Whether we like it or not, our patients regard us as health experts. Hopefully, you like it! Along with that is some sort of B-list, if that, celebrity type status in the genre of health. I am sure (hope) we all get "How come you are never sick?" "How do you stay in such good shape?" and if we are not then we probably are not walking the walk. What prompted me to post about this is the amount of chatter in the office about P90X. I am sure it has been mentioned on most of your PODS and I got it a little over a year ago. I did to the T for 90 days and got phenominal results, as advertised. Then I of course did not work out for months. Part because I rode the wave of my success and part because it is a heck of a program to do on an ongoing basis. I have finally started to work a balance to make it practical in my schedule which I am sure is similar to most of yours, spouse, office, and small kids. So other than plugging the workout, which was not the point of this. Just today again three patients brought up "What do you do?" and two others brought up this P90X "thing" they jsut got and I was able to give knowledgeable guidance to them. If you want to be the go to person to the people then you have to walk the walk. It has been part of my motivation to keep up the workouts in that I know the patients are watching me since they know I have the P90X thing as well. That some of you have gotten it has inspired me to keep at it because an example should be made and kept, IMO. So not that it has to be P90X but with regard to working out and diet and overall personal health, we must walk the walk if we want to be success we need to get and stay out in front. It is the only place to lead from. By putting my self out there to the patients and knowing what their expectations are of me it is a major motivator. So it postively feeds itself. Afterall it is only positive qualities that our patients are looking for from us so it is a good pressure. As Zig Ziglar said on a book I was listening to today "Make sure you find yorself a skinny doctor. Because if they are not thin and in shape then it shows that they do not believe in the product they are selling."
Practice what you preach
(8 posts) (4 voices)-
Posted 6 months ago #
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I love the idea of using Exercise as a metaphor for our “businesses”! It fits in very well! And your message is very well put Chris; being out of shape leads to an in congruency and definitely contributes to the inevitable selective indifference that besets most of us! Let alone how fat and stupid we become! Anyway following all the hype I too have purchased the PX90! I would hate to feel left out! However just watching the introduction was enough for me for one day! Getting ready to get ready and all that! I have not yet got a decent mat!!! Excuses, excuses, excuses!!!
Anyway on that note over the past few months we have talked a lot about taking small essential meaningful steps! Well one discipline that I have recently started to instil with regards to exercise is to exercise even when I don’t feel like it! You know those days when it is raining or its cold or you are tired, or my favourite I don’t have time etc etc! Well what I do now is regardless as to how I feel I get changed and I make an effort to at least start the work out or a run or whatever! I then promise myself that if I still feel lousy after 15 minutes I can quit! Now more often than not, once you have shaken out the cobwebs and lethargy you can complete a decent workout! For me this simple step is developing a habit and creating a different mindset and yet in reality the only effort that is involved is getting changed! And that is the first discipline I need to achieve on a consistent basis! You can relate this to goal setting – no matter what your goal is if you don’t have small steps to get there your goal will always be out there, out of reach and seemingly insurmountable! So in reality I am trying to apply this discipline in all facets and especially in the Clinic! Thanks for the push!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Actually I had not intended it as a metaphor but instead quite literal. But if there is benefit intended or not, cool. How can we expect a patient to want to seek our help if we don't appear reasonably fit, healthy, energetic, etc. People do judge books by their covers and not that it has to be perfect but do we truly set a good example personally. Are we ahead of the pack or just in the pack? I regularly volunteer, when people say, "You must limit your portions or eat nuts and berries to be so thin.", that I have likely downed a large pizza by myself in the recent past. (True, I can admit it.) With the follow up that I certainly would not do that regularly and most of the time I do eat very healthy which allows for an indulgence once in a while. Plus the amount of exercise required to balance our dietary habits. Calories in, claories out. So in addition to the personal benefits to ourselves and the energy to run our offices, how about just the basic do we buy what we sell? If you went to a gym looking for a trainer, do you want the beer gut guy or the Ironman triathlete looking guy. You want someone that is ahead of you to lead you to your goals so just a self check personally that further inspires me to keep on track with personal health. If you can only lead those that you are ahead of, what percentage of the population are you ahead of?
Posted 6 months ago # -
I totally concur, although sadly these days with 66% of the population grossly over weight getting ahead may not be too difficult! For me though the benefits of exercise are more intrinsic - I just feel better! By the way I started the P90X programme - thank you for the recommendation it is great! It is tough but having him talking and encouraging you makes it very enjoyable! It is unlike most programmes out there and I would highly recommend it! The one minute chunks make it so much more bearable!
Posted 6 months ago # -
If you have not experienced it already you will likely get the added benefit soon of being less sedentary than the little bit you probably are now anyway because your butt will be so sore that it will hurt to sit. (Plyometrics) How's that for a sales pitch. :) On second thought, YOU should be fine Ed since it is apparent to anyone that has seen you that you have mastered the Buns of Steel video workouts long ago.
Maybe it is just me but I, as well as my daughter for that matter, could recite all the cheesy lines on que with Tony Horton through all the videos and I still chuckle at most. Chalk it up to easily entertained, I guess.
Posted 6 months ago # -
OK, OK, Ok... I'll get the P90X. I've had so many people around me talking about this program and I've been totally resisting it because it seemed like a trend so now that you two are doing it I HAVE to do it. Can you tell I have a tiny bit of a competitive side. I've always been in pretty good shape, but as Jason says, this will make me "hard core baby". :)
I totally agree that we have to be ahead of the game with our patients. Right now in Manitoba the head of our association is anything but fit. I think he's doing a pretty good job of running things over there, but I cringe when ever he is needed as a public figure to represent us chiropractors. I think when it comes to chiropractic we need to portrait a complete package. I like the whole Move Well, Think Well, Eat Well program that Dr. James Chestnut teaches. Ultimately if you are going to be selling anything you need to have bought it first. That includes our whole chiropractic philosophy and lifestyle.
Thanks for the motivation guys. I'll let you know how it goes with the P90X.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Maybe the craze has not hit Ireland the way it has around here but the infomercial for P90X is on some channel seemingly constantly here. That is why so many of my patients, as well as myself, have bought. I have recently had so many patients bring it up when I inquire as to their current workout habits and being able to have knowledge and first hand experience on the subject has given noticeable credibility to me. The flip side of that is the responsibility to follow through on my part and actually be workiing out as well. My primary intent was also the intrinsic benefits as well, it has just been unavoidably noticeable as to patient inquiries into "the doctor's personal habits" with regard to exercise, diet, etc. that illustrates to me that we are on display whether we like it or not so it is for us to decide what we do with that opportunity. The way I see it we have three choices 1)blend in with the masses; 2)stand out in a bad way; or 3)stand out in a good way. It is pretty obvious which option would lend to the best leadership style for a practice looking to thrive and grow. I now this is all a no brainer, and isn't all of it, but somehow writing it out makes it more conscious for me.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Dr. Chris Perron= La Machina (that's spanish, as Tony tells us). I'll be another vote for P90X. It really seems to fit with an attitude of going "all out" or being "hardcore" as Danella puts it. I just can't stand to go through the motions of working out; so running at a slow, steady, pace or lifting weights to "maintain" just doesn't do it for me. P90X helps you to be competitive with yourself, which I think translates well to practice. Just like practices are built on the days you don't want to be there, so are our bodies. If you guys want to have some more "fun", try working out with kettlebells. They are functional fitness to the core.
Posted 6 months ago #
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