Posted on Tuesday, October 14, 2025
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by Melanie Griffin
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An AMAC Active companion article to our Better For You Podcast conversation with Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj, MD, IFMCP
Why this episode matters to AMAC members
At the end of 2024, AMAC surveyed our members and heard you loud and clear: you want practical, trustworthy guidance on prevention, nutrition, and fitness. You’re active, engaged, and eager to take agency over your health.
That’s exactly why we invited Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj—an interventional cardiologist who spent a decade placing stents and prescribing medications—leading him to re-train in functional medicine to address root causes. Today he integrates genomics, advanced imaging, sleep and breath work, nutrition, and personalized lifestyle strategies to help people reverse inflammation, restore energy, and extend healthspan. He leads Well12, a 12-week health optimization program, and hosts The Curious Cardiologist podcast.
“Managing disease and optimizing health sound similar—but they’re completely different jobs.”
Below are the biggest takeaways from our conversation, and ways to put them to work in your life this week.
From crisis manager to healer: what changed?
In conventional cardiology, Dr. Sanjay excelled at saving lives in acute crises. But one intense on-call weekend, eight heart attacks in a single day, sparked a question: “Why are these patients still having events when their ‘numbers’ are at goal?”
That moment sent him deep into the science of lifestyle, metabolism, stress, and sleep. As a result, he has built a practice that still respects the power of conventional medicine for emergencies, but now focuses daily on preventing them.
The key shift from conventional care to functional care is that conventional care treats conditions and numbers, while functional care treats people and root causes, connecting the heart to hormones, gut health, stress, sleep, environment, and behavior.
“Normal” isn’t the same as “optimal”
If you’ve ever been told, “Your labs are normal,” while still feeling lousy, this part’s for you.
Lab “normals” are population averages that shift across labs and over time. Optimal ranges are where humans function best, not where most of us happen to land.
Dr. Sanjay looks at markers in context—for example, evaluating sex hormones alongside cholesterol for women with lipid issues, or connecting blood sugar, sleep quality, and stress load when addressing blood pressure. He calls it N-of-1 medicine: your age, biology, and goals determine the plan.
The unsexy habits that add up to a “Healthy 100”
Dr. Sanjay’s favorite frame is the Health 401(k): daily deposits in movement, nourishment, and recovery compound into resilience. So where do you start? Here are six of his “unsexy” but powerful daily habits that build lasting health dividends.
- Sleep: Defend 7–8 hours like you would your grandchild on a playground.
- Breath work: Structured sessions can dial down fight-or-flight and improve heart rhythm, blood pressure, and sleep.
- Food that heals: Think protein adequacy, fiber, and color—plants supply phytochemicals that cool inflammation and aid repair.
- Strength training: Muscle is metabolic medicine: it improves insulin sensitivity, bone density, and even lipid profiles.
- Stress skill:. Sometimes the most important clinical question is, “Do you feel safe?” Emotional stress shows up in cardiac symptoms—even when labs look fine.
- Inflammation reduction: From ultra-processed foods to poor sleep and polluted air, many micro-stressors nudge inflammation up; lifestyle nudges it back down.
For the 50+ crowd: what moves the needle most?
Building on those foundational habits, Dr. Sanjay emphasizes that aging well isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing smarter. For the 50+ crowd, a few key shifts can dramatically move the needle on cardiovascular and metabolic health.
- Prioritize resistance training 2–3x/week. Use dumbbells, bands, or bodyweight to stimulate muscle and bone, support balance, and improve glucose control.
- Choose “passively active” movement (Pilates, yoga, tai chi, mindful strength) to train stability, posture, and the brain–body connection without over-stressing joints.
- Be selective with HIIT. While higher intensity training can be helpful for some, it comes with higher orthopedic and recovery costs; if you do it, keep it short, well-supervised, and infrequent.
- Eat the rainbow. Aim for five colors on the plate to boost antioxidants and phytochemicals.
- Discuss hormone health with a knowledgeable clinician. For many men and women, evidence-based hormone support can protect muscle, bone, and cognition without raising cardiac risk when done appropriately.
- Mind your margins. Guard sleep, schedule recovery, and keep stress inputs honest.
Listen to the full conversation
This article just scratches the surface. Hear Dr. B’s personal “red pill” story, the science behind breath work and metabolic health, and the lifestyle plays he recommends for his patients.
Listen to the full interview with Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj on the Better For You Podcast.(Find it on your favorite podcast app or at AMAC Active → Podcast.)
Have a question for Dr. B or for the show? Submit it at amac.us/active and we may feature it in a future episode.
Read full article here