Physical Activity/ Exercise

Personal Weight Struggles Require a Personalized Approach

By Dr. Kushner / January 1, 2025 /

I learned long ago that generic weight loss advice doesn’t work well for most people. That’s because managing weight is personal, influenced by your likes and dislikes, health goals and personal challenges. This applies whether or not you’re taking one of the newer anti-obesity medications. I wrote my book, Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works…

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Improving Weight Management Outcomes Beyond the Scale

By Dr. Kushner / December 18, 2024 /

We are a weight-focused society but when it comes to managing weight long term, having a weight-only narrow focus can be detrimental. Throughout my 4-decade career I have stressed the importance of lifestyle modification being foundational for losing weight and achieving better health. Now with an average 15-20% weight loss with the new injectable obesity…

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Can Your Cell Phone Help You Eat Better, Move More, Stress Less?

By Dr. Kushner / December 9, 2024 /

One of my yearly medical student classes I teach at Northwestern University is helping our future physicians learn behavior change strategies to improve their own health. Examples of targeted health behaviors may include not exercising regularly, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, eating too many sweets or fast food, not getting enough hours of sleep…

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Put Health Goals into Action

By Dr. Kushner / April 11, 2024 /

Having health-related goals is one thing. Being able to follow through with them is another. To help my patients put health goals into action, I encourage them to think about the steps they can take up front to set themselves up for success. Here are 3 STEPS YOU CAN STAR TAKING TODAY to improve your…

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Spring into Better Health!

By Dr. Kushner / February 15, 2024 /

Before you know it, the seasons will be changing. This is a good time to kick your health behaviors into higher gear. So many of us want to be healthier but feel pressure to do so in a certain way. My approach is different. The best way for you to boost health is to find…

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Overcome Resistance Training Mindset Barriers

By Dr. Kushner / December 16, 2023 /

Resistance training has gotten a lot of buzz lately because so many people on the new anti-obesity medications are being told they need to do resistance training exercises to fight the muscle loss that occurs with weight loss. But even if you aren’t taking the new medications, resistance training is important for everyone – especially…

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With Better Appetite Control on Newer Anti-Obesity Medications, is a Healthy Lifestyle Still Needed?

By Dr. Kushner / October 24, 2023 /

If you’re less hungry and losing weight while taking a newer anti-obesity medication, you may wonder if you still need to modify your eating and exercise habits. During Obesity Week 2023, the conference where thousands of obesity experts from around the world convene to share breakthroughs in the field of obesity, I had the opportunity…

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Build on Weight Loss Motives to Boost Success

By Dr. Kushner / August 13, 2023 /

So much focus surrounding weight management is on the ‘WHAT’ to do and ‘HOW’ to do it to lose weight and keep it off. However, it can be helpful to step back and review the ‘WHY’ managing weight is important to you at this point in your life. Although the ‘WHY’ for losing weight can…

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50 Ways to Build More Fun & Fitness into Your Busy Life!

By Dr. Kushner / June 12, 2023 /

For the past 35 years, my wife and Six Factors to Fit co-author Nancy and I, have had a Fun Club. Basically, we formed a social group of 6 couples – that expanded to 13 – who get together on a few Saturday nights per year for fun-filled group activities. Though our group took a…

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Social Exercise is Good for Your Health

By Dr. Kushner / June 4, 2023 /

The more you enjoy being a physically active person, the more likely you’ll stay a physically active person. One way to do so is to make time for social exercise. We know that improving social connections can improve both your physical and mental health. And according to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report,…

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