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In Honor of Women’s History Month.
WE ARE WOMEN
By Cheryl E. Woodson, MD

We are women.
We are black; we are white; we are GRAY, although many of us won’t admit it. We are brown, red, yellow--- every color and ethnicity under the sun.

We are young and we are young at heart.

We are short and we are tall. Some of us are curvy. Some of us are skinny and we fight to hold on to our weight while many of us wish our weight would let us go.

We are women.
We are agnostic and atheist. We are also very spiritual with deep faith that sustains us and the people we love.

We are mothers, grandmothers and great- grandmothers. We are child-free.

We are also the daughters of aging parents.

We are women.
We are single; married; divorced and we’re shackin’.

We are gay and we are straight.

We are empty nesters and many of us are re- nesters.

We are women.
We are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and CEOs of the family company- domestic goddesses.

We are employers and employees. We are soon to be employed. We are retired and we are counting the days to retirement.

We are homeowners, renters and landlords. We are homeless.
 

We are women.
We are loving, nurturing caregivers.
We adore being loved on, nurtured and pampered. We dream of having people take care of us.
BUT usually, we won’t let people take care of us; we rarely insist that people take care of us and we almost never take care of our selves.

We are beautiful. We are velvet-covered steel. Atlas? HA!

We are women and the world turns on OUR shoulders.

(January - March 2008)

NO NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS IN 2008.

THIS YEAR, LET'S HAVE A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION!!!

        Every January, people resolve to lose weight, stop smoking, get more organized, or change some other behavior with a promise to improve their lives. Unfortunately, most of us give up before Valentine’s Day.

Instead of hitting the same wall this year, let’s improve the odds by recognizing that a goal is something you want badly enough to work hard to achieve it. This year, let’s change from resolution to REVOLUTION by setting goals that are S.M.A.R.T.
 

S pecific- write down exactly what you are going to do.
M otivati mnmjg- achieving your goal will excite you and make you happy.
A chievable- it is possible to achieve your goal.
R elevant- you know why your goal is important to you.
T rackable- you can measure and monitor your progress toward your goal.

From the American Taekwondo Association training manual,
courtesy of Master Patti Barnum
 

My goal is to exercise more consistently by getting to Taekwondo class at least 2x a week and work on my resistance training program at least 2x a week to achieve a healthy, permanent weight loss. You can adapt these recommendations to meet your goal.
 

SET GOALS IN BABY STEPS

Don’t set a goal of losing 20, 30, 40 pounds; a huge change can seem overwhelming. Set your goal at one pound per week. You can do this by decreasing your intake by only 500 calories each day. 500 calories X 7 days = 3500 calories which equals one pound. (for example, 3 non-diet soft drinks, 2 candy bars, and 2 cans of beer all cost about 500 calories). If you lose one pound per week, in a year, you will have lost about 50 pounds. Wouldn’t that be OK?

BE PATIENT
Your situation didn’t occur overnight; there’s no reason to pressure yourself to try to make it disappear overnight. Unless you have tickets on the space shuttle, what’s the rush? Take your time, put one foot in front of the other and get to your goal.

PLAN FOR SUCCESS
Forget about willpower. If you had any willpower, you wouldn’t be in this situation. There’s no shame; you have nothing to prove. If you don’t want to deal with it, don’t let it into your space. If you don’t want to eat it, don’t have it in the house.

DO A NEW THING; INVEST IN SOME HELP
They say, “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.” Did it work the way you did it last year? If not, why do it the same way this time? For example, this year, hire a nutritionist, or a personal trainer.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIKE IT; DO IT ANYWAY.

Master Barnum says, “you have to give up to go up.” You will have to make sacrifices to achieve your goal. When you change behavior, you come out of your comfort zone and at first, it’s UNCOMFORTABLE (DUH!!!) It takes about 4 months for a new behavior to become part of you. NO matter how you feel, promise yourself you’ll stick to your program at least that long. You should not put up with severe pain, or other dangerous symptoms. Check in with your doctor.

FIND PARTNERS
You know the drill: “Humans are pack animals.” “There’s safety in numbers.” It’s not likely that all of you will all have a “BIG MAC ATTACK” at the same time. Share your strength and support.

IF YOU SLIP, FORGIVE YOURSELF AND START AGAIN.
You will stumble a time or two, but don’t beat yourself up. The negativity can undermine your whole program. Chalk it up and get right back on track.

