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Local Doctor Makes Time For Proper Diet, Exercise

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Dec 4, 2008 6:49 pm US/Eastern

Local Doctor Makes Time For Proper Diet, Exercise

Reporting
Dr. Maria Simbra
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Making changes to improve your health may seem impossible to you -- you might think your life is too complicated and too busy.

A local doctor with a very complicated and busy life shows it can be done, and with extraordinary success.

This 68-year-old Iron man wasn't always so strong. Years ago, because of a family crisis, he neglected his health.

"At about age 40, I hit the wall, so to speak," UPMC neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon describes. "I wasn't working out, my nutrition was absolutely horrible. I struggled with depression quite a bit."

A friend's suggestion to go for a run changed his life.

"It was the first night I slept in the course of six or seven months," he says. "So the next day I went down and ran again. A mile and a quarter, then a mile and a half, then two."

And he kept at it.

"You become very efficient when you know you have limited time to do what needs to be done," he explains.

He's a busy neurosurgeon.

"I see maybe 60 patients a week in the office, I'll do twelve to 14 operations a week. I'm also the team neurosurgeon for the Steelers and have been for 20 years. And recently I'm the medical director for the World Wrestling Entertainment Company, WWE."

But he stays healthy by watching what he eats -- 80 percent plant-based, 20 percent organic lean meat.

"It's a little more expensive, but what better way to invest in your health."

He incorporates exercise into his routine - 20 hours a week at peak training.

"I can't function at the level I want to function unless my body is well tuned, and well nourished, and well rested," he says. "I clearly have developed some overuse injuries. I have a knee with a little arthritis in it."

As a doctor, he has thought about the science behind what he does carefully.

"In terms of what you ingest, and the subsequent health benefits, there's thousands of paper on that particularly relevant to the cardiovascular system."

His healthy turnaround was so successful, he took part in six Iron man competitions.

"To be able to do that there's no greater thrill in the world, except maybe brain surgery."

While you may never do an Iron man, his example of making a complete lifestyle change to get healthy is a good one. Temporary diet and exercise don't work -- it has to consistently be a part of your every day routine. 

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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