What's Your Real Age?

Linda Loffredo, M.D.
Chronological Age: 41
Real Age: 31

Turning 40 made Linda Loffredo ask, “Am I as healthy as I can be?” The answer was no. “I was caring for people with diabetes and high blood pressure and forgot that I was at risk for those diseases,” she says.

Ironically, Loffredo’s unhealthy habits began in medical school, where her stressful schedule caused her to eat poorly and neglect fitness and social connections. The first month of her “action plan,” she vowed to stop binge eating and relying on fast food, and reconnect with old friends. The second month, she added fruits and vegetables to her diet, reduced red meat and started on a multivitamin and calcium. The third month, she began painting again and transformed “an old junk room” into an exercise room. “I do aerobic training for 10 minutes twice a day,” she says. “I’m starting slowly so I don’t get injured or discouraged.”

The results so far: Loffredo dropped years from her real age, lost 30 pounds, improved her cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, and is having more fun. “It’s a great feeling to give your clothes away because they’re too big instead of too small,” she says. But she cautions against focusing on size and weight. “Success is in the journey, not the destination,” she says.