Dr. Kushner blog
Falling leaves and cooler weather can signal a change of seasons but it can also indicate it’s time to change up your healthy lifestyle routine. A change of seasons is the perfect time to try new things in your quest for better health. Whether you’re looking to improve your diet, become more active, get a…
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Though your home is the one environment you have most control over, my patients often struggle to take charge of the foods that are available at home. I tell them that successful weight management occurs when you can better control all the ‘eat now’ and ‘eat more’ temptations in your home. If you’re interested in…
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A common misperception my patients struggle with is thinking they have to strive for perfection in order to be successful managing weight and boosting health. But this perfectionistic mindset only sets you up for failure because eating and exercise rarely go perfectly each and every day. Since managing weight tends to be a lifelong endeavor,…
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Living a healthier lifestyle and better managing weight have many benefits you may be unaware of. I’ve found that as individuals get healthier, many also start feeling motivated to try new things. I especially enjoy seeing my patients having new confidence as they set and attain new goals previously thought unachievable: One patient ran a…
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Can improved health really be that simple? It’s all about making small changes in your daily activities and deciding what healthier steps you are motivated to start taking today. Helping patients live healthier lives has been a passion of mine throughout my 40+ years of weight management practice. That’s why I take a detailed history…
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Whether you’re a patient or a provider, you know how quickly time can pass during a health care encounter. Your provider’s priorities may be to discuss your chief complaint, medications, lab results and other chronic medical problems. This doesn’t leave a lot of time to counsel you on managing weight. That’s why I recommend that…
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The American Heart Association has a new checklist for lifelong good health. It’s called Life’s Essential 8, which was recently updated by a panel of experts who reviewed 2500 scientific papers since 2010. Better cardiovascular health helps lower the risk for heart disease, stroke and other major health problems. The 8 factors correlate well with…
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Shared decision-making is a process whereby health care providers take into account each person’s personal preferences, priorities and goals before selecting a specific treatment plan. As a weight management expert, it’s a process I’ve been using for most of my career to help my patients lose weight and get healthier. Getting to know each patient…
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As you move through your weight loss journey, you will encounter two kinds of habits – healthy habits you want to create (such as eating more fruits and vegetables) and less healthful habits you want to stop (such as drinking sugar-sweetened beverages). You will find that it’s more challenging to stop an unhealthy habit than…
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“Doc, I just don’t eat leftover foods” is a comment I sometimes get from patients during my weight management counseling. I always encourage them to reconsider. With grocery prices soaring and food waste being so common, we know that using leftover food is a good strategy that helps your pocketbook and the planet. But you…
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