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So, you've taken the first steps toward making your New Year's resolutions successful.  You remembered that a resolution was simply a first step in the process of changing your life.  You agreed to select a single resolution that would make the most impact in your life or health, to break that resolution down into a series of baby steps that you could tackle one at a time, and to find a friend or partner to whom you could be accountable and who could encourage you on the path.  In this blog post, I want to challenge you to create a plan to make your resolution work for you.

 Follow these steps before moving forward with your resolution:

• Commit. Be certain that you have made a clear and do-able resolution and that you are ready to commit to it.  If you are wishy-washy here, you will set yourself up for failure.  So, if you're not ready to tackle your eating habits yet, can you agree to exercise more instead?
• Consider. What do you need to make your resolution work?  A new pair of tennis shoes to start walking?  A pantry emptied of junk food?  Clearance or assistance from your doctor (important if you are deciding to exercise or stop certain unhealthy habits like smoking)?  Write these down - they are your first keys to success!  There are many internet resources to help you make your list.
• Prepare. Time for action!  Smokers: clean all of your smelly clothes, remove ashtrays, set up the house, workplace and car of a nonsmoker; Exercisers: create a drawer in your bedroom for "workout" clothes, even if they're your old sweats, buy the shoes if you need to, call the doctor to ask if it's okay to begin, and make a daily appointment on your calendar to improve your chances of doing it; "Dieters:" clean out your fridge, your pantry and your shelves, find healthy alternatives at your favorite restaurants or "light" versions of your favorite at-home meals; Everyone: find that support partner and let them know you're starting, find those resources online or in magazines to keep you informed and motivated.

Good luck!  In the next post, I will help you put your prepared plan into action.  Remember, I'd like to know what you would like to see in these articles.  You can let me know by contacting OU Physicians at 405-271-5067 or via email at april-sandefer@ouhsc.edu.

Dr. Franklin is a board certified family medicine specialist. Her areas of special interest include preventive health and wellness and women's and children's health. Her advice has been featured in outlets including The Learning Channel, Parents Magazine and FitPregnancy. For an appointment with Dr. Franklin or any of the OU Physicians Family Medicine physicians, call 405-271-4311

It's resolution time again. For many of us this will be our time to finally quit smoking, increase cardiac health and fitness or improve our diets for good. For others, it's a time we dread, fearing another year of failure in our plans for self-improvement.

Don't despair. The keys to this year's success are here. Stop seeing your New Year's resolution as a once-and-for-all goal. Recognize that resolutions provide ways to begin the process of change, and you will see amazing improvements in your life.

Before you jump headfirst into a New Year's resolution, follow these steps to make sure this is the year you succeed:

-  Start with a single resolution. Promising yourself you'll quit smoking, eat better and lose weight - all at the same time - undermines your chance for success.

- Make the most of your resolution.  Saving enough money to buy a flat screen TV may be nice, but it's not going to change your life the way paying off a debt will.

- Pick a single change within the resolution that you believe you can successfully tackle. Instead of telling yourself that to become healthier you will "eat better, lose weight and exercise every day," start with, "I will eat one more vegetable or fruit every day," or "I will walk the dog after work." Add another small goal as you achieve your first one.

- Engage a friend. People who are the most successful at changing anything are those with a strong support network of friends or family who offer encouragement - and hold them accountable (and who might join them).

In the coming posts, I will help you create and implement your plan for a healthier lifestyle.  Your feedback is valuable. Please tell me what you'd like to hear in these articles by contacting OU Physicians at 405-271-5067 or email: april-sandefer@ouhsc.edu.

Dr. Franklin is a board certified family medicine specialist. Her areas of special interest include preventive health and wellness and women's and children's health. Her advice has been featured in outlets including The Learning Channel, Parents Magazine and FitPregnancy. For an appointment with Dr. Franklin or any of the OU Physicians Family Medicine physicians, call 405-271-4311

Getting Your Fruits and Veggies

By Rachel Franklin, M.D., “Your Family Doc”

OU Physicians Family Medicine

Holy cow!  At the same time that most of us were struggling to get our five servings of fruit and veggies every day, the guidelines have changed.  It’s now recommended that we get at least 9 servings (4 ½ cups) daily!  The guideline reflects what we have learned about the healthy effects of fruits and vegetables in our diets.  They provide essential antioxidants, help keep our arteries clean, and can even prevent cancer.  We also now know that pills (multivitamins, B-complexes, vitamins A, C, and E in particular) do not provide the same benefit as the whole foods in the produce section of the grocery store.

