Unlocking The Secrets to Business Health & Longevity - Chris, Executive & Pro Tennis Player

0:00 Okay, guys, it's Dr. Ryan and today we're gonna talk with Chris, who has been a patient of SEMA up for oh, about three or four months, about four months or so. And he's going to tell us a little bit about his experience with the clinic. So Chris, why don't you go ahead and give us a little information about yourself, where you live, what you do, and your hobbies what your family is like? 0:21 Sure. Thanks, Dr. Ryan. It's my pleasure to be here. I'm Chris. I'm an executive, very busy schedule, very busy work life. So I'm a father of six boys. So very busy home life. And I'm an active tennis player play competitively locally, former basketball player that transitioned to tennis when my knee got bad, probably familiar to some other people out there. So I've led generally an active lifestyle, my whole life, some of the things I do for fun, I enjoy different types of food, I love fine wine, which I know you're not that happy with the fact that I do enjoy a glass of wine every once in a while, but I do, and I enjoy living at the beach. So I live, I live close enough that I can walk to put my toes in the sand on a daily basis. It's an important part of my life. So that's me. That's, that's 1:13 wonderful. Thanks for that, Chris. And I do want to preface it. Before I go into my questions. I do want to say that it's okay to drink a glass of wine. Occasionally, it's just good long term is probably not the healthiest for like daily, but which by any means 1:27 I do it on my cheat meal. I follow the program. Good. 1:31 Okay. Well, Chris, why don't we talk a little bit about your experiences prior to joining the clinic? So what were the problems that you were trying to solve, particularly in terms of your physique and overall health? 1:42 Sure. So I've traditionally had back issues, my whole life, l four l five issues, degenerative back, I've also have a left knee, that gives me problems. And I'm actively competitive in tennis. And so I'm on the court and noticing that I'm losing half a step or a step. I'm just noticing, as I'm getting older, I'm slowing down. I also noticed that, you know, I generally just don't don't sleep, well, I didn't feel great. I have pains in places that didn't have pains before. I feel bloated at times, you know, I've been gluten free for probably a decade. So, you know, that was one of the things I cut out early from noticing back issues. But I noticed I just felt like that wasn't enough that I was still I was, I was deteriorating at a faster rate than I really wanted to. And so I was I was looking for something that could, that could help me figure this out. I wasn't really sure when I started my journey, I started researching. And so you're trying to figure out how to how to, I guess slow down the aging process, hopefully at least maintain where I am, if not improve. And, and so that's kind of what started me on the journey to find you. 2:57 Great. And, and you mentioned some of the things that kind of pushed you into into making this journey as he talked about the back pain, the knee pain, not winning as many tennis games, you're feeling that you're not putting out your best effort, and then maybe like energy levels as a whole, but outside of athletic endeavors, those affects you in other ways in your life, and particularly in terms of your career and family. 3:22 Yeah, I mean, I think I had the typical 2pm crash that you hear about, like, you know, I do work a lot. So I would find towards the end of the week, I would be tired, definitely trying to keep up with a six boys was always a challenge. And so you know, having enough energy for all of that definitely was a concern, and also the mental aspect. It's important to me to keep a high level of cognitive skill for a long time. And not just you know, on a week to week basis, but just period, I do have some history, family history of Alzheimer's and family history of heart disease. So I'm watching that and I'm very aware of any kind of decline that I would have any memory or just cognitive ability at all. And so it was it was a part of the consideration for looking for something wasn't just the physical, but also the mental and the stamina. 4:13 Yeah, it's it's a, it's a big concern as we enter into our 40s and 50s. And we see colleagues or peers or relatives start to succumb to stroke, heart disease, cancer, dementia, early signs of those things popping up in those individuals, and maybe just looking at your parents and saying, Hey, this may not necessarily be in your situation, but in other people's situations, I don't want to necessarily end up the way that they did, right? 4:37 No, absolutely. My father died at 46 from a rare blood disease that I don't have and that the markers that lead to that I'm watching and then my mother's you know, I've been overweight your whole life. And so they're two really good examples of who I didn't want to become. So the I think that that's probably you're probably right, that's probably true for a lot of people out there that would be interested in this type of program. 