Tag Archive for: Jane Austen

Finding Your Health Partners

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I finished Thursday’s Memo by saying there may be hope for physicians when dealing with overweight patients. It was another viewpoint written by two clinicians. They say learning about diet and nutrition and how to interact with patients were not priorities in medical school; I’ve confirmed that with physicians I know. The authors put together ABCs of steps to treat obesity in patients. The very first one was the most important.

A stands for Ask for Permission: permission to speak to an overweight patient about his or her weight before discussing ways for the patient to begin to address excess weight. I’ll take that any day as the best first step. If physicians will do that, it shows respect for the patient. They further recommend addressing the purpose of the visit first and then asking if they could address excess body weight. That’s the way it should be. You can read the full article at the link below.

Paula, my family, and I have been blessed with some pretty special physicians and healthcare professionals who always listen to us and work with us to reach our health goals. Based on the feedback from the Thursday Memo, so have some of you. Too many haven’t, but there’s hope based on recognizing that it’s a problem in medical training as expressed in the article I cited.

If your doctor isn’t a partner to you, find a different one; that goes for specialists, dentists, physical therapists, and others. (Maybe not surgeons—I don’t care if he’s a jerk, I want the best I can find.) Ask friends and family for recommendations and check reviews online; as with anything online, take it with a grain of salt and read as many reviews as you can. If you’re staying in the same practice, find a graceful way to explain your desire to switch; you’d feel more comfortable with someone older (or younger), someone male (or female), and so on. Don’t be rude and demanding, but you’re the customer and if your optimal health isn’t the goal of the practice, maybe it’s time to start over.


The Bottom Line

I’ve spent the past two weeks addressing a different way to look at our health based on the books of Jane Austen and learning to love and respect ourselves. I’ve talked about healthcare professionals changing how they treat obese patients. But make no mistake about it: part of learning how to love yourself the way you are is to gain the confidence to address the issue to improve your health—not with the idea of being rail thin or running marathons, but by becoming the best version of yourself you can be, because that’s also a part of loving yourself.

What I envision is finding the physician or healthcare professional who will be your partner in the journey toward better health. You both have the responsibility to put forth your best efforts to try to do that. In every audio I record, I always say your physician should be your partner in reaching better health. I mean just that. So when you find that doctor, do your part; keep an open mind, do what you say you’ll do, and don’t make promises you know you won’t keep.

It all comes down to one question: what are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: JAMA Online. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.2352

Improve Your Body Image

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In your mind, do you feel that thin equals healthy? Does how you think you look impact your life? Does it make you think less of yourself? Is there a bodyweight goal that you think will make your life better?

You’re not alone. Many women feel that way. So do many men, if the truth were known. Ironically, during Jane Austen’s time, the same thing was happening; the emphasis on thinness was an obsession. Did fashion play a part? Those high-waisted dresses are unflattering to all but the thinnest bodies.

Most of Jane Austen’s characters had a healthier attitude. They seemed to understand that health was not tied to a specific look or body weight; it was how you felt from head to toe regardless of a number on a scale. Vigor was important to her characters as was a positive body image.

When you think about it, what most people want is not to be satisfied about how they see themselves but how others see them. I’ve felt that way myself. You have to love yourself just the way you are first before any move toward becoming healthier can be permanent. In other words, no matter what you see when you look in the mirror, you have to love the person first. Then you can work at becoming healthier.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to lose weight if it means you’ll eat healthier. It doesn’t mean you won’t exercise, even challenging exercise, if you want to. But the purpose is to attain better health, not fit into the jeans you wore in high school. Did you ever stop to think you might actually exceed what you thought possible if you just improved your self image today? When you think better of yourself, what you eat and how you move is not a punishment. It’s moving toward a healthier life, regardless of a number on a scale.

Think about this for awhile. Can your self image stand some improvement in your mind? We’re going to continue the conversation from a completely different perspective next week.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://wapo.st/2UeaSiZ

Exercise Intuitively

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The age of Jane Austen’s England was much different from the current age; going for a two-hour walk seems almost a fantasy in today’s world. Being figuratively chained to a desk or some manner of work that doesn’t provide freedom of movement seems to be the norm. When it’s time to walk, we must accomplish the most in the shortest time available. Our schedules simply don’t provide the freedom to do more.

Or do we just not look for opportunities in our day where can stretch at our desks, go outside and take a series of deep breaths, take the stairs instead of the elevator? We tend to categorize what we do in specific ways: “This is the time to exercise and we have xx minutes to get it done.” Has it helped our society much? How fit is the average American?

Based on Kozlowski’s background for his books, he found that the average person in that time could typically walk seven miles at a stretch. They did not seem to count steps and they rested when they felt like it. In Pride and Prejudice, Lizzie Bennet seems to spend the afternoons tramping around outside whenever possible. (And for the record, Paula is a long-time aficionado of Jane Austen and insists the 1995 BBC version is the definitive Pride and Prejudice for its casting, costumes, and success in capturing the spirit of the original book.)

All that walking wasn’t what we call exercise today, but it was effective. Maybe it’s our attitude toward exercise that needs adjusting. Where can you find opportunities to move in your day?

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://wapo.st/2UeaSiZ

Nothing Else Matters

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“Where health is at stake, nothing else should be considered.”

            Jane Austen’s Emma

Health today is a serious matter. My observation is that we spend a lot of time worrying, maybe even obsessing, about our health; this is not to be confused with disease. If we have a serious medical condition that requires treatment, we’re right to be concerned. But even our treatment and recovery can be impacted by excessive worrying. It’s our attitude toward health that can be improved. For that, we’re going to visit Jane Austen’s novels.

I recently read an article by the author of “The Jane Austen Diet.” He talked about the health nuggets in Austen novels that are often overlooked. Three things caught my attention: the Austen approach to food, exercise, and self image.

The characters and heroines in Austen’s novels seemed to enjoy their food. While the diet was heavy in meats and vegetables, the focus was to enjoy the company of others while eating and not allow one’s feelings to dictate how much one ate. Can we say that today? We worry about the carb count or the fat grams. Stress causes many people to eat more, sometimes a lot more, than they otherwise might. Enjoy a meal with others can be a rare event. How many of our meals happen in our cars as we hustle from one place to another?

The message seems to be to slow down and enjoy food. Food is not just to nourish our body; it should nourish our souls as well.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://wapo.st/2UeaSiZ