Central Family Practice

Ride The Wave is back! Join us for two free sessions this fall on September 28th and November 9th as an intro to the program and to help give you support and healthy habits as we near the end of the year. More information and sign up at ridethelifewave.com! 🏄🏻‍♀️

Free Fall Intro Sessions Join us for two free intro sessions of our Ride The Wave Program this Fall on September 28th and November 9th at 1pm (45 minutes each)! We’re excited to introduce you to our program, which combines research-based tools and practices with guidance and group support to help solve the most common cha...

8/29/23: These pictures were taken at 7 -8 am  the few days before the Blue Super Moon happens 8/30/23.  The big red rising sun is truly something that always makes my day this time of year.  The clouds remind me of my childhood when I would ponder the universe and the sight of the rays of light coming from behind the clouds were my “proof” that maybe it was not just infinite space but something more magical “out there”.  It still fills me with awe and fills my heart.  I know we all have the story right now that it is not to be endured out there in the inferno we call Austin.  BUT, it really is quite nice from 6-8 am.  7-8 is the best since a bit of a breeze comes up when the sun is rising.  So, watch the story, is it true, do we really not have time?   Is it really too hot to see the sun rise or tomorrow night see the Super blue moon that only happens every 10 years!   I for one am going to be out there to see it and keep my sense of awe and magic that I had as a child.  My Mom never lost that sense of awe in all her 92 years on the planet.  I hope I do not either.

Diabetes prevention and treatment goes walking with Sara and Connie.  Another reason to move: prevent and treat diabetes.  Diabetes is the disease that is sure to make any other problem you have worse or to cause it as a complication of diabetes.  This includes heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, memory loss, loss of circulation in your legs and feet, and cancer.  Preventing diabetes in the first place is one of my main motivations to move.  It is preventable.  Walking (moving)  for even 20 minutes after eating can decrease your blood sugar by 40 points!  That is a lot.  This picture is me with my friend Sara.  She has insulin dependent diabetes.  We walked for an hour today.  When I asked her if I could talk about her diabetes she said,
“Of course. One is supposed to walk with diabetes”.  “As you remind me, just check your blood sugar and drink water”.  Her blood sugar will go high and low if she gets dehydrated.  She also said  to make sure you have your diabetes supplies with your sugar pill handy if you go low.  We stopped a couple of times to make sure her blood sugar was okay, both drank a lot of water and she had her trusty backpack of supplies  her insulin pump and glucose monitor that keeps track of her insulin and glucose.  If Sara can walk, then so can I!  All I have to do is drink some darn water and stay on the shady side of the street, or just be flexible and go walk in the water because it is really hot out there.  Just move even 5 minutes counts.

We’re hiring a Medical Receptionist, and are ready to hire ASAP!

Central Family Practice is a locally-owned family and woman's health care practice
in Central Austin, with a unique setting that offers traditional and integrative care.
This job is a full-time, front office position and requires a minimum of one year of
customer service experience. Versatile team player with a positive attitude needed!

The job includes the following responsibilities:

- Medical Records Processing
- Scheduling appointments
- Scanning to Electronic charts
- Checking patients in and out
- Entering charges and payments

This position requires excellent customer service skills, reliable attendance, and a
commitment to training. The position is available now. Although masking in the
office is currently optional, we do require staff to be COVID vaccinated.

Working remotely is not an option.

Please email your CV with a cover letter to: [email protected]

I just finished reading The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghes. It is an incredible book so read it! He mentions in his notes that a quote in the book, “choose a date” came from his colleague Baba Shiv at Stanford Business School in relationship to decision making. In this video Mr. Shiv discusses the neuroscience of decision making and talks about the emotional brain and decisions. Not just science geek material but also solid info on practical aspects of diet, exercise, sleep and timing in good decision making. – Connie

Baba Shiv: How to Make Better Decisions Baba Shiv demystifies the brain chemistry that controls our decision making, and explains how you can regulate it to make better decisions. He also uses the ...

Some photos from Connie’s trip to Greece - inspired by the Goddess Aphrodite! 🏺

Very light walking after a meal reduces blood sugar levels.

