I have this special doctor in Tallahassee named Leslie Emhoff.  He is special because he does a great job of staying up to date on the latest developments in medicine and wellness.  He provides me with good health choices.

Below is a quote from him that I found on his website.

“I don’t just believe in wellness, I try to live it personally and professionally and stay informed of the latest developments in medicine and wellness. I’m not just a physician, I’m a health coach. Become an informed participant in your own health care. This involves more than improving your diet or beginning a long overdue exercise program. It involves partnering with your physician to understand what you – and your own unique body – need to sustain a full and rewarding life.”  – Leslie Emhoff, MD

Dr. Emhoff ran several tests on me and then made suggestions for my diet, exercise and much more.  He didn’t make many suggestions for changes in my diet, but he did recommend a major change in my exercise routine.

I take yoga twice a week, but he noticed while testing me that my fat to muscle ratio was too high.  He recommended lifting some light weights — no more than 10-15 pds–both arms and legs.  He also recommended a little more cardio.

So I added two days of about 15 minutes each of weight work and two days of some type of cardio.  For example, this past weekend we watched our grandson Thomas while his parents were out of town.  We played ball with him and played tag.  That was my cardio for the week.  Done.

More specifically for the weights it was suggested that I choose three different muscle groups and using dumbbells or Kettlebells do three sets of 10-12 reps for each muscle group, resting between each set.  As stated before, it can be done in 15 minutes for the entire workout, 2 to 3 sessions per week.  I do two sessions each week..

Here’s where my diet came into play.  He suggested I avoid sugar and grains to maximize the fat burn and optimize insulin sensitivity to get to my goal quicker.  Now this is getting serious.  Did I tell you that I love breads and desserts.  Well, I do.  Sigh!

But I can tell exactly when I’m off the wagon for this one.  Within a day after I add back the sugar and grains, my muffin top magically appears almost overnight.  I think that it is the result of a decrease in my body’s ability to handle insulin.  Another sign of old age.  Double Sigh!

He talked to me about how our brains tend to lose some of their ability to burn glucose as we age.

He said that the current food pyramid is way off base–that I should be getting 50-55% from good fats, 25% from protein and 20% from “complex” carbs.  I’m still trying to figure out where the desserts fit into this pyramid.?.  Maybe, it is in the 5% that floats between “complex” carbs and good fats.

In his testing he did find some evidence of hardening of the arteries in my EKG and recommended Vitamin K2 (90-100 mcg twice a day).   He said that this keeps calcium out of the blood vessels and directs it to the bones.

He also said that my CRP (C-Reactive Protein test) was minimally elevated, and that this was a general measure of inflammation in my system.  Again, he recommended avoiding refined sugar, white carbs and most grains as these are inflammatory to my system.  There goes another strike against my bread and desserts.  Three Sighs Here.  He added Turmeric 700-900 mg twice daily for its anti-inflammatory properties.

In conclusion he said that my body composition analysis indicated a need to reduce fat content and increase muscle mass.  He wanted me to lose about 15 pounds of fat and gain 2-4 pounds of muscle in primarily my core and lower extremities.  He also wanted me to work harder at reducing inflammation in my body. So there you have it–my marching orders in a nutshell.

My doctor is an MD-VIP doctor, which is a personalized healthcare program.  You can read more about it here.  Traditional practices need to see 2,000 patients or more a day, but this organization ensures that each MDVIP-affiliated doctor cares for 600 patients or fewer.  I pay an annual fee for this.

Because he sees less patients, this means I receive extra time and attention from Dr. Emhoff.  I also believe this is what gives him more time to stay up to date on the latest information in medicine.

He wanted me to take these suggestions and try them for a couple of months.  Afterwards, he wanted to see me again to assess my progress.

I’ll let you know how it goes–as soon as I find that cookie that I hid from myself yesterday.  Just kidding.