positive approach Archives

Developing a Game Plan to Reach Your Health Goals!

December 30, 2016 By John Lamberson Leave a Comment

a-goal-without-a-plan-is-just-a-wishgame-planning-12-30-2016

Team up with a health coach for a winning game plan to reach your health goals!

The New Year is here! What does that mean for you and your health? Are you one of the many planning to make resolutions and health goals for the New Year? Let’s talk about that. Change can be difficult to accomplish. To set the stage, we need a game plan! Like sports teams that have a goal to win championships, making health changes can be similar. We have an “opponent” – the behavior we want to change. We have “practice” – the other times we’ve made changes. We may even have a “scouting report” on our opponent – what has worked or not worked when making changes in the past. If we have that information, we can make a game plan!

Our plan doesn’t have to be as in-depth as a game plan for a football team playing in the Super Bowl but we still need to have a plan. The plan will help to provide guidelines of how to make changes. The plan needs to include action steps that follow the SMART system…Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely action steps. Write your plan down and have it available to refer back to. When we attempt change, we are bound to run into barriers and setbacks. Having a plan helps you be prepared to face barriers and find ways over, under, around or through them. Your health game plan needs to include contingency plans to help you use barriers as a springboard to greater things. We can’t plan for all barriers but we can be prepared. Hold yourself accountable to making changes but don’t allow yourself to be held hostage by them. If you run into a barrier, adjust your plan to get you back on track. Don’t let that barrier be an excuse to stop! What may also help you drive through a barrier is working with a coach. A health coach can provide you with accountability, guidance, motivation, celebration and cheer leading. A coach can also refer you to the professional services you may need to keep you moving forward. They can help you identify different action steps or take a new perspective on a problem that may help you find a new approach. Remember, you hold the keys to better health!

Warm wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year!

It’s Your Health. It’s Your Life. Make That Change!

~John

Diabetes ~ The Highs and Lows…

February 23, 2016 By John Lamberson Leave a Comment

Diabetes-The Ups and Downs A person with Diabetes will certainly tell you that it has its ups and downs. Sure, having Diabetes can cause a ton of different feelings and emotions. But the Highs and Lows I’m talking about today are Blood Sugar Levels. The Highs and Lows. Both are important and can have an impact on your overall health. But, Lows can be even more problematic. Hypoglycemia can cause a critical situation that might require the intervention of emergency personnel. To prevent that from happening, you must be aware of what your blood sugar levels are doing. So, let me tell you a little story about last night (2.22.2016)…. I’ll show you my Blood Glucose log and actions taken:

7:21 pm BG: 118 Action: Ate dinner, took 12 units of NovoLog (Normal amount for meal eaten)

8:55 pm BG: 70 Action: Felt slight discomfort of Hypoglycemia. Drank 6 oz Juice

9:30 pm……………Action: Took Lantus Insulin ~ 22 units (Normal amount)

10:13 pm BG: 73 Action: Concerned that BG level was staying low. Drank another 6 oz Juice Box

11:15 pm BG: 49 Action: No symptoms of low blood sugar other than I could not sleep. 6 oz Juice Box

I was now worried that I had inadvertently taken 2 Lantus doses. (That would not be good!)

11:33 pm BG: 66 Action: Ate protein bar and drank 8 oz of Soy Milk (31 g Carb, 19 g Protein)

(Still concerned that I may have doubled up on the Lantus. I wanted to eat something with both Carbohydrate and Protein to help maintain BG levels. If I had doubled dosed Lantus, it was going to be a long night. I would now be checking my BG levels throughout the night!)

12:47 am BG: 123 Action: Nothing. Set alarm to recheck BG levels in an hour

2:06 am BG: 105 Action: Drank 4 oz of OJ (Reset alarm)

3:33 am BG: 137 Action: Nothing.

4:44 am BG: 143 Action: Nothing (This is a normal wake up time. Would usually go to the gym)

6:45 am BG: 162 Action: Nothing

7:30 am BG: 177 Action: Breakfast. Normal B’Fast (NovoLog 8 units ~ this is a reduced amount. I wanted to see response to Carbohydrate and still unsure of double dosing of Lantus. It now appears as though I did not double dose. Let’s see what happens!)

9:20 am BG: 283 Action: Added 3 units of NovoLog (Underdosed the NovoLog, need a correction.)

10:31 am BG: 300 Action: Nothing (Already had additional 3 units of NovoLog on board. Don’t want to overload and cause hypoglycemia. Will wait until Lunch and adjust NovoLog then, if necessary.)

12:45 pm BG: 128 Action: Lunch. Ate regular amount and took normal amount of NovoLog (Had I taken more insulin at the 10:30 time frame, I would have dropped low prior to lunch. Know how your insulin is supposed to work and what you need to adjust it to cover highs!)

