Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in America, and our Dr. Amnon (Ami) Beniaminovitz is determined to change that. A multi-board certified clinical non-invasive cardiologist, who joined our Manhattan Cardiology family in 2017, Dr. Ami is a professional who truly practices what he preaches. A shining example of wellness and fitness, Dr. Ami uses New York City’s natural features to help guide his path towards maintaining a healthy heart. Pull up a chair and learn how he gets it done.
I am 43 and a true New York native. I was born and raised in Queens and spent most of my life in New York. I am a practicing cardiologist and strongly believe in prevention over treatment.
For some time now, we have known what leads to increased cardiovascular risk and heart disease. Three major contributing factors are poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle and poor stress management all of which when addressed and managed properly, can greatly reduce cardiovascular risk. Below is an outline of my weekly routine and how I try and practice what I preach. This plan is what works for me and is not intended to be followed verbatim but instead, be used as a rough guide. That being said I do feel that this routine while tough, is both doable and adaptable.
Sunday
Sleep in till 6 am. Wake up, make my bed and sit on the floor for a ten-minute mindful session. I use free videos on YouTube. I like the ones more focused on breathing and being present. I brush my teeth and drink some homemade cold brew coffee with half and half. I then study Spanish, play guitar and listen to the news and or read the paper.
I grew up playing soccer, basketball, and tennis, so if you’re like me, running every day for cardio gets a little dull. It is important to find workouts you love and look forward to. For me that’s boxing. I arrive at my boxing gym around 9:30 AM where I begin with three rounds of jump rope. From there I do pad work with my trainer for nine rounds followed by four rounds on the heavy bag, two rounds on the speed bag, and then two rounds on the double end bag.
Sunday is one of the few days I eat breakfast. I follow a modified ketotarian diet, (basically a plant-based ketogenic diet), with my breakfast consisting of a salad with a half cup of spinach, two cherry tomatoes, one cucumber, six olives, one avocado, half a green pepper, half a shallot, half a cup of 4% fat cottage cheese and three mushrooms that I dress with olive oil. I couple the salad with a one egg omelet with a slice of Muenster cheese all fried in Ghee butter. I drink water and some more coffee with my breakfast. I try to eat my next meal between 3:30-6: 00 pm. For this meal, I eat a big salad again dressed with olive oil.
Before bed, I stretch for fifteen minutes and practice mindful breathing for ten minutes. I try to get to bed around 10 pm so I can get up around 5 am. I found through experimentation that my optimal sleep time is seven hours.
Monday
I wake up at 5:00 am. I make my bed and sit on the floor for my ten-minute mindful session. Then I head to the gym in my building where I do about a half hour of P90X back, biceps and abs routine. I find that P90X gives me the best full body workout without being overly complex. Additionally, studies have touted the added fat burning benefits of working out on an empty stomach. I return to my apartment and study Spanish while getting ready for work. I drink some homemade cold brew coffee with half and half, get dressed, listen to NPR hourly news and walk to work. I usually listen to podcasts on philosophy or science as I walk to work or sometimes an audible book.
During the work week, I adhere to an OMAD intermittent fasting routine, eating only one meal a day. I try to fast for twenty hours daily Monday through Friday. My one meal around 3-5pm is a big salad full of above ground vegetables, olives, seeds, nuts, some feta cheese and usually a piece of chicken or salmon all dressed with olive oil. I also drink another cup of coffee with half and half around 4 pm.
I end the day with a fifteen minute stretch before bed and practice mindful breathing for ten minutes. I get to bed around 10pm for my 5am wakeup.
Tuesday
Wake up at 5:00am, ten-minute mindful session and then run six miles. As I get older I find it important to switch to a more aerobic focused routine. The whole run takes me about an hour. I return to my apartment, and the rest of my daily routine is the same as the previous day.
Wednesday
Wake up at 5:30 am. I make my bed and sit on the floor for a 10-minute mindful session. I follow that with about an hour of P90X, (legs, back and abs) at the gym in my building and then return to my apartment and follow the same routine as the previous day.
Thursday
Same routine as Tuesday.
Friday
Wake up at 5:30am. I make my bed and sit on the floor for a 10-minute mindful session. On Fridays I run for 3 miles as fast as I can incorporating sprinting. The whole routine takes me about a half hour.
I then return to my apartment and follow the same routine as the previous day.
Saturday
Wake up at 5:30am, make my bed, followed by my 10-minute mindful session. Saturday is my big workout day. I hit the gym in my building doing the P90X chest, shoulders and triceps routine for a half hour before going for a long run. I run about nine miles on Saturday which usually takes me about an hour and a half. The whole workout routine is about two hours. It’s a commitment but it’s worth it.
Saturday is the other day I eat breakfast and is the same breakfast I have on Sunday.
On Saturday I am not as strict with my diet and will often go out for lunch/dinner, sampling the incredible cuisine and culture New York has to offer.
Before bed I stretch for fifteen minutes, and practice mindful breathing for ten minutes. I try to get to be in bed around 10pm for my 6am wake-up.
That’s my work out routine for the week. I find that life is like a skill. If you do the same things daily, gradually you become adept and achieve results. They key is consistency.
I hope you find some inspiration and use out of this. Feel free to email me with questions. A healthy lifestyle is a commitment, but its benefits are endless.
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