4 Steps To Lose Weight After Failed Dieting

Photo: R.A. Navarrete

You may have been excited and compliant with your weight loss program, exercise routine or diet a few months ago, but recently you got off track. So how do you return to losing weight again?

First, select the best weight loss program for your individual needs. What have you tried in the past and failed? Choose something different. Or what has worked in the past? Do it again! Don't just try the latest craze or a diet that your best friend swears by.

Second, find accountability. You can't do this alone because it is too hard. You need someone to help you, especially during your moments of temptation. It can be someone you look up to, someone you relate to, or just someone who wants to help. It can also be a support group such as in Weight Watchers. Check in for accountability at least once per week, and be honest about your struggles. Without someone to hold you to your commitment, you could easily give in or give up. Call this person when you need motivation to resist overeating.

Third, exercise! Do not neglect this part of your weight loss program. It is just as important as eating right. Make exercise a habit in your daily routine by planning it into your day. It must become a priority, and that should never change (even once you achieve your weight loss). The cheapeast and easiest form of exercise is a walking or jogging program. Other convenient alternatives are workout videos or exercise equipment. But I don't recommend spending money on equipment or a membership unless you are committed to exercising consistently.

Fourth, remember that changing your lifestyle is permanent; it is not a yo-yo diet. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to do so at a slow and steady pace. The healthy habits you form during this process should last forever. The same components that help you lose weight will also enable you to maintain your new, healthy weight. For example, if eliminating sodas and desserts has helped you to lose 20 pounds, don't add them back into your diet except on rare or special occasions. It initially takes willpower to say no to junk food or to say yes to workouts, but it will become a habit with time. Remember that on January 1, everyone says no to sweets. Be the person who still says no in June, October, or even December!

Low Back Surgery: 6 Steps To Full Recovery

Photo: Ted Hood. State Library of New South Wales.

If you have had a recent low back surgery, there are a few tips that will speed your recovery and help you to have a healthier back for the long term.

1. Practice good POSTURE. This may be difficult if you have a habit of slouching, but it is one of the most important ways to keep your spine healthy. Sit in upright, firm chairs with an extra lumbar support or rolled towel behind your low back. Avoid sitting in reclined positions.

2. AVOID BENDING FORWARD or bending down with your back. Learn how to do all your daily activities without bending your back. Many techniques can be used instead of forward bending, such as squatting, kneeling, sitting, pivoting on your hips, using a golfer's lift, or even crawling. Excessive forward bending is often the cause of back injuries, so eliminating bending decreases your risk of future back pain/injury.

3. AVOID TWISTING your back. This may be easy to do while still wearing your back brace, but once you are out of the brace, it is also important to avoid twisting. Maintaining proper spine alignment during daily activities and especially during strenuous activities will help to prevent back injury.

4. STAY ACTIVE. Find a low-impact exercise that you can start or continue, such as walking, stationary biking, or water aerobics. Depending on your stage of recovery, you may only be able to do 10 minutes at a time, but slowly progress as you are able. Mobility promotes healing, as long as you do not overdo and cause more pain.

5. FOLLOW DOCTOR'S ORDERS, such as lifting restrictions, activity restrictions, using a brace, using a cane, Physical Therapy, etc.

6. REQUEST PHYSICAL THERAPY. For the optimal prognosis after low back surgery, it is important for you to learn some strategies, exercises, postures, and functional activities from a Physical Therapist. It may take just a few visits if you are recovering quickly, or some patients need weeks or months of therapy if they are still having limitations or symptoms.

Does The Weather Really Increase Joint Pain?

Photo: Dale McDonald, State Archives of Florida

Almost all my older patients report they feel more pain when the weather is cold and/or rainy. But is it really true? Here is an example of someone who told me: "I woke up with a lot of leg and back pain, and I think it is just because of the weather." So my goal was to show that her pain could be improved, regardless of the present weather conditions.

On a scale of 0-10, pain was 7/10 at the start of our session. Her first exercise was the same one she had been doing for homework: lie face down on the mat and press up onto her hands. Doing this for a few sets decreased her pain from 7/10 to 5/10 and made her leg feel better. With a few more exercises in the same direction of movement (backwards or back extension), her pain further decreased to 1/10 and was located in the center of her low back and not her leg. Objectively, her baseline movements improved and became less stiff and less painful.