In Seven studies reviewed by the Rachel Fairbanks of the NYT All seven studies showed that just a few minutes of light-intensity walking after a meal were enough to significantly improve blood sugar levels compared to, sitting at a desk or plopping down on the couch. When participants went for a short walk, their blood sugar levels rose and fell more gradually. For people with diabetes and pre diabetes as well as people trying to lose weight, avoiding sharp fluctuations in blood sugar levels is a critical component in managing glucose and insulin. Sharp spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels can contribute to developing Type 2 diabetes as well as weight gain by increasing insulin resistance and storage of glucose as fat when that happens. Anytime you have high glucose and ANY insulin resistance, if the glucose is not used as energy it will be stored as fat if it cannot get in the cell quickly enough (insulin resistance). Standing had a small benefit too but according to ,” Aidan Buffey, a graduate student at the University of Limerick in Ireland and an author of the paper, said. Compared to sitting or standing, “light-intensity walking was a superior intervention,”. Light walking requires more active engagement of muscles than standing and uses the fuel from food at a time when there is a lot of it circulating in the bloodstream. “Your muscles will soak up some of that excess glucose,” said Jessie Inchauspé, author of the book “Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar.” - Article in NYT by Rachel Fairbanks.

Jean Ann Ryan
October 8, 1930 to March 11, 2023
Mom knew a lot of people in her life, and just about every one of them loved her. An indomitable redhead who boxed well above her barely five-foot stature, she doggedly persevered through a life that did not always play by the rules, outliving the rest of her immediate family by decades. She was fiercely protective of her children and spent too much of life worrying about all of us. The constant fretting about us was a running joke in the family, but in the end, we all knew we had a mother who loved us unconditionally, and who would throw herself in front of a herd of charging elephants to shield any of us from harm.

To the rest of the world that had the good fortune to know her, she was loved and admired for being endlessly kind, caring and generous. She never forgot a birthday or missed a chance to find a perfect cheap toy for a kid coming to visit and it bothered her immensely late in life that she couldn’t get out to buy presents for everyone. Unfailingly upbeat, she used her dry wit to shake off setbacks, both minor and less so, and she maintained her wonderful sense humor to the very end. She understood our sardonic humor because it was hers. Raising us, usually on a shoestring and largely on her own, she taught us many valuable lessons in humility, gratitude, politeness, table manners! and many other traits that positively shaped our lives. Her kids Jay, Connie, Mark and Mike are all better people because of her and we can think of no higher compliment. Her presence in all our lives will be sorely missed. Goodbye Red, Mom, Nana, Nana Jean, Nana Peek, you had an amazing 92 year run.

Mom hated funerals. She did not want to have one. What she did love though was a party and she loved St. Patrick's Day. On St. Paddy’s Day, please celebrate her life with some good Scotch and your loved ones. Mom asked to be cremated and her ashes spread somewhere on the water. Her children and close family will send her off over Lake St. Claire in Michigan where she had her happiest childhood memories at a later date.
Thank you to Mom’s work family, friends, and patients at Central Family Practice (she loved you all so much) for being so understanding and kind during her last months, Dr. Elliot Trester her trusted friend and physician, and Dr. Ed Peters about who she loved to say, “he does not use that stupid computer when he sees you, he just listens”. Special thanks to Deb Henson, and Balila Osrio for your sensitivity and kindness. Deep gratitude to Diana, Chelsea and Katrina from Hospice Austin who guided all of us in the dance to the end.

If you would like to remember and honor Jean, please make a donation to Hospice Austin in her memory. Palliative care in Mom’s last months allowed her to live and die with dignity on her own terms. We could not have done it without the support of the professionals at Hospice Austin.

This show is fantastic come see!

CFP STAFF SAYS: USE YOUR POWER
VOTE ELECTION DAY
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH

Click here for your Election day voting locations: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1133/5582/files/ELECTION_DAY_VOTING_LOCATIONS.11.8.2022.pdf?v=1667849485

Join Me and Chula Grande as we ride the wave of bold personal change starting next Thursday. Habit change one tiny shift at a time with your chest out and your hair flying. I’m personally going for wild abandon this time around. You do not have to live in Austin, or be a patient at Central Family to be part of our program. Sign up with a friend and get 50% off for each of you! The meetings are on Zoom at 5:30 PM Central Time.
ridethelifewave.com. coupon code RTWFRIENDSJoin Me, Margaret and Chula Grande as we ride the wave of bold personal change starting next Thursday. Habit change one tiny shift at a time with your chest out and your hair flying. I’m personally going for wild abandon this time around. You do not have to live in Austin, or be a patient at Central Family to be part of our program. Sign up with a friend and get 50% off for each of you! The meetings are on Zoom at 5:30 PM Central Time.
ridethelifewave.com. coupon code RTWFRIENDS

Ride The Wave is starting soon. Our first class is Thursday, September 15th!

