On Thursday, November 17 at 11 am, the seminar that I assisted my mentor, Beverly Bartlett, in devising and planning finally took place. Of 36 formal invitees who are active in the clinic, we had an attendance of 15 clinic participants and one guest.
Mrs. Bartlett welcomed the participants, then Registered Dietician Karin Crowell gave information to help the participants deal with the various food issues that arise during the holiday time. An important point was to be sure that the plate proportions were kept in check - remember, one quarter of the plate should be protein, another quarter should be a starch, and a full half of the plate should consist of colorful vegetable and fruit components. She reminded participants to avoid a plate that is completely "brown and white." Another important pointer for the attendees was to avoid foods that are available all throughout the year and enjoy special foods -- in moderation.
Dr. Stuart Cohen of The Kirklin Clinic's Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) presented some information regarding the PCMH and how it exists to fully involve patients and their primary care providers in the patients' care. He also spoke about the importance of the Risk Reduction Clinic in the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions.
One of the current participants in the program gave an account of her experience in the program thus far, sharing with the other participants that motivation was difficult to muster at times, especially when the scale doesn't budge during a plateau period. She was a tremendously motivational role model for the entire room.
The next speaker was the exercise trainer, Alison Acton. She told the participants that one of her favorite definitions of exercise is "doing something that you didn't do yesterday." A major impact point from her presentation was that our bodies require a varied routine to optimally burn fat and calories. For example, if we get on a treadmill and go at a speed that is consistent or if we do the same monotonous exercise routine every day, our bodies will just adapt to that routine without burning additional fat or calories. What we really need to do is switch up our exercise routines and push our current limits. If we are using a treadmill, we need to "play with the buttons" and vary the speed and incline to make our bodies react to the different levels of exertion. Ms. Acton also led a series of exercises using exercise bands to demonstrate the various ways the bands can be used to isolate different muscle groups. All attendees participated in the exercises.
I closed the seminar with a talk about the importance of managing stress. I told the participants about the most important word we can use during the busy holidays - "no" - when to use it, and how to use it gracefully. I also spent a few minutes talking about the importance of sleep in achieving optimum health. New studies suggest that the body cannot adequately use the energy stored as fat without a minimum of 6-8 hours of sleep; therefore, if a health goal involves weight reduction as part of risk reduction, adequate sleep should be a prime goal.
The participants were provided with a brochure chock full of tips related to diet, exercise and stress interventions to help them maintain balance during the holidays, as well as recipes for healthier versions of two very easy-to-prepare foods for gatherings, cold pumpkin dip and peanut butter pie. These delicious treats were provided to the participants as well as a fresh vegetable tray with light ranch dressing. Two beverages were provided, a light cranberry punch as well as Crystal Light. Participants were provided with cookbooks and stress balls as thank-you gifts for attending.
The seminar participants finally completed a post-seminar survey that I designed. The results of the survey will be evaluated and will be taken into consideration by the Risk Reduction Clinic staff for future programs. I will be sharing some of the primary results on the blog in the near future!
