health habits
So much in life is outside of our control such as where we are born, who our parents are and our genetic makeup. When taking a family history, I always ask about my patient’s family members and whether or not others in the family have weight problems. If your family members have also struggled with…
When I hear physicians state that their patients just need to learn how to ‘eat less and move more’ to lose weight, I think about how much this message oversimplifies and under-delivers in offering real help to people who struggle with weight. This message reveals a misunderstanding about the complexity of overweight and obesity that…
Too many times, people can feel defeated in their quest for better health. Maybe they have difficulty choosing the right foods or struggle sticking with an exercise program. Or maybe stress keeps getting in the way of their good intentions. A lack of confidence can cause many to throw in the towel and give up…
You are probably all too familiar with the drill – you lose weight and feel good but when life throws you a curveball, you stop doing the healthy lifestyle behaviors that kept your weight under control. Though the specific life challenge can vary from person to person (examples may include a new illness or injury,…
You’re already probably used to taking care of others – your children, an ailing parent, a friend or even your pet. Now it’s time to start treating yourself better too. In my 40 + years treating patients, I’ve found that those who make time for self-care, do better managing weight and boosting health than those…
If you’re trying to boost your health but don’t have the motivation, time or interest to completely overhaul your lifestyle, a helpful strategy is to pick simpler lifestyle tweaks that require less effort. I refer to this as ‘picking the low hanging fruit’ or simpler strategies that are easier to implement. Here are some examples:…
Is a healthy lifestyle expensive? Because we live in a world where tasty, tempting foods high in calories, fat, salt and sugar are abundant and cheap while a physically active lifestyle seems out of reach for those unable to afford an expensive fitness club membership or home exercise equipment, many people think it is. But…
While helping people get control of their weight for almost 4 decades, one thing I know for sure is that ‘one size does not fit all.’ I spend a lot of time talking to my patients to help them figure out the best mix of weight management strategies that fit their life and lifestyle habits.…
As the weather changes along with family schedules, Fall can be a time for personal renewal and transformation. But the energy you used to put forth toward creating new schedules and healthier self-care practices in past autumn seasons may now be focused on dealing with pandemic-related stress, uncertainty and fears. This can lead to procrastination,…
With stress levels high and routines disrupted in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, we are all feeling challenged to maintain healthy lifestyle habits. And yet because excess weight and obesity have been identified as risk factors for worse coronavirus outcomes, managing weight and boosting health are now more important than ever. Over the last…
