This week, my attending, nurse, and I were featured in our hospital's newsletter for being published in a nationally-renowned rehabilitation medical journal. It was wonderful to receive this recognition and even more rewarding to be able to share our knowledge with the medical community.

When it comes to getting published, sharing information, and expressing yourself, you need to be able to write. As a physician a large part of our day is documentation. We write for patients, insurance companies, other doctors and healthcare professionals anywhere from notes to prescriptions, letters, articles, and instructions. Medicine is science, but it is also art and with it comes the art of writing.

One of the biggest challenges we face in our career is that of writing the personal statement. We have to do this not just for college or medical school but also for residency and fellowship programs. Having both written and edited several of these, I developed my own list of tips and tricks to perfecting the personal statement:
Writing
When writing your first draft, do not confine yourself to word limits. Just write whatever stream of consciousness comes to mind to put everything you want to say into words. You can always go back and edit.

Show Don't Tell
Come up with 5 different experiences you have had, whether it’s working with a specific physician, treating a patient, an interaction, or a personal story.

Now it's time for you to take a look in the mirror, find a comfy seat and get to work!

Structure

Introduction paragraph 

Second paragraph

Third paragraph

Fourth paragraph

Conclusion paragraph

My favorite part about the beginning of a new month is setting new goals and intentions. Inspired by my favorite fitness instructor, Cassey Ho of Blogilates, I have decided to commit to Move this (as we in the health and wellness community like to call it) Movember.

After participating in a 5K with my residency program (and becoming #instafamous on the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/AAPMR's Instagram story!), I realized how much I missed exercising on a regular basis. These past few months, I have been attending classes with no set schedule or consistency. I wanted to gain that confidence back in my body, confidence so many of us forget to acknowledge (especially in the winter).


Between studying for our anatomy didactics block, working at the hospital, and taking on new commitments, I had placed my fitness on the back burner. As we tell our patients, Movement is Medicine, and it is so important to take care of your body. This month I aim to get back on track, committing to the lifelong journey of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and fitness routine. Who says you need to wait until New Year's for a resolution anyways?

As the weather gets colder and many of us want to stay inside, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to remind the #vitastics community that winter is not the time to hibernate your body but rather to cultivate it. Join me as I take on Cassey Ho's PIIT28 routine once again! Even if this is not the right fit for you, I encourage you to find your own fitness routine. Whether it's going to the gym, going for a walk, checking out ClassPass, or doing at home workouts like me, movement is medicine!

PIIT28 is a 28-day program I successfully completed during my intern year of residency that transformed my life both physically and mentally. It's essentially 28 minutes of high-intensity interval training with a Pilates foundation. To learn more about my first experience, check out my previous post (click HERE). You do a 6-minute warmup, complete four rounds of the 7-minute workouts, followed by a 9-minute cool-down/stretch session. I love that you can do it anywhere and you don't need anything but yourself, a mat, and the knowledge that you can do this! That's right: no weights, no equipment.

In addition to exercising every day, I am also going to do my best to adhere to the nutrition plan outlined in the PIIT28 Day Reset. This means no dairy, no added sugars, no gluten, no processed grains, and no alcohol.



The first time I followed the meal plan to a T. While it was hard work and isolating at times, I felt great by the end, building more confidence in my endurance and ability to say no to cravings. I love checking out Farmers Markets like Society Hill's to see what fresh organic fruits and veggies they have available.

That being said, this time, I am going to allow some leniency in certain restrictions because I don't want to deprive my body completely of my favorite things. I want to be able to enjoy my time out at events with friends and family. Plus, according to the Mediterranean diet, a glass of red wine once or twice a week can be beneficial!

There are plenty of healthy and delicious meals that can be made within the nutrition program including this delicious shrimp curry made with mushrooms, whole grain rice, peas, garbanzo beans, and squash.

If you'd like to check out the PIIT 28 routine I'm doing, click HERE.

If you'd like to check out the 28 Day Reset I'm also participating in, click HERE.

Don't forget to follow me on IG @doctor.cole for some inspiration :)

This Movember, let me know your favorite way to get moving! Leave a comment below.