Stamina

[emidesu]

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Has anyone had success in going from being really out of shape in med school to really in shape? What did you do to bring up your stamina? (I'm interested in not napping so much, for instance, and suriviving better on a little less sleep, and feeling better in general!)
I am a first year and would like to get more done.

 

[erasable]

bump. I'd like to learn how to get more stamina too.

Has anyone had success in going from being really out of shape in med school to really in shape? What did you do to bring up your stamina? (I'm interested in not napping so much, for instance, and suriviving better on a little less sleep, and feeling better in general!)
I am a first year and would like to get more done.

 

[njbmd]

Has anyone had success in going from being really out of shape in med school to really in shape? What did you do to bring up your stamina? (I'm interested in not napping so much, for instance, and suriviving better on a little less sleep, and feeling better in general!)
I am a first year and would like to get more done.

I went in the opposite direction i.e., I gained about 85 pounds total during my four years of medical school. I carried that huge amount of weight around (mind you I am 5'8" tall and lifted weight before medical school) for the first three and half years of my surgical residency. After three and a half years, I would find myself so exausted that I would drag around.

I forced,(emphasis FORCED) myself to start exercising. I started out doing 10 minutes on the elliptical trainer and increased to 20 daily and so forth. When I got a good aerobic base, 30 to 45 minutes of brisk walk or slow run, I started lifting weights for an hour. My workout is now 2 hours or so spread between the aerobic work (elliptical trainer, run on track or swim) plus my weight work.

Not only do I have more energy and stamina, I need less sleep and I am more efficient. The weight is coming off well and my diet is much better (no burgers, fries and greasy stuff) with higher protein, fresh vegs and minimal sweet stuff. If you work out on a regular basis, your diet tends to adjust to your workout and your stamina goes up as your stress level decreases. Everything becomes more efficient.

When I come home feeling dragged and ragged out, I force myself to head to the gym. Almost universally, I feel better after five to ten minutes. The hardest part was just getting started. (It took 3 and 1/2 years).

If I had it to do over, I would have forced myself to workout instead of munching and eating my way through medical school. My grades were excellent but I am never going to gain this weight again.

 

[Callogician]

I gained about 85 pounds total during my four years of medical school.

Man...that is so incredibly f*cked up. Good luck with your weight loss program.

 

[cwb]

One thing that I have done is to carry my workout clothes with me to class. I have one binder for all of my class notes, one for whatever test material I have that week, and the rest of my bag is my workout clothes. Then as soon as I get done with class (or studying, or tutoring whatever) I head to the gym - no excuses. Once there I fly through my workout as fast as possible (but have a set workout don't just go because you will never complete everything that you have set your mind to do - it becomes to easy to quit). I think the biggest challenge is just MAKING yourself go after class, if you go home its far to easy to lay around and make excuses.

 

[jennben4]

as soon as I get done with class (or studying, or tutoring whatever) I head to the gym - no excuses.

So true. I bring my books, lunch, and gym clothes to school and put them in my locker during class. I go when I'm done with class/studying/dinner, whatever. I just hop on the el when I'm done at the gym, take a nice shower, and get some sleep (perhaps with an interlude of more Robbins). It works very well for me. I wasn't out of shape when I started med school, but I'm in much better shape now compared to day 1. I'm even training for the Chicago Marathon right now, which is something I NEVER thought I could do, given my host of orthopedic problems. I had never run more than 3 miles by the time of the Shamrock Shuffle in April (8k, 5mi), now I have finished the Chicago half marathon, and have 26.2 miles ahead of me on October 22nd! Keep at it and you'll be amazed at how much you can do & how much of a difference it makes. 👍

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Yo, after gaining 85 lbs, how many times did you have to get your white-coat resized??? I think that would be a huge wake-up call... whenever my belt feels a little tight, I get the message that I need to watch what I eat and be a little more fit. When my wrist-band needs to change a notch, that's a huge indicator as well.

 

[emidesu]

Thanks, guys, for the personal stories. I am still struggling to get to the gym and still tired, but it's getting better.

 

[evade]

Seriously. Keep the stories (and the motivation!) coming. I'm caught in this horrid cycle where I'm so overworked that I tell myself "I don't have time to work out," while simultaneously rewarding myself with food, because food is the one reward that I can partake in that doesn't take any time. I can eat while I do things, and unfortunately, that makes it so easy. I have such a sweet tooth, and I have this powerful drive to indulge it. Sometimes I think it's an addiction.

I'm in my second year and I'm in the WORST shape of my life. I feel awful, simply awful, when I talk to my obese patients about healthy diet and exercise when I consider how I'm treating my body. I seriously imagine my arteries stuffed with atherosclerotic plaques and it scares me! Anyway, I like hearing about things that help other people. It gives me hope.

 

[njbmd]

Seriously. Keep the stories (and the motivation!) coming. I'm caught in this horrid cycle where I'm so overworked that I tell myself "I don't have time to work out," while simultaneously rewarding myself with food, because food is the one reward that I can partake in that doesn't take any time. I can eat while I do things, and unfortunately, that makes it so easy. I have such a sweet tooth, and I have this powerful drive to indulge it. Sometimes I think it's an addiction.

