Being Your Own Advocate at the Doctor

I think that many of us treat doctors more like mind-readers and magicians than we should. We assume that if we just show up at the doctor's office and sit silently on the crinkly white paper that they will magically deduce anything that might possibly be wrong and, with a wave of their wand, or stethoscope, all will be fine. It's sometimes easy to forget that doctors are fallible creatures who have hundreds and even thousands of patients and they just can't, and don't have the supernatural resources to, cover it all. This is why we need to step in and serve as our own advocates.

Consider these:

1. Be aware of your symptoms and keep a journal so that you can have as much information as possible when you visit your doctor. What does it feel like? What time of day are you most affected? Is it worse after certain activities? Writing everything down will ensure that you don't forget anything when you're seeing the doctor.

2. Get blood work done routinely and insist that you receive a full report ASAP. If you have any questions about the results, ask your doctor if you can meet with him/her to discuss them. Having your blood work done periodically can help doctors detect conditions before visible symptoms arise and it can be helpful down the road in determining whether a condition is chronic or acute.

3. Don't be afraid to ask. I have made the mistake numerous times in the past of not asking my doctor enough questions because I was too afraid that I was going to come across as an annoying, time-consuming or ignorant patient. You have every right to ask as many questions as you need to feel comfortable about your health. If your doctor seems annoyed and makes you feel as though he/she doesn't have time for your questions, find another doctor!

4. Seek the best doctor possible. We often need to see a specialist and just consult the yellow pages or call the hospital to find the first available appointment with whomever will see us. When you need a doctor, for a routine visit or otherwise, putting in some extra legwork on the front end can be well worth it. Ask family and friends if they know of anyone who has experience with a doctor in that field, or if they know anyone at the hospital who could find out which doctor is most highly regarded. Or look on-line to see if you can find credentials and patient's reviews.

Working a Work-Out into Your Day

As young moms our days are so full of activity, but the activity is usually centered around the kids and not us. There are certain things that we inevitably have to cut out - tv, long phone conversations (while the kids are awake), etc. - but one thing we shouldn't cut out is exercise. I recently went to the doctor and when questioned about how much exercise I was getting she responded to my answer with a mere, "okay good, that's what you should be doing." I was shocked because I exercise about six days a week, which I assumed was more than average. It struck me that what I was doing for joy (I really love to exercise) was an essential component to staying healthy. So while this may not be a season when you can spend hours a day training for a marathon (you may hope that you're never in that season!), there are plenty of things that you can do to stay fit. And let me encourage you that anything is better than nothing!

1. Chase your kids around. If your kids are old enough, take them to an open field. Bring balls or other toys with you and run around the field with your little ones. Play Red-Rover (run hard until you get to them), baseball, soccer, Simon Says (Simon can require push-ups, running to a tree in the distance, etc.). If you don't love to exercise, this is a great way to combine fitness and fun and you may be so distracted that you won't notice you're actually getting a work-out in!

2. Let your kids play in the middle of a field while you run up and down the field or run around a track surrounding the field. You might have to modify this depending on your children's ages. Bring some toys and place your kiddos in the middle of a field. Jog or sprint up the field (one length) and then walk or slowly jog back to the other end. Try to do this at least ten times. You don't have to do it consecutively either. Stop and play with your kids every couple of lengths. You can even try to "race" with your older kids to keep them content and get them involved, too.

3. Walk early or late with a friend. One of the best ways to fit in exercise and (much needed) adult interaction is to meet up with a friend at a particular time of the day or week while your husbands watch the kids. You can hold one another accountable and it's a wonderful way to begin or build-up a friendship.

4. Exercise videos. There are tons of them out there and you can do it in the morning before the kids get up, during naptime, or after they go to bed at night. If your children are more independent (mine are not), then they could play around you while you work out.

Here's an example of a pretty intense one: PX90 http://www.extremebodyworkout.com/p90x-products/p90x.php

5. YMCA. Most YMCAs (and other fitness centers like them) have child-care now. Your children can play while you workout. If (and only if) they like this, everybody wins!

6. The Couch-to-5K. I have a dear friend who is doing this now. She has three small children about 18 months or less apart in age, and she loves it! It is a lot of interval training, which, I believe, is the best way to slowly ease back into running. Check it out here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

7. Sign up for a race. Another great motivation is to have a goal to shoot for. Sign up for a 5K in your area. You can choose a fun one (on a holiday or with bands or other entertainment) or one that supports a worthy cause. This will give you incentive to stick to your running/walking plan. I recommend that you pay for the registration early. Then you'll be less inclined to drop-out during your training period.

Looking to Lose a Little?

If you're still trying to shed some post-baby weight, or if you're just a very busy mom who would like to lose a few pounds, here are some tips that could help:

1. Eat from a smaller plate. Some plates are being made bigger now to accommodate our large appetites. We often feel compelled to fill our plates, regardless of the size. So if you start with a smaller plate (use a salad plate instead), you can usually get plenty to eat without consuming more calories. Also, try using smaller ice cream bowls for dessert.

2. Cut out drinks. Opt for water. Other drinks add calories to your diet and leave you hungry.

3. Make your snacks count. A handful of almonds (unsalted) is a really healthy and filling snack. You can make whole wheat couscous and add craisins, almond slivers, green onion and cinnamon. Oatmeal, apples, bananas, or Greek yogurt with granola and a touch of honey are other healthy options.

4. One Dove Dark Chocolate. Buy a bag of these and eat just one (I know, hard to do) to satisfy your craving for sweets.

5. Save dessert for after dinner. Try sticking to one dessert (or none) a day and wait until after dinner to have it. This keeps you from indulging in cookies or other snack foods periodically throughout the day.

6. Don't cut out everything. If you cut out all "treats," it will likely leave you more frustrated than motivated to stick to your diet (I use this term loosely). Enjoy the foods that you like, just enjoy them in moderation. While cutting down, start slowly. You could plan to eat dessert every other night instead of every night or you could plan on having dessert only on the weekend.

7. Exercise. Next week I'll devote an entire post to this, but make sure that you're making time for exercise. Don't just pick one or the other - diet or exercise - being healthy requires both!