Deceiving Scale Stories
The scale does not tell the whole story. Inspiring stories from women physicians that have overcome their scale struggles to achieve optimal health.
Why Measuring Body Composition is More Beneficial
By Ali Novitsky, MD - Life Coach for Women Physicians
The scale does not give the full story.
It simply measures our gravitational pull on the earth. But because the power of the scale is still so strong for so many of us, it is hard to give up our old beliefs. Things like, “I should weigh less,” “My plan isn’t working,” “My body is broken,” are often loaded up and ready to come out the moment we step on the scale and don’t like what we see.
Then we go down the pathway of, “Am I retaining water?”, “Did I put on muscle?”, “Is the scale broken?”, “How is my thyroid?”, “Do I have inflammation?”, “Is my cortisol high?” We overthink and over complicate it. Then the scale continues to retain its power.
This week, I wanted to share a couple of success stories from my women physician clients, where we took data beyond the scale and instead looked at a body composition analysis through an InBody Scan. If you are not familiar, an InBody scan is a fairly accurate way to determine weight, fat mass, and skeletal muscle. I have clients use InBody Scans and measurements, plus before and after pictures in my programs so that we can track fat loss, muscle maintenance, and/or muscle gain.
Let me share a story about the utility of an InBody Scan.
This lovely client has a goal of fat loss and muscle maintenance. She is using calculated macros. The plan was for her to be super consistent with her macros for just 1 week. So she was. At the end of the week, she stepped on the InBody Scale and noted that she had not lost any total weight. Now, if she only had that measurement alone, she would have felt disappointed. Perhaps thinking that all of her hard work was not worth it.
But, the InBody Scan revealed a 2 lb fat loss and a 2 lb lean mass gain. Lean mass is not skeletal muscle only… but rather water, glycogen, bone, organs, and ligaments.
Often when we lose body fat, our body tries to keep our empty fat cells full with water, so often our total scale weight will not change despite fat loss. This is exactly what happened for my client. And, if she didn’t have this data, she would not have the full picture. She is instead reassured that her plan is working and she is motivated to keep going.
Now let me share a story about the utility of traditional waist circumference measurements.
My amazing client has a goal of fat loss and muscle maintenance. In the past, she has used my program Mindful Macros® to achieve results. More recently she has been using calculated macros. She has been on point and honoring her authentic body with her exercise and nutrition strategy. In 4 weeks, she has maintained her weight. But, she has lost 2 inches off her waist. Inches off waist with same weight in a 4 week time frame, says to me that we have fat loss, and we could possibly have some muscle gain. She does have a mesomorph body type, so this could be possible. But, fat loss is definite. She is motivated, feeling great, and excited to keep going.
How about a story of overcoming emotional eating?
My open-minded, growth-mindset client wanted to adopt an intuitive style of eating to heal the relationship with food and her body. She knew that she could have secondary results of fat loss, but her primary goal was to heal. In the past, she was very restrictive with her food and would then overeat.
In the past month, she has used her hunger cues, she has not restricted food, she has become snobby with her extras, and I am happy to say that she reports the feeling of “freedom.” She is not having episodes of overeating out of emotion, and she loves the idea that if she eats chocolate, she will eat the best chocolate.
The diet culture has had influence for way too long. It is time to do things differently. As female physicians, we know what our bodies need, and we can always just make the next best decisions to honor our authentic bodies.
Want to learn more about how my coaching programs help women physicians achieve optimal health? Click HERE for a private info call with our Concierge team!
About Ali Novitsky, MD
Dr. Novitsky is certified by the Life Coach School, Obesity Board Certified, a physician speaker, and fitness enthusiast. Ali helps women physicians achieve their optimal health with scientific, yet intuitive, principles that work.
Follow Ali Novitsky, MD on Facebook or Instagram.
Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts.
What My Genes Revealed!
I am all about data, especially data from our genetic make-up!! My husband, Mark, lead psychiatrist at Boutique Mind Doctors, has been using genetic swabs to prescribe proper medications for years!! So, when I found one that looks at genes related to our overall health, I was intrigued.
Recently, in my coaching programs, I have started to use genetic swabs to learn more about my clients as a whole. And let me tell you, looking at your genetics is fascinating. So, I decided to join the fun and look at my own.
I wanted to share with you some of the different things that popped up for me. None of them were surprising to be honest. I will highlight just a few since there are so many different things that the genetic tests look for.
Here were some of the highlights for me:
GENE: CRHR1, FKBP
HEIGHTENED STRESS RESPONSE.
“We detected a variant was detected in one of your core STRESS HORMONE REGULATION genes (CRHR1) that predisposes you to a HEIGHTENED STRESS RESPONSE. The feelings we associate with being stressed result primarily from STRESS HORMONES that are released as part of the STRESS RESPONSE. Your genotype is associated with significantly higher levels of these hormones when exposed to stress.”
My AHA Moment: No wonder I actually gain body fat when I am over-exercising! No wonder I gain body fat when my nutrition is not optimized. When I strategize my nutrition and exercise, I see results… makes so much sense now. I tend to be an overproducer in cortisol when in stressful situations. I can’t change my genes, but I can change my lifestyle.
GENE: CRHR1
MID-LIFE BRAIN FOG.
“We detected a variant in one of your core STRESS HORMONE REGULATION genes (CRHR1) that predisposes you to a HEIGHTENED STRESS RESPONSE and MID-LIFE BRAIN FOG. A chronically activated stress response system can cause fatigue and a decline in WORKING MEMORY as people age, and you may be particularly sensitive to this. In a large study testing the effects of stress on memory, people with your genotype who were 31-59 years of age tended to score lower on tests of WORKING MEMORY.”
My AHA Moment: When I go on vacation and give myself brain rest, I come back as a new, sharper woman. I know that managing my stress is key for me. I also know that I can do things to alleviate my chronic stress such as listening to classical music, making lists for myself, and giving myself some brain rest.
GENE: HTR1A
IMPULSIVITY
“You may be predisposed to choosing immediate gratification at the cost of long-term gain. This is likely due to how SEROTONIN is used in an area of the brain responsible for memory and impulse control. We detected a variant in one of your SEROTONIN RECEPTOR genes (HTR1A) that is associated with decreased SEROTONIN activity. This is thought to be why people with your genotype tend to be more IMPULSIVE.”
My AHA Moment: I have done a lot of work to overcome emotional eating, which I believe would start with restlessness and then trigger urges that I would act upon impulsively. Knowing this has given me validation. I have worked through this despite my genotype. And because of this, I am empowered and proud.
GENE: ARID3B
SKIPPING BREAKFAST
“Your genotype is associated with an increased tendency toward SKIPPING BREAKFAST. Scientific research is emerging on how some genes may play a role in our meal timing preferences, and it seems that CELL CYCLE REGULATION (how cells throughout the body metabolize nutrients) may be a key factor. We detected a variant in one of your CELL CYCLE REGULATION genes (ARID3B) that may influence whether or not you feel like eating first thing in the morning. In a large study of Caucasian volunteers, people with your genotype were more likely to SKIP BREAKFAST.”
My AHA Moment: Knowing this information reminds me to tap into my unique hunger cues. It allows me to be curious about when I prefer to eat. It supports my desire to be an intuitive eater. I know that fasting for me is not difficult, and this explains it.