I'm in my second year and I'm in the WORST shape of my life. I feel awful, simply awful, when I talk to my obese patients about healthy diet and exercise when I consider how I'm treating my body. I seriously imagine my arteries stuffed with atherosclerotic plaques and it scares me! Anyway, I like hearing about things that help other people. It gives me hope.

I am getting a SDN podcast together about keeping in shape. It will go up right after I finish production of the two that are already in the can.

I notice that you have a photo of a Metro station as your avatar. I used to walk the Metro stations from end to end while I was waiting for the train. I would just powerwalk until the train came into the station. It was difficult during rush hour but I got it done.

Just MAKE yourself do any little thing even if it's taking a flight of stairs instead of the vator. Those little things add up. I now pace and study at the same time. It keeps me from sitting too long and my brain gets perfused with fresh oxygen. 👍 Keeps me awake too!

 

[mtDNA]

well, I am definitely guilty of not working out too much now that I am an M1, but I can offer some advice on the napping aspect, since this was a huge issue to me too. During my first block, I only slept 6 hours a night to make time for studying, and I kept myself awake by drinking coffee constantly. After getting all honors on my first round of exams, I acquired enough confidence to shake things up a bit. I changed to a schedule where I get 8-9 hours of sleep per night. If I am not tired at bedtime (midnight), I read lippincott biochem until I am tired (this works really well, cuz its boring). Now I usually don't wake up until 9 oclock, which is glorious. The way I can pull this offf is by skipping biochem everyday, I find that in the end, it is easily worth it to miss the lecture in favor of more sleep. I never really got too much from the lectures anyway. I have not felt the need to nap ever since, it is wonderful.

 

[TexasRose]

I got my butt off the chair and trained for a marathon my 2nd year. Best thing I ever did for myself. I was even better at studying because I was more focused when I did sit down.

Also overhauled my diet to stop rewarding myself for studying with sweets, etc. I carry fruit, almonds and granola bars in my bag on rotations so I can eat something healthy when I get a chance.

I'm now running 35 miles/week and needing less sleep than I did as an MS1.

It's well worth the first painful couple of weeks to get yourself into a regular exercise program. Having a goal, like doing a 5k race or burning a certain number of calories on the ellipticle, really helps.

 

[Megalofyia]

How's it going TR?
How's 3rd year?

Since it actually takes effort for me to go out to eat or to get fast food I actually eat better (relatively speaking - I still have one of the worst diets and wouldnt' recomend it to anyone ) than I did before med school.

Another thing is I have some sort of fun team athletic activity that I do a day. If I can kill two birds with one stone it works for me and this way I can do a social thing with an excercise thing.
Plus my studying is more effective after I've run around than when I do nothing.

 

[FutureNavyDOc]

I was in really good shape in high school and my first 2 years of college. Then I quit wrestling (I wrestled 174), and the beer and pizza caught up with me.

I worked out on a fairly regular basis during my 1st year, but all I really did was about 30 min on the elliptical machine and I was still eating like crap and I still weighed about 220 on a 5'11 frame.

Summer after 1st year I went to Rhode Island for Nacy Officer training, I started watching what I eat a bit and we had no choice but to workout for an hour everyday. I got back down to 200 and I managed to maintain that through 2nd year including studying for boards mostly by running an average of about 3 miles a day and kind of watching what I eat.

I found that when I went for about a 3-4 mile run as a study break, when I came back in, I was more awake and could focus a lot better than before I ran.

It got to the point that even days before exams, I had to run or I would find myself falling asleep studying at about 8 at night. On days that I work out, I fall asleep faster and wake up more refreshed with more energy.

Something else that has helped people I know lose weight is to keep a chart in your bathroom above your scale and record your weight every morning when you wake up.


Good luck!

 

[evade]

I am getting a SDN podcast together about keeping in shape. It will go up right after I finish production of the two that are already in the can.

I notice that you have a photo of a Metro station as your avatar. I used to walk the Metro stations from end to end while I was waiting for the train. I would just powerwalk until the train came into the station. It was difficult during rush hour but I got it done.

Just MAKE yourself do any little thing even if it's taking a flight of stairs instead of the vator. Those little things add up. I now pace and study at the same time. It keeps me from sitting too long and my brain gets perfused with fresh oxygen. 👍 Keeps me awake too!

::grin:: I was in great shape when I lived in DC. . .three years ago. I didn't own a car, and I walked everywhere. Sadly, I'm in CA now (I go to UC Davis), and I no longer live close enough to the school to bike. But yeah, I'm with you, every little thing counts!

And when you get that podcast up, you'll have at least one avid listener right here. 😀

 

[njbmd]

Has anyone had success in going from being really out of shape in med school to really in shape? What did you do to bring up your stamina? (I'm interested in not napping so much, for instance, and suriviving better on a little less sleep, and feeling better in general!)
I am a first year and would like to get more done.

