I’m always looking for advice on behavior change and habits. It’s fascinating stuff. How can you get yourself to do the things you want to do but then for some reason don’t. Lately, I have seen several sources advocating to create an exercise habit as a first step to successfully creating other desirable habits. Here…
You may have noticed that I am especially interested in the psychology of behavior change. Why is it so hard to do, and continue doing, some things- even the things we think, and say we want to do? It turns out there are probably many subtle reasons that conspire against us to prevent behavior…
There is no shortage of diet and eating advice out there. Virtually all of it is about what food you should eat. I think most of us know what to do, despite the differing, even conflicting, advice from popular diets. Instead of what, let’s talk about how. How is much more interesting and challenging anyway.…
You know you should exercise. Yet you still struggle to get it done. You can’t seem to find the time, have various injuries, or any number of other excuses. I think it comes down to not liking it enough. If you like something, you will make time for it. Much like meditation, you…
What did you do last weekend? I spent the whole weekend at a Masters swim meet. Sounds super fun doesn’t it? NOT. I almost didn’t go, but my husband was going to be away, and I figured instead of a weekend at home, my daughter and I could take a trip to Boston. She could…
Last weekend I ran a 10-mile race, the Mid-Winter Classic in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I realized afterward that it has been exactly three years since I received the call that changed my life. I remembered the race, three years ago. I did not compete, but my husband did. That year the race was a few…
Triathlon, especially the Ironman distance of triathlon, is not for everyone. In my previous post, I wrote about what I think Ironman athletes get right, namely that they love to swim, bike and run. They must love it, or they would not be able to dedicate the amount of time necessary to train for an…
The annual Hawaii Ironman in Kona, Hawaii is this Saturday. I am lucky enough to be here for my husband Scott to compete in the race. You may have seen the televised highlights of the race in the past. It is usually shown a few months after the race and condenses the 8 to 17-hour…
Scientific evidence shows that 80% of chronic disease including cancer can be prevented by lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, restorative sleep, stress reduction, and loving supportive relationships. I am a doctor. I know all about disease. What I didn’t know was how to be healthy and stay healthy. I realized that despite my substantial…
I found the lump. I was not looking for it, but I knew something was wrong with my breast. Over a period of several months, I noticed subtle changes in the shape of my breast. At times, it felt heavy and ached. Then an obvious lump appeared. I ignored it at first, convinced it…