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You walk into the room to see your new patient and, before you even greet him, he's made a judgment about the type of health professional you are. That means before you even speak and have a chance to share your knowledge, compassion and competence, he's decided whether he will trust and listen to you, solely based on your appearance and body language. That, in turn, can directly affect how successful you will be in your career.
Many years ago, I took my mother to her cardiologist's appointment. As we waited for her doctor, I took notice of the ashtray on his desk and the smell of smoke in his office. As he walked in, he was clearly overweight and looked run-down and exhausted. As he explained to my mom she should exercise and eat better, I remember thinking I wouldn't take advice from him if he was Hippocrates himself. He clearly wasn't practicing what he preached and, aside from being a nice guy, he was not effective as a health professional. I made a mental note to do the exact opposite of what he did when I became a nutritionist and physical therapist.
Setting a Good Example
You might work with physical therapists and even nutritionists who smoke, make poor food choices, don't exercise or have negative attitudes. I've seen nurses who smoke near exit doors and nutritionists who eat donuts like tic tacs. I even witnessed a physical therapist demonstrate a ball exercise and fall and hurt herself because she didn't exercise. As health professionals, we don't have to be saints, but we do have to be role models and set the example of how to live a healthy and successful lifestyle.
Not only do we get just one chance to make a first impression, but we need to practice what we preach to our patients to assure credibility and a long and successful career. One way to ensure longevity as well as a positive impact on our patients is by taking control of three secrets of professional and personal success:
- the food we eat;
- the exercise we do; and
- the attitude we possess.
Great food, smart exercise and a winning attitude will give us the energy, strength and mind power to be the best healthcare professionals we can be. The great news is adopting this healthy lifestyle will carry over into our personal lives as well. Our personal relationships will benefit, our self-esteem will soar and we'll be less likely to develop the diseases we work so hard to help our patients with.
Tips for Feeling Good
Here's a guide to help us enjoy a long and fulfilling career while looking and feeling amazing at the same time.
Food: Eat energizing anti-inflammatory foods like salmon, berries, brown rice, fruits and vegetables. Revolutionize why you eat; eat for energy, not emotional comfort. Keep a food log to assure your success. Think of food as natural medicine to prevent and cure disease for you and your patients. Don't try to eat less "bad" food. Focus on eating more great food and you won't miss the "bad."
Exercise: Perform simple, functional resistance exercise like squats, push-ups, lunges and rows every day. Perform these exercises as part of a circuit in 5-minute segments. This will help you build muscle and increase your heart rate at the same time for a cardio effect. This type of workout will also decrease injuries and pain. You will have more stamina for those long hours on your feet and your confidence will transfer to your patients.
Attitude: Keep a tight focus on the quality of your thoughts. Successful people think about how they can make a positive impact on the people they interact with. To stay motivated, develop a compelling vision about your career and personal life, and flood your mind with thoughts about how to make it happen. Be aware of negative thoughts that will affect your attitude like: "I'm too tired," "It's too hard," "I'm not smart enough." Replace these thoughts with, "I have a unique opportunity to affect someone's life," and "What can I be doing to be more effective with my patients and successful in my private life?"
Feeling Victorious
One of my mentors once told me successful people do the things unsuccessful people aren't willing to do. There will be days when you'll eat a donut because your blood sugar is sinking or skip exercise because you're too tired. That's OK, we're human. We just need to get back on track-sooner than later.
It does require work and focus to take care of ourselves while dedicating our professional lives to helping others. The reward is you will affect people in incredible and life-changing ways as long as you love and care for yourself at the same time.
One last thing to remember: Always sit and stand tall and smile often, especially when meeting your patients for the first time. They will sense your confidence and be more likely to follow the great advice you give them.
Peter K, a physical therapist, nutritionist, mind/body success coach, author and professional speaker, is the creator of the lifestyle program "5 Minutes to Fitness+." Visit his Web site.
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