Do your New Year resolutions include improved energy and weight loss? Do you want the right metrics to motivate and guide you?
If so, as a physician who is triple board-certified in traditional, anti-aging and lifestyle medicine, I’d recommend you get four simple tests to collect the data you need:
Get your blood pressure checked – ideally not at a medical office, where it’s often artificially higher
Get your blood drawn for 2 metabolic measures, 5 hormones and 4 micronutrients in particular
Get a DEXA scan for body composition
Get VO2 tests for your max and resting metabolic rate
These tests will provide the 17 most important data points to ensure your resolutions for 2025 fit you and your needs. Here’s why:
Your blood pressure (metric #1), and the hemoglobin A1c (#2) and LDL/HDL (#3) from your blood test will tell you how much metabolism-related risk you’ve got and, therefore, how intense your plan and execution should be.
The levels of you cortisol (#4), free testosterone (#5), estradiol (#6), progesterone (#7), free triiodothyronine (the active thyroid hormone, #8); and the micronutrients omega-3 fatty acids (#9), magnesium (#10), vitamin B12 (#11), and vitamin D (#12), will tell you whether your body is primed to support your efforts or will impede them.
The amounts of muscle mass in your arms and legs (#13), subcutaneous adipose (fat under your skin, #14) and visceral adipose (fat around the organs in your belly, #15) from your DEXA scan will tell you whether to target fat loss, muscle gain, or both, and at what level and pace.
The resting metabolic rate (#16) and VO2 max (#17) from the VO2 testing will tell you how much caloric restriction your body can tolerate; and how well your body works to deliver and use oxygen, and therefore how much energy you can generate.
Don’t leave your health and wellness resolutions to chance in 2025—get the personalized data you need. Get your blood pressure checked, do some simple blood tests, check your body composition by DEXA scan, and test your VO2. These four simple tests will provide you critical insights and metrics for tailoring your plans, tracking your progress, and staying motivated.
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Dr. Hyung Kim is a devoted family man, former hospital system president, and a physician at GenAge Center, a medical practice specializing in longevity, health and wellness. He is triple board-certified by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and the American Board of Internal Medicine. His M.D. is from Johns Hopkins, and his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!).
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