March’s – ‘The Wellness Issue’ – Download Now
The modern way to track your health is data-driven with the latest in tech. Apple is always a step ahead of the game says Dr. Tamara Ghazi, Founder of Diversified Integrated Sports Clinic
What do your first 30 mins of the day look like, your morning routine?
I usually wake up between 5:30-6:30 am depending on the day, its coffee and out the door to the activity of the day! I don’t give myself time to procrastinate; I love to train in the morning as it fuels my high energy and strong mindset for the day, especially at this time of the year when I run a lot and spend most of my mornings outdoors by the beach or around the city. It also ensures I’m tired enough by nightfall and helps to regulate my sleep pattern.
What are the most important things to track when it comes to health and overall wellness?
Movement is one of the most important things to track. We live in a fast-paced city with easy accessibility to most things and people here don’t move enough. I love tracking movement, heart rate and sleep, which is one of the most important parts of recovery and performance!
How do you track your health on a daily basis?
I track how many kilometers I’ve run and if I’m taking the day off exercise I ensure I get at least 10,000 steps a day. I also love to challenge my friends through community features on my Apple Watch to ensure they are also moving. I track my food and water intake because it’s so easy to under hydrate or over consume when everything is so accessible and I love to track my sleep! This also helps me understand how to schedule my day and holds me accountable; I won’t settle for anything less than 7 hours and if I’m pressured to sleep less due to obligations I make sure to train with less intensity to avoid injuries.
How has tracking this allowed you to optimize your health by changing your habits?
Definitely learning to create and prioritize a sleep routine has been the biggest shift I’ve had which helps me perform and recover better.
Sleep is also key to wellness – is this something you monitor and what have you noticed?
So many people suffer from insomnia nowadays, which has been shown to be attributed to too much screen time and overstimulating the brain through blue light. Of course, sleep is a crucial factor in maintaining good health and for optimum recovery and performance. I tend to use the Wind Down feature on my iPhone and Apple Watch to help me stick to my sleep goals every night. When it’s getting close to my bedtime, my iPhone automatically reduces the distractions and eye strain linked to the device and enables Do Not Disturb. It’s all about habit and creating routine, and I found this feature to be especially useful to get me to relax and prepare myself for a good night sleep.
For people interested in understanding their sleep better, I would advise the use of an Apple Watch and ‘Sleep’ app which give you access to key metrics including Time in Bed, Time Asleep, and Heart Rate.
What has been the biggest hurdle since launching Diversified Integrated Sports Clinic and how did you overcome it?
Managing people and finding the right team who share the same work ethic, integrity and vision. It’s in my nature to make people happy, but I’ve learnt that it cannot come at the expense of one’s own happiness and peace of mind. My work is my life, and it’s a big part of who I am, but I really focus on trying to achieve a work/ life balance, finding my purpose and happiness outside of work, which I’ve found in an active and healthy living. It allows me to be a role model to my team and my patients.
What health issues do you see most commonly at the clinic?
We treat musculoskeletal pain, so a lot of neck and back pain due to lack of movement, poor posture and ergonomics or over chronic repetitive loading of certain joints due to lack of movement variation. Contrary to what our name might suggest, we see more sedentary lifestyle related injuries in the working and ageing population. We also see a lot of stress- related tension inducing injuries and chronic pain.
What advice would you give to your younger self, starting out?
Live more in the now, stop worrying about what people think and focus on what makes you happy. I also wish I started my health journey when I was much younger, rather than when I was in my mid 20s. It would have definitely balanced and grounded me a lot more. I’ve recently taken up more adrenaline induced sports and as an adult you have more fear which can be good but also slows down your progression! Life happens outside your comfort zone.
Which piece of tech is your daily go-to when it comes to health optimization?
My go-to daily tech would have to be my Apple Watch. It wasn’t always the case, but over time I kept discovering new and convenient features that made me appreciate it more. For starters, it’s my health, fitness, and wellness partner. It lets me keep track of my goals and pushes me to improve them with time. Being within the health and fitness industry, I also love the fact that people within my network can share their workout progress with me and vice versa. That can be very motivating. And it’s very practical, it keeps me connected while I run through my busy work schedule without losing focus from my patients.
This issue is ‘The Wellness Issue’ – what is wellness to you?
To me wellness is holistic; knowing what works for your best interest and your best performance in every aspect of your life from your job to the gym, to your social structure. It’s finding your balance, between your personal life, your physical and mental health, being able to catch yourself when you’re not at your optimal state and recognizing what you need to bring yourself back to homeostasis. Wellness is finding yourself and your happiness in this beautiful journey of life.