5:00 So I kind of have just thought of what you were feeling. But was there a specific inciting event that kind of pushed you over the edge? 5:07 So I knew I knew I was looking for some type of program. But I wasn't sure about this one, I had been doing my research. And this one, you know how you know how phones are these days, but it noticed me talking probably up to someone about looking for this type of thing. And then here comes Facebook feed, and your program popped up. And I, you know, it seemed to hit on the things I was looking for. So I'm like, Well, let me just, let me just check this out. And I was looking around at other even local programs here in the area if I wanted somebody locally, but what really interested me about your program was the idea of, hey, let us just do your bloodwork and look at it and see what we see. And so I could, I could start the whole thing without really that much of a commitment. And I needed that bloodwork done anyway. And I needed to kind of get a good level set of where where am I from a health perspective, instead of just sitting down with you and going through my numbers. First of all, it was eye opening, right? It was a little bit staggering to me to see oh, there are things in there that even though I felt like I do a decent job of staying in shape, and I don't eat a terrible diet, just generally speaking, still, you saw my numbers, and there were some things in there that were really concerning, that if I had let go would have developed into potentially life threatening type of development. So that to me was was really what pushed me over the edge to go ahead and do it is when I sat down with you and just looked at my numbers and and you said, Oh, by the way, we can help with all of this. And it's it's going to be okay, that was like, Okay, I knew I really do need to do this. 6:39 Yeah, it's it's kind of crazy to think that a lot of the chronic illnesses that most Americans that come to heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia, as we mentioned, diabetes, are treatable or reversible, right? If you enact the right combination of diet, exercise, supplement and medications, you can prevent yourself from harm, stave them off for as long as possible and extend your life. And that's really the crux of what the clinic is. Okay, good. Well, let's kind of transition over to how you some of the changes you noticed after you join the clinic. And before I get your answer, I'm just going to brag on you for a bit, you've made some phenomenal progress in this short, very short period of time. And so as we looked over here, your lipid panel indicated that your LDL which is 164, and dropped to 116, your homocysteine levels, which were terrible, discharged, but not optimal at 11.3 dropped to 9.0. And your hemoglobin England's seen again, far from being diabetic, went from pretty okay, him going in and see to a phenomenal one at 4.8. All within the span of just three months, which I think is really, really cool. And then from a physique standpoint, lost 10 pounds, which as the pictures will show came primarily from fat, you can look at where you already started, which as you mentioned, you didn't look bad, you know, you're kind of an athletic, right. And it's not like you had a terrible diet. Right now, you just look so much better. Your body fat is just dropped dramatically. And so this is just, it's very, very good. And as you had mentioned, or you mentioned before, in meetings, we're not done quite a bit to go up. And it's just it's remarkable how much you've accomplished. When you're aware. It's what what it what changes have you noticed, 8:28 probably the first change is my mental focus my ability to so instead of being so focused on, like, the goals that I've set for myself, which are important, I have goals, and I set them and I try to have achievable goals and I try to work towards those probably the number one thing I've I've kind of adapted my thinking to is really enjoying this entire process. So I've had fun with the workout program that you put together for me with the diet, I just make it a fun thing. I adapted it just a little bit to my my preferences to what's your health, by the way, by just you know chatting with you and saying, Hey, I'm not liking this. Can Is there any alternative? And you're like, Well, you can try this, you can try that. So I found the diet that works well for me, as you saw in the pictures, I've lost a ton of weight, not Not intentionally, I never felt like I was really starving to the process when I would get hungry you know, you say well have another protein shake or whatever. And then that would help. So that idea of really enjoying this entire process, enjoying the routine in the morning, getting the cardio and getting the supplements in getting the meds in and then throughout the day, you know, staging in the diet and then getting the lift in the evenings like that whole process on a daily basis. Getting that routine down has been something I've really enjoyed. And then as I've enjoyed the journey, then along the way goals just seem to pop out. There was one four week stretch where I increased my my bicep weight per arm by 10 pounds in like four weeks, which was unbelievable and the same intent in the same breath So 10 reps, three times went up 10 pounds, I couldn't believe it. My chest went up 35 pounds in four weeks, but it was just as a result of doing the program, following the routine, daily journey, and then the goals just kept popping out. And so now I feel like I can even set further goals, like even harder goals, because I know those just kind of happened. So that's very, you know, I don't like the word motivation, because I think it's fleeting. But it is very encouraging. Yeah, when you when you're seeing these things just happen naturally, just because you're doing something that, by the way, feels good. Like, I feel great, my body feels better than it's ever felt. I feel like I'm in my 20s. Again, I feel like I'm back to that competitive basketball player level, like, not quite with my knee. But I feel like I'm there physically, everywhere else that I can I can get out and compete on the tennis court and never get tired. 