All blog posts from Dr. Allott are provided for educational and informational purposes only. As Dr. Allott is also a licensed medical practitioner, we must make it clear that nothing on the blog is intended to constitute medical advice, consultation, recommendation, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are concerned about your health, please seek appropriate care in your area.

Short Cuts: Experiments to feeling better

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We often think that feeling better takes a lot of time and energy. This idea is certainly supported and promoted by the weight loss industry! But there is a difference between feeling better today, next week, and weight loss. It’s also important to understand that sustained weight loss is very complicated. However, what if our goal is just to have 10 to 15% more energy and mental clarity? This is very possible right now, with a little experimentation.

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I like doing experiments for my health. It allows me to evaluate if a new behavior is worth continuing and also when to use it most effectively. There are lots of little experiments that can improve how you feel, in as little as 10 minutes or just a few days. And this means you might then have the energy to do more to feel even better.

For example, years ago I discovered that if I exercised in the morning my dyslexic brain worked better. With more experiments I discovered that it takes about 20 minutes of walking or 15 minutes of stretching, weight lifting and balance exercises to see a benefit at the end of the day. When it is beautiful out, I go for a walk; when it is raining I work out in my living room.

Every experiment has to have a definable benefit. Not just “because I should”. For me, when I work out in the morning, I can get my clinical notes done with the patient in the room or in the time before my next patient. When I don’t exercise, I spend 45-60 minutes charting at the end of the day. On my non-clinical days, I spend less time wondering around the internet looking for heartwarming videos and more time on my own passions. It took a month of morning work outs for me to see the correlation. Now that I see it, I can see that the benefit is immediate.

Here is a pdf that outlines some short cuts to feeling better. I invite you to choose one to experiment with. Let me know how it goes, or share your own short cuts, by commenting below.