic.”
The desserts arrived. She took one little taste of the first item, absolutely savoring it. She did the same thing with the second dessert and the third. Then she looked around, a bit annoyed, picked up a salt shaker and sprinkled salt over every remaining morsel.
Fascinated, I asked her what was going on. It turned out that her personal assistant always works it out that the minute she has her taste, the waiter takes the rest away immediately. Our waiter had apparently forgotten.
What I love about Sharon’s solution was not only did she find a way to enjoy fabulous food, but when Plan A didn’t work, she A2 to make sure she didn’t eat too much. Of course, this only works if you can take one bite. If something’s a bingeable for you, there’s only one thing you can do—avoid it at all costs.
=====================================================
If You Only Do One Thing This Month….
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month so it’s time for all women to make the belly fat/breast cancer connection. That menopot not only increases a woman’s risk for getting the disease, but decreases survival rates. It’s because belly fat secretes hormones that can encourage tumors to grow. One more reason to remove that weight for good! Stop weighting! Reduce your waistline to under 35” and you’ll reduce your risk for breast cancer. If you need help, check out Fight Fat After Forty And don’t forget your yearly mammogram.
==================================================
Bleeding Edge Science
Do you know how in Fit to Live I talk about how genetics loads the gun and environment pulls trigger? A new study proves my point. Amish folks who had a gene variation that makes them more likely to gain weight were less likely than other folks with that same fat factor to become overweight. Why? Because they do 3-4 hours of moderate physical activity a day. And I’m not talking about hitting the gym—they kept the weight off through activities of daily living: gardening, housecleaning, walking and the like. How can you get more physical in your daily life? Your waistline will thank you.
==================================================
Ask the Doc
Dear Dr. P,
Once I've achieved my fitness goal, my resolve to do the right things falters and I fall back into old habits. What are some sure-fire ways to maintain my desired level of fitness?
--JN, Houston
Dear JN,
Time to refocus and regroup. First, think about your original motivation. Perhaps in the busyness of daily life, you’ve lost track of your dream.
A 45 year-old patient of mine’s dream is to be a good lawyer and a great family man. That’s what’s keeping him going to the gym—to be Alert and Vertical as long as possible to do his work and spend time with his family.
Is your dream still important to you? If so, re-activate it with a reminder. It might be time, however, to create a new dream, something that truly matters to you now that you use as a way to focus.
What will keep you motivated when you’re about to reach for that box of cookies? Come on, tell your True Truth. What’s your deepest fear? Not living long enough to see your grandchildren? Being dependent on others? Being too fat to enjoy life? Whatever it is, name it. Now think about what the opposite of that fear. That’s what you really want.
Whether it’s your original dream or a new one, as you go through your day,
ask yourself, “Is what I am about to do—eat, move or sit on the couch, etc.—going to help or hinder my achieving that dream?” If the answer is yes, go for it. If it’s no, run!
If you don’t yet know what your new dream might be, be patient with yourself. Make eating well and moving non-negotiable as you wait for a renewed sense of motivation. Just do it and eventually it will emerge.
====================================================
Exciting Developments from Dr. P
Click here
www.dpreeke.com
to check out the fabulous article in October’s Fitness about the Peeke Week Retreat at Red Mountain Spa. Editor in chief Denise Brody talks about it on page 10 and pages 107-110 offers more, including some ways to bring the experience home.
On October 10, I’m the guest speaker at the
Living in Pink luncheon for breast cancer research organized by my patient Michele Conley. I want everyone to be cognizant of the relationship between belly fat and breast cancer. See
If You Do Only One Thing This Month…
Visit
www.drpeeke.com
to stay up to date on all my latest information.
Start your healthy, mindful living today. If not now, when?
Pam Peeke MD, MPH, FACP
|