10:57 And so yeah, I mean, obviously, this has translate into your athletic endeavors, you're probably seems like you're doing much better on the pickleball on the tennis court, sorry, the tennis courts. The tennis courts, and it looks like some of the joint pains are improving to a certain extent. And most importantly, your energy levels are higher too, because that was a big issue as well. What about some of the changes you've noticed in terms of your business, the biggest thing you noticed was you had like a slump around TPM. Sometimes you felt that your mental acuity mental clarity wasn't up to par. I mean, it has to be being hyped for an exemption like you are 11:34 no no issues there really at all anymore. And and again, I It's not that I intended for that to be the result, it just kind of naturally has happened is all I'll look up and it'll be five o'clock already. Like, oh, I didn't, I never really felt like I crashed and I try to break my day up now that I you know, with the program that I have this routine where I'm not always just sitting at the desk, either, I'll I'll hop up and I'll do the protein shake, and I'll hop up and I'll, it's nice, it's convenient for me because I actually have my weights in my backyard, so I can pop out there and I can do the 25 minutes that are required from the lifting program at three o'clock, sometimes on a conference call, get that lift in get back to work. So that whole process and developing that routine, I think also helps with the energy level. But I think just being at this this level of the of healthy, when you look at my numbers, just being naturally that level of healthy leads itself, to me just having no crashes. The food the diet definitely helps because it's it's kind of spread out in a way that I don't really have the crash from the, you know, major sugar intake or carb intake, right, it's a nice steady feeding calories. So the diet helps, but I think the supplement program also helps us well probably the whole thing helps. But 12:50 yeah, I mean, when you combine hormonal optimization, the supplement program eating appropriate amount of calories, using you know, appropriate foods that decrease inflammation. And you know, as you mentioned, finding a good exercise program, it's just all it's as a very synergistic effect across many different areas which is which is wonderful. So I'm really happy your energy levels have improved significantly and it sounds like you're much more active and you're gonna be pursuing more more in particles at work which is which is perfect. What about your relationships with your with your family? So your six children have I mean, myself want my the team myself we've definitely noticed the changes that you've made in terms of your physique and your biomarkers but what was your family said What have your friends and colleagues said 13:37 less irritable, slower to, you know, reach a point of being frustrated with the kids, I definitely have noticed that and they have to you know, I think that I could always kind of keep up with them anyway, generally, because you saw my before photos, I wasn't in terrible shape. But now Now, they now they really can't keep up with me, which is kind of fun. When you're 20 and 19 year olds can't compete with you anymore if we go for a run or something like that. So definitely feel like I can keep up with them. And I feel like I'm I'm a better parent with the energy level being where it is and with the kind of just feeling good about my body not having the body pains which I think doing then lead to you know, having mental you know, a shorter fuse because your if your body is in pain, that's kind of a reaction. I feel no pains anywhere, not no lower back pains, really no knee pains, unless I do something silly, which I do sometimes. No elbow or arm issues from tennis. Oh, my serve as I was clocked at 130 which is been a long time since I've had that sort of back and it's you know it my service feeling great. My arm doesn't hurt. And then my relationships are great. My friends are all coming over tonight. Actually. It's our it's our once a month Friday night friend gathering and I am looking forward to it. I'll be cooking a huge meal for them, but they'll all as well. You know, they've commented On Wow, what's changed? What are you doing? Like I answered this question all the time, anytime somebody hasn't seen me for a month, and then they fall back and they're like, What is going on? You look strong, you look healthy, you look happy, what's changed, and I tell them the story. And it's, it's kind of, it's always interesting to watch, because you almost see their response going to Oh, like, almost like, they're, they're sad, because they know, you have to make a commitment to do this, like you really do. And anybody that's watching this, that is kind of on the fence, just know, when you do make the commitment and go all and just be committed, stick to the program. And if you do, you can see, I mean, three months, you can see massive results in that amount of time. And then, for me, just continuing to do this, this is a new lifestyle. For me, I don't feel like I'm on a diet, I feel like this is how I'm going to live. Because I feel so much better, just generally speaking that I can actually see, I can see myself getting younger, I can feel myself getting younger. And I know that's going to translate to your goals for me, which is into the 80s still feeling good. And then start rocketing beyond that. 16:10 Yeah, yeah. And, you know, and definitely 80s. But you know, if there's a lot of people in the longevity, anti aging field, and I also agree with them, that feel that our our barrier may be the 120s and 30s and 40s. And why not we can we're counting on, 16:28 I'm just saying, you give me to the ad is feeling good. And then we'll figure out the rest of them, they're 16:34 definitely going