CEOs Health lifestyle: When Health Apps Don't work, Do This

0:00 because I didn't have five hours a day to be in the gym. The last thing I want to do after working a 16 hour day, right, is logging into an app and playing around with different things for the team here really deliver. I think you have a great clientele list with a bunch of high profile individuals. 0:16 Hey, guys, it's Dr. Ryan. And today what we're gonna do is talk with one of my patients, then who has been with the program for about five months or so. 0:24 Yeah, thanks, doctor. I appreciate it. Pleasure to be here talking with you today. My name is Vinod. I'm an executive from Connecticut born and bred in the Northeast up here. But I have extensive travel international CEO for an artificial intelligence supply chain startup young father, single dad and extraordinaire on a bunch of different things. Jack of all trades Master of None pretty eclectic hobbies ranging from technology all the way through rock climbing, skydiving and some pretty eccentric stuff outdoor, so work hard. Enjoy life and family health and energy. Being able to enjoy that report. 0:58 Why don't we go ahead and jump in? Why don't you tell us a little bit about your experience before you started with the program? What were some of the goals that you were trying to accomplish? 1:07 One of the things for me, I'm relentlessly resourceful. And what I've done myself a lot of times, and I think a lot of people find themselves this way as the analysis paralysis, right? So you're constantly looking for a solution. There's a bunch of misinformation out there in my career, as well as my personal life, I really like to be data driven. So for me, it's all about being able to see quantifiable results, it's got to feel good, it's got to work. But then I also have to be able to show demonstrated success, right. And whether that's shareholders or your family and or personal life, it's great to celebrate accomplishments, achievements, and have that nonfuel linear path. One of the I think, largest challenges I had was being very empirical on measuring metabolism, measuring all the different things that you should look out for not only just for having a good insurance rate, like life insurance, or a higher low cholesterol, or blood count, but really making sure that you feel healthy, and that as things change, stress dynamics, environment, sickness, health, we've all been, you know, on the tail end of a pandemic and exposed to different things. You're also growing, I'm aging, right, candidly, none of us are getting any younger. So I wanted to take a holistic approach of really looking at the nutrition, understanding a physical workout plan that worked for me, but was also customized, can't get that in a book or on an online app that you just download by itself, or even with a personal trainer or nutritionist, they don't talk. So I had my primary care physician, a bunch of claptrap are being apps that I was trying to do as a busy executive to maintain from sleep or metabolism or even nutrition as well as working out and then modify that pretty crazy travel schedule. So I'm in a hotel, or I have more time on the road than I care to admit, or I needed to modify the workout schedule to whoever was going to happen in my personal or professional life that week, really being able to take all of that, put it together, and then have empirical results by a trusted medical professional and a team of experts was super important. And I've tried a bunch of apps and things before both together and independently and just didn't find the right fit. 3:13 So it sounds like you're looking for something that was a one stop shop, so to speak. Whereas on one with an individually, you can trust that had a more holistic approach. You just had some difficulty by that. I do want to double click on that you mentioned that you had tried several different programs, apps, etc. Why were those get helping you reach your goal? In other words, what sort of roadblocks were you hitting in terms of reaching those goals have? 3:41 Yeah, I can break that down in typical executive format, right into a couple of key points. One was interoperability, nothing really talked to anything else, and you get mixing, right. So my cholesterol is high, but my metabolisms low, but my body weight, my feeling or looking any better. So again, there's a lot of that. And I'm not a medical professional, right, and EMT farthest by trade. But it's interesting because you know, you know enough information to be dangerous, and you know, how you feel, and even more importantly, you know, how you perform. So I think whether that's in the office, or at the gym, or even in your personal life, you want to make sure that you're always at your best, and that you're doing things that are going towards your ultimate goal. It was really tough to do that, disparately, and then you get a medical report from a lab physical about cholesterol or something. And I really couldn't see myself break that barrier. And there really wasn't anybody to go to this a Okay, as we change and look at all these different factors. How do we know that a we're not harming one thing to achieve another and that was a big piece of getting the appropriate amount of return. Also on the time because I didn't have five hours a day to be in the gym. I didn't have multiple time going to be on apps. The last thing I want to do after working 16 hours a day right is logging into an app and playing around with different things. Plus, there needs to be a trusted professional that your side with a network of proven results. And for me trust is a series of deliver promises can we deliver on a