We all use systems every day at work or at home. A system is simply a sequence of actions or steps that we create to produce the same results. A recipe is a system. I have a sponge cake recipe from my grandmother that no one in the family has been able to duplicate. Why? She modified and tweaked the system without writing it down. As an individual her system produced the very best outcomes. As a group, her system failed because it could not be duplicated. A good system makes a process go smoothly and easily and produces great outcomes for you every time.
Pay attention to your systems - the things do you do consistently that make your day go smoothly.
A common complaint I hear from professionals is about not having time to eat at work or consistently skipping lunch.
Action steps to consider:
What is important to you about food? Focus on that as the motivation and main reason to create a system that simplifies your critical components. I do not always take my own advice because I am a terrible grocery store snob. I will drive out of my way for the store with the best produce. I do prepare my lunch ahead of time in the evening. If I don’t do this, I find myself rushed and short of time in the morning - which is not a great start to the day. I found one short cut in cutting up my raw vegetables for salad; I chop for two days at a time. This sounds like such a small time saver, yet for me it seems significant. That is the key - your system has to make sense to you and feel like it works for you.
January is a great month to reflect and analyze what you are doing with your food system. Is food a fuel that gives you energy and promotes health? Is food contributing to your lack of energy and poor health?
A small improvement in your system of food will have a lasting consequence over time. Start today and make one improvement in your system of nutrition. The final step of any good system is to celebrate and feel good about what you have accomplished. What is the best practice that you use around food and nutrition? Make a comment and share your ideas.
Enjoy this month and be in good health.
Gwen
This is an interesting topic and one that I'm certain hits home with most of our Members. I can say that I'm on of those who rarely ever had time to stop and eat lunch during my practice days. If I wasn't seeing scheduled patients, I was squeezing in rechecks or fielding emergencies - which, of course, spilled over into my "lunch break" time - which was a time for also completing procedures or surgeries. Furthermore, if I was operating in that mode...so were my techs and assistants.
I've seen this pattern in colleagues, too - in virtually every hospital I've worked in during my career. I can say, unequivocally, it's not healthy. Not only in keeping up with one's nutrition and hydration requirements, but also in the "taking care of self" holistically. It takes action steps to change this pattern ... concerted and deliberate effort - nobody's going to force feed you or take care of your needs in this area. And newsflash ... when you burnout, face health issues, retire or pass on, nobody is going to praise the fact that you sacrificed your own health and well being, day after day, to get your work done.
Yes, regular meals are fuel for the busy practitioner - you would not let your car run out of gas. You need that same level of care and attention to your physical self. Skipping meals has been linked to the slowing of an individual's metabolism and poor physical performance (where you accomplish less and are slower to make decisions). Through the month of February, I will focus on matters of health and wellness. You only have one life to live and your body depends on you taking good care of it.