to do that. And the other thing that I'm glad that you touched upon is, and I've noticed a lot of a lot of the patients that element of social interaction, after they're fully optimized, they just are so much open to meeting more open to meeting people to engaging in corporate events, some of my patients are motivational speakers, and you don't feel your best when your energy levels are off. Or maybe when you're not very confident with your appearance. You just don't want to take those engagements. And that can be ideal, and particularly in terms of career advancement, or that might be a part of their business. And I'm really happy that you know, that aspect is improving significance. Nice 17:11 to hop over the beach and take my shirt off now. Yeah, perfectly comfortable doing that. 17:15 So that's it, that's a really big deal. Yeah, it's 17:18 a huge deal. You feel confident when you're out there, I can see that too. On stage, I do a lot of public speaking as well. And I do feel like I am much more confident in front of a crowd. Now, I feel no really sense of dread about that. I haven't mentally ever, but there are times in your life where you feel like, I don't look the greatest. But I do feel much better about that, too. 17:41 And that's, that's really, it's really amazing, because the count the crowd resonates with speaker right. And I mean, you can obviously attest to us looking at speakers, they're very comfortable with themselves and you engage with that individual and you're like, wow, it's a great speech. And the converse is also true when you have someone that's nervous and anxious. There's almost like a visceral reaction, you feel free, you feel sorry for that person. And people don't like them. Sorry for other people. They want them getting experience, right. So that improve. So you kind of touched upon this, but I do want to to kind of give like a clear answer. What would you tell someone who is watching this now is uncertain about joining the clinic? 18:19 Yeah. Do the do the intro, get your blood work, and just have the conversation with you about what you see. Because to me, that was you know, you that you weren't trying to sell the program, when you went through that with me, you were just looking at my numbers and telling me well, these are the concerns that I see, these are the markers that are not great. These are things you need to fix now. And at the very end, you're like, I can put together a program for you or anybody else can but you need to do this. You need to fix these numbers. And you saw the numbers in the video, there were things that you know, LDL for me is I know, I've got a history of heart disease in my family. And I have, you know, my grandfather to quadruple bypass has died twice on the table was brought back twice. I know that's a concern for me. And in the fact that you were that open and upfront with me in the in the first part of the program, but also didn't put any kind of sales pressure on me to go to the next place. I would suggest anybody that's watching that is on the fence, go do that. It wasn't that expensive. It gives you your numbers you need to see anyway. And it's really going to give you a good understanding of your current physical condition. And the things that if you don't address are going to lead to a sooner than rather than later. Medical Emergency most likely for you. So start there. And then you know if this if you if you get through that and you realize there are some things you want to fix. This is a great program. I've had an amazing time. You give me more attention than I could have ever expected. The fact that I have the ability and an app to just chat with you and then I get a response. I mean, I got a response one time like Sunday at 930 in the morning when I was chatting and I'm like I can't believe you're that Responsive to my questions. You know, it's, it feels like a very personal relationship that I have with you. I feel very connected to my doctor who's helping me be the best version of me. And anybody that's looking for that type of, you know, not only accountability, but just partnership and assistance. And question answering anytime I have doubts, anytime I'm just not enjoying something and you're like, Well, let's try this. And let's try that. That's been wonderful. Thank you for that. I would tell anybody asking, I don't think you could find a better. 20:34 Well, that was, that was quite the statement there. And Chris, I can accept to all that. But I will say and I will say, though, is I'm glad that you touched upon the consultation, because you know, at the end of the day, that the initial medical consultation is a consultation, right. And so individuals that are interested in the clinic, as you mentioned, I go in, I talk about their, their concerns. And for me, it's about providing the solution and ensuring that works for that person. And if it works great in rolling the clinic, but if it doesn't, well, awesome, at least we found, you know, a, we found that we not may not be the best fit and you'll have an opportunity to check check out other other clinics or other providers, right. But a key thing is just getting to the crux of the problems and then just you know, giving you options, right and so I'm glad you touched upon that. Okay, well, Chris, I really really appreciate you sharing your experience and spending the time today and I want to thank you again for being a patient of SEMA. 21:34 Well, probably a patient for life. This is just the beginning of my journey. And I think you and I encourage everyone you know if you if you want, if you want to be the best you then you want to make it to 150 Sounds like a crazy number, but if you do, or want to go for it, want to try sign up