nutrition program that's customizable, that works that I can enjoy. And I'm gonna click, same thing with workouts, things that worked out one day, but like change volumes, just even equipment at the gym, right? Dinner didn't have it even customizing where the equipment in the gym was. This is just a big thing with my lean background not running around, like a bouncing ball to different parts of the gym, but being able to actually almost certainly, right, and that setup, so that scenario analytics, the ability to have a data driven approach and the ability to customize with a trusted professional, from everything from picking the right nutrition, bouncing that off against empirical standards like labs, and then monitoring and seeing results in that program where I could look at gains, we can make specific improvement and we can key in on target areas that we need to focus on. So for me, that was huge, and experiencing the success. And you guys definitely put it all together. And we found that 5:58 I'm glad that you comment on that we do take a lot of pride and combining what we think are the most important aspects of longevity program, obviously, guidance, which consists of Diet, exercise, supplements and medications. And with the ultimate goal of getting you towards an ideal performance state, at the same time reducing your risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, dementia, and you're absolutely right. Sometimes there can be goals that can counteract each other. And it's good to work with someone that tries to put them all at one point. And it's actually with the right individual and the right, the right program. Not as hard as you think, do you guys 6:41 made it easy. And I think you've touched on an important point too. There's some unnecessarily concerning but everyone's got family history, right and uncle with this a mother or father with that condition. So that definitely weighs on your mind, especially again, as you start getting up there. You have a stressful career. And there's demands on family life, children, parents and things. So I think that's also important to be able to take that into consideration, and also screen and monitor for those specific things. And that's different for every individual. So there's no cookie cutter approach, which was also really refreshing. And it wasn't, I didn't just feel like they were plugging an algorithm into an Excel spreadsheet and going, Hey, here's your body mass as a five foot five Italian American individual, right and saying, Oh, that's great. But you guys really do take a customized approach, listen to the patient support along the journey, make those necessary changes and back it up with lab results. So for me, that was huge 7:34 on this journey. And I'm just curious who made this event may or may not have occurred? But was there an inciting event that made you think, all right, enough's enough, I'm tired of wasting or spending my energy across several different platforms, it's time to look for a program that's on one. Was there an event that occurred that made you think that way? 7:55 Yeah, absolutely. I had a little bit of a health scare last year with some herniated muscles and whatnot. And they really kept me out of the gym for a couple of months, a lot of that was psychological to write just, there's always an excuse, hey, I'm busy hits this event that that would prevent you from doing it. And also it took energy. And it took having preparedness and support to say, Alright, I know I'm gonna miss a couple days and travel. And so you fall off the wagon on nutrition or supplements, or you have a big client dinner that you know, you're not going to potentially be able to go to bed as early as you like, or eat as healthy as you want to. And then how do you counteract that, but I did notice as I super hyper focused on the company, which was important, and my children, my health and my individual kind of performance suffer. And that then has ripple effects right into your business, into your career into energy into even just personality and social interaction. So for me, moment of self awareness, I didn't like where I was trending. And I noticed that I was spending a lot at the spirit time, like you talked about managing different things, but they weren't producing results. I didn't feel better, wasn't losing weight, right. It wasn't necessarily more clear or focused, always felt lethargic. And I was going through the motions. So I needed to really shock the system, understand those benchmarks, and then really put a defined and measured plan in place. And again, like we talked about intentional interoperability, right? Are we looking at nutrition? Can someone support me with the app a email you and talk through the fact that I don't like supplement or food as it's not necessarily looking out for me? And I think having good sound important guidance backed by a professional with research versus just the article on whatever trending news platform that reading that that and we've all been there coffee milk in information there. So it's hard enough and as a busy executive, candidly, I wanted other people on that kind of alpha tribe, if you will, that understand and do it for kind of a jury of your pitch. Right. And that's what we definitely got from 9:53 the book. Okay, wonderful. All right. Let's try to transition on to how you found out about the program. How did you find out about the program? 