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Improving Physical Wellness on a Busy Schedule

3/13/2019

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Physical wellness is one of the pillars of ASDA’s Wellness initiative. As a dental student with a busy schedule, it can be difficult to always find the time to make it to the gym and eat the proper foods. However, having a healthy lifestyle is so important not only for your own well-being, but for your performance in school as well.



Here are 5 tips that everyone can use to make physical wellness more achievable!

  1. Setting goals in the gym – having specific fitness goals will give you something to work towards in the gym and motivate you to make it after long days at school. This could be to lose a certain amount of weight or add a certain amount of strength. If you set a goal that is important to you then you’ll be willing to do what it takes to accomplish it!
  2. Workout with a buddy – having someone to workout with not only gives you an accountability partner, but also someone who can push you harder during your workouts. Having someone to workout with also makes the gym more fun than having to go all by yourself.
  3. Cook in bulk – meal planning in advance and making multiple meals at a time will save you valuable time each day. Having food at home will also discourage you from eating out and making unhealthy choices. Cooking at home is also way cheaper than eating out!
  4. Cook on the days you don’t go to the gym – doing these things on the same day can be almost impossible for a dental student who is at school all day. Splitting them up for different days makes them way more manageable on a busy schedule.
  5. Mix up your workouts and food choices – by trying new foods and keeping your workouts fresh you avoid the monotony that can come along with always having to eat right and exercise. Some novelty can make the process way more enjoyable.
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Hopefully these tips make it easier for you as a busy dental student to practice healthy habits. And remember, improving your physical wellness can affect the other aspects of your life as well. Taking care of your body can work to improve your general mood and even your performance in school!  

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Member Monday: Lisa Shi

3/4/2019

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Happy Monday everyone! With spring semester picking up speed, most students are counting down the days to spring break and a week of relaxation and recuperation. The D4s on the other hand, have their eye on something a little more exciting: graduation! This week we talked to Lisa Shi, former ASDA president and a D4 who is ready to experience life beyond dental school.


The question that is on all of our minds when it comes to the D4s is of course, what are your plans for after graduation? For Lisa this is easy! She will be staying here at UAB for a periodontics residency. This is no easy feat as residency programs are getting tougher and tougher to be accepted to so we applaud Lisa on this accomplishment.
 
Lisa first became exposed to perio during her undergraduate research studies on the mechanisms of bone resorption. “I didn't have a lot of exposure to dentistry prior to dental school,” says Lisa, “so my initial interests purely came from shadowing different dentists around town. I loved the surgeries and the idea that we can not only treat disease but also regrow tissues. Of course it also helped that we have an amazing perio department at UAB!”
 
With so many specialty options, it can be difficult to find the one that fits you the most. We asked Lisa if she had any suggestions for classes below on how to figure out their interests and how to pursue a residency. Lisa’s advice is to “go be a fly on the wall in different clinics at school whenever you have time. I also shadowed other specialties to narrow down my options. Having rotations at all of the clinics during D3 year was very beneficial. Dentistry is a very diverse profession, which is why I think it's really important to be certain about specializing. The idea of mastering a skill is very appealing, but pursuing one specialty basically means giving up all the others. So take the time to list out the pros and the cons. Talk to different faculty and current residents to gain a good sense of the reality of perio and not just the positives.”
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Of course, with every residency comes the dreaded application process.  Juggling schoolwork and preparation for licensure and boards while filling out applications does not seem like an easy task. “The online applications were so unnecessarily confusing,” says Lisa. “Not all programs participated in MATCH and not all programs took the ADEA PASS ‘common application.’ I tried to make my life easier by applying to only MATCH programs, but one program wanted their own separate application, not PASS, and another program wanted another application in addition to PASS. Thank goodness I had another classmate applying with me. We got through it together. Once the interviews started, I actually started enjoying the process! I visited old friends in cities I had interviews in and also met a lot of future colleagues along the way. One of the interviewees I met ended up being my future co-resident!”
 
Lisa was very invovled with ASDA during her years at UAB so we wanted to find out about some of her favorite memories she would take with her to residency. According to Lisa, “There are so many! Crawfish boil is probably one of my favorite ASDA social events. I usually end up eating the delicious crawfish for hours. Aside from all of our chapter's events, the district and national conferences are always a blast. Being around people who truly appreciate the dental profession really gave me the motivation to get through the harder parts of dental school. The first and most memorable conference I attended was District 5's conference in New Orleans my D2 year. That was the first time I met dental professionals outside of Alabama. It's so easy to connect with people when you already have a lot in common! The last national event I attended was the ADA/ASDA Lobby Day in D.C. with veteran dentists and leaders of Alabama. It was quite an eye opening experience.” Alabama ASDA has a lot to offer its students so be sure to check out all the great events going on!
 
Finally, we asked Lisa if she thought that being a part of ASDA will help her in the future. “Most definitely,” she says. “I am a pretty social /love making new friends kind of person, but my ultimate goal is to have my own private practice one day. That thought always seemed kind of lonely, but through my involvements in ASDA and organized dentistry, I know now that dentistry is not a solitary profession. There is a large network of dentists from all over the country who attend national/state/local events to help each other out. The first time I attended a practice management course was at an ASDA event. Someone once told me that once we graduate, the actual practice of dentistry is the easiest part. It is everything else that is difficult. By continuing to stay involved with the ADA or another dentistry organization, I know I will save myself from making a lot of mistakes in the future because I will have mentors who can help guide me in the right direction.”
 
Thanks for all the great advice Lisa! It is clear that ASDA and organized dentistry has a lot to offer us both while we are still in dental school and beyond graduation. Dental school can challenge us to our breaking point at times but we have to remember that we are not alone in our endeavor to pursue this profession. As Lisa told us, “Dental school has been a lot of fun BUT… only 88 days until graduation!” Keep trudging along everyone!
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