GENE: MC4R
OVEREATING
“Your genotype is associated with a tendency to OVEREAT, likely due to decreased FULLNESS SIGNALING. FULLNESS SIGNALING is how the stomach messages the brain that it is full. Unfortunately, many of us continue to eat well after our stomach says ‘I’ve had enough.’ This may be even more troublesome for those with your genotype, as you are predisposed to decreased FULLNESS SIGNALING and increased caloric intake.”
My AHA Moment: I was an overweight child and I can remember that I always felt hungry. I could eat way more than my friends. As I have adopted intuitive eating and strategic nutrition, I now can sense my satiety extremely well. And because of this, I am now 50 lbs lighter than I was at the age of 18. Nothing has gone wrong. Knowing my genetics just helps me be well prepared.
There were so many other pearls that I gained from understanding my genetics. This assessment was extremely powerful. I was able to take my data and validate what I was currently doing, make changes for what was not working, and quite honestly… I gained a whole heck of a lot of self-compassion in this process.
Because this testing is so powerful, my team is planning to offer something special in the near future. To be the first to hear about our future offering, join the interest list HERE.
Want to learn more about how my coaching programs help women physicians achieve optimal health? Click HERE for a private info call with our Concierge team!
About Ali Novitsky, MD
Dr. Novitsky is certified by the Life Coach School, Obesity Board Certified, a physician speaker, and fitness enthusiast. Ali helps women physicians achieve their optimal health with scientific, yet intuitive, principles that work.
Follow Ali Novitsky, MD on Facebook or Instagram.
Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts.
What is the Right Nutrition Plan for You?
When I talk to my clients, I always stress the importance of understanding who they are mentally, emotionally, and physically so that we can strategize the best nutrition plan for them. As a physician life coach, I have worked with hundreds of physicians who are stretched for time, and deciding on and committing to a nutrition plan seems daunting. Well, you came to the right place.
Deciding on a nutrition plan will help you achieve optimal health by focusing on a primary goal - whether it be fat loss, muscle gain, improved fitness, ending emotional eating, avoiding restrictive eating patterns, and/or staying far away from diet culture mentality.
When I discuss nutrition strategy, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, we have to know your history of dieting. Any individual who has "dieted" in the past runs the risk of having leptin resistance. With leptin resistance, I often hear, "I'm eating 500 calories per day and the scale isn't budging.” Leptin is a hormone made in our fat cells. When we have adequate body fat, our leptin levels are high. When we start to lose body fat, our leptin levels start to decrease. When our leptin decreases low enough, it signals our body to stop releasing body fat. With leptin resistance, our body does not sense that we have adequate leptin and our body will not release body fat despite having plenty.
There are many weight loss doctors out there along with many coaching programs that address nutrition. I am board certified in obesity medicine, and I am also a certified physician coach. But, I do not consider myself a weight loss doctor or coach. I consider myself a physician coach who specializes in optimal body composition by focusing on body fat loss while preventing muscle mass loss. This is something that mainstream weight loss programs do not address, and it is essential to understand.
The diet culture focuses so much on "weight loss," but what that indicates is that our body is losing mass and we don't know from where. We want to preserve lean muscle mass and focus on fat loss so that we can preserve our basal metabolic rate. We can do this by incorporating strength training along with proper nutrition. To lose body fat, we have to be in a calorie deficit. To gain lean muscle mass, we typically have to be eating maintenance calories or be in a calorie surplus, depending on our body type. For example, a mesomorph body type that has a tendency to put muscle mass on may be able to do so by eating maintenance calories, while an ectomorph or naturally thin body type may need to be eating in a surplus.
When you are looking for a program to help you adopt a nutrition strategy to honor your authentic body, we want to make sure that we are keeping a few things in mind. Will the nutrition strategy that you adopt be sustainable so that you can achieve long-term weight loss, which is focused on body fat loss and lean muscle mass maintenance? Next, does it incorporate mindset strategies to allow for the understanding of how our thoughts create our actions?
If we want different results, we must have different beliefs. To keep getting the same results, we can keep the same beliefs. For example, if we believe, "I will have to change, restrict my eating, and go hungry to reach my goal," then this will make us feel unmotivated to take action. But, if we believe, "I can learn a new process that is enjoyable and will allow me to achieve my optimal health," we will be curious, motivated, maybe even excited. Physician wellness and preventing physician burnout involves us feeding our body in a way that is not only strategic, but enjoyable.
Now, let's get to it.
I typically start educating my clients on understanding their unique body type so that they can start to honor who they are. Our body types, also known as somatotypes, are unique to us. So, what we are born with, we will keep throughout life. Now, our body composition can change over time, but our body type cannot. With that being said, we can optimize our body composition at any phase of life. Many of my clients in menopause are now sporting their most optimized body composition to date.
The 3 somatotypes include ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. Ectomorph is the naturally thin body type that may have more difficulty gaining muscle mass, mesomorphs are the naturally muscular body type that can gain muscle with ease, and the endomorph body type is one that has a decent amount of muscle and tends to carry additional body fat. Most of us are a combination body type with mesomorph-endomorph being the most common type. It is so empowering once we do understand the body type we were given because it can help us to develop a "neutral scale" mentality. And, once we understand our body type, we can identify our primary goal so that we can select our nutrition strategy.
Let's start with intuitive eating. The first thing I want to clear up about intuitive eating is that we choose intuitive eating to build a better relationship with ourselves, our bodies, and our food. It is not the plan that we should adopt with the intention of losing body fat or gaining muscle. Now, those things can happen as a secondary effect. But, the primary goal is to heal ourselves from within. If you have emotional eating that has created endless amounts of food chatter, and you are engaging in a lot of negative self-talk toward your body, intuitive eating is what I recommend to help the healing process.
Many are afraid to jump into intuitive eating because it may feel like a loss of control. But, let me say this. On the other side of that feeling of "loss of control" is a discovery of "self-trust." Intuitive eating is about trusting the process and committing to meeting your authentic body when you honor it. We don't know what your authentic body will weigh, what its body fat percentage will be, or even how it moves. But, you will get to meet it and love it and embrace it and heal from all of the shame and disappointment that the diet culture teaches us.
Intuitive eating relies on becoming in touch with your hunger scale. This is where we commit to getting hungry before we eat. We then become more aware and begin to learn what our cues are for when we are satisfied with eating. Observing for fullness is what I like to call it. Intuitive eating encourages us to allow our feelings. Again, if putting an end to emotional eating is your focus, then intuitive eating is the top strategy. With intuitive eating, we start to move our bodies in a way where we get to actually love movement. Intuitive eating often feels peaceful when we pursue it in the way it was meant to be selected. I believe that taking time to become an intuitive eater is one of the most powerful things we can do to not only understand, but to heal the relationship we have with food and our body.
Mindful Eating is being present with your hunger, your fullness, the experience of eating, the flavors, and the textures of food. It is using all 5 senses to experience your food. Like intuitive eating, the goal is to listen to our body in order to honor what nourishment we prefer. On a recent trip, we indulged in a dining experience for the senses. It was a 12-course meal that required you to see, smell, feel, hear, and taste the food. The experience lasted 4 hours, and it was incredibly satisfying.
