Performance Cardiologist | VO₂ Max, Metabolic Health & Longevity Strategist | Ironman Triathlete | Father of 3 |
Anchorage, AK
Joined January 2009
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My wife and I are wearing 4 wearables for 30 days.
Garmin. Oura. Whoop. CGM.
Baseline labs. DEXA. VO₂ max.
Same daily journal. Same scorecard I give my patients.
One question: can the data change what you actually do?
First article is live.
2002: 6,213 men. Each extra MET of fitness, 12% better survival. Fitness out-predicted traditional risk factors.
2022: 750,302 veterans. Least fit: 4x the mortality of the most fit.
Last week the ACC told cardiologists to prescribe exercise like a drug.
"Some activity is better than none."
Myers 2002, NEJM (6,213 men; 12% per MET)
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1189…
Kokkinos 2022, JACC (750,302 veterans; 4x least fit vs most fit; lowest risk ~14 METs)
jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.…
2026 ACC Scientific Statement, Exercise Prescriptions for Cardiovascular Health in Adults
jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.…
Yesteryear: an hour a day keeps the doctor away.
Now: 2 hours a day of physical activity keeps the doctor away.
Belief:
"I'm not giving up 2 hours of every day to exercise just to live a few extra years."
Reality:
* Your miserable car commute becomes a fresh-air bike ride that you look forward to every morning. The best 2 hours of your day.
* Your fondest memories become the hikes, bikes, adventures, and active vacations you share with family and friends.
#####
You're not 'giving up' 2 hours of your life.
You're making those 2 hours - and all the others - better!
Rome, 1960. Within an hour, two Auckland club runners won Olympic gold. Same coach: Arthur Lydiard.
100 miles a week, nearly all easy, for months before any speed. You cannot sharpen a short pencil.
Six decades on, steady mileage still builds heart, mind and soul.
Build the base.
Who should get a VO2 max test?
Not everyone and not only athletes.
If you’re over 45, getting back into exercise, or want real training zones, consider it.
If you want to know about your arteries, a coronary CT scan +/- plaque analysis is a better strategy.
One surprise from my recent test:
my “60 to 70% of max heart rate” rule would have put my Zone 2 at 104 to 122 bpm.
My measured Zone 2 is 138 to 150. jakekellymd.substack.com/p/w…
Giving a talk on wearables today. The title is a question: biomarkers or biofeedback?
A biomarker predicts something. Biofeedback changes what you do.
Most wearables and their data are sold as a health biomarker and useful as biofeedback.
What wearable data has helped you?
Have you ever had a VO2 max test?
If yes: did anyone sit down and explain what the number meant for you?
If not: what stopped you? Cost, access or nobody ever recommended it.
A VO2 max test measures the amount of oxygen you breathe in and use at peak levels of exercise intensity, and it assesses how well your heart, lungs and muscles work together during aerobic (cardio) exercise. Whether you're an athlete or not, a VO2 max test can provide insights into your cardiopulmonary fitness.
Learn more: mayocl.in/4d4YxnG
How long do doctors let patients speak before interrupting?
1984: 18 seconds.
1999: 23 seconds.
2019: 11 seconds.
Patients allowed to finish needed 32.
The interruption saves nothing and costs almost everything.
Invite, listen for 60 seconds, summarize.
I used to have the answer before I asked the question.
High lipids, start atorvastatin. High blood pressure, start lisinopril. Chest pain, stress test.
In medical school I was taught me to start with the question. Sometime in 2022 I went back to it.
The new way to practice old medicine ⤵️
Kept the glass. Dropped the alcohol. Feel 100x better. Cardiologist approved. #SoberCurious
4 days in Miami. 4 runs. 5 patients.
Less about the numbers, more about the coaching.
Five separate relationships that started to feel like a brotherhood.
Thank you Miami. Hello Anchorage.
Move with your family today.
Then reflect on your week.
Stand. Walk. Run.
Stand. Walk. Run.
The biggest mistake I see patients make is never starting.
Stand. Fight gravity.
Walk. Stack up volume.
Run. Or go faster, or add resistance.
Health. Fitness. Longevity. All three start with momentum.
Start today.
I grew up on the low-fat diet playbook: mashed potatoes, margarine, skip the fat. Then trans fat data came through and I rearranged my plate.
Today: plant-forward Mediterranean, ~2 servings of meat or fish a day, working toward one fully plant-based meal daily.
Great read on nutrition researcher and what Walter Willett eats in the Washington Post today.
