Yesterday, I was down. Man, I thought I could just cry when I got off work. No, a patient did not upset me. No, I did NOT upset a patient! Nice try! It seems that changing over to electronic medical records has been one of the most emotionally fatiguing things I have ever done. As savvy as I am on the computer, I have had to master the art of templates and managing a user unfriendly system. I can only hope that in the coming months, the Lord will provide me with the knowledge to overcome the obstacles I have been encountering. I can only tell you that it is so frustrating to end the day with 25 charts left to enter and have to do them at home or worse yet, let them pile up over the week and have to do them on the weekend.

But hey, today, I am upbeat. I am 25 charts behind but looking at it with a positive note. Today, I spent quality time with my patients. I sensed that each and everyone of them truly ENJOYED coming to the doctor. I listened to them, empathized with them, and cared for them. Did you know that one of the most basic psychological needs, at the core of being human, is to love and to be loved. As a matter of fact, I would say that love is one of Mother Nature’s most powerful forces. It drives us to do all sorts of things as we seek loved ones or wish to strengthen the connection we have with those significant others already in our lives. Love is critical to our well-being.

Showing and expressing love, however, is easy for some and nearly impossible for others. One of the things that I have always found interesting is that some people seem to have no trouble showing affection and proclaiming their love, while others seem unable to even say the words not to mention show the emotion. It is, however, very important for us to hear those words. Saying “I love you” is good for both parties, but it is particularly important for those we love to hear us say it.

If you are one of those people who, for whatever reason, does not tell those you love that you love them, why not make today the day you change that?

I am not sure how I got off on a tangent here. I simply had a rough day yesterday. I did not feel like I gave good medical care to my patients because I was worried about the charting. Today, I was my old self.........caring and loving toward my patients. Despite the fact that I am behind, I feel so much more fulfilled for having given my patients the time they needed with me.

Go ahead, show someone tomorrow at your job how much you love them. That will surely warm their hearts! But before that, don't forget to hit the weights and/or do some cardio to get the body going and the heart purring like a fine tuned machine!

Happy Day before Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving! It has to be my favorite holiday of the year. I remember going to my uncle's up in Elkhart, Indiana every year. Of course I was pretty young..........they lived out in the woods, and there were lots of bears.............big brown bears that liked to eat little "peanuts" for thanksgiving. Each year my uncle would take my brother, myself, and my two cousins for tractor rides. Uncle Julius would pull us behind the tractor on this makeshift "sled". Oh man, I hung on for dear life. I was not going to be eaten for Thanksgiving! No way! WE were going all of about 5 mph behind the International Harvestor, and I was hanging on for DEAR LIFE! Of course I fell off. No one saw it either. I kept screaming and they got further and further way.....at least a hundred miles if my memory is correct. Ha Ha, I believe it was more like a hundred yards, but I was so scared, I peeeeeed my pants. Then the big dog ripped my leotards. What a traumatic Thanksgiving that was. I almost got eaten by a bear, I wet my pants, and a big red dog ripped my favorite leotards. Man, its amazing I am here to talk about it all! But, over the years, I have had thee most wonderful Thanksgivings! This one will be just as amazing! It will start with a morning workout. I am not even sure what I will do, but, I love the gym on holidays. It is packed...........the warriors show up on holidays!! And, of course, there will be lots of football! yeah!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Your Iron Lady Doc

I hope everyone had a super duper weekend. I watched the Michigan game Saturday afternoon, and even though I am a huge Michigan fan, the loss was a good loss to Ohio State. WE got beat by the best team in nation. So, anyway, that is my feeling on the game. I look forward to the BCS championship game. I am not sure who will play Ohio State, but let's hope for a good matchup!

Oh, some exciting news for me! I planted a new Maple tree in my backyard with my dad and one of my friends' dad. WE had a blast. The weather was great, and she is a princess back there right now. I am telling you, she is the best lil tree on my block!