Mindful Eating and Intuitive Eating do have subtle differences. Mindful Eating engages the senses and promotes reduction in distractions during meals, while Intuitive Eating incorporates mindfulness and other tools to reconnect with the body and strengthen the relationship we have with food and our body. Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating can be done together. Mindful Eating is typically adopted for a more healing approach to nutrition, however, secondary results like body fat loss, improved fitness, and lean muscle mass maintenance are common.
Traditional Calculated Macros can sound intimidating to some. And if mindset work is not incorporated well before calculating macros is attempted, then it can very much feel like a strategy soaked in diet mentality. But, if we can go through the steps of healing ourselves with intuitive eating, becoming more mindful, and then choose a specific goal that will honor our authentic body, then Calculated Macros can be a very powerful strategy.
The benefits of Calculated Macros is that we can optimize nutrition for any goal we may have, whether it be body fat loss, muscle gain, muscle mass maintenance, improved performance, and the list goes on. It is also a great way for us to get data so that we can direct our strategy as we move forward in the process. For example: for body fat loss, if we are not optimizing our macronutrients, then we have potential to lose muscle along with body fat. When this happens, our basal metabolic rate can decrease, and we will inevitably regain weight over time. For some, calculating macros is empowering because it takes the guesswork out. But, I do not love starting with Calculated Macros for someone who is working toward moving away from diet mentality and trying to heal through intuitive eating first.
Mindful Macros® is my trade-marked nutrition program. Mindful Macros® encompasses strategies from intuitive eating, mindful eating, and Calculated Macros. We target our primary goal by adopting a nutrition strategy that requires us to eyeball portions and balance our food groups, but without weighing or measuring. Great for someone who wants a gentle but highly effective strategy.
Bottom line. Any plan can work. But, for long-term sustainability, we have to meet you where you are.
So, where are you? What speaks to you? The decision is yours and this can be amazing, pleasurable, empowering, and effective. Small changes over time that you can be consistent with is the winning strategy, no matter what plan you pick.
Want to learn more about how my coaching programs help women physicians achieve optimal health? Click HERE for a private info call with our Concierge team!
About Ali Novitsky, MD
Dr. Novitsky is certified by the Life Coach School, Obesity Board Certified, a physician speaker, and fitness enthusiast. Ali helps women physicians achieve their optimal health with scientific, yet intuitive, principles that work.
Follow Ali Novitsky, MD on Facebook or Instagram.
Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts.
Transformation When You Honor Your Authentic Body Type
Showing up for your authentic body is one of the most amazing things you can do for yourself. It’s not about restricting your food or exercising every day or even about your goal body weight.
It’s about finding what works for you and your body type and choosing to honor that every day. From the exercise that feels good, to food that nourishes you, to the sleep that supports you, to the clothes that feel authentic - let’s unpack how to show up for your authentic body.
Support Your Authentic Body By:
Identifying your body type (ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph)
Eating foods that nourish your body type
Finding movement that your body loves
Figuring out your ideal sleep schedule
Wearing what you want and what your body feels good in
Find Out Your Body Type
Showing up for your authentic body means doing the things that feel good for it, regardless of what you “should” do. This might take some trial and error to find how your body functions best, but trust me when I say it’s worth it.
A big part of showing up for your authentic body is figuring out what your body type is.
There are three main body types: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph.
Each body type responds differently to exercise and nutrition, and it’s up to you to choose how to honor that.
Eat, Move, Sleep, and Dress to Support Your Authentic Body
The other keys to supporting your authentic body stem from knowing what your body type is. Each body type needs to follow some more specific nutrition guidelines - but that’s all they are: guidelines. It’s up to you to figure out what works best for you.
It’s also so important for you to find a way to move your body that feels good for you. If you don’t like to run, don’t run. Exercise should be both enjoyable and make you feel good, so if it doesn’t do either of these things, don’t do it.
Finding your ideal sleep schedule is an important step to supporting your authentic body. You may need more - or less - sleep than your friends and both are totally valid. In my recent podcast episode Honoring Your Authentic Body, we also talk about how to dress to support your authentic body, and the importance of the words you use for yourself.
Think about how amazing your ideal body is. Do you want to get to know it better? Today you are in your amazing body. You start showing up for your authentic body now. How does it like to be talked to? Rested? Fed? Worked out? Dressed? Ask those questions and dive in. It’s so worth it.
Want to learn more about how my coaching programs help women physicians achieve optimal health? Click HERE for a private info call with our Concierge team!
About Ali Novitsky, MD
Dr. Novitsky is certified by the Life Coach School, Obesity Board Certified, a physician speaker, and fitness enthusiast. Ali helps women physicians achieve their optimal health with scientific, yet intuitive, principles that work.
Follow Ali Novitsky, MD on Facebook or Instagram.
Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts.
Don’t Choose A Goal Weight… Choose Your Authentic Body
I wanted to share something very powerful that came up this week.
We just finished my 6-month program, Transform® (round 3.0), and every Transform®, I set my own goals and do it with my group. These past 6-months, I chose to go all-in on my physical health. I had a primary goal to decrease my body fat percentage while maintaining my lean muscle mass.
So, I went to work.
I adjusted my nutrition, I planned to prioritize my protein, I cut my added sugar, I strategically planned my exercise commitment. I went all-in on my sleep. I was not perfect in the process. But, I surpassed my goals - big time. I decided to use the principles that I teach my crew. I maintained all of my muscle mass (which can be tricky if you are eating in a deficit), and I lost 7% body fat.
But, here is what I learned.
It wasn’t about body fat loss. It was about owning my authentic body. Feeding it when it was hungry, working through my emotions when I wasn’t hungry but wanted to eat, making a conscious effort to reduce added sugar, moving my body out of love… I leaned in to the journey. It wasn’t comfortable. It still is not. In fact, the comfort and the discomfort both feel good. Leaning into the discomfort allows me to grow.
Being in my authentic body is where I am right now. I feel strong, I feel healthy, I feel unstoppable. I have a better mood, less anxiety, and I am having a lot of fun with this transformation process. Transformation is not about changing who we are, it is about owning who we are - authentically.
My mom always told me that I was a late bloomer, that I would hit my peak at 45! Ha. Moms know best. But I don’t want to believe that I ever will peak… I am enjoying the journey to the peak too damn much.
I share this with you because being in your authentic body is available to you. So, let’s go discover it. Or, maybe you are in it already. Let’s love, honor, and show up for our authentic selves.
Want to learn more about my coaching programs? Click HERE for a private info call with our Concierge team!
About Ali Novitsky, MD
Dr. Novitsky is certified by the Life Coach School, Obesity Board Certified, a physician speaker, and fitness enthusiast. Ali helps women physicians achieve their optimal health with scientific, yet intuitive, principles that work.
Follow Ali Novitsky, MD on Facebook or Instagram.
Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts.
I Will Feel Better When… I Shift My Thoughts
By Ali Novitsky, MD
Life Coaching for Women Physicians
Let’s play a game. I want you to read through thought process 1 then thought process 2. See if you can notice your experience by just simply shifting a few words.
THOUGHT PROCESS #1
I WILL FEEL BETTER WHEN…
I have extra motivation to focus on my health.
