At the beginning of every new year, I like to reflect back on last year’s resolutions and see how successful I was at meeting my goals…

2011 Resolutions

1. Take a Photography Class. Met!… In 2011 I took three photography classes and then started a photography business with my sister Kiley that continues to grow! It was definitely one of the highlights of 2011 for me.

2. Waste less food. Met!… Meal planning and getting creative with leftovers definitely helped us to waste less food and save money on food costs.

3. Continue to save. Met!… Cory and I exceeded our savings goal and was able to purchase our new house!!! Perhaps the biggest highlight of 2011?!

4. Stay active with variable/fun exercise at least 3 times a week. Kinda met… I had good weeks and I had bad weeks in regards to my commitment to exercising. Working full-time at the hospital and starting a new business left me with little free time… and quality time with the husband or dinner with friends a lot of times won over yoga class.

5. Savor each moment- Umm… always a work in progress! Balancing everything in 2011 was a constant struggle for me. Sometimes the perfectionist side of me causes more harm than good and I end up stressing about things that are beyond my control. Cory can probably write a book about “How to Calm Down Your Stressed Out Wife!”

As for 2012…

2012 Resolutions

1. Finish decorating the house… The selection of décor in our house has been a slow and very thoughtful process. I want to LOVE everything in our house. Every rug, piece of furniture, vase, etc was selected after discussion and careful consideration (and some inspiration from Pinterest). Why spend money on things you don’t love?! Luckily, Cory enjoys helping me choose things for the house and we have similar taste in style so that helps! My goal is to finish decorating the interior of the house by the end of this year. We have big plans for the backyard space (think outdoor entertaining area, herb/veggie garden!) but that may take a couple years…

2. Exercise at least 3 times per week and stay physically active during the day. Although exercise may not be my number one priority (family and work usually comes first), it is still a really important tool to help me manage stress and stay healthy! I hope to consistently (on more weeks than not) exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times per week. Additionally, I plan to stay active during the day by taking the stairs at work, walking down to a coworker’s office to tell them something in person rather than emailing or calling them (when time permits!), etc.

3. Savor each moment (again!)… I’m a busy person because I pursue many interests and am very fortunate to live a very fulfilling life. The double-edged sword is when I try to do to fit in 35 hours of activity in a 24 hour day. This year I hope to recognize my limits and for goodness sake stop getting so stressed out! Daily reminders of how thankful I am for everyone and everything in my life may help. A trip to the Caribbean would also help!

Anyone have any advice or ideas on how to minimize unnecessary stress and truly appreciate the little (and big) things in life?

What are some of your new year resolutions? How are things going so far?

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time…

Kasey

The other day, I was reading through a magazine and came across a somewhat startling statistic- “95% of US healthcare funds go towards treating illness with only 5% going towards disease prevention”.  Practicing in a hospital setting, this news is not exactly shocking to me because the majority of my patients have acute illnesses.  On the rare occasion, I may receive an outpatient weight loss referral for a patient that that has not yet developed co-morbidities such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes.  This infrequent occurrence usually requires a prevention-minded doctor and an extremely motivated patient. 

It’s obvious that American medicine is not doing such a great job of promoting health and wellness nor is it preventing chronic diseases.  Taking responsibility and ownership of our own health is important.   

How do you define health?  I believe being healthy is much more that being free of illness/sickness and that one’s health is defined by one’s behaviors.  Many of today’s illnesses are a result of people’s behaviors such as smoking, inactivity, and poor nutrition. 

What have you done for your health today?  So far today, I am close to reaching my fruit and veggie goals (should reach after dinner) and I plan on exercising as soon as I press “Publish”!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week

Kasey

Will you succeed at meeting your goals 100% of the time? Absolutely not! We gain skills by trial and error and learn through our mistakes.  The key is to staying focused and getting back on the right track!

Will the change be easy? You would have already changed if it were easy.  Change comes with self reflection, preparation, visualization, patience, repetition, persistence, and time. Setbacks are normal and part of the process of change; the key is being adaptable and bouncing back.  Have faith in yourself that you can do it!

“Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t either way you are right.” Henry Ford

A good friend of mine emailed me the other day and asked if I had any words of wisdom or tips for staying motivated.  If I could bottle up motivation and sell it I would but motivation is going to be different for everyone.  I think with serious self reflection you can identify your motivation.  I gave my friend examples of other people’s motivation… such as my sister (who recently lost a significant amount of weight) is motivated to lead a healthier lifestyle for her two boys; she wants to be a healthy example for her family.  I also told my friend that “you control your willpower, not the other way around”.

Have you found your motivation?  What motivates you?

How are you doing with your New Year’s goal one week in?

Kasey

For date night, we went to our favorite pizza place… Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza. 

I started with a small mixed green salad with olive dressing and artichokes… So Good!

I also had a glass of Trinity Oaks Pinot Noir which was smooth and delicious…

 For the main course, I had two slices of pizza with cheese and banana peppers.  The extra thin, crispy crust is why I love Theo’s pizza so much!  Thin crust is usually about 100 Calories less per slice than regular crust pizza.

 I  enjoyed delicious food while spending some quality time with my favorite guy

The remainder of my free time was spent relaxing at home and catching up on my favorite TV shows.  After watching The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now?, I started thinking about what motivates people and how they are able to find their healthy balance. 

The show featured several previous contestants who are maintaining their weight loss (many of them over 100 pounds lost), running marathons, and giving back to their communities.  Exercise is a vital component to weight loss maintenance so I wasn’t surprised to see many of the previous contestants working as fitness instructors today. 

