Dr. Kushner blog
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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Surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy recently warned that loneliness and a lack of social connections are having negative effects on both the mental and physical health of Americans. And surprisingly, this seems to be affecting young adults at almost twice the rate of those over age 65. According to Dr. Vivek’s advisory poor social relationships…
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Many people know that to manage weight better, you also need to manage your time so you can take better care of yourself; this may involve making time to stay active, eat regular, nutritious meals, get enough hours of restful sleep and practice de-stressing activities. But this isn’t always easy to do when low energy…
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One of my yearly medical student classes I teach is helping our future physicians practice improving their own health, one self-care behavior at a time. You may be surprised to know that health care professionals can also struggle to fit in time for exercise, plan healthier meals into a busy day, take time to de-stress…
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A common refrain I hear from patients is, “Dr. Kushner, I know what to do to lose weight, I am a smart person. I just can’t seem to do it and stick with it!” I typically respond to them by making an analogy to coaching. Elite athletes, musicians and dancers know what to do, but…
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If you struggle with overweight or obesity, you’re probably aware of the mixed messages in the media that surround the disease of obesity as well as its treatments. As exciting new obesity care treatments become available, the science of obesity care continues to be questioned. That’s why I was so pleased last month during Obesity…
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Managing weight in a healthy way requires both zooming in to focus on the details of living a healthier lifestyle and zooming out to better understand the bigger picture. Too often individuals can get lost in the day-to-day specifics of trying to lose weight and may feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the ongoing immediate challenges.…
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As I mentor medical students who are learning how to help patients manage their weight, I often ask them what the patient can do at home to help boost their success. Helping patients be more accountable to themselves with self-monitoring is one of the tools I teach medical students to use in counseling as it…
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Improving your lifestyle to get healthier and manage weight better requires good intentions. You also need to know the strategies to follow that will give you the most bang for your buck in your quest for better health. After treating thousands of patients over my 4-decade career, I’ve learned some common pitfalls to a healthier…
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If you’re looking for information and inspiration to help you eat better and get healthier, you’ve come to the right place. My approach is to recommend using skillpower to help you reach your healthy eating goals. Skillpower involves learning and practicing the strategies and skills that have the most likelihood of nudging you toward healthier…
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