I make progress.
I am committed to taking care of my body.
I stop setting unrealistic goals.
I stop trying to do too much all at once.
I can maintain my results.
I am no longer confused on what to eat and how to work out.
I can be an intuitive eater.
I understand my unique hunger cues so I can honor them appropriately.
I can process emotions.
Exercise is a joy - not a drag.
I can recognize how perfectionism is showing up and how it is holding me back.
THOUGHT PROCESS #2
I FEEL BETTER BECAUSE…
I have extra motivation to focus on my health.
I am making progress.
I am committed to taking care of my body.
I stop setting unrealistic goals.
I stop trying to do too much all at once.
I can maintain my results.
I am no longer confused on what to eat and how to work out.
I can be an intuitive eater.
I understand my unique hunger cues so I can honor them appropriately.
I can process emotions.
Exercise is a joy - not a drag.
I can recognize how perfectionism is showing up and how it is holding me back.
It’s a simple shift, but it will change everything. It is a great idea to notice the language that we are using with ourselves all of the time. Thought process #1 takes away our power… Thought process #2 allows us to own our power. Notice where you can shift a word or 2 to create a totally different experience.
Hi, I’m Ali.
My passion is to help female physicians achieve optimal mental, emotional, and physical fitness. Simply put, “STRONG” inside and out.
Want to learn more about my coaching programs? Schedule a private call with my Concierge team to see if Life Coaching for Women Physicians is a fit for you!
About Ali Novitsky, MD
Dr. Novitsky is certified by the Life Coach School, Obesity Board Certified, a physician speaker, and fitness enthusiast. Ali helps women physicians achieve their optimal health with scientific, yet intuitive, principles that work.
Follow Ali Novitsky, MD on Facebook or Instagram.
Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts.
Woman Physician’s Optimal Health Plan for Improved Fitness and Decreased Anxiety
On my recent vacation, I did a lot of thought work on revisiting my current priorities. And, one of my top 3 right now, is my own mental, emotional, and physical health.
I want to put effort into creating my Optimal Health Plan… the one that I will use for the next 6 months. My goal? Improved fitness, decreased anxiety, and more automatic thoughts that serve me!!!
Then, I had a huge wave of excitement come over me. I thought, why don’t I create the program that I need right now AND invite women physicians to join me?? I am extremely motivated to make some solid strides toward my own health, and I am using all my good stuff. In fact, I have put together a 7-Day Coaching Experience to help guide you!!
Watch the Video Below to Hear About This AMAZING Opportunity. Honestly, it is a NO-BRAINER. In fact, look at what Dr. Linda Street has achieved in just 1-month using the program I am going to share with you!
The program is beyond amazing, and all you have to do is SIGN UP HERE.
About Ali Novitsky, MD
Dr. Novitsky is certified by the Life Coach School, Obesity Board Certified, a physician speaker, and fitness enthusiast. Ali helps women physicians achieve their optimal health with scientific, yet intuitive, principles that work.
Follow Ali Novitsky, MD on Facebook or Instagram.
Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts.
Optimal Health is NOT code for Weight Loss
I remember one time I heard a thought leader in the coaching industry say, “Achieving optimal health is another way of saying achieve weight loss.” And, this is not completely accurate. Optimal health looks different for everyone. And, while the science shows that losing 3-5% of body weight can reduce incidence of chronic illness, not everyone will require weight loss to achieve their optimal health.
It’s just about weight Loss For Doctors - Optimal health also extends past our physical health.
When we are talking about optimal health, we are talking about vibrant mental, emotional, and physical health. So, how do we define optimal health for ourselves? How do we know that we have achieved it? What data do we use? What parameters are useful? How do we set goals based on our desire to be in our optimal health?
Today, I want to share with you my simple check-in so that I can frequently evaluate where I am on my optimal health scale. I ask myself these 3 questions:
- Is my head clear? Scale of 1-10.
- Is my heart open? Scale of 1-10.
- Is my body balanced? Scale 1-10.
Let’s break down each a little further.
Clear Head.
I am asking myself if I am aware of my thoughts. Am I able to see how my thoughts are playing out at the moment? Am I able to hold onto thoughts or let go of thoughts, depending on how I want to feel? I take ownership for what I am creating. I know that I will often revert to automatic thoughts in specific circumstances and that is ok. But, my head is clear enough to see it all.
Open Heart.
Am I willing to feel my emotions? If we are not allowing feelings, we are resisting them, reacting to them, distracting from them, or thought spirals. An open heart allows vulnerability and empathy to flow freely. It allows us to feel anything with a curiosity that is patient.
Balanced Body.
How am I taking care of my body? Am I accepting where I am? Am I embracing my nutrition to nurture my body… am I moving to stay strong? How does it feel to be in my body right now? What does it need more of: Sleep? Water? Rest? Exercise? Hugs? Is there anything that I need to address that is negatively impacting my health? If so, how am I addressing it?
When we focus on a clear head, open heart, and balanced body, we can continue to honor the masterpiece that we are while choosing to be a work in progress too.
Over the past couple of months, I have been personally working on all 3. By asking these simple questions every day, I have learned to maintain the strongest consistency I have ever had in terms of taking care of myself. Optimal health is a journey… fitter at 40, fitter at 50, fitter at 60, at 70, at 80, at 90, and beyond. We get to decide how this goes.
Sending you love… and optimal health… in mind and body.
Maintain Your Progress or Make More On Vacation
I’m sharing my top 5 strategies for having a “fit” vacation because we are entering spring break time and because… one of the most common things I hear is, “I’m worried that I will lose my momentum and reverse my progress on vacation.”
And… this does not have to be true. What if on vacation we made progress?
Ok, here are my tips to feel amazing and honor your vacation by connecting with yourself and those you love most.
1) Eat when you are hungry, don’t eat when you’re not. This allows you to eat whatever it is that you would love to have, but you are doing it when you are hungry. This is a great opportunity for you to work on your “food rules” and get in touch with your intuitive side.
2) Plan your other meals around your most “social” and exciting meal - if you have one. I always make sure we have a late lunch or early dinner planned that we are looking forward to. I check out the menu, get an idea of what I’m having, then plan my other meals for the day to complement that special meal. The other meals I keep very simple… so maybe grilled chicken salad, egg white omelette, low sugar protein bar, etc.
3) Have an alcohol and sweets plan each day. Have these things, but each day set the amount that you will commit to. A glass of wine at dinner, ice cream on the boardwalk. Get snobby with your extras. If the wine is vinegar-tasting, send it back. If the ice cream has freezer burn, get a new one.
4) Focus on your step count as your main form of exercise. Make a challenge to see how many you can get per day. If you want to do more, great, but these steps add up and are more effective overall at keeping your metabolism revved up.
5) Hold space for your sleep. Vacation is a time to rejuvenate… sleep prioritization will have you feeling amazing by aiding in stress management and keeping your hunger hormone at bay!!
Happy Travels!
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Want My Nutrition Strategy Cliff Notes?
We often make our nutrition strategy way too complicated. And, then we start to believe that it is just not sustainable. I keep it super simple. And, if anyone were to implement my top 3 strategies I’m sharing below into their world… they would get 95% of their results with just these!!
