Step into a new year... with health!
by Roberta Lee, MD (topic expert: health)

Each New Year, doctors hear the wistful declarations of many patients filled with a deep resolve to change their health. and like many doctors, I silently hope that this year those promises will come to pass! As a primary care physician, my particular expertise is in hearing health-related resolutions. I know that 60% of Americans die from illnesses connected to poor choices in lifestyle, such as overeating, lack of exercise and smoking. My vested interest as the ultimate health coach is to see my patients hopeful aspirations take hold and succeed. If you could peer into a doctor's brain knowing these facts, let me tell which eight wishes I hope you would list? Read on then and then-- ponder!

• Make health goals practical. Everybody loves to make lofty goals but such high-flying targets make it harder to achieve success.
• Make a simple plan to achieve your goals. There is nothing worse than steering towards a goal without a strategy to achieve a successful outcome.
• Maintain an exercise routine. Be creative in designing "reward surprises" as incentives to keep yourself going. For example, when I use the treadmill for aerobic exercise I need more entertainment than just watching TV or listening to music as I huff and puff towards a healthy heart rate. What I did to make it more fun was buy DVD's of serial TV shows that I had always wanted to see ( and never had time to watch) and only watchthem when I work out. Now, I want to get to the next program and see what happens-but I'll only let myself watch if I am on the treadmill...
• Increase physical activity and benchmark your progress. One of the easiest ways to begin moving more is to buy a pedometer and measure how much you are already walking. People who use pedometers walk on average one mile more than those who did not measure their steps[1], according to a 2007 study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. Dena Bravata at Stanford University. I suggest to patients that they work up to 10,000 steps a day, this is the equivalent of 5 miles[2]. One way to increase your overall number of steps is to add mileage by 500 steps each week. Among many good pedometers is the WalkStyles DashTrak which allows you to track your steps, miles, calories and download them into your own personal wellness worksheet. Even better, Platinum members can use the DashTrak Wellness system to help set and achieve health and fitness goals.
• Get more sleep. Sleep deprivation affects mental health. It decreases a hormone that signals the sensation of satiety or fullness known as leptin. This causes people to eat more and depresses one of the body's regenerative hormones, the growth hormone. The growth hormone is secreted during our sleep cycle and this helps the body build muscle mass, rejuvenate skin and strengthen our bones[3].
• See your doctor or primary healthcare advocate. Despite the fact that the merits of the annual exam are being debated, annual physicals and preventive gynecological exams are the most common avenue for discussing the importance of getting certain tests. Yet only 21% of adults get a preventive physical exam.
• Do routine screening tests. Mammograms, Pap tests and colonoscopies should be done regularly. These are tests that detect breast cancer, cervical cancer and colon cancer and early intervention in these cancers improve the statistics for successful outcomes. Also, make sure you measure your cholesterol, vitamin D levels (see July 2007 column on vitamin D), blood count and routine blood chemistries. "The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has been reported to be as high as 21 to 58% in adolescents and adults in the United States (depending on age and gender), 54% in homebound older adults, and 84% in elderly black women. When pregnant women and breastfed infants are included, it appears that virtually the entire continuum of patients that family physicians treat is at risk."[4]
• Love something, someone or experience the feeling of being grateful for 5 minutes every day! Dr. Robert Emmons, research expert on gratitude and Professor of Psychology at UC Davis and Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology, wrote "The practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25%. Second, this is not hard to achieve - a few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more. Third, that cultivating gratitude brings other health effects, such as longer and better quality sleep time."[5]

I wish you a happy, healthy and loving New Year! ---Warmly, Dr. Roberta Lee

1. Bravat D, Smith-Spangler C, Sundaram V et al. Using Pedometers to Increase Physical Activity and Improve Health: A Systematic review. JAMA. 2007;298(19):2296-2304.
2. Assuming that your stride is 2.5 feet long.
3. http://www.sleep-deprivation.com/articles/effects-of-sleep-deprivation/accelerated-aging... accessed 12/24/07.
4. http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050115/editorials.html "Vitamin D deficiency: The once and present epidemic". Accessed 12/24/07
5. http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/11/29/robert-emmons-on-the-positive-psychology-of-gratitude/ "Enhance Happiness and Health by Cultivating Gratitude: An Interview with Robert Emmons" accessed 12/24/07