“It’s not selfish to give yourself permission to take care of yourself.” Today, we’re going to dive deep into the world of functional medicine, with a focus on holistic practices you can adopt today to improve your health and wellness.

We address:

• How Direct Primary Care’s direct-to-consumer model works
• Steven’s recommendations to help boost your immune system
• Dealing with COVID-imposed weight gain
• Steven’s nutrition and exercise advice for those who want to lose fat
• Stress management and best practices to improve mental health during the lockdown

Karen Morales welcomes family medicine doctor Steven Zivich, M.D. He is the founder of Boston Direct Health, which prides itself on being “part of trailblazing movement–supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians–called ‘Direct Primary Care.’” By putting the focus back on patients, Direct Primary Care allows doctors to bypass the insurance system and work directly with patients, giving them more autonomy and control in practicing medicine.

After trying every fad diet out there and still struggling with his weight well into his 20s, Steven became a nutritional advocate. As a medical practitioner, he believes that it is his obligation when working with his patients’ health to provide proper education and guidance with nutrition. He has a strong interest in building nutritional plans that lead to long-lasting results.

Dr. Steve has a refreshing philosophy and interesting strategies for getting in peak shape—even during quarantine. Listen in as he shares his recommendations for staying physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy amid uncertain times.

3 MAJOR POINTS DISCUSSED

• Before setting a weight loss goal, the first thing to do is to get it clear in your mind why that goal is important to you. You can jump right into a diet and exercise regimen to lose weight, but unless you have a long-term intention in mind and embrace the reality of delayed gratification, you won’t reach your goal. And even if you do manage to shed those pounds, there is a high likelihood that you’ll resume old habits and eventually return to your old weight. If you want to maintain your goal weight for the long haul, don’t set a diet—set a lifestyle.
• Be diet-agnostic. Every single human being responds differently to different foods. The best way to optimize your own particular nutritional lifestyle is by knowing what your body can best absorb and utilize, and then to look at common threads between which of these foods have benefitted the most people on the diet you intend to follow. But the most important thing to remember is that losing fat is ultimately a matter of staying in a caloric deficit until you hit your weight goal.
• Self-care is more important than ever before now that most of us are stuck at home. Steven personally finds it therapeutic to work out while on a break. “It’s not selfish to put yourself first sometimes,” he says. In fact, simply taking the time to close your eyes for a minute or two to focus on your breathing will clear your mind from the clutter that will undoubtedly pile up throughout the day, particularly now when you’re dealing with both personal and professional challenges in the same space.

RESOURCES

• Boston Direct Health

Steven Zivich, M.D. is the founder of Boston Direct Health. He is a family medicine physician who delivers full scope care and practices evidence-based medicine, which includes treatment of chronic illnesses and HIV medicine. Steven also offers a variety of services to the LGBTQ community, of which he is a proud member.

Steven completed his undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Music at the James Madison University in Virginia. Then, he attended the Virginia Commonwealth University School

of Medicine, completed a Surgical Internship at Boston Medical Center and a Residency in Family Medicine in 2015 at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

• Connect with Steven on LinkedIn
• info@bostondirecthealth.com
• (617) 304-1965

Karen Morales is founder and brand champion at Marketing Magnet.

Marketing Magnet was founded by Karen and her lean team of Fortune 500 marketing and advertising talent. We’re a world-class marketing department that has decided to take our big brand experience and direct it at the clients we want to serve: purpose-driven enterprises. Our secret sauce is our ability to focus companies on three marketing pillars to create great impact.

If you are looking for a solution to a marketing challenge, a specific project to be completed or a team to drive marketing on your behalf, we can help.

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