In 1997 I was a board certified family practice physician that was 59 years old, overweight, poorly conditioned body and rapidly declining health. My stomach was huge, my muscles and joints ached, and I was miserable. I decided it was time to focus some much needed medical attention on myself. Not knowing where to start I began reading fitness magazines and came across an article that featured the
winners of the Body-for-LIFE contest. I showed them to my girlfriend, Annie, and she said ‘this is exactly what you need to do’. I followed a low-glycemic/low-fat diet, took supplements, and plunged into a heavy exercise regimen with help from a former Navy Seal personal trainer, Ernie Baul. At the end of 1998, at 60 years of age and after consistently eating right and training right, I became the GRAND CHAMPION in Bill Phillip’s 1998 Body-for-LIFE contest. I continued to be committed to the Fitness Lifestyle yet despite my hard work and dedication I started loosing ground as I edged toward 63. I was slowly losing muscle mass, strength and I was regaining body fat. I had heard about the Anti-Aging Medicine Movement, so I investigated further. I learned a whole new level of protocols and philosophies and immediately agreed to become a patient. Within a couple weeks I started to see and feel a marked shift in my body, mind, and spirit. I was once again becoming a vibrant, healthy and happy man. It was life altering and It became the catalyst that moved me from Family Medicine to healthy aging medicine. I wanted every man and woman that struggled as I had to have hope for a better life.Today at 78 years of age I am in the best shape of my life. I am in the gym 5 days a week. I have a thriving practice in Charleston, West Virginia (The Life Center for Healthy Aging), and I have authored three books: The Life Plan, Mastering the Life Plan and The Life Plan Diet. At the end of 2012 Men’s Fitness Magazine selected me and 24 others as the top 25 fittest men of the year. The other 24 honorees were men in their 20’s and 30’s and most were professional athletes or actors. The program works, I am living my dream, and there is no end in sight. It just keeps getting better.It would have never happened if I had not made the decision to live a healthier life. While your life may not take the same path as mine, it most certainly can be more productive, happier, and healthier for longer if you start taking care of it now. It is never too late, nor too early, to start living a healthy and fit lifestyle.
