Like many of you, during August I tuned in nightly to watch Olympians compete on the world stage. As incredible as the events were, the stories of athletes who made personal sacrifices to train every day or who overcame daunting challenge to represent their countries inspired me most.

It didn’t motivate me to hurdle my dining room chairs or do a handstand from my roof into my pool. (I don’t usually dwell on limitations but there are just some things this 45 year old body was never meant to do.) Instead, the athletes’ accomplishments represented the daily to-do’s I sometimes slog through as well as the larger goals that I’ve set for my life.

I’d like to share a few great quotes from past Olympians and some of the take-home lessons I can apply each day (even without setting up a balance beam in my family room):

Change your Thoughts to Change your Results

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” -Scott Hamilton, figure skater

Realize that what you believe and think causes you to feel a certain way, which causes you to do certain things, which ultimately leads to specific results. In other words, your thoughts are self-fulfilling prophecies. Of course, your results usually reinforce your beliefs and thoughts, resulting in either a positive feedback loop or a vicious cycle. If you’ve taken an Am I Hungry? workshop, this will look familiar: Thoughts > Feelings > Actions > Results.

If you don’t like your results, become aware of what you’ve been thinking. With practice, you can change your thoughts about eating, physical activity, and anything else, to get the results you desire.

Mistakes are Just Lessons

“The worst thing is to be paralyzed by fear. It’s better to fall trying. Then you learn what to do so you don’t fall again.” -Brian Boitano, figure skater

Every mistake brings you one step closer to being an expert by discovering what’s most effective for you. Just do the best you can and learn from what didn’t work.

Advance the Ball

“Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before.” -Bonnie Blair, speed skater

Don’t get trapped into thinking you have to do something perfectly and nothing else will do. I like the football analogy of “advancing the ball.” Rarely is a football game won on 80 yard passes. Instead, think in terms of advancing down the field a few yards and first downs at a time. When the window of opportunity to reach your goal opens up, you’ll have the momentum and be in position to score.

Consistency and Repetition Win

“To be an Olympian you only have to work out twice; when you want to and when you don’t.” –Darn, I couldn’t find the name of the athlete that said this! Please post the answer (with a source) as a comment below.

Practice, practice, practice. Consistency and repetition are the keys to energizing new behaviors. Baby steps that you’re willing to practice consistently will help you gradually rewire what feels good to you. Encourage yourself to move forward toward your goals every day.

I’d love to hear your favorite Olympic quotes and how they inspired you too!

Copyright 2008 Michelle May, M.D.
(This is an excerpt from my monthly E-Newsletter; to read more, visit http://www.amihungry.com/enews.shtml.)

A new study called Prevention for a Healthier America by the Trust for America’s Health  showed that investments in disease prevention yeilds significant savings. This is an important report for communities and corporations deciding where to invest their limited resources. The bottom line: What is the return on investment (ROI) for increasing physical activity and eating healthier?

Even if you’re not a city planner or CEO, you still have to decide whether investing in getting healthier is worth your precious resources - your time, attention, money, and energy. If you already have a healthy lifestyle, I can safely assume that you’ve seen a significant pay-off which is why you continue to invest regularly. If you don’t, maybe it’s time to measure the ROI.

As the CEO of your body, approach this like any important investment decision. Take out a piece of paper and title it ”Getting More Active,” “Eating Healthier,” or some other decision you’ve been contemplating. Make two columns: “Costs” and “Benefits” and write down everything you can think of that may impact your decision and try to quantify them in measurable terms. You should even put a dollar amount on the value of your time.

For example, let’s say you’re considering whether to invest in a new exercise program. Your lists might look like this:

Costs
New tennis shoes = $60
4 hours a week - $40/hr = $160 per week
Less time to spend with family = priceless
New clothes when I lose weight = $500

Benefits
Get off blood pressure medicine = $80 per month
Increased energy and productivity (est. 1 hr/day) = $280 a week
Live longer = priceless

In this analysis, the cost of lost time spent with family as a result of the time spent exercising could be a deal breaker so you’ll need to address it up front. Possible solutions could include getting up earlier, exercising during the lunch hour, or including the kids in the activities - which of course will pay huge dividends in the long run. Bottom line: Exercise appears to be a good investment.

You are the CEO of yourself. Do your job!

Michelle May MD
More weight management articles: http://www.amihungry.com/weight-management-articles.shtml

Copyright Michelle May MD. For permission to reprint go to http://www.amihungry.com/.

A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that 51% of  overweight and 32% of obese people had mostly normal blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and blood sugar - all risk factors for heart disease, while nearly 24% of normal weight individuals had two or more of these risk factors. Those with normal weight but two or more risk factors were more likely to be older, less active, and have a larger waist circumference.

What are the take-home messages?

It’s possible to be overweight and have a low risk for heart disease.

• This can be interpreted in a couple of ways: 1) Some people are just genetically lucky and 2) A healthy diet and exercise are important no matter what you weigh.
• Therefore, since you can’t do much about your gene pool, eat healthy and exercise no matter what your jean size!

It’s possible to be a normal weight but have risk factors for heart disease.

• In other words, don’t assume you get a free pass just because you still fit in your jeans.
• See your family doctor and find out your personal risk profile. Be sure to have your waist circumference measured too. (Waist circumference may be a better measure than just BMI).
• Follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly so your insides are as healthy as your outsides might look.

Here’s to breaking more stereotypes!
Michelle May MD
http://www.amihungry.com/

In my last post I talked about the Why bother? Affect that often occurs when exercise advice is too far from a person’s current reality. One reader mentioned how helpful a pedometer had been for becoming more active. 

A pedometer is a fun way to measure your activity level throughout the day, both during routine activities and while exercising. It is a small device that is worn on your waist to measure the number of steps you take making it easy to set realistic goals for yourself. It’s really motivating to see those steps add up—and see your energy level rise as your fitness improves. 

How do you use a pedometer?

• Wear your pedometer on your waist, attached to your belt, skirt or pants (even your underclothes as long as it fits snugly against your body.)
• Place it in line with the seam of your slacks or over the center of your kneecap, parallel to the ground. It will not give accurate readings if it is tilted to one side.
• Try it out in different positions along the waist; count the number of steps you take and compare that to what the pedometer actually reads.   
• Put your pedometer on when you first get up and wear it all day long.
• At the end of the day, record the number of steps you took then press the reset button to return the step counts back to “0” for the next day.

One Step at a Time

• Get an idea of your baseline activity level by recording the number of steps you take without changing your normal routine.
• Once you know your baseline, set specific goals for increasing the number of steps you take each day or week. You can pick a number or a percent increase to shoot for.   
• Watch the steps add up when you pace while you talk on the phone, walk a flight of stairs, skip a half hour TV program and walk the dog (add about 2000 steps!), stroll instead of sit at the airport, park further, or window shop with friends instead of sitting to talk.
• Of course not all activities can be counted in steps (for example, swimming or yoga) but they still count toward your fitness. 

I think you’ll find that using a pedometer for simple, accurate feedback will motivate you to take a few more steps in the right direction.