So, how much of her pain was weather-related? Some of it may have been caused or aggravated by the climate change, but most of it was movement-related. So within one hour of treatment with the proper movements, her pain decreased from 7/10 to 1/10, and the weather was still cold and wet when she left.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

If you have young children, you may fear "Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease," so here are some facts about the virus:

1. A child only gets it once in his/her lifetime.
2. It is more common in the summertime.
3. It can look like chicken pox, with small, red bumps not only on the hands and feet but also on the arms and legs. They can become open sores and secrete clear fluid.
4. It is highly contagious and is most common among young children and babies.
5. It can be present with no bumps or sores on the hands/feet.
6. It causes sores in the mouth that are terribly painful and limit the child's desire to eat/drink. The sores can cause excessive drooling.
7. The first symptom is often a fever of 100 to 103 degrees, which lasts for a few days.
8. The disease usually lasts 7-10 days or less.
9. Prescription medication is typically not needed.
10. Treatment is Tylenol and/or Motrin for pain/fever, drinking fluids for hydration, rest, and frequent hand washing.
11. I would recommend you keep the child in long pants, socks, and long-sleeved shirts. For prevention, do the same for your other children.

Additional info on Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease:
http://www.cdc.gov/features/handfootmouthdisease/

Turkey Avocado Cobb Salad at Schlotzky's

http://www.schlotzskys.com/menu/salads/turkey-avocado-cobb/

The Turkey Avocado Cobb salad at Schlotzky's is one of the best salads I have tried lately. It has a ton of fresh ingredients, such as avocado, corn, just-cooked bacon, goat cheese, and black beans. As the name states, it is topped with turkey deli meat. And, of course, it has croutons, eggs and tomatoes. The serving size of this salad bowl is larger than expected, and it has fresh garlic bread on the side. My dressing choice was Raspberry Vinaigrette, but the salad was tasty enough that I only used dressing toward the bottom of the bowl. How can you say no to a salad so full of protein and good fats? You will almost forget it's a salad.

Does Pilates Cause Or Treat Back Pain?

Photo: State Archives of Florida

Yes, Pilates can cause back pain. And yes, it can treat back pain.

Pilates and Core Strengthening

Pilates has many great benefits, including core strengthening. Core strengthening is beneficial, as it incorporates deep muscles of the abdominals and back that often are weak, especially among individuals with back pain. Having a strong core is one piece of preventing back pain, but other components include postures, body mechanics and proper treatment of present back pain.

Pilates vs. Physical Therapy

Pilates and core strengthening alone will likely not eliminate present back pain. It may play a role in preventing future episodes of back pain, but alone it is not the solution to low back or mid-back pain. If Pilates could treat back pain, I would not have a job as a Physical Therapist. Clearly, there is more to your back pain than weak core muscles, so proper treatment/prevention is urgent. If your back pain comes and goes, get it treated now, and you can learn why it happens and how to decrease the pain and prevent future episodes.  

Pilates Exercises to Avoid

There are some Pilates exercises that can actually produce or aggravate back problems, and these should generally be avoided. Any Pilates exercise that puts your back into a forward-bent (AKA flexed or rounded) position is not ideal for most individuals and can be harmful if you have back problems. Which forward-bending exercises are safe? Cat/camel (on your hands and knees and you arch your back up and down) and abdominal crunches are fairly safe for most people. 

Preferred Pilates Exercises

The Pilates exercises that bend your spine backwards (AKA extended, as in the photo above) are safe and highly recommended for most healthy people. This includes positions such as lying face-down and pressing up onto your hands or lying on your back and lifting your hips. Likely there are many extension exercises incorporated into your Pilates class, so these are generally beneficial and less likely to be harmful.

If either direction of spine movement aggravates your back pain, stop Pilates workouts, and get medical attention.

Why You Should Get Physical Therapy For Your Back Pain

I recently treated a patient with leg pain that radiates from his back. It goes into his thighs and even down below his knees. This pain began 3-4 months ago, and he is unsure how it started. Before his session, I knew his walking had been problematic because when he stood up in the lobby, he significantly stooped over and could barely get his balance. He was using furniture and walls to hold onto. So my initial goal was to find an exercise that would immediately improve his ability to stand up and walk. 

I treated him for 10 minutes with one or two exercises lying on the mat. Then he stood up tall and walked easily back to his chair. He could not believe he was walking that well because since his symptoms began, he has the most pain and difficulty with initially getting out of a chair to walk.

So if you have back pain, you could possibly be only a few minutes away from pain relief. Schedule your Physical Therapy today!