The first step is to know what your true hunger feels like. Get really familiar with it. Don't be afraid of it.
I have many ladies who tell me that they get anxious when they think about getting hungry. Nothing has gone wrong. Your brain is working just as it should. Back in the day, this type of thinking would help you survive. Instead of pushing the anxiety away, allow it. When we do this, we aren’t so afraid of it, which takes away the urgency to eat. When we do this, we can make our best decisions.
Once you understand what your true hunger feels like…
…then take one day where you only eat when you are hungry. Make it a game. Check in to see if there are times that you are driven to eat but are not hungry.
Think about this: If we only ate when we were hungry, what would be different than it is now? Perhaps this is what you are already doing. But if not, what are your thoughts? Once we are eating when we are hungry, the next step is to observe for fullness. This is when we stop. At first, easier said than done. Truth be told, this is where 80% of most of my clients’ success comes from. And, this could take months to become efficient at this. So, the point: we can’t rush this process if we want it to be long-term and sustainable.
Next, we go to protein.
For most ladies, I recommend aiming to get 3 servings of protein per day. This is the size of our palm, eaten at 3 different times. There are plenty of ways to get your protein in - from veggie sources, to meat, to protein powders… tons of options. Getting 3 servings of protein per day is going to keep our hunger hormone, ghrelin, at bay, help us to keep our basal metabolic rate up, and help us to preserve lean muscle mass.
My next tip is to become aware of the amount of added sugar we are eating.
Most of us underestimate this number. I find that most of my clients who desire “fat loss” have to keep this number at bare minimum to start seeing consistent results. Not to mention, when we decrease the amount of sugar we are eating, our food desire and false hunger actually decreases.
Then we get to balancing macronutrients without weighing, measuring, or counting. I teach this in my custom nutrition program, Mindful Macros®. This is where we do not label foods as good or bad, but rather sometimes foods and all-the-time foods. Mindful Macros® helps my ladies change their body composition by recommending the optimal amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates - but in a mindful way. It is excellent for significant results that are sustainable long-term.
And, finally… we can also calculate our basal metabolic rate and customize our macronutrient ratios based on our unique physiology.
This may require us to use keto macros, low carb macros, balanced macros, or higher-carb macros. Nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all approach. I find that those who have invested in mindset work, understand their true hunger, are eating enough protein, limiting added sugar, and understand Mindful Macros® are the most successful at calculating and sticking to the traditional macro style nutrition plan. Because, it is not for everyone… If we don’t understand the purpose of it or how it fits in our life, we may start to feel restricted.
In recap:
Get Hungry First, Observe For Fullness
Adequate Protein
Limit Added Sugar
Learn Mindful Macros®
Consider Calculated Macros
In my programs, I offer the intuitive eating approach, the mindful approach, and the calculated approach. In fact, we have an obesity expert team that will be managing the customized nutrition in our next round of Transform®. Transform® 4.0 begins April 25th, but you can start working with me now. We are letting all of our new Transformers into G.O.A.L.S. Society® now so you can get started- literally tomorrow.
As you can tell, we love what we do… and we are excited to share with all of you. We now offer private 15-minute info calls with our Concierge Team, so you can find out more about how our programs could be a great fit for you. You can book your private call HERE.
Women Physicians, Prioritize Your Well-being
As I write this, I am currently in Grand Cayman at the Women's Physician's Wellness Conference where I am leading the daily Mind-Body Workouts. And, it has been amazing!!! When I was asked to lead, I was beyond excited because I knew that I would have a great excuse to take a vacation!!
When I read my words… I don’t love them. “Excuse to Take a Vacation” is not the language I want to use. It isn’t the story I want to tell myself. So, this week - I decided to change my story. And, this is why. When I choose myself, I choose vacation for myself. When I choose vacation for myself, I am prioritizing my needs.
What I do know is that when we give ourselves dedicated space and time, we gain clarity, motivation, and even gratitude. The process requires us to slow down and get in touch with our thoughts, our feelings, our blind spots. And, I know for me - I am pretty good at ignoring my blind spots.
So, I started to dig deeper this week. I decided to make a list of the obstacles that prevent me from choosing myself. And guess what???? I have control over each and every one. Because- they are all thoughts. Things like: I don’t have time, others' needs are more important, I need to do A+ work, I am not doing enough, what if I don’t meet expectations. And, also things like: it feels so uncomfortable to slow down, I already know what I need, I don’t need that much. The list goes on and on and on and on.
And, let me share a little tip with you. This is what happens when we don’t believe that we have a choice to choose ourselves.
Thought - I don’t have a choice to put my needs first
Feeling - Trapped
Action - Don’t make the choice that I want to
Result - Believe that I don’t have a choice, my needs are not that important
For us to choose ourselves, we have to believe that we have a choice. And, we do. We always have a choice. Whether we feel trapped in a job or relationship or even our own mind… we are not. So, what’s standing in the way???? Just a thought. A thought that we think is an obstacle.
To choose ourselves, we have to remember why it is important. It is important because we absolutely cannot pour from an empty cup. An empty cup is definitely not good for us, but all of those who we want so desperately to give to… it’s not good for them, either.
While I miss my girls, they needed me to choose me this week. My husband Mark needed me to choose me this week. I needed to choose me this week. In fact, I think we all need to choose ourselves more often.
Today, I want you to think of one way that you can prioritize choosing yourself this week. Trust me, magic will happen.
This is the last week to take advantage of our Early Enrollment Pricing for Transform® 4.0 where we offer 72-CME credits in our program. And even more exciting that those who enroll in this class will be grandfathered into our founding member tuition as long as they are a continuous Transform® 4.0 member. We offer 36 hours of LIVE coaching per month (insane value) for one of the most comprehensive physician coaching programs. And, each round we add more. This is a great opportunity for your long-term success.
It is a 5-in-1 coaching program loaded with coaching calls, live group personal training, weight loss and body composition change support with obesity medicine docs, 7-months of G.O.A.L.S. Society included, plus a curriculum delivered in bite-sized pieces.
We are now accepting applications for our April 25th class. You can apply HERE. Our team will be in touch with you shortly.
Leptin: The Hormone Holding You Back From Fat Loss
Doing Everything “Right” and “Nothing” is Working?
I wanted to keep you up-to-date on what we worked on this week at Life Coaching for Women Physicians. In our Workshop Series, we talked about some key hormones that have a direct impact on our ability to lose adipose tissue. My favorite hormone to teach about is Leptin.
Leptin is a hormone that is produced by adipose tissue, and it helps our body to maintain a normal level of body fat.
It also has a direct relationship with body fat. As body fat decreases, so does leptin. As body fat increases, so does leptin.
When our leptin levels decrease, our body may begin to think that it is starving. So, our body will try to preserve itself by shutting down fat loss and turning on our hormone ghrelin (the hunger hormone) that tells us to eat up.
As you can see, this could pose quite a challenge when we are trying to lose body fat. To complicate things more… many of us have leptin resistance which can develop from something as simple as going on a previous low calorie diet. The problem is that with leptin resistance, our body can have plenty of leptin, but our body cannot recognize it, so it continues to hold onto adipose tissue.
This is why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to fat loss.
