00:00Hi, welcome to Essence Wellness House. I'm Dr. Cora Spalding, and I'm a physician board certified
00:09in family medicine and integrative medicine, and I'm here to answer some questions. The first
00:14question is, how does or does prolonged isolation impact your physical health? And I think that's
00:19a great question, especially now during the pandemic. So the first thing I want to say
00:24is that social isolation is not the same as social distancing. And really, a better term
00:30to social distancing or social isolation is physical distancing. So if you maintain your
00:38context while you're physically distancing, then you can still be really social. You can use social
00:44media, you can use Zoom, not just for meetings, but you can use it for celebrations, for exercise,
00:49having walking groups or book clubs. So even though you're physically distancing, you don't
00:55have to be socially distancing. The other thing that I want to say is that social isolation is
01:01not the same as being lonely. It's quite possible to be lonely, even when you're in a crowd. And
01:09it's quite possible to be happy, lonely, and not meet people. The problem becomes, if you
01:15become socially isolated and you don't want to be, then you can become lonely. And loneliness,
01:22we know, is a risk factor for many problems like heart disease, depression, and anxiety. So my
01:30encouragement to everyone is, if you are physically distancing, make sure that you're maintaining your
01:36social contacts with people. And if you are feeling lonely, reach out to people, get help. And if you're,
01:43if you know other people who are lonely, particularly elders, reach out to them. One of the things that
01:50this pandemic has done is given people opportunities to figure out how to use time that they have. So
01:56one of the things that we do as a family, every week is meet as a group. And we've used it for
02:01different types of activities. We've used it to talk about books, we've used it to talk about family
02:07history. So my encouragement is, just make sure that you're not lonely, make sure that you're
02:13maintaining contacts. And, you know, make sure that you're reaching out to others, take advantage of
02:19the time, learn meditation, learn to take some or take some classes online that you might enjoy,
02:24and really make use of the time so that it is productive. And so that you're not feeling lonely
02:31or depressed. And now I want to answer another question about the, about diet, about the DASH diet.
02:39A reader asked about how can you better reduce dependency on blood pressure medication? 20 years
02:46ago, there was a diet that was researched called the DASH diet. And this diet demonstrated that you're
02:54able to lower your blood pressure by just eating food. And in fact, some people had such significant
03:00decreases in their blood pressure that they were able to not need as much medication. So it is quite
03:08possible to prevent hypertension and treat hypertension by using diet. So I'd encourage everyone to look for
03:15the DASH diet, just Google it and see if that's something that might be right for you. Diet is one of the
03:23parts of a four-legged stool that I recommend to patients that around lifestyle medicine. And so that
03:30includes your diet, exercise, stress management and getting good sleep. So all of those things can
03:37actually be used to help manage and reduce your blood pressure. My caution is, if you are in medication,
03:44don't stop without talking to your doctor. But please do talk to your doctor about how you can implement
03:51lifestyle changes. And, and whether or not there are other people professionals who can help you to do
03:56that. Are you lost about where you want to start when it comes to exercise? Today, I'm going to
04:02provide you with a map to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be. The MN map
04:06refers to motivation or your reasons to be physically active. So many of us look at movement as a should
04:12do rather than a want to do behavior. On top of that, we often start with a vague or distant goal,
04:19like I want to have better health or improved well being. The truth is finding motivation is easier
04:24when we have well defined and short term goals that are tied to specific and pleasurable rewards.
04:30So to increase your motivation to move, notice and focus on immediate benefits like increased energy,
04:36reduced stress, improved sleep, and a better mood. So now let's discuss attitudes about physical
04:44activity, the AN map. As children, most of us love being active. We called it play recess or just having
04:50fun. But as adults, we sometimes see physical activity as a time-consuming and uncomfortable
04:56chore called exercise. That doesn't have to be. You can create a positive attitude about movement.
05:04So first, try to remember an activity that you enjoyed when you were younger. Next, think about why you
05:11liked it and how it made you feel. And finally, brainstorm ways to recreate those feelings and modify that
05:18activity to fit into your current life. If you can't think of anything that you liked before when
05:23you were growing up, just walk. Walk in place, around the house, outside, while doing something else that
05:31you really enjoy now. For example, listen to music, stream your favorite shows, talk on the phone with
05:36friends. The possibilities are endless. So the P of map refers to planning. And use the SMART method to make
05:44your activity goals specific, make them measurable, achievable, realistic, and time limited. And so for
05:51more information about how to use SMART goals, check out my website. So if you want to be more physically
05:58active, develop your own personally activity map. Most importantly, just start because it's always a good
06:05time for recess.
Comments