The Best Life Week with Dr. Mehmet Oz - Show Recap

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Ultimate Health Checklist - It's Never too Late, Viewer Updates:

Oprah and Doctor Mehmet Oz kicked off the second day of Best Life Week with a show devoted to how you can turn your health around in 2009.

Oprah and Dr. Oz proved that it is never too late to make healthy choices and change your health by checking in on 3 previous guests from the last 3 years.

On the February 5, 2008 episode, Laura 44, was in the audience and took the Real Age test to see how her lifestyle was affecting her life expectancy. Shocked to hear her real age was nearly 60 years old, Laura decided after the show to make changes in her life.

Since taking the advice of Dr.s Oz and Roizen, Lauren has lost nearly 40 pounds and has dropped her Real Age from 60 to 41. Laura quit smoking since the show, started making healthier food choices and made the commitment to get 10,000 steps per day. In addition to changing her nutrition, Laura also began to manage her stress by walking or meditating.

Oprah and Dr. Oz also looked back to a guest from 3 years ago, Jillian, who many remember was 50 pounds overweight, out of shape, slept 18 hours a day and consumed 300 ounces of soda a daily on top of her terrible diet. On May 1, 2006, Jillian returned to the show to reveal how her life had changed by using Dr. Oz's checklist. Jillian had lost 40 pounds and was full of life and energy. Oprah wanted to know if Jillian had been able to maintain her new lifestyle over the last 18 months and had her stand up in the audience - Jillian had kept off the weight and attributed the change to good foods and exercise.

Oprah and Dr. Oz finally checked in on Frank, a professional bowler, who at 52 was at high risk for heart disease with 68% body fat, the highest Dr. Oz had ever seen. On November 5, 2007 Frank appeared on the show after losing 60 pounds in 6 months. For this episode, Frank revealed that he has lost an additional 40 pounds and is in the best shape of his life.

For many people, seeing how Laura, Jillian and Frank were able to turn her health around will be the motivation to start taking the steps in Dr. Oz's Ultimate Health Checklist. Oprah asked viewers to consider, "Why are you worthy of getting healthy this year?"

#1: Schedule a Checkup and get a regular doctor.

#2: Know the 5 ingredients to avoid:

Avoid any foods where the following ingredients appear in the top 5 listed on the food label.

1. High fructose corn syrup
2. Sugar or words ending in "ose"
3. Enriched
4. Trans-fat or hydrogenated oils
5. Saturated fat

#3: Add healthy foods into your diet:

1. Antioxidants (5-7 servings daily): Examples = tomatoes, broccoli, red/kidney/pinto beans, blueberries, artichokes, dried prunes
2. Omega-3 (3g daily): Examples = flax seeds, walnuts, salmon, scallops, soybeans, squash

#8: Know the medical tests you should have:

• Annual physical
• Dentist every 6 months
• Eye exam every 2 years
• Women (no later than 21): Annual pap smear and pelvic exam
• Men (beginning in 20s): Annual testicular exam
• Women (beginning between 35-40): Annual mammogram
• Men & Women (at 50): Echocardiogram, stress test, colonoscopy and annual skin test
• Men & Women (in 60s): Annual hearing exam
• Men (in 60s): Digital rectal exam
• Women (in 60s): Bone density test

#9: Exercise:

• Get at least 10,000 steps per day - if starting from scratch, start with a goal of 3,000 per day and work up
• Raise your heart rate for at least 60 minutes per week
• Work on flexibility for at least 5 minutes per day
• Strength training for at least 30 minutes per week

#10: Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night:

• Keep a routine
• Have a cool and dark bedroom
• Use bedroom for sleep and sex only
• No caffeine for 4 hours before bed
• Keep TV out of the bedroom
• Take calcium and magnesium

Here are a few topics Oprah had the audience write down in a journal on the show that they could commit to starting today:

• Write down 3 foods to stop buying
• Write down 3 foods to start buying
• Choose your health advocate
• Write down your commitment to exercise
• Change 1 bad sleeping habit