The good news is that there are some things that we can do. Things like reducing stress, eating enough protein, decreasing added sugar, high intensity interval training, adding muscle mass with strength training, and calorie cycling are all strategies that can help us to become more leptin sensitive.
I base my programs off of these exact strategies to help my students work with their biology and work smarter, not harder. Just this week, one student shared her 8 week results where she lost 10 lbs of body fat while sparing almost all of her muscle mass. This is not an easy thing to do, but she was able to do it with strategic strength training and nutrition. Her body fat decreased by 5% in just 8 weeks. She feels amazing… has more energy… and is excited to keep showing up.
These are the kinds of results we get inside my 6-month program, Transform®. Not to mention, we offer 72-CME credits in our program. It is a 5-in-1 coaching program loaded with coaching calls, live group personal training, weight loss and body composition change support with obesity medicine docs, 7-months of G.O.A.L.S. Society included, plus a curriculum delivered in bite-sized pieces.
We are now accepting applications for our April 25th class. You can apply HERE. Our team will be in touch with you shortly.
Loving Our Unique Bodytype
I love teaching about our body types because it allows us to understand who we are. And, it also helps us with:
Self-Love | Self-Acceptance | Honoring Our Body | Embracing Our Strengths | Setting Realistic Goals | Creating Strategic Exercise Plans | Adopting Strategic Nutrition Strategies
It keeps us away from the diet culture that is so heavily messaged in our society. When we subscribe to The Diet Culture, we are constantly trying to change ourselves. We are often comparing ourselves. We indulge in thought distortions like all-or-none thinking, should statements, and mental filters (among others). We believe that we are trapped in a space where we can never accept ourselves… and we fear that we may never find inner peace.
When we become aware of and embrace our unique body type, we can honor it, stop judging it, stop comparing ourselves to others, unsubscribe to triggering media, surround ourselves with those who promote body positivity, and focus on what our bodies can do.
Genetics plays a huge role in our body type. I shared that my mother is mesomorph as is my father… therefore, I am also mesomorph, as are my two brothers. Genetics not only plays a role in what body type you have, but also in the way that we desire food, the way we regulate our appetites (some of us are hungrier than others), our metabolism, our weight set-point, our muscle mass, and our strength capacity, to name a few.
Our body type, or somatotype, refers to the idea that there are three generalized body compositions that people are predetermined to have. The concept was theorized by Dr. W.H. Sheldon back in the early 1940s, naming the three somatotypes: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. By understanding our predominant type, we can set realistic goals, adequately feed ourselves, and create an exercise routine that will optimize who we are.
The journey of self-love allows us to honor who we are, but we also have the freedom to make progress. The questions become:
What progress do you want to make? What is your GOAL? What is your WHY? GOALS should be small, realistic, specific - are yours? Strategy should be EFFECTIVE so we can work smarter, not harder. In order to achieve a long-term sustainable goal, we need to commit to a long-term solution.
You got this.
Want to learn more about our programs in a private info call? We have calls available to you. These calls are a way to see if our programs may be a good fit for you. They are not pushy sales calls but rather information sessions for you. If you come on board to work with us, we want to make sure you know ALL that is available to you. We overdeliver in all of our programs, so we invite you to take advantage of this opportunity. Our concierge team is on standby- you can schedule HERE.
Going Deeper in Understanding Your Why
This past week, I hosted the first of nine workshops in the free series, Transform with Ali. We had a fantastic turnout, and I am super excited to deliver our next topic this coming week. If you didn’t get to catch it, you can sign up for the replays, but I also want to give you some highlights here.
The take-home messages that I gave were as follows:
Spend Time on Your WHY
Go below surface-level thoughts
Take time on the thoughts that don’t serve you, so that you can start to notice patterns
Consider learning more about thought distortions - we all have our favorites
Be open to the new “feelings” that come up; they can’t hurt you
You are a masterpiece and you can be a work in progress
Your WHYs may change over time
Let me explain a bit further.
When we set a goal, we have to have a very compelling reason why we want to achieve that goal, or it could be a big struggle to actually reach it. We may find ourselves using willpower and burning out from trying.
But if we spend some time and go below the surface to really discover our why, then the struggle lightens, and we discover new momentum. We are willing to deal with obstacles and setbacks because our why is that important - it is EPIC.
Surface-level thoughts often involve things like, “I should want this,” or “it will make me happier,” or “it will make others happier,” or “I can’t risk the alternative.” All of these surface level thoughts may not actually give us a feeling that will drive consistent action toward a goal.
Now, here is the other thing we have to think about.
We often want to glaze over our negative thoughts and try to use positive thinking or avoidance of negative thoughts. But, the truth is that spending time with the negative thoughts will teach us a lot about our own patterning. Our thought patterns are powerful and if we learn them, we will have a lot more power in understanding more about ourselves and others (believe it or not).
Thought distortions like all-or-none thinking or should statements are also patterned. We typically have a top 2-3 that we go to. Again, learning more about thought distortions which I teach in my program Transform® is going to give you very deep awareness of some of your most powerful limiting beliefs.
Getting in touch with our feelings and not being afraid to feel all the things. This one is a topic for another time. But just popping it in here to say that many of our missed marks come from our unwillingness to feel our emotions. This is why I spend 8 weeks in Transform® helping my students to understand feelings.
You are a masterpiece and can also be a work in progress.
You can love yourself right where you are today. In fact, we get to love ourselves right where we are. And, we can also decide to make progress in an area. Self-love and awareness will allow us to want this for ourselves. This all starts with just showing up for ourselves in little ways to start.
Finally, our why will change over time. And, this is beautiful. This is growth. In order to be in tune with this, we have to be in tune with ourselves. To be in tune with ourselves, we have to continue to set aside time and go below the surface in our thoughts.
So much good stuff. And I can’t wait to share more. If you are not currently part of my Workshop Series… I am inviting you to 9 LIVE workshops with me. That is right, I am teaching the principles that I use in my programs to help my clients achieve mental, emotional, and physical Transformation. I am offering this series FREE of charge. Attend 1…attend them all…replays are available.
To gain access, SIGN UP HERE. Once you sign up, you will be able to access the replay library.
If you are a physician and need something for you, there are 2 ways to work with me. Early Enrollment for my 72-Credit CME Program, Transform®, is now open. And you will want to check it out now… I am extending 2021 pricing until March 7th.
Transform® is my 6-month CME accredited program to help women physicians “cure” mental, emotional, and physical burnout. Even more, Transform® offers over 30 hours of LIVE coaching every month.
Transform® includes:
- 6-months of intense group coaching
- 6-months of LIVE group personal training
- 6-months of body composition transformation coaching using a mindful or macro approach
- effective curriculum to implement mindset work
You can read all about the program HERE. And, when you join Transform®, you get 7-months of G.O.A.L.S. Society included!!
Join by March 7th and receive 2021 pricing.
Women Doctors Showing Up for Ourselves
As Female Physicians, we show up for our patients EVERY DAY - but why is it so hard for us to show up for ourselves mentally?
What does this even mean? I think it means having a commitment to be aware of the thoughts that are creating our reality. It is being open to the idea that we do have the power to change our thoughts. It's also being patient and showing ourselves grace so that we can buy into this.
