Izaak Walton said,
”
Health is a blessing that money cannot buy.
”
Of course, finding the right doctor makes all the difference in
the world. In the struggle to find and maintain the weight I’d like
to be, I have experienced many different types of doctors.
Izaak Walton said, “Health is a blessing that money cannot buy.” Of course, finding the right doctor makes all the difference in the world. In the struggle to find and maintain the weight I’d like to be, I have experienced many different types of doctors. Over the years, I have grown accustomed to what I consider the typical feelings after leaving a doctor’s office of embarrassment, discouragement and hopelessness. Even though my overall health is usually good – no high cholesterol, kidney stones, broken bones or even one day spent in a hospital – there’s nothing like hearing how terribly you are doing, how overweight you are, and what a ticking time bomb you are with your family history. You try weight loss program after program.
Every Jenny Craig-type place you join is located right next door to either a Baskin Robbins or a See’s Candy Shop. You find that your route to Weight Watchers is lined with fast food restaurants. And now Crispy Crème is coming to Gilroy. You realize you were doing a better job of losing weight before all those weeks of deprivation followed by trips to be weighed, which then required victory rewards of double scoops of pralines and cream.
“The leading cause of death among fashion models is falling through street grates.” ~ Dave Barry. Of course, there are many land mines to navigate such as the petite nurse (5 feet tall, maybe 80 pounds soaking wet) who says to me on the way in to see the doctor, “Don’t you just love being weighed? I just love being weighed!”
“Trust in God but tie your camels.” ~ The Prophet Muhammad. For each person it can take a lot of searching to find the right answers or the right doctor. One is indeed fortunate when one finds a doctor who is truly helpful, such as Gilroy’s Dr. Karen Coblens. When one can leave a doctor’s office feeling encouraged and hopeful, the difference in stress levels is incredible. I no longer look forward to doctor’s appointments with such dread. “My doctors told me this morning my blood pressure is down so low that I can start reading the newspapers.” ~ Ronald Reagan.
“I’m not into working out. My philosophy: No pain, no pain.” ~ Carol Leifer.
When I told Dr. Coblens how much trouble I was having getting myself to go to the gym, she made this suggestion: “Tell yourself you’re only going for 15 minutes. Just get yourself in the door, and what usually happens is that once you’re there you’ll end up staying longer. But always tell yourself it’s just 15 minutes, no big deal. Set a realistic goal of going once or twice a week. Then make a chart, and every time you do manage to get yourself to the gym, even if only for 15 minutes, reward yourself with a gold star. When you have a certain number of gold stars, you get a treat.”
I looked at her: “Not food!” she quickly said, reading the banana split I was picturing in my mind. “It has to be something like a new blouse or something non-edible that you consider a reward. It sounds weird, but no one outgrows wanting to feel rewarded. It’s just that now as adults we have to find our own ways to reward ourselves, since no one else will necessarily do it for us. Once you get yourself going and feeling rewarded, going to the gym (or whatever your fitness goal) is more likely to become a habit.”
I left her office feeling empowered and positive, a truly amazing way to feel after visiting a doctor.