I also had the pleasure of talking to my buddy, Colette, on Sunday. WE had a lot of catching up to do. She was at Nationals and was texting me the whole time to keep me up on the standings. She took the weekend off from her diet. As you may already know, she is trying to get a special invite to the Arnold. Man, would that be awesome or what? She is having a little trouble with the diet right now, but I reassured her that most bodybuilders who decide to engage in two shows in a year will eventually hit a point in the process where their desire to continue is truly tested. You simply don’t feel like you have what it takes to continue. This is the point where many throw in the towel. For Colette, I told her that this is where she can get stronger than she ever imagined and find the success she dreams about. As frustrating as this is for most, reaching this point is truly the moment of truth. She told me she was going to stay the course and press on! That is my "Champ"!

Today was a scheduled day off from lifting, but I went in to the gym to ride the bike anyway. Why? Well, one, I cannot seem to stay asleep past 440 am, and two I like to chat to my pregnant friend, Holly. She is quite a trooper. She is 40 weeks along and still working out every day. Her baby is going to be delivered with tennis shoes on and dumbbells in his/her hands!

So, we got to talking today about deconditioning. She was wondering how long she might be out from the gym following her delivery and how long does it take to get out of shape when not working out regularly. I found this today which explains it simply, use it or lose it!

Within as little as two weeks, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and muscular endurance can be lost. Of course, there are many factors that influence how fast your fitness level will decrease, including how fit you were when you stopped exercising and how long and hard you’ve been training for. A highly trained athlete will take longer than a poorly trained person to become detrained because of their magnitude of initial fitness. It may take months for a competitive athlete, whereas a less fit person can start losing their fitness level within days or weeks. So what can you do if you’re a beginner and have to take a break? If you want to get in shape and stay in shape, don’t take more than two days off between workouts when you’re able to work out regularly, and don’t let your total physical activity cease for more than one week. If you get sick or are injured, try to accomplish the minimum amount of activity that’s feasible for you.

In Holly's case, I would consider her a highly trained marathon runner, so she has a few months at most to consider being out of the gym. However, as highly trained athletes are concerned, I doubt it will be an issue. She will be on the treadmill the next day with her Nike Air's running on clouds since she probably will lose a quick 15 pounds!

I was really looking forward to this weekend. My dad was coming to visit Friday and then I was going to watch the Michigan/Ohio State game with one of my best girlfriends who was coming Thursday night from Texas. We have not seen each other for over a year. It has been a long time. Her husband is in Iraq right now, so she has been a little lonely. Late last week she got word that one of her family members was in an accident. Her brother, bobby, is in a CCU in Ft. Worth, Texas after sustaining multiple injuries in a motorcycle accident. I do not know all the details of the accident, but suffice it to say, he is barely hanging on. He has had 3 surgeries already.........one of which is a below the knee amputation on the right. He lost his right eye, he cannot breathe without a ventilator. He has a chest tube, a feeding tube, and multiple drains from his belly due to bowel and liver lacerations.
I am asking that you all pray for my friend's brother. She is strong, but your prayers are needed.
I will pray as well. "Dear God, we do not have to go through this day alone; We do not have to work in our own strength. Today, I am asking if it is in your will to give health to bobby, give the doctors healing hands, and make my friend, Mary, an instrument of your strength. In your name, I ask for these things, Amen."

Weight loss is an adventure that tests your emotions moreso than any other part of you. One minute you’re optimistic and feel like there’s real hope and then a moment later you’re back to feeling hopeless and pessimistic. I’m a firm believer that everything we do begins as a thought. What you do is a direct result of what you think, and if you can begin to change your thinking from hopeless and pessimistic, to hopeful and optimistic, you can impact your behavior, change your thinking, and find the success you seek.

You already have what it takes to be successful. It is well-known that one universal need by people is a sense of competence. We need to know for certain that we can accomplish what God puts before us. A breakdown in this universal area can have a tremendous impact on your spiritual growth. When your spiritual growth lags behind, then it becomes harder to accomplish your goals......one of which may be weight loss.

If you believe that you are truly the perfect being that God made, you will have the confidence to accomplish even the most difficult goal. As such, I will conclude with one more thought..........the more you think about how overweight you are, or how hard it is for you to lose weight, you will continue to attract those same things over and over again. You will be a magnet to the thoughts: I can't, and It's too hard!

Have a great evening. Think positive thoughts and start attracting abundance in your life!