10:02 Yeah, so admittedly one of those dudes scrollers on social media, right? I believe it was on Instagram. And we use a lot of that for work and marketing. So actually, I had walked out of a marketing meeting for our company one day, doing some comparative ads and what was happening, and then independently stumbled upon program, quite candidly, very intriguing, but it was like, I've heard this before, right? We've been here we've seen the miracle pill or the Shark Tank ad, right? Or, you know, whatever social media thing, make empty promises. Look back, there was there's credibility, obviously, undocked, Ryan coming to get to know and appreciate our relationship. And again, it's a series of weather prompts, I say, Hey, I take 1000 meetings a day, it could hurt to jump on an exploratory call, the testimonials were there, I liked the medical lab based approach, right. So I definitely was looking for that. And I liked the integration, right, you bring a series of next, experts together from the physical fitness, deliver it and you are constantly even improving on the app, taking feedback and guidance. And it wasn't cookie cutter. So for me, it didn't feel faceless and international, even though it was online, we were really connected, develop the core with the team. And you guys made yourselves available, whether it was tweaking a routine from a work or a series of personal events, even a nutrition plan, or even just understanding, you know, supplements and dosing, right, everything from even helping me pick out the type of Blender and the pill cutter. Workout best. So I think it's that level of support that really differentiated program made a human, but also made it convenient and connected. 11:33 Yeah, I think that's really important, because you're alluding to the fact that marketing is ambiguous. It's everywhere, right? When you really want to work with a team and a program, where the back end aka the physician, the medication liberal, the people that the apps are focusing like a well oiled machine. And listen, every program, every clinic has their issues, but that's what we I really put the focus on in my program, really to ensure that communication was clear questions were answered and issues were resolved to the best of our ability and in a very quick fashion, and it served me well, it's a trend to be more patient centered rather than program centered. So why don't we transition a little bit into some of the changes you experienced, after you joined. And just to preface that, what I'm going to do is rag on you for a little bit and share some data here. So you've made some pretty remarkable changes in just a few months. And some important markers, as you alluded to, you had always had trouble with your cholesterol, but you're able to drop that within normal ranges, your triglycerides dropped as well, you always had a good hemoglobin aim and scenic drop further to 4.8, which is excellent. We've had some issues getting your test levels up, but now they're wonderful. Another area that we really tried to improve upon, or you try to improve upon the passage of vitamin D levels are able to really improve those last thing is homocysteine, which is a really important marker for methylation and key amino acid when elevated associated with heart disease, stroke, cancer dementia, you're able to cut that to a much more reasonable level at nine. And this was done within a fairly short period of time. And then you're able to combine that with the subjects, you're able to make a pre snap get drop and your body weight, which is manifested in your pictures, when he first started, you had a fair amount of body fat around your abdomen, right, which we were able to really work upon in just a few months. That's pretty amazing. And so I was really happy with the changes were accomplished in a fairly short period of time. And I want to make sure that all this goes to you, because you're the one that put the effort and take the diet, to follow the diet to do the exercise to take the supplements to optimize and optimize your hormonal levels. And because you did these things, you really experienced some pretty profound changes. And so it really aren't really amazing. Now, that's those are my thoughts. What are your thoughts about some of the changes you notice in terms of your physique and overall health? 14:09 Yeah, no, I think one of the big things for me as well was mental clarity and energy, being able to focus obviously, consistency with workout routine and appropriate diet are helpful, obviously, key components of that, but the support to so I think that was the other thing is for me, it's almost gamification, right, it's being able to be part of something, have a series of goals have it clearly defined, and it's always better when it's maintained and monitored. And I've never won for competitions, at least like the old myself to a higher standard, but you're comparing against your previous prior best, right? Every day you're trying to wake up and improve and be better. And I noticed myself challenging myself appropriately and incrementally at the workout. So that was one of the bigger things. You guys teach this in the program. It's trying to make gains, but it is small increments consistently as possible. Right. And that was really important because a lot of times you get distract Did you swing for the fences and get frustrated. And I think that also contributes to lack of commitment to progress. And that to me was a huge opportunity, a milestone. And then again, just the support and the success of my nutrition is x my weights, why my labs are where they are. And you guys also made it really easy, right? Scheduling a lot of appointments, making sure to talk through and understand having really great information and real life information tailored to the way that I wanted to consume it in the app or via the check in calls or necessarily just a message right, back