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In Honor of Women’s History
Month.
(March
2008)
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
otivating- 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.
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