Having Diabetes is no joke. There are a number of things you need to be aware of. One of my biggest worries is that I will take a double dose of Lantus. For those of you not familiar with Lantus, like Levemir, is a long-acting (24 hour) insulin. If you take too much of that, you will be fighting low blood sugars the whole day. NovoLog, on the other hand is a rapid-acting insulin. It starts working in about 15 minutes and is typically out of the system within 4-6 hours. Rapid-acting insulins (Apidra, Humalog & NovoLog) are usually taken with meals to help control meal time blood sugar rises. The long-acting insulins are designed to cover your basal insulin needs, the needs not associated with meals.

I have a system in place to help remind me that I have taken my Lantus dose for the night. But, if you are not mindful of what you are doing, you can forget what you’ve done. And that’s what happened to me last night. Luckily, I have support from my wife that helped me through this event. But what it also means is that I can’t take things for granted. I need to stay on top of my game! Sometimes, we all need a reminder! Now, we’ll have to figure out why my Blood Sugars were so low during the night……..

It’s Your Health. It’s Your Life. Make That Change!

~John

Get on Track for Successful Health Change in the New Year!

January 8, 2016 By John Lamberson Leave a Comment

Hopefully, Achieve Your Goals- St Francis you’ve been able to keep those resolutions! Many times we start to falter as we move deeper into January and February. We often have a tough time making and maintaining change. Why? It doesn’t have to be that way! Things change every day. We are just not always aware of the changes going on around us. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West day after day. What’s different about the rising and setting of the sun? The time is different. It never rises and sets at exactly the same each day! We just don’t perceive the difference until it hits us how dark it is at 4:30 pm on the Winter Solstice. The gradual change makes it more difficult to distinguish the changes. (Take heart, the sun shines a little longer each day now!)

Think about the changes you’ve been wanting to make in your life. Do you expect the change to happen immediately or are you prepared to slowly evolve into a newer version of yourself? We tend to start our change process with a New Years Resolution. But why do we wait until the New Year to make changes? It was Buddha that said, “Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” Every day we are given a opportunity to make a change in our lives. The change can be big or small but every change we make will impact us some how. To get the most out of the changes you want to make, be sure to have a plan to help you make and maintain those changes fro the long term. Resolutions don’t have to be all or nothing. It’s not a pass-fail game. If you start with the end in mind, this can help figure out what actions steps you’ll need to complete to reach your goal. It’s important to have a goal BUT, it’s more important to to break that goal down into manageable steps. We like to use the SMART Step System to help clients find change success. You may have heard about the SMART System:

S: Specific ~ Be specific about what you are going to do. It’s not enough to say you are going to eat healthier or ex If you always do what you always did 1.2016 ercise more. Specify what that means to you. How do you define eating healthier or exercising more?

M: Measurable ~ You want to see how often you are doing or not doing something. If part of your healthier eating plan was to include more fruit, how many pieces a day did you want to eat?

A: Achievable or Action-Oriented ~ This is getting you to take the steps necessary to meet your overall goal. Break the bigger goal down into smaller components that you can work on each day. You can also use the “A” to represent Accountability. Being accountable to someone can help drive you when you feel like giving up. Find a person that will have a positive impact on your drive towards your goal and, if you’re comfortable, share your goal and your action step you plan to use to reach them.

R: Realistic ~ Important area here! We are not saying choose an easy task that won’t cause you much stress. What we are saying is that we need to be able to meet and exceed our action step and keep moving forward. You want to stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone. We often work with clients that want to lose weight. They would like to lose 20 pounds in a month. While that is possible, it is typically not probable, nor is it healthy! You can lose that 20 pounds but it may take a little longer than 30 days!

T: Time Driven or Target Date: Set a date to accomplish your action step. If your
goal is to workout more often, say 4 times a week, choose an exercise, choose the time of day and the days of the week. Doing so will help you better visualize how and when you will accomplish your step. This can also help you overcome potential barriers that may keep you from finishing that action step.

So take control of each and every day! Use it to help you move forward with your plan. It may be of help to write down what it is you want to change and why that change will be helpful to you. Think about what it is that motivates you to make that change. Make that motivation a personal priority for you. And if you have a hard time staying on track, remember, there is no failure but opportunities to find out what doesn’t work for us. So try something new or different! Each new day gives us a new beginning! Here’s to a Happy & Healthy New Year!

“It’s Your Health. It’s Your Life. Make That Change!”

~John

Diabetes Month Reflections…

December 2, 2015 By John Lamberson Leave a Comment

Monday, November 30th, brought a close to Diabetes Awareness Month. But for the millions of us with Diabetes, there is no close on Diabetes. It is a condition that requires constant awareness, heightened vigilance, and a focused approach. We get no break or vacation from Diabetes.