and forth, having those scheduled interactions, but also very clearly articulating the why. And I think that's what's super important for a lot of folks to understand. So they might have a misimpression, right, whether it's diet, dietary, or from workout perspective. And you guys also even taught me that concept with volume, right wasn't so much whether I was trying to lift heavy or lift light, but the appropriate amount of activity from cardio to, you know, the various different workouts, and then even being able to change that up, hey, some things on my personal schedule had changed with childcare, meaning appointments, and being able to be flexible, and then tailor that I really wasn't able to see that, plus the nutrition results and the supplements in one place by professionals that were either there to support you, or were real people isn't also a faceless experience, Dr. Ryan and the team really did a great job of meeting, understanding, accommodating and even just whatever barrier or even perceived issue that I had, really making sure that we've had a solution or a framework for it super impressed with the results. I think for me, also, you've done a great job of pointing that out. And the results speak for themselves, either physically or even on paper with labs. And to me that's important, want that longevity and be there in a healthy position for my family and for the company in future years, very impressed and happy with the results with the approach. And not only that, but what the general feeling, and just the level of support from the program. And I think that's what really differentiates Dr. Ryan, you've put together versus faceless apps and things that are disconnected, that have good intentions, but also aren't really dynamic enough to be successful. Because let's face it, we're human, right, and all those things are going to change and it's a moving target. So you need to be able to adapt and react to that as well. And we found that program. So super impressed and definitely happy with the sport and been able to meet. And that's been a key thing too, right. So it wasn't a blip on the radar, we got lucky or I had a couple of good weeks. It's a consistent program where you know, feeling better, we're constantly making gains. 17:33 I'm really glad that you mentioned that. One thing I always try to emphasize is incremental changes can lead to exponential results, right. And just those small incremental changes on a day by day basis, establishing healthy habits, eating the right foods, baking in time to train falling yourself, but on a regular basis can make really amazing changes. And as demonstrated your physique and your lab values in a fairly short amount of time, you talked about some of the changes you experienced from your health and physique. But what about some of the changes you experienced in terms of your business, as well as your relationships with your family? And your colleagues? 18:07 Yeah, I think confidence plays a big part in a lot of it, right. So obviously, feeling better being able to perform better. Again, we talked about that I had gotten into that slump of not necessarily prioritizing self, or even that exercise routine, right? There's always the last thing on the list and not being able to do it. And I think a large part of that was playing. So again, you guys have really helped out in being able to be dynamic and making sure that reacts, when you see that effect into being a single dad being a leading executive in your company, there's a lot of demands, those tend to wear on you pretty heavy. And there's a pretty great support system there. Also understanding what we were doing right and having a path or a goal and that support and those nudges in a supportive way, where if I was falling off track, or had some questions or needing to be dynamic, we were there. I think in any business environment, clarity, and being able to have that focus and that energy with huge, we wanted to be able to make sure that I was effective as I possibly was because I knew I was spending a little bit too much time and disparate kinds of things, trying to track the health. So it was able to actually refocus, you know, some of that time and attention very effectively even scheduling the cardio different from the physical workouts and things like that. But I also think that just again, that's, that's extremely huge in getting into family life or getting into the career, having the ability to be dynamic. And then the business really, we've always been doing pretty good. But to get to that next level really needed to be clear and focused and a lot of the nutrition and the supplements to even like the brain kit and things that's important. So I've had a lot of misinformation with that spending a lot of different time on different supplements, right when we met trying to figure out what that right focus was, and also being able to be clear and calm. Right. So the right practices around meditation around sleep around, just exercising and even when and that trigger and that scape. Based on what we knew was going to come up that we help prioritize it reduced that attack time and worry, it absolutely was a boost in confidence, right, look better and feel better. And honestly coming up on on the PeerMark care of a 40th birthday, being able to feel like I was in my 20s again and perform physically and mentally where I felt I was, I was huge. And I think that's a huge boost. And not only in my personal life, but in business, different layer of confidence. And then not only that, being just deep into the patients bucket, and it sharpens the 20:31 focus. And the reality is, I think he mentioned