Since being in my new house, one of my favorite places to sit is in my office. It overlooks my front yard. Occassionally, little sparrows perch on my window ledge. It is a big window so lots of little birds can perch there. Anyway, I love to look at my yard. I take great pride in my lawn. I have never had one of my own, but I love caring for lawns and landscape so much that I used to take care of a friends lawn for two summers. I had the most enjoyable time. There is something about the finishing results when you are all done. So, last weekend I got back from a bb show and I was sitting in my home office looking out the window trying to decide whether or not to mow my lawn. It hadn’t rained in quite a while, but as it gets colder you should really mow the grass down so it can grow deeper roots.....especially new sod.

Anyway, you are probably wondering where I am going with this, but I was thinking about how slowly grass grows until one day you look out and it is ankle deep. Isn't that how most people gain weight? Gaining weight and becoming unhealthy is a lot like grass growing because each is a very slow process. So slow, as a matter of fact, that it goes unnoticed until it becomes suddenly obvious. This is particularly true when gaining weight. I often hear people make comments like, “One day I looked in the mirror and suddenly I didn’t recognize myself anymore.” As if some magical transformation took place the night before and changed them in their sleep. However, the truth is that the transformation was in the making for quite some time.

If only the remedy for excess weight was as simple and quick as mowing the lawn, what a wonderful world that would be! I can just hear it now, “Honey, I’ll be back in about an hour. I’m going out in the yard to lose about 50 pounds.” That’s one of the things that I love about mowing the lawn. It’s one of the only things that I do in my life where I can see instant results. But, unfortunately, weight loss it isn’t that simple and it certainly doesn’t happen in an instant. Obtaining that fit body and healthy lifestyle that you so desperately want, will take time and effort. However, the satisfaction and benefits of losing weight will change a lot more than the shape of your body. It will recharge your emotional batteries, make you a healthier person and breathe new life into your spirit. Why not make today the day you begin creating that new life?

I have been competing for the past 11 years. In that time, I have traveled with, and competed against some of the best athletes in the sport. In addition, I have compiled a long list of do's and don'ts in order to become the best. Amazing at it may seem, there is not a ONE WAY road to becoming a top notch bodybuilder or figure competitor. No single road to the top has ever been formally set in stone. There does, however, appear to be a common goal............lose fat and gain lean muscle mass.

The success of the best athletes has a lot to do with how they think. You have heard me paraphrase Wayne Dyer a number of times so if you forgot, here it is again.............What you think about, you will get, whether you want it or not. If you think that you can never get any better at what you are doing, guess what? You won't ever get any better. And, more importantly, if you think you are already doing everything you possibly can to become your very best, you will never get any better. Get it? Think and you shall receive! If you want to emulate the best athlete in your sport or the best salesman in your firm, you must emulate the way they think. I guarantee they are not thinking they have reached their maximum potential! The battle to become your best is against yourself. The guy or girl on the next bench over or on the East coast, or West coast, does not tell you if your next meal is eaten on time, and he/she is not the one forcing you to eat Happy Joes' Pizza and Cold Stone Ice Cream. His actions are not telling you when to go to bed and when to get up. He or she is not forcing you to skip cardio and go watch TV. Do you see? It is your thoughts that lead to YOUR actions! And if you say to yourself and to others that you don't want to be like the best performer in your field because you simply do not like them and that their way is the Wrong way.........guess what? That is the exact person you want to be like. You just cannot live up to the fact that they have it all together and you don't. You need to quit wishing you had what they have, quit being envious of what they have and positively think that what you want is exactly what you will get. Dig a little deeper, focus a little harder, get a little more intense about what it is you want, and go after it with a sense of victory at hand. Think it, believe it, see it, and you shall have it.

I want to end this post with a huge congratulatory hug to my friends, Jodie Schwartz and Chris Graziano. Chris is a 48 year old masters figure competitor who in a short two years took her physique to center stage this past weekend and won her first overall crown. Jodie, a 40 year old who has not had as much experience in this arena, took 2nd place behind Chris. These two women are examples of what can be accomplished when you act like the little red engine who could, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!" I am so proud of my friends and wish them both much success as they pursue their dreams! Check out my gallery page for their pics.