Attitude

 

Today I’d like to talk a little bit about attitude.  I recently watched the HBO special on John McCain’s life.  I was struck by the amazing positive attitude that he held while enduring horrific conditions and torture in the Hanoi Hilton.  Regardless of your political views, his fortitude and strength through all the adversity is admirable.

No matter who you are, life is not always a bowl of cherries.  We all have lessons to learn, disappointments, tragedy, and hardships throughout our lives.

 It has been about 6 weeks since the whirlwind of events, cancer diagnosis, surgery, consultations with oncologists and radiation oncologists, as well as physical therapists.  I am one that does not like to go to doctors!  Enough!  But, what I am learning, is that I am going through the grieving process.

You may recall, from years ago, the esteemed Swiss-born doctor Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, identified the five stages of grief in her famous book, “On Death and Dying”.  It was initially relating to the awareness of one’s own pending death, but these concepts have broadened to anyone suffering from a significant loss of something very important to them.

It can happen to you!

 

I haven’t written in a while, but I have been quite distracted and occupied.  I debated whether to share my personal experience or not, but decided that if one person was helped it was worth it.

I have been in the healthcare field for more than 45 years.  I have always been the provider, on the other side of the desk.  Recently I have found myself on the other side of the desk.  It was an eyeopener, to say the least.  A very humbling experience.

Another year is closing in on us and the New Year is around the corner.  One of the most common resolutions for the new year is to lose weight.  Millions of people make it a priority…… year, after year.  The failure rate is high.  Change is difficult and habits are even harder to break.

It is time to reflect on your “why”, the reason for your resolution.  Are you committed?  On a scale of 1-10, how committed are you to making changes?   On a scale of 1-10, do you feel you are capable of making those changes.

Write your post here.

Let’s talk about water and hydration!

 

I know, this isn’t the most entertaining or fascinating topic to talk about, but is one of the most important for our health.  I am sitting here in the Southwest where heat records have been occurring on a daily basis.  To be blunt, “it’s been hotter than hell here!”  It is imperative that you get enough water daily; if you wait until you are thirsty, it’s too late!

Our bodies are comprised of about 65% water.  Keeping fully hydrated is necessary for a variety of bodily functions, physiological processes and biochemical reactions.

Things have changed!

 

For those of you who are older, you know that things “ain’t” what they used to be.  Change can be good, but it also can have deleterious consequences.

I have been a healthcare provider for 45 years and was indoctrinated in the ways of medical profession at that time.  Little questioning was done at the time and we just believed in what was taught.  Well, we now know that many things were not correct.  Here’s a few:

1.        Fat foods are bad for you.

Habits- How to change a habit

 

You have tried and tried and tried to change a habit, such as lose weight.  I would bet that you can name all the different weight loss programs and have tried just about everyone.  Frustrating, isn’t it?  You just want to give up and eat all the pizza or the entire cake, or the whole gallon of ice cream.  Please don’t give up; learn the process of change, if you truly want to change.

It’s time to realize that you can’t really truly extinguish a habit; you have to change and replace it.

 

I thought I’d start my blog with the topic of habits.  Habits are something that everyone has and begins very early in life.    Just think about a typical day.  You wake up and start your day with habits, how you get up, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, dress, travel to work, when you have your breaks, lunch, location as well as who you eat with, when you leave work, the route you travel home, and then what you like to eat.  Most activities are accomplished almost on automatic pilot.