I am soo grateful to everyone who participated in the food collection and health fair especially the staff of Valentine Medical Center!  The weeks of work paid off and we were able to help our neighbors!  Life is good!

Multitasking became very popular, but the more I think about it the more I realize you can only actually do one thing at a time!  At first it seemed like a good idea to drive, talk on the phone, and listen to the radio all at the same time.  That is until more and more traffic accidents occurred leading to entire ad campaigns against these practices by some really famous and influencial people.  Ok so now what?

Well I think it all comes down to just doing your best.  Sure it would be great to ALWAYS check everything off your to-do-list with time to spare, but it’s just not always possible! And guess what?  THAT”S OK. 

Alright.  So maybe I’m writing this blog post for myself as well and that’s ok too.  I’m just going to do my best to get it all done ONE TASK at a time.

Good health is not a “Luxury Item” 

People say to me all the time that they just can’t afford to eat right.    Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive and they don’t have time to go to the store everyday.  No problem.  Everyone is looking at ways to save their family as much money as possible.  We are all busy but we have to make OURSELVES the priority!  It is very possible to live a good life and love good food.  You should do this every day! 

THE STEPS

 So how is it done? 

Well it’s true.  Before you start a diet, you SHOULD talk to your doctor.  If you don’t have a doctor, get one.  We have actually identified other medical causes of obesity like thyroid disease!  There are conditions that sure they would respond to Adipex but overlooking a very treatable problem could be very dangerous!

Your doctor can help you achieve your weight loss goals!

Next. Change your diet!  There is no getting around it.  Many of us overeat on a daily basis.  An easy way to gauge whether you are eating too much is to see if the food on your plate would fit on a saucer.  If it could (comfortably), your good.  If not, you may want to decrease your portion…

Another key to weight loss success is to not skip any meals.  Yes we are busy but your metabolism speeds up when it has food to burn on a regular basis.  That means you should also have a small snack in between meals.  Just a little something that fits in the palm of your hand. 

Think about it.  Everyone knows someone who is rail thin and always seems to be eating something!  Their body is always ready to burn calories because it knows that person is gonna snack on SOMETHING every 3-4 hours!

What about Exercise?

Notice in these quick tips I didn’t even mention exercising!  It’s important to get the diet down pat before we throw anything else into the mix.  Sure we all know it’s good to exercise, but first things first.  After you get the hang of HOW to eat, then you can talk to your doctor about what exercises would be best for you.

Also notice WHAT you eat isn’t restricted.  Now don’t go crazy with this part of the plan!  You shouldn’t fit fried chicken on your saucer everyday,  but every once in a long while would work. 

These quick couple of tips are changes you can make TODAY to get yourself off to a slimmer, healthier body.  Throw some extra fruits and veggies in there and you are good to go!   Our patients have lost tons of weight.  We help them with individualized plans that address their own personal situation. 

Sometimes losing weight and reaching your goal includes prescription medication and rarely surgery, but it is always based on how you can live their BEST life!!

So in an effort to help some of the thousands of  families affected by the spill, we are having a Health Fair/Food drive on June 19th!  The response to our drive has been wonderful!  Winn-Dixie has placed collection barrels at TWENTY of their stores on the South Shore and West Bank.  WBOK is our radio partner and has broadcast info about the event to their listeners.  The Value Warehouse donated a beautiful 5-piece dinette set and Fischer and Sons Jewelry store donated fine jewelry for the raffle.  The tickets are just $1 and proceeds will be used to purchase even more food for the families.  We will have a spacewalk and face painting for the kids.  Everyone can benefit from the free vision screenings, dental screenings, blood pressure checks, and blood sugar testing!

While they try to figure out how to fix the mess created by this oil spill, people still have to live and eat.  We want to do what we can because after the media attention is gone, we will all be here doing our best to take care of one another.   The resilience of the people on the Gulf Coast is shining through.    Now let’s just pray this hurricane season is VERY quiet…

As I have thought about our progress, growth, and success here at the office, I also realized that everyone who decided to move back to the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina has “overcome adversity.”  I remember watching CNN and just about any and every news program that covered the devastation that began in August 2005. Vividly I can recall watching and knowing that I was going to move back as soon as we were allowed to get busy building, working and living.  The thing is these feelings were not mine alone!  I realize that EVERYONE  in this area had the same revelation at some point!  Sure we needed physicians to return, but we also needed every other facet of the community to return as well which has led to our continuing success.

I think of how many times I talked to other physicians early on and told them of my plan to open an office in post-Katrina New Orleans.  They would say “wow, really?” then they would tell me of a great job I could accept.  I know we were driven, encouraged and motivated by a higher power during those very dark times.  The great thing is that our endurance and creativity are now paying off.  I am blessed to work with a wonderful and dedicated team here at Valentine Medical Center.  It is also truely exciting to witness our community blossom.  So the bottom line is we have ALL overcome adversity! Just one more reason to be proud to call Louisiana home!