It’s that time of year again! 

Have you scheduled your annual physical? That trip to the dentist? That dreaded, necessary procedure? If not, it’s best to put those annual or bi-annual visits to practitioners on your calendar while they’re still covered under this year’s insurance.

The problem is you’ve fallen off track from those goals that you stated, out loud, to witnesses. Well, here are some tips for your next appointment. While these strategies may not break earth-shattering records, at least they can help you fly under the radar until you can get back on track for future appointments.

One of the biggest factors in ‘losing points’ at these types of exams is related to inflammation. Blood pressure checks, weigh-ins, blood draws and digestive complaints are among the top measured parameters that, over time, can reveal lifestyle-related chronic conditions. Complaining from symptoms like reflux, insomnia, bloating, brain fog, fatigue or joint pain can potentially lead your provider to want to treat a specific symptom with a medication or add a diagnosis to your medical record.

Try these one week prior to the appointment:

1. Ramp up your intake of fruits and vegetables with ten servings per day (that’s ten to include a combination of fruits and vegetables, not 10 + 10!). The influx of potassium, phytonutrients and fiber will help to decrease some excess water, get your intestines moving along and can drop your blood pressure points down.
2. Squeeze in some consistent, low impact, longer workouts for 40 to 60 minutes. Doing lower intensity exercise, that gets your heart pumping and has you sweating a moderate amount, taps into your fat stores and helps to increase serotonin to your brain. So, while you may not lose a lot of weight doing this in one week, you’ll certainly feel better and to be able to face that appointment!
3. Ditch the caffeinated coffee the day of your appointment. In order to bypass caffeine-related withdrawal symptoms, try cutting your intake in half the week prior and simply wait until after your appointment to indulge. Coffee on an empty stomach will stimulate insulin production and pull out free fatty acids into your bloodstream. Those free fatty acids could very well show up as higher fat levels on your lab draw.
4. Nix processed foods. Processed foods are inflammation magnets causing water retention, weight gain, increased blood pressure and cravings to eat more of the same.

Of course, once you start these strategies, why not continue? It’ll encourage you to set up great habits that get you on track toward those goals for next year!

In good health,