Fall into Fitness: The Season for Better Health for You and your Pet Patients
I’ll get straight to the point: Many of our emotional workplace challenges are worsened by poor physical conditioning.
An Infinite Loop of Unhealthy
The infinite loop of “feel bad, eat bad, don’t exercise, health declines, feel worse, more stressed, eat worse, even less motivated to change” results in professional burnout, microaggressions toward coworkers and clients, short tempers with loved ones, and eventual illness.
Fall is the season for you to break this destructive cycle.
NAVC 2004
Nearly twenty years ago, I gave one of the first “wellness” presentations to veterinary professionals at NAVC (now VMX) titled “Don’t Wait for the Heart Attack.” I shared my own personal health journey from witnessing both grandfathers and father succumb to cardiovascular disease (they waited too late), to transforming to a plant-based diet as a college undergrad (I decided to change earlier), to sleep tracking (back then, it was not much more than taking a pulse when I woke up), to a cabinet full of supplements (reduce systemic inflammatory mediators), to maintaining nurturing personal relationships (everyone needs someone).
Over the years, I’ve had colleagues thank me for nudging them in a healthier direction. I’ve also heard my share of, “That stuff’s a waste of time.” That’s my point: I don’t want you to waste your precious time by feeling tired, weak, and unable to do the things that bring you joy. I want you to live each day feeling strong, energized, motivated, and compassionate.
Step 1 - Restorative Sleep
The first step toward better mental and physical health is restorative sleep. Regardless of what your mind says, your body needs about 8 hours of uninterrupted cycles of light, REM, and deep sleep for peak performance. Start tracking your sleep (journaling, Oura ring, smartwatch, Withings Aura under-mattress, etc.) to discover how your diet, screen time, alcohol, and a host of other variables influence your sleep quality.
Step 2 - Hydration
Next, drink more water. I know you’re expecting “an hour at the gym,” but honestly, sleep and hydration fuel your health and well-being as much as running miles, performing pilates, or pushing plates. If you crave a soda or sugary drink, pause, and replace it with water.
Step 3 - Sugar and Salt
Step three is to reduce sugary and salty snacks. Sugar, fat, and salt trigger a neurochemical cascade that causes increased cravings (“sugar crash,” anyone?). When I feel the urge to snack, I drink 8 to 16 ounces of water and start a 20-minute timer. If I’m still hungry when the buzzer beeps, I’ll grab a handful of nuts, crunchy veggies, or some whole food. As for diet, Michael Pollen said it best in his 2008 hit “In Defense of Food.” “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."
Step 4 - Outdoor Activity
As your health improves, start walking 30 minutes a day, preferably outdoors. The Japanese have a centuries-old practice called shinrin-yoku, which means “forest-bathing.” The idea is to immerse your senses in your native habitat, outside, and connect with your inner self. It works. Nature truly is an incredible healer. Add exercises, intensity, and duration as your progress, but always make time to get outside whenever possible.
Focus on Pet Fitness in October
Finally, focus on your relationships. This is where I ask you to sign up to participate in my non-profit organization, the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, annual pet obesity prevalence survey, and National Pet Obesity Awareness Day. We collect as much data on the body condition scores of dogs and cats as possible, and we need your help.
I mention this because our personal relationships, including our pets, have a tremendous impact on our overall well-being. Part of my decades-long fight against pet obesity is a subtle effort to improve human health. If our pets are unhealthy and unable to give up emotional support, that can be deleterious to our own well-being. I’m convinced healthier pets encourage healthier humans. I hope you’ll sign up to help APOP in this quest for better health for all.
If you missed it, check out this video and article where I describe a simple mental health hack I call “Tilt Toward Optimism.” It only takes 30 seconds to start your day “positively primed.”
Falling into fitness together,
Dr. Ernie Ward