So, where do we start?
Let me offer this sticky game. Kind of a catchy title. The sticky game can also be called the resistance game. So what I want you to consider doing, is to go to a quiet space, close your eyes, and allow your thoughts to just run freely. I want you to be the observer of your thoughts.
Is there a thought in particular that keeps showing itself brighter than all of the rest? Is this a thought that potentially creates an unsettled feeling in your body? If so, we can call this sticky game success. You have identified a thought that feels sticky. Showing up for yourself mentally is going to require you to decide if you keep wanting to think of that thought. That's all I ask of you today. Just decide if you want to keep thinking about it. This alone is showing up for yourself mentally because you have created awareness.
What is your sticky thought today? Sometimes it's super useful to share our thoughts. Let's go ahead and put them out there. After all, this will create even more awareness, and we will be showing up for ourselves even more.
Showing up for ourselves emotionally. Now, what does that mean? Just like with our thoughts, showing up for our emotions means that we have to be aware of them. Did you know that by identifying the emotion that you are feeling, you can decrease the intensity of it by at least 50%?
The problem is that no one ever told us that we had to become aware of our emotions. In medical training, it was more the norm to suppress what we were feeling. There was no time to process the emotion; we had to move on to the next patient. We had to get through the next 24 hours of this call. There was no time for emotions, at all.
But, that all can change now. Showing up for ourselves emotionally is figuring out what emotions feel like in our body. What does it feel like to be angry or frustrated or sad or happy or excited? Once we can become aware of our emotions, we can actually start to process them. Processing our emotions means that we are not distracting ourselves from them, we are not reacting to them, and we are not resisting them. Instead, we are just allowing them. The more often we are able to allow the sensations of the emotions in our body, we have all the power. Showing up for ourselves emotionally by allowing our feelings is available to us.
Showing up for ourselves physically. Now, this one is super fun for me. I love to show women how showing up for yourself physically will make it a little bit easier to also show up for yourself mentally and emotionally. Let me explain. One of the biggest reasons why I recommend exercise is to help increase the endorphins in our body. Endorphins alone just make us feel better. In fact, in the workouts that I lead, we have a stress level indicator before and after each workout. On average, stress levels decrease by at least 50% every workout. Hello endorphins!
Showing up for yourself physically means we are taking care of our body the best way we know how. It is going to be different for each and every one of us. I think the main point here is to know what your goal is and why you have that goal. Asking yourself, is my will strong enough? I see this all the time; someone will want to lose weight, however, their reason why is because they think they will be happier. But what if happiness is available to you right now?
We have to go deeper. Perhaps we want healthy aging, improved blood sugar control, improved cholesterol, reversal of osteoporosis, and increased lean muscle mass so that we can carry our groceries when we are 90. Showing up for ourselves physically means having an epic reason why setting a realistic goal and having a plan to get there are all available to you right now. How do you want to show up for your physical self? It’s available to you right now.
Let’s show up together…
You Are a Masterpiece… Lose The Guilt
You can be a masterpiece and a work in progress all at the same time.
Let me explain why this quote resonates with me so deeply. I believe that before we can make any lasting change, we must love who we are right here and now. I can see how this could pose a conflict. Are we saying that we don't really love where we are right now, and we are running away as fast as possible?
I always talk about how the journey is more important than the destination. You see, if we can love where we are right here and now- then what is the rush to go from point A to point B?
So, before we can proceed to make a change, let's spend some time not only getting to know ourselves better, but to also love ourselves more. There are no streamers and cupcakes when we reach our “goal weight” for example. If we want to make every day feel like a party on our journey, we have that choice. And, if there are streamers and cupcakes when we reach a goal, it is because we created them on purpose by indulging in our journey.
When every day feels amazing, the change that we choose will be long term and sustainable. More importantly, if we can accept that we are a masterpiece now then we will rid ourselves of guilt because we want to change something. We must understand the reason WHY we want to change and believe it wholeheartedly.
Self-Awareness is the Precursor to Self-Love
Self-awareness is everything. I think sometimes we say, “I want to gain greater self awareness,” but it often ends there. Why do we just stop exploring?
I think for a couple of reasons.
Sometimes we honestly don't know where to start with gaining more self-awareness. We go through the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives and often don't slow down to check in with ourselves.
Another reason is that we might be a little afraid to figure out what's inside of us.It’s so easy to become fearful of our deepest thoughts and feelings - so we tend to avoid them.
I'd like to give you a few things to think about in order to start curating this idea of self-awareness. You will gain great self-awareness by committing to taking a journey inward.
What I mean by this is getting to know yourself better than you've ever known yourself before. This means being aware of the situations that you find yourself in and noticing how you respond to them. And, this is just one example.
The next thing that will come up is discomfort. With growth there will always be discomfort. Facing discomfort (which is just a feeling that can't hurt you anyway) is going to be how your journey of self-awareness starts to deepen even further.
There could be some time between the start of your journey going inward, sitting with the discomfort, and then finally allowing for that journey outward. For each person, it will be different. How do you choose to show up in the world?
With self-awareness, we can be deliberate about what we want to change, OR, we may decide that we're fine just where we are right here and now.
Self-awareness is the precursor to finding self-love… so I am preparing you NOW because in the coming weeks we are going to take a journey toward unconditional self love. Are you ready? Let’s start to become aware. Is there anything this year that you have become AWARE of, that you didn’t recognize in yourself before?
I want to share one of my favorite quotes by the famous psychotherapist Dr. Carl Jung. He said, “Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
Sending you big love, my friends.
Are you a Self-Critic or a Self-Coach?
Do you have a stronger self-coach or a stronger self-critic? If you have any amount of perfectionism… we can assume that our self-critics are olympian-strength level.
Sometimes, we don’t realize how this is affecting the relationship that we have with ourselves. Mostly, because we aren’t even aware of how often we are criticizing ourselves. Often these thoughts are just automatic.
The good news is that it takes the same amount of energy to be a self-critic and it does to be a self-coach. Except, if we choose self-coach, we will be paid back in dividends with the energy we are able to acquire. So what is the resistance? Why do we choose to be self-critical? Again, it is not our fault - it is just a slew of old programmed thoughts.
But, now that we are aware: we can do something about it.
We can choose what we want to believe about ourselves. We can become the person who we want to become by thinking differently than we have before. You know the old saying, “If you want the same result, keep doing the same thing.” So, if you want to keep being a self-critic, keep thinking the same thoughts. If you want to be a self-coach, learn to create new ones.
So, let’s start nice and easy.
Think about something that you really really want for yourself. Identify what that is. Be very specific and very clear. As an example, I am going to use the goal of improved body composition. This goal is tangible and comes up in my groups all of the time. If I were working with someone to help them with this goal, from time to time, they may feel “stuck.” Feeling stuck may indicate that deep down we have a belief that we can’t really get what we want. This is our self-critic.
Here is the good news. You can choose to see your self-critic at the door right now. Today. All you have to do is recognize when your critic is showing up to play. You recognize and then make a decision. Would you prefer to choose your self-coach? Let’s get that self-coach off the bench. With your self-coach on board, anything is possible. And - you will actually have the energy to follow through. Again, it takes no additional effort to choose the coach.