Now, you don’t need to go overboard – you don’t have to get 9 of each, that’s 9 total.  And I have a few tricks for all of us busy people:

• Salads.  Most prepared salads are made with more than 1 cup of vegetables.  The darker the leaf, the healthier it is for you (think spinach or mesclun instead of iceberg).  Get the dressing on the side or try vinegar in oil to keep the calories down.  Add lean beef or chicken (or soy or other legumes for vegetarians) and it’s a complete lunch with almost 3 servings!
• Fruit snacks.  These are prepackaged and available in the canned fruit section of the store.  If you’re afraid a whole fruit will go bad, buy the snacks and keep them in your desk for that 3:00 slump.  The natural sugars will perk you up, and you’ll get a serving.  Make sure they’re packed in water or juice instead of syrup.
• Vegetable and fruit juices.  And you thought I had warned you against these – what the heck am I thinking??  If you select those with no added sugar (my favorite is V8 Fusion or not-from-concentrate orange juice), you can get up to 2 servings per 8 oz glass for 100 calories or less.  And it’s a better sip than that second pot of coffee or the empty calories of soda.
• Make your own dinner.  Those who make their own dinners at home eat about half the calories they would eat at a restaurant.  Plus, you can easily prepare at least 2 more servings of fruit and vegetables – three if you include ½ cup of fresh berries in low-fat yogurt for dessert!

And that plan makes nine servings without thinking too hard.  Like I said about resolutions, do the best you can each day and try harder the next day.  By increasing your fruit and veggie intake, you’ll feel full longer, eat fewer calories overall and can even lose weight!

While produce can be expensive, if you were to compare it against the expensive take-out coffee you get every morning (you know the one I'm talking about!), the dinner you eat out a few times a week, or the cost of going to the doctor all of the time due to poor health, it’s a bargain. 

As always, I’m interested in any ideas you have for topics.  Please remember to email april-sandefer@ouhsc.edu or contact OU Physicians at 405-271-5067 if you have ideas you’d like to read about in this column.  Here’s to your good health!

Dr. Franklin is a board certified family medicine specialist. Her areas of special interest include preventive health and wellness and women’s and children’s health. Her advice has been featured in outlets including The Learning Channel, Parents Magazine and FitPregnancy. For an appointment with Dr. Franklin or any of the OU Physicians Family Medicine physicians, call 405-271-4311

The Most Important Meal of the Day

By Rachel Franklin, M.D., “Your Family Doc”

OU Physicians Family Medicine

Growing up, waking to the smell of bacon, eggs and pancakes was a regular event at my house, and it’s still my favorite meal of all time!  However, in an attempt to reduce our calorie intake to lose weight, too many of us neglect what is truly the most important meal of the day.

I want to tell you that breakfast is for all of us, not just our children.  After dinner, we sleep and our bodies go into hibernation overnight.  Our metabolism slows.  The liver makes food for us by converting protein into sugar, and when we awake in the morning, our bodies are primed and ready to reload with – you guessed it – food!  Without giving our bodies what they need first thing in the morning, we create conditions that keep our metabolisms slow, cause daytime fatigue, the “afternoon sleepies,” and weight gain.

By eating a well-balanced breakfast, containing about a quarter to a third of the day’s total calories (about 300-400 for women, 400-600 for men), we tell our bodies to rev back up for the day.  I understand that most of us – me included – have children to wake up and get to school in addition to getting ourselves ready, and that there seem to be too few moments in the morning to stop and eat.  There are a few keys to a healthy morning start, and they don’t require much extra time in the morning if you know what to do.  First, remember the essential components of a balanced diet:

• Protein.  Protein is the key to a good breakfast.  It digests more slowly than carbohydrates and gives the body the best energy.  In a time crunch?  Boil a dozen eggs during the weekend and keep them in the fridge.  One egg is a perfect serving size and gives the body every type of protein it needs.  In a pinch: grab a protein bar at the convenience store with your coffee instead of the donut – most bars also contain carbs (see below).
• Carbohydrate.  Carbs get the body jump-started until the protein digests.  Try adding a slice of toast with jelly, half a bagel with low fat cream cheese or – even better – a serving of whole fruit with your protein source.  An apple or banana is very portable!
• Fat.  Fat is an important component of a healthy diet – we just tend to eat too much of the wrong type.  Fats take the longest to digest, help us feel full longer, and provide essential nutrients (twice as many of the healthy ingredients in tomatoes are absorbed if the tomatoes are soaked in olive oil!).  That boiled egg has exactly the amount of fat you need in the morning. 

