Dr. Feelgood

Encino-based physican Ron Bahar divulges his secrets to looking and feeling decades younger.

The Workout

I typically work out between 60 and 90 minutes every day. Typically, I combine treadmilling, stationary biking and lifting weights at home while catching up on TV. I also take 60-minute group interval training classes at Pulse Fitness Studio in Sherman Oaks one to two times per week.

The Game-Changer

When I was 39, I experienced an episode of a heart rhythm disturbance called atrial fibrillation, which necessitated a procedure in which the heart’s rhythm is “reset” with an electrical current. Though this event was not precipitated by a lack of regular exercise, it did put me in touch with my own mortality. I consequently committed myself to daily exercise.

The Addiction

Though I may feel a little tired immediately after a workout, I’m subsequently energized. Over the years, I’ve become so accustomed to working out on a daily basis that if I don’t, I feel a bit cranky and sense a void.

The Diet

My diet is low in saturated fats, but there’s absolutely no food that I will never eat for fear that it’s “bad for you.” That just results in uncontrollable craving and eventual overeating.

As an Israeli American, fortunately, I‘ve consumed a somewhat Mediterranean diet (olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables and cereal) my entire life. That being said, I’ve been to known to stash peanut M&M’S in my office drawer.

The Goal

I’m fortunate that my wife, Laurie, is an excellent cook, and my sister-in-law, Pamela Reims, is a superb professional chef. Both prepare food for me healthfully. However, I love eating, and I eat a lot. Therefore, my goals are to stay in reasonable shape and extend my lifespan with a healthy heart while not having to count calories.

The Snooze

I wish I could tell you that exercise has helped me get a sound eight hours per night, but I can’t. While I’m always tired at bedtime, and I often go to sleep before my two boys, Ethan (15) and Matthew (12), daily stressors sometimes awaken me during the wee hours and invite me to watch reruns of ESPN’s SportsCenter. All kidding aside, I actually think that working out, along with eliminating caffeine at night, has minimized my insomnia.

Ron Bahar
47, Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Encino