How do you like to be coached? What would your coach say to you to be inspired? What do you need to hear? This is what we work on creating. This is the magic language that will allow you to feel more content, see glimpses of self-compassion, and to stop feeling stuck.
Finally, how will you decide to choose your coach over your critic? Any resistance here? What is the worst thing that could happen if you believed your coach?
You are amazing and dynamic and unique… you got this.
Mind-Body Goals in 2022
Happy New Year, my friends.
One of the things that I hope to bring you, my loyal readers, is more value. My hope is to offer you some effective tools to make progress just by reading the weekly blog. So, I thought we would start off right away.
Mind-Body Goals. That’s what we are talking about today. I am going to go one step further and say that today we are going to create 1 mental, 1 physical, and 1 emotional goal for 2022.
In order to do this, please follow along with this email and go through the steps in order. I recommend grabbing a pen and paper and writing down your observations as you go.
Step 1. Close your eyes and visualize your ideal state of health and well-being. Where are you? What are you wearing? What hairstyle are you wearing? What time of day is it? What are you doing? How are you feeling? Be as specific as possible and record it on your paper.
Step 2. Close your eyes and again visualize yourself in your ideal state of health and well-being. This time we are focusing on our physical self. When you think of your physical health, is there anything that you are particularly concerned with? Perhaps you were just notified that you have high cholesterol or high fasting blood sugars, or maybe you have been feeling more fatigue. Maybe, you are feeling strong on your runs, but you have been skimping on your weight training. Or - maybe it is time to schedule your mammogram, colonoscopy, yearly check-up, or wellness visit.
What is one area that you want to focus on and set a small goal to improve? Let’s say you have had trending fasting blood sugars and you want to educate yourself on the best strategy to improve this. Notice I didn’t say that you have to fix your blood sugars today, we are just planning to educate ourselves on how to do this. Small, Realistic, Goals that we can set today.
Now, you are certainly allowed to have more than 1 physical goal, but I am a big fan of picking 1 and only 1… making progress on it… and then moving on to another. On your sheet of paper, write the one physical area of improvement and the first step you will take toward improving it.
Example:
Area of Improvement: LDL Cholesterol
First Step: Research best lifestyle modifications to improve this value
Step 3. Close your eyes and again visualize yourself in your ideal state of health and well-being. This time, we are focusing on our mental health. Can you identify any repetitive, intrusive thoughts that you have been managing recently? Thoughts that would drive you away from your ideal state of health? Perhaps you are experiencing a lot of “should” statements. “I should have done this… I should not have done that.” See if you can think of anything that has been on your mind and doesn’t make you feel very good.
Once you identify the thought, I want you to analyze it. Write your thought on your paper and then below the thought, start to list all of the evidence that would disprove it. Be as specific as you can. I want to show you that it is very easy to slip into the automatic negative thought pattern, but with just a little bit of work, we can also create thoughts that will serve us much better.
After you begin to disprove your thought with your evidence that goes against it, you may feel a bit lighter.
Next step is deciding what you want to believe instead. This is creating an intentional thought. This is powerful because none of us know the future. Our automatic negative thought and our new intentional thought have the same chance of being accurate. Or both of them could be wrong, quite honestly. The point is - which do we choose to believe? Once you have that thought… then a mental goal can be to go through this process again and again so that you can continue making more and more intentional thoughts.
Step 4. Close your eyes and again visualize yourself in your ideal state of health and well-being. This time we are focusing on our emotional health. When you visualize yourself, how do you feel? Content? Calm? Relaxed? Think about the feeling first, then write it on your paper. In order to feel a certain way, you have to think a certain way. Underneath the feeling on your paper, list all of the thoughts that make you feel that way.
Here is an example. If when I close my eyes, I visualize myself as content. Then, I would write CONTENT on my paper. Next, I would generate all of the thoughts that make me feel content. Here are a few: I am exactly where I need to be. I trust myself to make good decisions. I am a good friend. I appreciate my good health. My size does not define me.
You get the idea? The idea is that with your emotional 2022 goal, you do have a say in how you feel. How can you think of more thoughts that help you create the feeling that you want?
You can use this exercise again and again over the course of the year. Think of what you can achieve in mind, body, and emotions over the course of the year?!
Don’t want to do this work alone? Maybe you are looking for a community of women physicians who are committed to their mental, physical, and emotional self-care? We hang out in G.O.A.L.S. Society!! Our FREE 30-Day is going away soon… and we have so much amazing content this January. You can check out our community HERE.
2022 Here We Come
I am sitting here as I write to you all revisiting 2021. So this time last year, we were enjoying a Quarantine Holiday. The kids were in virtual school, so the holiday break didn’t feel like the typical break. Because… well… there was no break in the regular routine.
At this point Mark and I were awaiting our first vaccination that would happen in January. We were both working from home, grocery delivery was the new norm, and Amazon purchases were in high demand. We would take weekend trips to our pool house to get a change of scenery.
When January hit, we were so excited to look forward to our vaccines, but for us, our lifestyle wouldn’t change because the kids would not be vaccinated. We had tremendous cabin fever because we had been home bound since March of 2020. We had an at-home Valentine’s Day celebration where we hired the girls to be our waitresses who we call Scar and Betty.
March seemed to fly by because we were anxiously awaiting our trip to Florida, where we would rent a VRBO for a whole month. We drove all the way to Cape Coral with some fun stops at Wake Forest and The Biltmore. During our time in Florida, we relaxed, we swam, we had our first outdoor meals, and we walked… a lot. We even made it to Disney for a few days.
It was on our walks that Mark made the decision to cut down on his clinical practice and to join me in my business. Almost 9 months ago we decided this. And in just a few days, this will become our reality. What we realized is that we can’t buy time. What are we waiting for? Why not go after what we want now?
Mark and I met in med school and we always talked about working together one day. The problem was, I was a neonatologist and he was a psychiatrist. We had always thought about how we could combine our two worlds. Never in a million years did we imagine that we could build our own thing, our way, and give more value and help than we ever thought possible.
As of January 1st, Mark comes into Life Coaching for Women Physicians as an expert coach who will deliver topics like: Beyond Coaching, Relationship Real Talk, and Did I Screw Up My Kids? Together, we are excited to bring opportunities for tremendous growth in the physical, mental, and emotional health space.
The kids are at their new school and THEY ARE THRIVING. We have met so many amazing families and we feel so connected to the community. They are taking Spanish, Drama, Music, and Art classes. They are also learning to ice skate and considering learning to play Ice Hockey. It is a joy to bring them to school each day.
Our puppy, Lilly, is our third child. She is a silly, loving, sweet addition to our family. She spends all day looking for food. She also loves to chase birds and go to Starbucks. She really is the perfect fit for our family.
2021 taught us a lot. I think it allowed us to pause and decide to go after creating the legacy that we dreamed up 20 years ago as 2 young medical students. None of us can predict the future, so perhaps we can decide that the future holds the best possible scenarios for us all. This is what I am choosing to believe.
I am sending you all so much love.
Cheers to an amazing 2022.
If you are a woman physician and want to enjoy G.O.A.L.S. Society where Dr. Mark will make his debut, we are still offering a FREE 30-day through the end of January. You can read more about our amazing program HERE.