I don’t say that to sound as though I am lamenting over the fact that I have Diabetes or have a feeling of dread or depression associated with Diabetes. I say it to remind every body that we should all remain alert and and focused on our health, regardless of whether or not we have Diabetes.

I have never used my diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes as an excuse to allow myself to get down or depressed about it. Diabetes is a frustrating, aggravating, difficult and complex chronic disease to manage. The good news is that Diabetes is manageable. For me though, I see Diabetes as a blessing. I will not tell you that I love having it, because I don’t! But it’s all about the perspective YOU choose to have. I can say that without Diabetes, my life would definitely be different. I don’t mean less frustrating, less aggravating, less difficult or less complex. Would life be better without Diabetes? I can’t answer that question. Life is life. We will all have problems, frustrations, good times, bad times, happy and sad times. Diabetes doesn’t add or subtract those things. While I don’t love Diabetes, I do love my life, which includes Diabetes.

I am thankful when I look back and see how Diabetes impacted my life in a positive way. Because of Diabetes, I became a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator and an Integrative Health Coach. With Diabetes, I met and married my best friend. With Diabetes, I have been blessed with two wonderful children. Diabetes has also allowed me to meet people, both personally and professionally, that I would never have had the opportunity to meet.

I don’t just try to live with Diabetes, it is my goal to thrive with Diabetes! I’ve had the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes for just over 24 years now. In that time, I have performed more than 44,250 Blood Glucose Checks, more than 35,400 insulin injections and lived 212,400 hours (or 12,744,000 minutes) of LIFE with Diabetes. It does not define me. But it is a part of me and it help to make me a better person.

Again, it’s all about your perspective!

It’s Your Health. It’s Your Life. Make That Change!

~John

Make 2013 Your Year to Shine!

January 1, 2013 By John Lamberson Leave a Comment

It is here! Time to ring in the New Year. Our kids have been asking us why there are so many TV commercials and radio ads touting the latest diet plans. Because, it’s here! Time to lose the holiday weight! Members of our local Y have been discussing how busy it will be for the next 2 months as everybody tries to restart their New Year Resolutions. It’s here!

Make this year your year! If you plan to start a new exercise program or meal plan, truly set up a plan. You must plan for success. The problem that’s universally noted with our resolutions to start each year is that they are short-lived. This year, launch your resolution with a contingency plan. Plan for barriers and for methods on how you will overcome those barriers. You know life will throw you a curve that could sabotage your plans. You may have already experienced this in the past. So get ready for it. How do we do that?

1. Make yourself accountable. Write down your goals and how you will go after them. Simply saying you want to lose weight by exercising more may not get it done. Instead, pick the days of the week and times that will fit your schedule. Set up an exercise routine. Schedule it on your calendar just as you would any other important task or appointment. AND, set up a back up plan just in case your first choices don’t work or life happens and you can’t exercise that day or time.

2. Set goals that you can reach but will also challenge you. Setting goals too difficult to reach may set you up for failure. Setting goals too easy to reach will not force you to change. If you have never cooked before, are you going to be able to set a cooking goal to improve your diet? Evaluate your diet, or schedule an appointment with a Registered Dietitian to get some ideas on what you may need to change to better meet those meal planning goals. For instance, you may only need to add a piece of fruit to your meals everyday. Sounds easy but if you are not into eating fruit, you may find it difficult. Pick a fruit, make sure you have enough on hand and plan the meals to which it will be added.

3. Regularly evaluate your progress. If something’s not working the way you want it to, change it up and try a new approach. Don’t give up on it. Businesses follow this model routinely. The Plan-Do-Check-Act set allows them to evaluate their goals and see how it is moving along. It’s not an all or nothing approach. Remember, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got!” . Change is about trying new things. In effect, we are experimenting with ourselves. We have the rest of our lives to integrate changes. It doesn’t have to be today!

4. Stay Positive! Our wish for each of you is to be able to experience what successful change is all about. One of the best ways to do that is to keep an upbeat approach. We know that we are not living in an overly optimistic time period right now. With the problems we face on a day to day basis, it can make it hard to find the good that life has to offer. One of our favorite quotes, which is credited to Patricia Neal, addresses this: “A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.” Life will bring us good days and bad, sunshine and rain, laughter and tears. We can’t always control the happenings in life but we can control how we react to them. Smile often and make that part of your daily routine! No matter how bad off we feel or think we have it, there is always somebody else out there worse off than us. We all need to extend our hands and our hearts to help others!

We want to wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year! This is your year to shine. Don’t let anything stand in your way!

~It’s Your Health. It’s Your Life. Make That Change!

~Angie & John

Developing a Game Plan to Reach Your Health Goals!

Diabetes ~ The Highs and Lows…

Get on Track for Successful Health Change in the New Year!

Diabetes Month Reflections…

Make 2013 Your Year to Shine!

Connect with Us!

Recent Posts

Contact Us