Client Spotlight: Dr. Dianna Boyer
Client Spotlight: Dr. Dianna Boyer
Hi everyone - in this blog post I’m sharing a Q&A interview with one of my longest-tenured clients, Dr. Dianna Boyer. In this client spotlight, Dianna shares her motivation for starting Strength School, along with some interesting facts about her favorite place to travel, what she enjoys about being a physician, and much more.
Dianna has been a client at Strength School for seven years now. After graduating from medical school at Indiana University, she has served as a physician in Indiana for more than three decades, specializing in internal medicine and accumulating an enormous amount of practical experience in helping others achieve better health.
Dr. Boyer with her 6-year Strength School shirt
Dr. Dianna Boyer at Strength School
What initially brought you to Strength School?
I started Strength School as a matter of integrity. I have advocated for strength training to my patients as a way of maintaining muscle and bone health, avoiding frailty and mid-life (and beyond!) weight gain. I started doing strength exercises at home years before, but I wasn’t consistent and I didn’t challenge myself.
I had mentioned to a patient that she should do weight-bearing exercise 3-5 times/week to improve her osteopenia (mild bone loss) in addition to making sure she got 1200 mg of calcium/day
through her diet and or supplementation. She returned a year later and mentioned that she was going to Strength School and I casually asked her what it was and where it was.. The next thing I knew, you called and the rest is history.
On a personal level I also knew I should do strength exercises to become a better runner and prevent running injuries, and it has done that for me as well. I’m not necessarily faster, but other than occasional knee pain, I also haven’t had any injuries.
What kind of results have you seen from Strength School?
I have more tone, strength and stamina. I also lost weight gradually as I am inspired to take better care of myself. Also as I mentioned above, I haven’t had any running related injuries since I started Strength School and I’ve actually come to love working out there more than running.
Dr. Dianna Boyer Hobbies
What are your favorite sports teams?
My favorite sports teams are I.U. Men’s and Women’s basketball teams and the Indianapolis Colts. I also follow women’s soccer (especially the national team) and hope to go to Australia to see them in the World Cup championship next year.
What’s the most memorable place you’ve visited?
The most memorable place I’ve been is the Holy Land because it really brought the Bible alive for me and there is nothing like walking where Jesus walked or being where He has been.
Dr. Dianna Boyer Internal Medicine
How has medicine changed since you began practicing? What’s better? What’s worse?
Since I started practicing, the biggest change has been the electronic health record, sending prescriptions electronically and of course the explosion of the internet. The EHR is a very good thing, but I don’t know if it’s the best thing. Patients do enjoy having access to their health records, test results and emailing us and it’s good for us too in some ways.
The best overall advancement is the discovery and use of monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of cancers and autoimmune disorders.
My least favorite change is that the practice of medicine has become consumer driven based on ratings, insurance scoring and the like rather than on quality of care and outcomes. The practice of medicine has been taken from physicians and is now driven by insurance companies who now determine what is ‘best for the patient’ largely based on what they want to cover.
I recommend that my clients check not only their blood glucose levels, but also their HbA1c level. Can you explain the difference?
A blood sugar test reflects what one’s blood sugar is at that moment and can be affected by what one has eaten just recently, either on that day or the night before. An A1C, aka hemoglobin A1C reflects a 3 month average blood sugar level and is not affected by a recent meal.
High blood sugar and obesity are becoming more and more common for Americans 50 and over. What are a few changes someone could make to improve their blood sugar and lose weight?
Reduce overall sugar intake, particularly simple sugars, syrups, refined sugars and flours. All foods increase insulin for proper use of fuel for the body, but over ingestion of simple carbohydrates like sugar and processed flours cause more of a spike in insulin levels. Insulin drives hunger hormones to kick in and it becomes a vicious cycle.
Reduce fats. Oils and saturated fats decrease insulin sensitivity and that impaired insulin sensitivity is what causes Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and pre diabetes.
Exercising for at least 30-60 minutes 5 days/week improves insulin sensitivity and burns off excess fuel.
Increasing fiber in one’s diet helps to blunt the impact of sugar/carbohydrates on one’s blood sugar and helps to lower one’s insulin and cholesterol levels as well.