New Habits Give Father a Fresh, Healthy Start

Jose Burgos has started the New Year 15 pounds lighter.

It’s not the dramatic stuff of daytime talk shows, but the URMC staffer and father of five said shedding those pounds was monumental, jump-starting a health revolution that’s shaken up his daily routine.

When he’s not busy feeding his kids breakfast and loading them on the school bus, Burgos, a clinical technologist in the ED, is running around at work – keeping equipment in tip-top shape for a bustling team of trauma care doctors and nurses, and sometimes even running around delivering patients’ belongings (occasionally forgotten in the ED) throughout hospital.

“With a full schedule both on the job and off, it was really important that I get into top shape, lose weight, and find the energy I needed,” Burgos said.

And he’s found it. Already a five-year veteran at the Medical Center’s Fitness and Wellness Center, Burgos had slowly dropped weight since first moving up to Rochester from New York City back in 2005. Back then, he tipped the scale at 290.

“But I made a priority of working out before my 11 a.m. shift, five days a week,” he said. “I’d work the weights for 45 minutes, put in 25 minutes on a cardio machine, and do my sit-ups at home, and the weight started to melt off.”

Even so, his loss was slow, steady, and eventually reached a plateau. Eager to take his health revolution to the next level, this October Burgos registered for the Fitness Center’s “Amazing Weight Loss Race” – an eight week program promising cash prizes for the top 12 “biggest losers” and offering weekly, half-hour education classes, ranging from meal-time nutrition strategies (courtesy a licensed dietitian) and exercise tips (from professional fitness trainers).

“Those mini-classes equipped me with really useful advice, which I could take home and easily put into practice,” Burgos said. “For me, that was radical. I’d been an devoted exerciser, and had even eaten grilled and baked foods over fried things, but I’d not really grasped – or put into practice – the importance of watching portion size, resisting unnecessary ‘seconds,’ or filling up on salads and other vegetables first before digging into the main dish.”

By paying closer attention to his eating habits – and boosting his daily cardio exercise by a mere 10 minutes – Burgos shaved off 16 pounds in just eight weeks.

“The weight-loss competition re-energized me,” said Burgos, who now weighs almost 50 pounds less than he did six years back. “It’s broadened my perspective. I’m thrilled at trying new things – like mixing dark, leafy greens into my salads, packing fresh fruits in my lunch.”

What’s more exciting, though, is that he’s piqued his kids’ interest, too.

“They’re eating spinach right alongside me, and begging for apples in their lunch bags,” he laughs. “It’s incredible how curious they are. It’s so rewarding to see them learning these life habits at such a young age.”

Burgos (left) takes a moment to pose with Eric McCloud (right) of Environmental Services, who befriended him years back and has since encouraged him shape up. Burgos also credits Bernard Williams (not pictured), also of Environmental Services, for lending him support on his weight loss journey.

Burgos, thrilled by the fun, competitive community environment he found in the recent weight loss challenge, has already signed up for the next one, which launches in February.

And his motivation is infectious; he’s already recruited six fellow ED staff to join him.

“You have to do this for you,” he said. “Sure, it’s a really fun way to get started on your goal, but you have to ultimately want to be healthy yourself. Personally, I want to be there for my kids when I’m older. And that means not giving up on my weight loss goal, even if I hit a bump in the road. I have to stay positive. I have to stay focused on the prize at the end.”

Do your New Year’s resolutions need help getting started on the right foot? Learn more about URMC’s next Amazing Weight Loss Race, here.

Don’t work at the Med Center? You can still follow Burgos’ lead; talk with your physician about small, manageable changes you can make to your diet, eating habits, and exercise routine.

High Heels, Flip Flops, and Other Foes: Protecting Your Feet and Ankles

Boasting 26 bones and 33 joints, the human foot is a force to be reckoned with. When walking, it absorbs pressure three to four times that of your own body. Running? Make that six to eight times your weight.

But in spite of accomplishing such herculean feats day in and day out, many of us think little of (and pay little respect to!) our feet unless they’re aching. And at some point in our lives, they usually do; in fact, almost half of Americans will experience a foot or ankle ailment.

So, what can you do to be proactive about your foot health? Simple steps, from dropping a couple extra pounds, to dropping your heel height just an inch, can have surprisingly big impact. To learn more, we spoke to URMC orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Judy Baumhauer.

Dr. Baumhauer directs the URMC Orthopaedics Foot and Ankle Institute, a joint venture in clinical care and research with the Ithaca College Department of Physical Therapy. She was recently installed as the President of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, becoming the organizations first female president in its 42-year history.

Want an appointment?  Learn more about scheduling a visit, here.

Not Just Teens: When Adults Wrestle Eating Disorders

Though typically thought to afflict teenage and young adult women, eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia can strike in midlife – and what’s more, they can affect men, too.

And because these older adults might not fit the stereotypical patient profile – and because symptoms like bone loss or missed periods might be attributed to normal aging processes, like menopause – many people with the disorders might be flying under the radar of their friends, families, even their physicians.

To learn more about how one’s genes, environment, and life circumstances all come together to put adults at risk for eating disorders, we spoke to URMC expert Dr. Mary Tantillo.

In the clip below, she offers some insight into the disorders (and why doctors might miss them), plus some tips on how to gently broach the subject if you’re worried about a friend or family member.

Dr. Tantillo serves as the CEO and Clinical Director of the Healing Connection, a partial hospitalization program for adults and adolescents battling eating disorders. The center opened in Fairport, N.Y, in early 2010, providing a much-needed local treatment option. To learn more about the Healing Connection, call (585) 641-0281 or click here.

Tantillo is also the Director of the Western New York Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders (WNYCCCED), and an associate professor of Clinical Nursing at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and a clinical associate professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.