Pushing Your Way Up To a Healthier Heart

I love free things, especially free things that can improve my heart health.

How many push-ups can you do? If the answer is “more than 40,” your heart might just throw you a party. A study published in *JAMA Network Open* found that middle-aged men who could crank out over 40 push-ups had a whopping 96% lower risk of heart disease over the next decade compared to those who could barely manage 10. That’s right—your push-up game might say more about your heart health than a fancy treadmill test.

So, what’s the connection? Push-ups are a quick and simple way to measure your overall fitness. They test your muscular strength, endurance, and even how well your heart and lungs work together. If you struggle with push-ups, it could be a sign of poor cardiometabolic health, which includes issues like high blood pressure, inflammation, and insulin resistance—all major players in heart disease.

As an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (IFMCP), I use advanced lab testing to dig deeper into what’s happening beneath the surface. While push-ups are a great starting point, they don’t tell the whole story. My lab tests go beyond cholesterol to uncover hidden risks like inflammation and metabolic imbalances.

The best part? I use these results to create science-driven, personalized plans to help you improve your fitness and heart health—no fad diets or gimmicks required. So, whether you’re at 5 push-ups or 50, there’s always room to strengthen your heart and your future. Time to drop and give me 20!

Check out the article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2724778