SAVOR EACH LITTLE SUCCESS
Whether the numbers change or not, pat yourself on the back for sticking to your program. Get the help you need, ask the right questions, adjust the program and keep going to VICTORY!!!

(October -December 2007)

   IT’S TIME FOR YOUR FLU SHOT

     CDC 2007-2008 recommendations www.cdc.gov

  The vaccine that protects against Influenza B is usually offered from

the fall through the typical flu season, which may not end until March of the

 following year. Adults should be immunized if they are over age 60 or live with:

* diseases or medications that affect the immune system

* diseases of the heart, kidneys, lungs, or liver

* diabetes, or cancer

Caregivers (family members and professionals) should be immunized to avoid transmitting influenza to people in their care, who are at risk of death related to influenza.

 The vaccine may not provide 100% protection; you may still get the flu, but the hope is that you will not develop pneumonia and leave the planet. Even though the most commonly administered, injectable vaccine is de-activated, some people experience a mild flu-like syndrome (fever, muscle aches) at the time of vaccination. BUT, I tell people for people who are at high-risk, “three days in October is better than two weeks in the hospital in February.”

Flu vaccine has been shown to decrease the length of symptoms and to result in fewer days lost from work even in people who are not in high-risk groups.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the vaccine has been in short supply and it was imperative to immunize high-risk individuals first. In the shortage years, I told my high-powered, corporate folks, “you have sick time, take it.” Luckily, this year, it looks like vaccine supplies will be plentiful.

Anti-viral medications are available for people who cannot be vaccinated, i.e. people who are allergic to eggs, those who have had severe reactions to the vaccine, or people who have not been vaccinated by the time a flu outbreak occurs in their communities. Traditional medications, that protected against the spread of influenza A, may not be effective if the virus in your community is resistant to those agents.

Be sure to ask your doctor whether flu vaccine is right for you, and which anti-viral agents might be right for you.   

GETTING THROUGH THE EATING SEASON

(Thanks to Sister Iris Ade)

The Jewish High Holy Days to Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to Kwanzaa to New Year's day.  If we’re not careful, we can really pack on the pounds over the holidays. Food is everywhere. There are big family dinners, office parties and friendly gatherings with bowls of candy and other goodies just made for mindless munching.

Food never jumped off a plate and stuffed itself into anybody’s mouth. Food isn’t the problem. The holidays are fraught with dashed expectations, family fighting and other emotional turmoil that we may choose to soothe by eating.

Can you eat healthy without hurting your grandmother’s feelings, offending your hostess, making your boss and co-workers suspicious, shooting your relatives, or being overwhelmed by disappointment and loneliness? Yes, you can: 

*    Blame it on your doctor. “My doctor has me on a special eating program.”

*    Be realistic. Family celebrations are real. Real families have real problems that you can’t put on a picture postcard. I don’t think even Norman Rockwell always had the kind of Christmases he painted.

*    Keep it simple. Do you have to have a turkey, a roast, a ham and seven desserts?

*    Increase the number of vegetables and try some new ones. Hicaima, anyone?

*    Defend your “ME.” Take time each day to read for pleasure, exercise, light fragrant candles, take a bubble bath or just sit. I call it “Arsenic time.” Tell people.

*    Just say no, or if you can’t, then delegate, delegate, delegate. “Ok, I’ll host the who want something, “for the next 15 minutes, if you talk to me, I’ll poison you.” Karamu this year. I’ll bake a salmon, you bring the…”

*    Plan something special. Instead of whining about having nothing to do during the holidays, plan a pot-luck party, schedule spa services, or take a vacation.

*    Give something back. It’s harder to get mired down in your misery if you are helping someone else. Bring small gifts, read or sing carols at a nursing home, prison or hospital. Volunteer at a shelter.

   AND REMEMBER: This, too, shall pass.

(July - September 2007)

summer vacation is coming, but for caregivers, summer is often just another season.  When you are exhausted, stressed, angry, or disappointed, you can lose concentration and make mistakes.  Mistakes can cause medication errors, accidents, or hospitalization for your loved ones and for YOU.  Remember, the best gift you can give the ones you care for is a Rested, Happy Caregiver!  Local assisted-living programs and nursing homes can offer short-term respite care where your senior can stay for a weekend or up to two weeks.  You can hire in-home respite care on a short-term basis.  For information, contact the facilities directly or call Woodson Center at (708) 709-9200.