Health and Wellness

Earlier this month, my wife and I attended a wonderful performance, “Season Encore,” at the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. It was a retirement celebration for two of their soloists. I hadn’t been to the ballet for a long time and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful leaps, bounds, and spins.

But it was also disturbing.

Most of the women were stick thin and whittled down, while the men had normal, athletic bodies. I get it. There is a classical ballet aesthetic—skinny, long-legged ballerinas. But many of these women looked gaunt, otherworldly, and unhealthy.

I am the... Read More

Setting your mind to deal with setbacks

Dr. Paul | May 07, 2019 |

I recently attended a magnificent modern ballet performance by the Dance Theatre of Harlem. These dancers were amazing. They were able to move their bodies in ways that seemed impossible to me. And of course, like most professionals, they made it look easy. We were spellbound.

While I’m happy to be able to touch my toes, reach for cereal from a high shelf, carry heavy bags of groceries from my car into the house, and walk around Green Lake, I love seeing adults leap into the air. It reminds me of something that many of us don’t fully realize.

We can do pretty much anything we...

href="/blog/setting-your-mind-deal-setbacks-1" class="views-more-link">Read More

dd"> Managing your time and energy Dr. Paul | May 01, 2019 |

In the 21st century, both time and energy are in short supply. Many of us have plenty of food, maybe even too much. A lot of us have decent shelter, although it’s gotten more expensive. But, we struggle getting everything done, day to day and week to week. And after time with our kids, our partner, work, laundry, the yard, the house, shopping, cooking and cleaning, we are short on time and energy for ourselves. After all of those “to do’s,” we’re out of gas. Each of us only has so much vitality, both physical and mental. Some of this is constitutional. Don’t you just hate your friend who... Read More

ven"> Life is change Dr. Paul | February 27, 2018 |

In this Sunday’s New York Times (2/25/18), Sasha Cohen, the 2006 Figure Skating Olympic Silver medalist, shared the story of her retirement from skating. She spent her childhood and adolescence training for competition. Like all Internationally ranked athletes, her entire life was her sport. But after she stepped off Olympic ice, she was unprepared for her future as an ordinary civilian. She felt lost and uncertain. Michael Phelps, the most decorated swimmer of all time,... Read More

dd"> Post-holiday weight loss club Dr. Paul | January 11, 2017 | t-holiday-weight-loss-club#comments-anchor">2 comments

During the post-holiday season, lots of folks try to lose the weight they gained or didn’t lose, this last year. I’m member of this club too. It’s especially challenging with all of those Seahawks game-day gatherings. Those spicy chicken wings are divine!

Despite all of my many efforts, over my adult life, I’m still overweight. Sigh. The comforting news—I’m not alone.

But when I watch TV, read magazines, or go to the movies, all I see are slim, tall, muscular men and women. At my gym, all I see is the parade of slim looking men and women. Unfortunately, I can’t march in... Read More

Is resentment bad for your health?

Dr. Paul | October 12, 2016 | 1 comment

A couple of weeks ago I met with a group of professionals who were talking about their office. Listening to their discussion, I noted that several of them harbored resentment towards some of their co-workers. “I can’t stand how Joe doesn’t help out, even when it’s obvious that we need him”, Jim quipped. Bill was continually annoyed at a colleague who always had an opinion about everything that Bill did. These feelings just sat in their gut, like a heavy meal they couldn’t digest.

How often do we stuff angry feelings towards co-workers, family members, friends, or relatives? Our... Read More

Being kind to yourself

Dr. Paul | September 07, 2016 |

A friend of mine, Jill, struggles with shame and guilt over several bad choices she made in the last few years. They had major consequences for her career. She’s angry with herself— “How could I have messed things up so badly for myself and my family” she cries. She wakes up every morning feeling bad about herself and it propels her down a rabbit hole of deeper depression and self-reproach. Once she goes there, it’s hard to find her way out.

We all make small mistakes or errors in judgment. Fortunately, most of these choices don’t result in big consequences. But sometimes we make... Read More

Keeping your peace

Dr. Paul | July 06, 2016 |

Woman relaxing in hammock reading a book.

I recently returned from two weeks in Greece, lying on a beach in Naxos and Santorini. It was a wonderful vacation. After a week, my pace slowed down, my sense of humor improved, and I rarely thought about work, day to day responsibilities, or future concerns. My cell phone didn’t work and I couldn’t peek at work email. It was glorious.

Of course, it’s easy to be relaxed on vacation! Our daily responsibilities center on the big questions of the day-- what to do, where or what to eat, and how to enjoy ourselves. We... Read More

The Biggest Losers: What happened after the glitz and glory?

Dr. Paul | May 11, 2016 | 2 comments

Weight loss research provides new insights into dieting

Like many adults, I easily gain weight and I struggle to lose it. I grew up in a fat family—we were always on some new diet. I remember the 1960’s version of the Atkins diet. We were instructed to eat huge portions of meat, which all of us loved. I don’t remember if we lost any weight, although I am sure that our cholesterol went through the ceiling!

Like most overweight adults, I was fascinated with the reality TV show The Biggest Loser because it turned the arduous task of losing weight into a theatrical contest, like Survivor. Of course, it didn’t hurt to have an army of personal... Read More

Sexual Desire

Dr. Paul | April 27, 2016 |

Do you struggle with a lack of sexual interest?

In a landmark 2008 study of women in relationships, researchers found that up to 26% of premenopausal women and upwards to 52% of postmenopausal women described symptoms of low sexual desire. Scientists are trying to understand why.

Take Mary—she participated in a research study that tested whether a testosterone patch would improve women’s sexual desire (libido). She suffers from a condition called hypoactive sexual desire disorder, where she had little interest in sex. Testosterone, thought of as a primarily male sexual... Read More

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