On this episode. Dr. Jeffry Life and Faraz Khan discuss how his secrets to staying fit and looking great even in your 80’s.

Dr. Life is the 2007 recipient of the first AMMG Alan P. Mintz, M.D. Award for Clinical Excellence in Age Management Medicine. Dr. Life is board-certified in family medicine and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

In 1998, after reaching a lifetime high in body weight, percentage of body fat, and level of de-conditioning, Dr. Life entered the EAS National Body-for-LIFE Challenge, at age 60. He became a Grand Champion and has continued to live a lifestyle promoting health and fitness. His book, The Life Plan, was released in 2011 and became a New York Times Best Seller. His second book, Mastering The Life Plan, was released in March of 2013 and his third book, The Life Plan Diet, was released in 2014.

Men’s Fitness magazine selected him among movie stars and athletes in their 20s and 30s as one of The 25 Fittest Guys in 2012 when he was 74 years old. He has appeared on Inside Edition, The Dr. Phil Show, The Doctors, Anderson Cooper’s AC 360 and The Steve Harvey Show. Since early 2015 he has resided in Charleston, West Virginia and continues to practice healthy aging medicine with a focus on heart attack and stroke prevention at his clinic, The Life Center for Healthy Aging.

Dr. Life background

• Gone though periods where he gets off track and feels age, but he gets right back at it
• Feels like he is in his 40’s, sometimes 50’s
• At 59 years old, he was middle aged and unhealthy
• Read a muscle building book
• Went back to school to get his masters in exercise science and nutrition
• Joined a gym, found a gym trainer and entered the body for life contest
• Won the award for 55 and over
• Started his career in anti-aging medicine

What did he incorporate to rapidly change his body composition

• His keys were consistency – started training at 5 am everyday
• Started a great strength training program
• Became consistent with cardio – 200 minutes a week during the evenings
• Flexibility was his third pillar
• Nutrition and eating right was the fourth pillar, followed a bodybuilders plan
• Dropped body fat and belly fat at the same time

How he practiced age management medicine

• He realized he had to change
• Wrote his first book at age 71, and then wrote 2 more books
• Feels like he is as strong as people in their 40’s
• Wants to be get a black belt in tae-kwondo and karate by age 86

Dr. Life’s Perspectives on Muscle Mass

• Traditional science says people lose strength and muscle mass as they age – called sarcopenia
• #1 reason why people end up in nursing homes where they mostly end up watching TV
• Dr. Life recommends strength training along with cardio and flexibility to stay strength
• To avoid injury, he lifts lighter loads with more reps
• When he sees his high school friends at reunions, they look much older than him and are dwindling away

What Exercises Dr. Life Recommends

• He says to avoid barbell benchpress, he is a bigger fan of dumb bells
• Gotta be careful with squats
• Move slowly and not get into a competitive mindset
• This is a lifetime journey
• You can injure yourself when you train too hard. Injury stops everything

What About Hormone Therapy

• Dr Life realized his testosterone was too low at 64
• Starting taking testosterone, improved his muscle mass, decreased body fat, improved sexual function
• He realized he had coronary artery disease and diabetes: has reversed both
• He focuses his practice on preventing heart attack on stroke
• Taking pharmaceutical to reduce blood pressure meds
• Does statin to lower cholesterol and LDL
• Eats foods that keep his blood sugar low – while being addicted to sugar
• Quit alcohol altogether since 71 years old

Any Supplements He Recommends

• Check blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation scores first
• Supplements are designed to reduce inflammation and improve ability to build muscle, strength and avoid injury
• Vitamin D3 is key, most people he sees are low
• It’s a pro-hormone that is very important for bone health, cardiovascular health and so on
• Some folks need to be on cholesterol lowering drugs
• Most people need fish oil if they don’t eat enough fish
• Eat low glycemic index and load foods
• Optimize health and immunity especially in times of COVID

Where to Find Dr. Life

• Life center for healthy aging in West Virginia
• Practice devoted to healthy aging
• Addresses risk of heart attack and stroke
• Dr Life’s website