Pedometers, Buddies and Your Road to Better Health
Earlier this week, I helped Jolyn Bennett start her do-over. She's overweight and has trouble controlling her food intake at happy hours -- check out DrOz.com to hear her describe these issues.
I'm going to start telling you about the action items Jolyn is taking, so you can get a do-over, too. In fact, I'll even give you an early peek at my upcoming book "This is Your Do-Over," due out Feb. 24.
Every day for seven days, I'm going to give her -- and you -- a task to accomplish. Do these, and you'll set yourself up to rock and roll on day eight. Jolyn is beginning to form positive habits, and she's pushing the start button on a new approach to:
-- How she eats
-- How she celebrates happy hours
-- How she moves
-- How she'll get her do-over
Best of all, it's not that hard. Give yourself seven days to prepare, and then you're off! This is her (and your) do-over. Let's give it a go.
The Seven-Day Do-Over Preparation Plan
Day 1: Buy a Pedometer
We gave Jolyn two pedometers. You'll have to purchase these for yourself, and they make a great gift for your partners and buddies as well. One is a must; two helps in the event that you lose one, so you have a backup and never miss a day of counting steps. Invest in a pedometer, app or some other device that allows you to calculate the number of steps you take every day.
Take some time to investigate which type you prefer: something you can wear on your bra strap or waistband, or something on your phone. Ask yourself whether you need all the additional bells and whistles that may or may not come with your device. It's my experience that the simpler, the better -- but this is an individual choice. As soon as you get your pedometer or device, program it to calculate your steps (even if you get it online, make sure it will be delivered by day four of this plan). They're usually not too complicated to set up, but it may take a few minutes to ensure it's calibrated to your step length (as well as other variables, depending on what factors you want to calculate).
Keep your step counter or pedometer on for the rest of the day, and record how many steps you take. Set up a log on your calendar to keep track of your progress and give yourself the chance to take pride in your daily accomplishments. You also can use old-fashioned paper, a tracking app, software like Excel or a service like Google docs if you want access to your log from multiple devices.
Day 2: Choose a Buddy -- or Two or Five
Make a list of five people who can be potential buddies: one for each happy hour group for Jolyn (yes, she enjoys four or five a week). You'll want a buddy for all times you have to be accountable and can't trust yourself to stay true, plus one master buddy -- like the role I play with Jolyn. These can be family members, old friends, new friends or online friends. Go with your gut on who you think would be supportive and challenging at the same time. A good buddy is someone who will listen and understand the cause of your problem, who will coax and model the right behavior, who has at least a little knowledge of nutrition and wants to cook for energy and health, or at least will help you learn by learning with you, and someone who is positive and fun. This person shouldn't be afraid to be critical and smack you down if you need it, and should email you back every time you email him or her, at least within 24 hours. And he or she should have similar goals and frequent similar places (like the happy hour pubs Jolyn likes), and ideally someone willing to be your walking buddy and who is a lifelong learner. (Yes, I am Jolyn's all-the-time buddy -- if you want to explore a paid coach, visit ClevelandClinicWellness.com/coaching).
Don't contact your potential buddies yet; just make a preliminary list. Don't worry about hurting feelings or choosing someone you "think you should." Find someone (your master buddy) and associate buddies who can do this for and with you, with no excess baggage involved.
An esteemed authority on health and wellness, Michael F. Roizen, MD, chairs the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic, the first such position at any major healthcare institution, where he actively coaches patients. He is a former editor of six medical journals and has published more than 175 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Board-certified in internal medicine and anesthesiology, Roizen co-founded with Mehmet Oz YouBeauty, a media company focused on helping women lead healthier, more beautiful lives, and RealAge. His RealAge series of books as well as his "YOU" series, written with Oz, are worldwide bestsellers, with four No. 1 bestsellers in the U.S. and No. 1 bestsellers in at least five other countries. Roizen and Oz write a daily syndicated column that appears in over 130 newspapers. Roizen has appeared regularly on Oprah, Today, 20/20 and Good Morning America and has a two-hour, 33-station radio show. He is 67 calendar years of age but his RealAge is 48.7 He routinely tweets the week's top medical stories @DrMike Roizen.
