Mary Farias & Dr. Jengyu Lai, DPM
Economy Creators
What good is longevity if you don't have the vitality to enjoy the life you've worked so hard to create?

In this episode of Economy Creators, Mary Reiss Farias sits down with Dr. Jengyu Lai, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) of Rochester Clinic, for a conversation about healthspan, vitality, healthy aging, lifestyle medicine, nutrition and taking a whole-person approach to long-term health.

Dr. Lai is a board-certified podiatrist and one of the relatively few podiatrists in the United States who is also board certified in lifestyle medicine. Through Rochester Clinic, he integrates lifestyle medicine, functional medicine, regenerative medicine and biomechanics to help patients look beyond individual symptoms and consider the whole person.

And he introduces an important distinction:

**Longevity isn't the same as vitality.**

Living longer is one thing.

Remaining active, productive and healthy enough to enjoy those additional years is another.

That makes health an important part of the economy each of us is creating.

We can spend decades building businesses, careers, relationships, wealth and opportunities—but our ability to enjoy what we've built is deeply connected to our health and function.

Dr. Lai encourages people to stop allowing a diagnosis to define what they believe is possible.

Instead, he asks:

What can you do? What do you want to continue doing? What matters to you?

If you love golf, travel, horses, hiking, playing with your grandchildren, building your business or pursuing a passion, maintaining the function required to keep doing those things gives healthy aging a personal purpose.

In this conversation, Mary and Dr. Lai explore:

• The difference between lifespan and healthspan
• Why vitality matters as much as longevity
• How lifestyle can influence gene expression
• Why a diagnosis doesn't have to define your identity or function
• Chronic systemic inflammation and healthy aging
• The connection between purpose, passion and taking care of your health
• Why Dr. Lai believes in treating the whole person—not simply the feet
• His transition from traditional podiatry into lifestyle medicine
• The role nutrition plays in his approach
• Whole-food, plant-based eating and dietary diversity
• His recommendation to “eat a rainbow”
• The importance of including a variety of plant foods in your diet
• Why medication may change a number without necessarily addressing its underlying source
• Combining lifestyle and functional medicine approaches
• How stress, hormones, weight and other systems can interact
• Integrating biomechanics, regenerative medicine, functional medicine and lifestyle medicine
• Why health is also connected to productivity, finances and the economy you're creating

Dr. Lai's own journey into lifestyle medicine began with an unexpected physician joining his clinic—and then experimenting with lifestyle changes himself.


Healthspan vs. Lifespan: How to Age With Vitality | Dr. Jengyu Lai, Rochester Clinic

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