Reviving this thread because SDN Podcast #3 subject matter is Getting Into and Staying in Shape while being a Busy Medical Student. I am interviewing a nationally famous personal trainer who has some great ideas that you can intergrate into your present busy life that will keep you from putting on the "Medical School 15+" Check out the podcast thread in the next week or so and happy studying. 🙂

 

[indo]

SDN has podcasts? haha. Who the hell has time to create podcasts? ...must be on the opthomology rotation

 

[njbmd]

SDN has podcasts? haha. Who the hell has time to create podcasts? ...must be on the opthomology rotation

So far, I am the creator of the SDN podcasts. They are not that difficult to do and I am a General Surgery resident (chief) who doesn't have loads of time (work 80 hours per week) but enough to get these things out as assistance to students who might find them useful.

 

[ExKitty Doctor]

podcasts..sounds awesome! speaking of health and weight issues...has anyone had the opposite happen..where they feel stressed out and lose their appetite and then end up losing weight and feeling faint and tired a lot?

 

[psipsina]

podcasts..sounds awesome! speaking of health and weight issues...has anyone had the opposite happen..where they feel stressed out and lose their appetite and then end up losing weight and feeling faint and tired a lot?

Stress definitely makes me sleepy and lose my appetite. Post katrina was the best diet ever, . . . I looke hot for a while there . . jk. . but seriously I've already lost enough weight this year that there is an appreciable difference between my photo ID and now . . . and I need a nap almost daily, esp when I've spent 4+ hours in gross lab that day, blech. I'm trying to get up early and do yoga for stress relief but so far I'm only managing to motivate about two days a week, hoping I can build up slowly into a routine.

 

[LuckyBambooGirl]

podcasts..sounds awesome! speaking of health and weight issues...has anyone had the opposite happen..where they feel stressed out and lose their appetite and then end up losing weight and feeling faint and tired a lot?

I actually had that happen last year (1st year). It sucked majorly! I got way too stressed out over school and felt sick all the time and actually lost weight. Now I am a second year and have reduced my stress level majorly. I have gained back the weight I lost and now I'm trying to make sure I don't gain more! 🙂

 

[Hodad]

Drinking a litre of coffee a day keeps me slim and spry.

 

[Hodad]

podcasts..sounds awesome! speaking of health and weight issues...has anyone had the opposite happen..where they feel stressed out and lose their appetite and then end up losing weight and feeling faint and tired a lot?

This is in part how I lost 20 pounds in first year.

 

[ExKitty Doctor]

thanks for all the replies guys, its good to hear im not alone.🙂 I think coffee intake does have something to do with it. im applying for 2007 so im not even a med student yet and just the app process is stressing me out too much.. i am worried that I need to find a way to healthily manage stress before i become an ms1 and experience twice as much stress as now.

 

[LuckyBambooGirl]

thanks for all the replies guys, its good to hear im not alone.🙂 I think coffee intake does have something to do with it. im applying for 2007 so im not even a med student yet and just the app process is stressing me out too much.. i am worried that I need to find a way to healthily manage stress before i become an ms1 and experience twice as much stress as now.

Yes, definitely work on reducing your stress level! There's no reason to be so stressed during the application process!! Med school and life in general is so much better when you are not extremely stressed out. Exercise, do stuff that makes you happy, relax, see a counselor if necessary. Figure it out now so it doesn't snowball when you become an MS1. Good lock with your apps

 

[Hodad]

BTW, as an aside... I think I'm beginning to get caffeine withdrawal. If I don't have a cup of coffee for four or five days I get a migraine refractory to anything (no NSAID works on those). And all I have to do is put the percolator on and the smell of the brewing coffee causes the pain to start alleviating itself, and it's gone about half an hour after ingesting a cup...

...has anyone else had this experience? Is this because of the caffeine (withdrawal)? Because summer is coming up, and I want to ween myself off the coffee, but I have no idea on how else to make the migraines go away.

 

[njbmd]

Reviving this thread because SDN Podcast #3 subject matter is Getting Into and Staying in Shape while being a Busy Medical Student. I am interviewing a nationally famous personal trainer who has some great ideas that you can intergrate into your present busy life that will keep you from putting on the "Medical School 15+" Check out the podcast thread in the next week or so and happy studying. 🙂

podcasts..sounds awesome! speaking of health and weight issues...has anyone had the opposite happen..where they feel stressed out and lose their appetite and then end up losing weight and feeling faint and tired a lot?

Yes, definitely work on reducing your stress level! There's no reason to be so stressed during the application process!! Med school and life in general is so much better when you are not extremely stressed out. Exercise, do stuff that makes you happy, relax, see a counselor if necessary. Figure it out now so it doesn't snowball when you become an MS1. Good lock with your apps

SDN Podcast #3 is up. You can go to the Main Forum page, scroll down to the Podcast Forum and Click on Podcast #3. My guest is nationally-known fitness expert Kelli Pariano. She discusses destressing and some nutritional tips. I was fortunate to catch up with her in Cleveland. She is also willing to take e-mail questions [email protected] or phone questions (phone number in the Podcast). http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=329338 Just click on "Listen to it here" and you can here it. You can also download it for future listening too.