Our program is built around providing answers to the many questions we’ve gotten everyday during our years caring for women patients and clients. We get questions about libido often! Here is one of our strategies:

A powerful libido-helper for women who are still cycling is to consciously engage with the hormone surges you have during the days leading up to ovulation (ovulation is typically 13-14 days after your last period started). Estrogen will be rising which increases your mood, energy, sense of adventure, confidence and makes your skin and hair look its best. If you are dating this is the time to get out there and strut your stuff! Right before ovulation you also have a surge in testosterone levels which increases libido and the desire to initiate s*x as well as experience good quality or***ms. In other words, ride the waves of estrogen and testosterone during the middle of your cycle!

Mark your calendar to have a date with yourself or your partner a couple of times during this week and consciously explore the difference in the quality of emotional and physical encounters during that time. You should be pleasantly surprised to see that you do indeed want to initiate s*x even if just with yourself!

If you are not still cycling and are using testosterone, increase your dose 1-2 x to get a spike effect on the day you plan to have s*x (and then decrease or skip another day’s dose that week) This will yield similar results: increases your desire, energy, sense of adventure, confidence and or**sm quality!

Do you ride the wave of fierce rebellion and desire? Have you forgotten what that feels like? How are they related? Women so often disconnect from their own s*xual energy and desire because they forget that being s*xual is not only about caring for someone else. Come learn how to fire yourself back up just for you! Then you can invite your partner to join you (if you want to). Connie

https://youtu.be/B_0FLXgTgLc

Jay and the Cooks - FRONTLINE WORKER BLUES The official video for FRONTLINE WORKER BLUES from the rock, blues, americana, alternative and country music album DRIED UP DREAMS by Jay and the CooksJAY AN...

Check out this quick self-compassion quiz created by the very famous/brilliant Kristin Neff. Take it and see if it resonates! Then join us this Thursday for some compassion building and community. Later this month, we will be talking hormone health so you can get your groove back on. Join us for April Ride The Wave. Sign up link in comments below.

My assessment results were helpful and higher than expected since I have some negative self-talk up in there. Also I like to cheat on quizzes like this so I get high grades even though I’m the only who sees them. No worries, I DO have a therapist and she knows about this. ;)

https://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-test/

Take the Self-Compassion Test Test your levels of self-compassion to see where you land. Then try exercises or guided meditations to help you increase your self-compassion!

😉 Well this is super relatable… That’s why it’s good to have your plan in place, so come build one with me and the other Ride the Wavers… This Thursday, we are sharing our time-tested, easiest ways to help you stick with your habits. Like going to sleep in your yoga pants so you’ll be ready for class the next day. I’m kidding! (sort of- I did actually get to yoga class on time the next day). Can’t wait to share my favorite strategies! First class is free.
RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/ridethewavefree

Today I did my morning walking with meditation and did a guided meditation about getting unstuck. I have ADD and things that I find not that s*xy to focus on are hard for me. That is why walking meditation or moving meditation works well for me because I get more grounded in my physical body and breath and out of my busy big head when I am moving. I just took the practice of staying focused on my breath in my meditation to being focused on a task that for me is really hard, sitting down and paying bills. I can carry around a stack of bills (and there are not very many) for a week or two putting it in one pile to the next procrastinating about paying them. I just spent literally 10 min max paying my little stack of bills and now they are done. I started to get distracted by the new offerings on PBS that was in the stack, a text that came through, the wind blowing my papers away (sitting outside in the beautiful sunny day), and was able to bring myself back to the moment by reminding myself that my goal right now was to only pay the bills then move on to the next thing! I know, not mind blowing for many but very usefully for me to see that now I can chunk that paper in the recycling, look at the PBS offerings if I want to and move on to the next thing. A tiny victory for getting unstuck from old patterns. A large part of feeling overwhelmed for me is procrastinating about small tasks that add up to big piles of tasks and papers that feel and look like mountains. Onward I go now to my next task sitting in the sun enjoying this beautiful day, just a bit more relaxed, a hit of dopamine in my tank. How is it going for you all? – Connie

We are getting exciting feedback from our introductory session. Still a great time to join and try a free RTW class this Thursday! Sign up here https://tinyurl.com/ridethewavefree