Stock your pantry and fridge with the following items every week to be ready to start a trend toward a healthier you (expand the list as your habits improve!):

• Eggs (fat and protein)
• Whole wheat bread (carbs)
• Whole fruits (carbs – but NOT fruit juice – which is mostly refined sugar)
• Turkey bacon (fat and protein)
• Whole grain, high fiber cereal (watch your portion size – our bowls are huge these days!)
• Low fat milk (skim or 1% fat) – provides fat and protein and carbs!

As always, I’m still looking for topics.  Please remember to email april-sandefer@ouhsc.edu or contact OU Physicians at 405-271-5067 if you have ideas you’d like to read about in this column.  Here’s to your good health!

Dr. Franklin is a board certified family medicine specialist. Her areas of special interest include preventive health and wellness and women’s and children’s health. Her advice has been featured in outlets including The Learning Channel, Parents Magazine and FitPregnancy. For an appointment with Dr. Franklin or any of the OU Physicians Family Medicine physicians, call 405-271-4311

Eating Disorders

By Rachel Franklin, M.D., “Your Family Doc”

OU Physicians Family Medicine

Although my focus in these blogs is primarily on helping you Lighten Up and adopt other healthy behaviors, I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about recognizing and helping those who suffer from eating disorders.

Up to one in ten Americans is believed to suffer from warning signs of an eating disorder.  Disordered eating habits can lead to nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis, fatigue, and in the most severe cases, heart damage and death.  Most of those who suffer are girls and young women, particularly those who participate in sports such as figure skating, gymnastics and dance, in which physical appearance is as important a component of success as skill is.  In recent years, however, we have seen an increase in eating disorders among young men.  Much of this increase is attributed to the media images that now bombard men as much as women, of taut bodies impossibly perfected, in many cases through photo retouching.

In both of the primary conditions, anorexia nervosa and bulimia, the person suffers from an inappropriately-negative body image, believing themselves to be fat when they are not.  In a disordered attempt to control his or her body shape, the person adopts certain behaviors that can be recognized by a friend or loved one who is alert to the condition.  Watch for a friend who appears to be losing too much weight or who is of normal weight but frequently makes comments about how “fat” he or she is.  If you see someone you love who seems overly preoccupied, remember the following warning signs and help them get help.

• Anorexia Nervosa.  An anorexic will severely restrict his or her calorie intake in an effort to lose weight or prevent weight gain.  Watch for your friend who always finds reasons to eat alone, or who frequently exhibits signs of inadequate food intake, such as fainting spells, irritability and a sallow complexion that might signal nutritional deficiency.  Watch, too, for evidence of excessive exercise and of purging, such as bad breath, eroded teeth, or finding laxatives in their desk when you go to borrow a pen.
• Bulimia nervosa.  The hallmarks of bulimia are bingeing and purging. Many bulimics are actually normal weight or a little overweight because it is impossible to truly empty the stomach by vomiting or using laxatives.  If your friend is always excusing herself to go to the bathroom shortly after finishing a large meal, it’s a possible warning sign.  As with anorexia, bulimics will try to “purge” calories through exercise.

If you believe your friend or loved one suffers from an eating disorder, find a private moment to talk to them about your concerns for their health.  If you believe your child suffers, schedule an appointment with your Family Doctor or Pediatrician.  Treatment can be successful – if you act as soon as you suspect an eating disorder.  And if you’re wrong, then hey, you showed that you care.

I’m still looking for good topics to cover for the blog.  Please remember to email april-sandefer@ouhsc.edu or contact OU Physicians at 405-271-5067 if you have ideas you’d like to read about in this column.  Here’s to your good health!

Dr. Franklin is a board certified family medicine specialist. Her areas of special interest include preventive health and wellness and women’s and children’s health. Her advice has been featured in outlets including The Learning Channel, Parents Magazine and FitPregnancy. For an appointment with Dr. Franklin or any of the OU Physicians Family Medicine physicians, call 405-271-4311