FeldMed

You just finished a 5K. Your heart may still be at risk.

Summer has a way of making us feel invincible. The longer days, the outdoor workouts, the sense of momentum — there’s a particular confidence that comes with being physically active, and it’s not entirely misplaced. But in nearly four decades of medicine, I’ve learned that feeling well and being well are not the same thing. Sometimes, they’re dangerously far apart. If you’re a runner, you probably remember Jim Fixx — he helped make running a national movement. He died of a heart attack at 52 during his daily run. He looked like the last person at risk. He wasn’t.

A few years ago, a patient came to me — a successful business owner, active, training for a triathlon. He had been anxious after starting the swim and it never went away. He had recently passed a standard cardiac stress test and been given clearance by his cardiologist. We looked further.

www.feldmed.com/blog-2/you-just-finished-a-5k-your-heart-may-still-be-at-risk

Longevity = Epigenetics

We all came into this world with a set of blueprints — our DNA. But if you have ever had to build something - whether from IKEA or a whole house, you know it’s the guy reading the plans that ultimately decides if your newborn will be sleeping on the floor (after the crib collapses), or the dining room is going to be flooded from the upstairs bath! The “BIG GUY (or Gal) “upstairs” laid out the plans (your GENES - your DNA - your genetics). But ultimately it’s up to you how the construction project turns out. You are the contractor — you control your EPIGENETICS. That’s what controls how people end up. Genes only account for between 25 and 35% of how we turn out — the rest is epigenetics. They are the switches that get turned on and off with everything we do, think, eat. Everyone is in charge of their own destiny by the daily choices we make. You can change your future right now! In fact, just reading this post has flipped some switches in your genetic code — hopefully they went in the right direction!! More about the specifics next time.

Be well.

www.feldmed.com/blog-2/longevity-epigenetics

What is Longevity?

Everyone is talking about Longevity. How do we want to think about it?

Healthspan is the key — how long can you be healthy? How long can you keep doing the things you want to do, the things you think are important? Longevity is preserving those abilities. Live Long and Prosper — with the emphasis on PROSPER!

Over the coming year we’re going to talk a lot about LONGEVITY.

As usual when we’re talking about the HUMAN CONDITION, it can get complicated, but often simple things will get you most of the way there.

More to come!

Be well.

www.feldmed.com/blog-2/what-is-longevity

WHEN should I eat?

Are you a morning person or an evening person? If you don’t know which you are, you can take the questionnaire and figure it out. (https://reference.medscape.com/calculator/829/morningness-eveningness-questionnaire)

Why do we care?

A recent study showed that if you adjusted your calorie intake to match your CHRONOTYPE (“time” type), you would do better at managing weight. Evening person, eat later, morning person eat earlier. Only makes sense, but it cuts against the long-held belief that everyone should concentrate calories early in the day (heck, even I said that!).

www.feldmed.com/blog-2/when-should-i-eat