Today, I had a wonderful conversation with a dear freind. We talked about faith. Faith as you would have it is confidence---confidence in God and His Word. On the flip side is "self-doubt." The reason we got to talking about faith is because she was doubting herself a bit. She asked me if it was possible to do a job even if she did not have the credentials to do so. I simply asked her if she was confident that she could do the job. She said, "yes, I feel prepared!" PREPARED?, I asked, quisitively? She said, "Yes", "Prepared."

WE both agreed that many people lack confidence simply because they are not prepared. I ask, "Can you really think of anyone who is an expert at something who does not practice and prepare?" I cannot really think of anyone. I then ask myself, what makes someone an expert? Is it years of education? Is it a credential? So what makes one qualified? I will simply say that sometimes "credentials" are not always what qualifies one to be an expert. In fact, if you look at some of the disciples Jesus chose, you will quickly see that God does not always or even, "usually," call those who seem to be qualified. The Bible says that He purposely chooses the weak and the foolish of the world in order to confound the wise (1Corinthians 1:26-29).

God prepares each of us in whatever way He chooses. It may not be formal training, but He will use everything in your life to train you, IF, you are willing to be trained. Unfortunately, some of us want it so bad that we are impatient to go through the preparation that is necessary to equip us for the job. How sad is this?

So, here is the breakdown: Each of us is given a gift from God. Our job is to keep asking God what it is that we are called to do. Once we begin to realize, we need to prepare. You must let everything you go through, prepare you for what is ahead. It is important to understand that preparation for what God wants us to do does not need to be formal or conventional. Don't try to rush and don't despise the days of small beginnings. Enjoy every step of the way, and if you confidently step out and do your part, God will surround you with people who have gifts and abilities that you do not have. Stay in faith. Have confidence. Those who don't have confidence quite often are the ones who cannot receive help from other people. They are too busy making comparisons to receive the help God has sent them. Don't be resentful and remember, those who cannot do everything, usually do not do anything! And last, but certainly not least, make sure that whatever you are trying to do is something you are really meant to do and not just something you want to do to impress people.

There you have it...........my deep conversation with one of my girlfriends earlier today. Have a wonderful night. Dream big tonight!

Today I am going to speak to you on the Female Reproductive System and the menstrual cycle. As you know, following puberty women begin to have regular menstrual cycles generally lasting between 24 — 35 days. Women with normal menstrual cycles (eumenorrhea) will have 12 — 13 periods per year, however circumstances exist when irregular (oligomenorrhea) or absent (amenorrhea) menstrual cycles may be present. Oligomenorrhea is defined as a menstrual cycle lasting between 36 — 90 days, whereas amenorrhea is defined as having no menstrual period for at least three months and having less than three periods in the previous 12 months. These menstrual disturbances are more common in exercising women compared to the general population and are associated with low levels of estrogen (the primary female sex hormone). Suppressed estrogen in physically active women is related to bone loss, and more recently has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in young, otherwise healthy women. Thus, maintaining regular menstrual periods and more importantly normal levels of estrogen is essential for a woman's health.
Menstrual disturbances in exercising women was originally believed to be the result of low levels of body fat, where a minimum of 22% was necessary to maintain normal reproductive function. However, some women with body fat levels below this threshold still get normal monthly periods, suggesting that other factors play a role in regulating menstrual cycles. So researchers began to look for other causes of these menstrual disturbances. It soon became evident that women who were in an energy deficit were much more likely to experience irregular or absent menstrual cycles (10). What was also discovered is that there are a host of signals from the body that get sent to a specific region of the brain (the hypothalamus) which communicate the body's energy status. The hypothalamus is responsible for interpreting these signals and then provides instructions for how the body should respond. In addition, this region of the brain is also responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle.
Normal menstrual cycles depend on regular pulses every 60 — 90 minutes of a certain hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus; without this the menstrual cycle would become irregular or absent (6). This hormone then signals another part of the brain to release two other hormones called lutenizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Lutenizing hormone also has a pulse which occurs approximately every 60 — 90 minutes. A decrease in the number of LH pulses is used by researchers to identify disturbances in the hypothalamus (because GnRH very easily).
Researchers have shown that the change in LH pulses was the result of an imbalance between energy intake and the energy expenditure from exercise. They showed that when individuals were able to consume the same amount of calories that they expended during exercise, no disruptions of LH pulses were evident, indicating that disruptions in the brain were not caused by the exercise per se, but rather the energy deficit. The disruptions noted are simply to conserve energy in the female. The bottom line, females need to consume enough calories so as not to promote a deficit which in turn, disrupts the LH pulse, and throws off the menstural cycle.

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!