this, we're really trying to focus on optimizing your energy levels, and improving your minutes you have a constant positive mood, improving your mental clarity all which was can be pretty obvious to most people can be extremely helpful in terms of dealing if you're a CEO, or employee, if you're an entrepreneur, and we're dealing with your day. So I'm really happy that you're experiencing some of those benefits. So along with the competence that comes with the more aesthetic physique, right, and right confidence that your biomarkers are improving as well. 21:05 That's always a concern, too, right? There's always that nagging in the back of your mind, what am I not paying attention to? It's the same reason most people delay their physicals. Right. So it's been able to meet it head on and then have a plan and support for whatever it is. Yeah, 21:17 I think this is just my impression, and maybe yours. But the impression I get from myself or other patients is that there's a level of reassurance that comes from like a healthcare professional looking at your labs, and that you've seen them, you can research them yourselves in Washington improve over time, recognizing you're getting into great ranges, and that your levels for those chronic illnesses. You mentioned for heart disease, cancer, dementia, and diabetes, your your your likelihood of developing them, it's just dropping dramatically over time. So that's wonderful. Okay, so you talked about a lot of benefits in that prior session. But were there any other benefits that you can think of that came from working with the Pro? 21:58 Yeah, absolutely. And I think you touched on the confidence, right, and motivation and being able to do that. I think also what's really unique, and that I think separates a lot of different programs is really the ability to take and meds and that equation into almost automatic, right. So one of the key things I found is that you've also invested time in a platform and store not only to tie and even put things in the cart, right after we mutually discussed plans, but also articulate and understand that if we were experiencing something or something didn't feel offer, right, or even just we knew there, were going to be a series of changes, again, that dynamic ability flew all the way through right from ordering to Seipel, traveling for extended periods of time and needing to manage various supplements or deliveries and things like that. So that dynamic was huge, too. Because I think that's also a huge stressor for a lot of folks, right? Especially that don't have the time or the energy is one more thing to go look at the platform, order those things. And you help keep us on track manage that pipeline, obviously, as I know, as a supply chain professional, right, in today's environment. So you guys have also created that online marketplace, as well as even gave tips and suggestions for, you know, the right what I would say accompany minutes, right again, but we laugh, it's the blender or even the types of food based on where we work, right can't get access to certain things because I'm traveling internationally or whatever, how do we make that work or make that tweak. And that was huge. So again, it highlights the dynamic nature of the program, but really the support and not having that that cookie cutter approach. And that takes down stress that makes it much more easier to follow. And not only that there's a dynamic factor there. 23:34 Now, a lot of our patients are not stationary in one area, they're traveling, they're moving around and making a program flexible to their needs. It just is a requirements requisite. And so we just we ensure that the diet plans are portable, so to speak, and that they work well with travel. So very good. One last question. What would you tell someone who is watching this now and is uncertain about joining the program? Yeah, that's 23:59 a great question. And I think my own personal journey, right? You're skeptic you comment through marketing, right? We all meet same channels, social media, email, advertising, whatever, whatever the world today. And obviously, whether it's a financial commitment, or you're scared to commit to a program or jumping online, or ultimately just not convinced, because you there might be a dime a dozen, right things that are differentiated, as I've always said, and you said before, it's a series of delivered promises on the team here really deliver. And I think you have a great clientele list of a bunch of high profile individuals. Not only that, but the support of anybody really is on the fence app, the ability to have everything intentionally and through interoperability in one space, as well as just be able to try the program. So there's nothing more important than your health and investing in yourself. And I think that my advice to anybody on the fence would be do the research, do the homework, but definitely jump in. And I think again, Brian, you and the team will deliver for them. I'm sure just like we have for myself because I am One of the biggest skeptics, and I come from an environment where we store said, Trust, but verify. And I know you absolutely have delivered in a big way and every step of the way from interview to the initial interview to explaining the program extremely well. I think that is worth its weight in gold as well get on that call, understanding, explain the program, ask your questions, and I'm pretty confident that you guys would do a great job and call me any of those. 25:26 And thanks so much for telling us a little bit about your experience. And I'm very happy to have you as a patient. 25:32 Thanks again. It's been a pleasure. Thank you. So well.