Someone who really caught my attention was the 64 year old man who was eliminated early in the seventh season shortly after collapsing during a workout.  He was able to lose 177 pounds at home.  This grandpa is in awesome shape… you should have seen him on a stationary bike!  I think his collapse during the first week of the season was a reality check that motivated him to improve his health.

Not everyone was successful at maintaining weight loss.  A previous season winner was featured who gained almost all of his weight back.  As Bob (one of the Biggest Loser trainers) interviewed him, I really picked up on his “all or nothing” attitude.  He felt he needed to either be on a very strict diet and exercise regimen at home or no diet or exercise regimen at all.  I think a lot of people have this attitude which may set them up for failure.  Balance is key!  Deprivation is not a long term tool for success.  Finding a balance of work, home, and health is necessary to reach long term fitness goals.  While I enjoy nutritious foods regularly, I never feel guilty or give up my healthy habits after enjoying an extra glass of wine or dining out for pizza occasionally   

Where are YOU now?  Did you have a “wake-up call” that motivated you to make your health a priority?  How are you maintaining your health/weight?

Kasey

“Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t either way you are right.” Henry Ford

While Part I of Your Own Worst Enemy focuses on identifying a problem, Part II and III focus on understanding and implementing change.  Dr. Christian provides relatable examples with guided personal exercises throughout the book.  With a no nonsense, straightforward tone, he successfully delivers his message.   

Some of my take-home messages from Your Own Worst Enemy…

Will change be easy? You would have already changed if it were easy.  Change comes with self reflection, preparation, visualization, patience, repetition/practice, persistence, and time. Even when your efforts are having no evident outcome other than being a nuisance to your life, realize that change takes time.  Setbacks are as normal as a baby falling down while learning to walk.  Failure is essential for learning.  It is easy to throw in the towel and give up after a setback; try to resist being so drastic.  Dr. Christian states “When you accept failure as part of the growth you are less likely to be frustrated by setbacks and misinterpret them as proof of failure.” 

 Change happens though a series of phases…

• Pre-contemplation (recognizing there is a problem that needs change)
• Contemplation (acknowledging the problem and considering what you can do to change it)
• Preparation (change begins with small, important steps such as researching local gyms or planning healthy meals)
• Action (exercising at the gym and eating healthy meals)
• Maintenance (maintaining the healthy habits you have gained through the first 4 phases)

Are you waiting to be in the mood to change?  Unfortunately, you may be waiting for a really long time.  Failing to try is failing yourself.  Everyone has let opportunities slip away. Avoid dwelling in regret and ignoring present opportunities. Thinking that you lost your only chance is a way to justify current inaction.  Although you cannot change the past, you can alter the course of your life with present decisions and action.

Do you blame your lack of change on laziness?  Everyone has the potential for laziness, along with the potential for determination and liveliness.  Do not let laziness define you.  According to Dr. Christian, “You do not have to be your own worst enemy.”

Overall, I believe many people (myself included) will benefit from reading this book.   What books have you read that have really made a difference or changed your perspective?

What an eye opener… and I’m only through chapter 4 at this point.  The first section of the book (Chapters 1-3) discusses identifying your problems and/or weaknesses.  The central theme is that many people exhibit “self-limiting behavior” which is day by day habits that appear harmless but over time negatively impact their lives.  An example of “self-limiting behavior” would be to not live up to your full potential by taking an easy, unchallenging job that overtime becomes unfulfilling. The author describes many people who do not take risks due to fear of failure.  

“Habitual Underachieving” is described as

• taking short cuts
• planning and talking about things but never following through on them
• difficulty organizing work, life, etc.
• procrastination
• keeping your options open by postponing serious commitments
• periods of depression
• blaming failure on “bad luck” or other people instead of accepting responsibility

“Touching bottom has a way of either bringing clarity and a riveting sense of purpose or self-absorption, self-pity, and frozenness… Be careful with regret. Learn from it, but avoid indulging in it.”

The first step of change is identifying a problem or need for change. Stay tuned for Your Own Worst Enemy Part II which focuses on the process of changing.

I often ask my patients at work, “What is motivating you to change your eating habits/lose weight?”  Whether the goal is to maintain or improve health, the driving force to reach that goal is different for everyone. 

• For some money was the motivation… cost of medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes… cost of buying bigger size clothing. 
• For others quality of life was the motivation… to be more active with children… to be independent in activities of daily life such as tying their own tennis shoes… to improve joint, back, or knee pain.  
• Some are motivated to improve health/lose weight for an upcoming event… a wedding… a class or family reunion… a beach vacation.

I tend to get very stressed out at times… my motivation is to maintain a healthy balance in my life for continued health. 

(Above is me trying to be “zen-like” at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco)

While motivation influences our behaviors, having a plan for action is important in turning your goal into a reality.  Setting short term and long term goals can make your ultimate goal seem more attainable.  Also, visualizing yourself reaching your goals can help…

For example, yesterday once I got home from work and sat on the couch, I was exhausted! I knew Cory had a night class and it was up to me to cook a healthy dinner (I’m a lucky girl whose fiancé helps with the cooking regularly )… so I started picturing myself defrosting the shrimp which only takes a couple minutes under running water… then I visualized myself filling up a pot with water to boil the pasta… getting out my fabulous Wok… stir frying the shrimp and vegetables.  Before I even finished visualizing all the steps to make Shrimp Pasta, I had already started defrosting the shrimp!  I replaced my negative thoughts (I’m so tired) with positive thoughts (I can have this dinner cooked in less than twenty minutes).

What motivates you to maintain or improve your health?