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Doctors have seen and heard it all, and their experience can’t help but shape their own day-to-day behavior.
One physician in California revealed online what she’d “never” do. Nicole Van Groningen is a 37-year-old internal medicine doctor based in Los Angeles. She told Newsweek that many of the “risky behaviors” she avoids are “informed by my experience treating patients as a medical student and resident.”
Other habits were “picked up from a combination of reading the medical literature and my own personal experience in medical training, when I had an insanely busy schedule and had to prioritize my wellness habits.”
Below, we unpack what Van Groningen would never do as well as some health habits she does follow.
Wake Up Early To Exercise
Van Groningen highlighted the “things you’ll never catch me doing as a doctor” in a recent viral clip shared from her TikTok account @dr.nicole.vangroningen.
Urging that “sleep is the primary wellness habit,” she said in the video “do not let any influencers out here convince you that it’s best to cut your sleep duration short so that you can go to the gym and work out and build a better body.”
The doctor told Newsweek: “Though I won’t cut sleep short because of it, I still think movement is incredibly important—I just fit it in later in the day. I focus on resistance training, which I’ve noticed is commonly overlooked but critically important, especially for women.”
In addition to physical movement, Van Groningen told Newsweek she’d also “prioritize relationships and social connection” because “loneliness is actually one of the largest threats to health and longevity that we know of.”
Go in the Sun Without Sunscreen
The L.A.-based doctor revealed that she’d “never go in the sun without sunscreen…not even for five minutes,” admitting that “this is for part health reasons and part vanity…” She added that she prefers sunscreens that contain zinc oxide, according to the video.
Insist on ‘Doing Things Naturally’
The internal medicine doctor also shared in the clip that she “would never insist on doing things naturally or following the natural way and approach” because “natural is always best and nature know best.”
In some cases, “a natural approach can be absolutely wonderful,” she said in the video. However, she added: “You know what happened back in those natural times before the era of vaccines and antibiotics and other aspects of modern medicine? Nature dictated that a lot of people died.”
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Ride a Motorcycle…
Van Groningen noted that cars these days come with so many safety features, “the least of which [are] literally walls and windows and doors–why would you give all of that up [by riding a motorcycle]?,” she asked in the clip.
“All it takes is one trauma surgery rotation as a med student, that’s enough, I’d never do it,” she said.
The doctor told Newsweek that she’d also add “riding a scooter in busy traffic” to the list, which she plans to expand on in a follow-up post, as she’s “seen a lot of serious injuries from these scooters.”
…Or a Bike Without a Helmet
Van Groningen said “there’s just no reason” to ride a bike without wearing a helmet in the the latest post. “There are some specific screams from family members that I will never forget and I’ll never ride a bike without a helmet,” she said in the video.
Blame People for Their Health Problems
Van Groningen also shared that she’d “never blame people for their health status.”
“I think people who do are trying to cling to a sense of control and say ‘that person is sick because they did X, Y and Z things,'” she said.
The doctor explained in the clip: “The reality is s*** happens and even the healthiest people get sick, it is no fault of their own.”
With regards to those who do engage in activities that are considered risk factors for certain diseases, such as smoking, the doctor said: “No one deserves to get a horrible illness, no one deserves that.”
Gauge Health by Appearance
Van Groningen added that she’d never make an assessment of someone’s health based on how they look. “There is so much more to health than outward appearance and that needs to be said more,” she said in the video.
Do you have a health-related tips to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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