These Healthy Habits Can Add Years to Your Life!

LIVE LONG AND STRONG

Dr. Don Colbert’s book, Live Long and Strong: The Twelve Health Markers That Add Years to Your Life and Strength to Your Days, is a practical, faith-centered guide to healthy aging and disease prevention. Drawing on more than four decades of medical practice, Colbert argues that many chronic illnesses do not appear suddenly; instead, the body often sends warning signs years in advance through bloodwork, inflammation levels, hormone imbalances, and metabolic changes. The central message of the book is simple: people can dramatically improve both the quality and length of their lives if they understand and actively manage the key “numbers” that reflect the body’s health. Colbert combines conventional medical knowledge, nutritional science, anti-aging medicine, and Christian spiritual principles. He repeatedly emphasizes that the body was designed by God to heal when given proper care, nutrition, rest, and stewardship. Rather than waiting until illness becomes severe, he encourages readers to become proactive about their health through regular lab testing, healthy eating, fasting, exercise, supplements, stress reduction, and spiritual discipline. The book is organized around twelve major health markers that Colbert believes reveal the true condition of the body. Each chapter focuses on one specific marker and explains what it means, why it matters, what causes it to worsen, and how readers can improve it naturally.

BLOOD PRESSURE: One of the first major topics is blood pressure. Colbert describes high blood pressure as a silent killer that damages the heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels long before symptoms become noticeable. He explains how stress, processed foods, obesity, lack of sleep, and chronic inflammation contribute to hypertension. Instead of relying only on medication, he encourages readers to adopt lifestyle changes such as reducing sodium, increasing potassium-rich foods, walking daily, lowering stress hormones, and following a Mediterranean-style eating plan. Throughout the chapter, he stresses that prevention is easier than reversal after years of damage. 

BLOOD SUGAR: The next major focus is blood sugar and insulin resistance. Colbert argues that unstable blood sugar is one of the most dangerous hidden problems in modern society because it accelerates aging, weight gain, brain decline, fatigue, and inflammation. He warns that many people are “pre-diabetic” without realizing it. He connects excessive sugar and processed carbohydrates to rising obesity and cognitive decline and explains how insulin resistance can quietly damage the body for years. His recommendations include eliminating sugary drinks, reducing refined carbs, intermittent fasting, increasing protein intake, and prioritizing whole foods.

WEIGHT AND WAISTLINE: Another chapter centers on abdominal fat and waist size. Colbert explains that belly fat is not merely cosmetic but metabolically dangerous. Excess visceral fat surrounds organs and releases inflammatory chemicals that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and dementia. He encourages readers to measure waist circumference as carefully as they monitor body weight because abdominal obesity is one of the clearest indicators of declining health. He advocates strength training, walking, fasting, and anti-inflammatory nutrition as ways to reduce harmful fat storage.

CHOLESTEROL:  Cholesterol and cardiovascular health receive significant attention as well. Colbert takes a balanced approach, arguing that not all cholesterol is bad. He explains the difference between HDL (“good”) cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and triglycerides, emphasizing that inflammation and insulin resistance often matter more than cholesterol numbers alone. Rather than promoting fear, he encourages readers to understand their complete cardiovascular profile and improve it through healthy fats, omega-3 intake, exercise, and reducing processed food consumption.

INFLAMMATION: Inflammation is perhaps the book’s central theme. Colbert describes chronic inflammation as an invisible internal fire that contributes to nearly every major disease, including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. He discusses the importance of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a blood marker that can reveal dangerous inflammation before symptoms appear. He believes many doctors fail to address inflammation early enough. Colbert repeatedly emphasizes that inflammation can often be reversed through nutrition, gut healing, weight loss, fasting, stress reduction, and avoiding ultra-processed foods.

BRAIN HEALTH: The book also explores homocysteine, a lesser-known amino acid marker associated with cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease. Colbert calls it “the memory thief” because elevated levels are linked to shrinking brain tissue and dementia risk. He shares personal stories about watching both of his parents struggle with dementia and explains how this experience intensified his passion for preventive medicine and brain health. He discusses how B vitamins, exercise, anti-inflammatory eating, and proper supplementation can help protect the brain over time.

KIDNEY AND LIVER HEALTH: Kidney and liver function are also highlighted as essential indicators of overall health. Colbert explains that these organs often suffer silently under the burden of poor diet, medications, alcohol, toxins, obesity, and dehydration. He teaches readers how to interpret common laboratory markers related to organ function and urges them to protect these systems before permanent damage occurs.

HORMONAL HEALTH: Hormonal health forms another major section of the book. Colbert argues that many men and women suffer unnecessarily from fatigue, depression, weight gain, low libido, and brain fog because hormone imbalances go untreated. He focuses especially on testosterone, thyroid hormones, cortisol, and adrenal function. According to Colbert, low testosterone in men can contribute to weakness, loss of muscle mass, poor motivation, and metabolic decline. Likewise, thyroid dysfunction can slow metabolism, drain energy, and create a cascade of physical and emotional symptoms. He encourages readers to seek comprehensive testing rather than accepting declining energy as a normal part of aging.

VITAMIN D: Vitamin D receives an entire chapter because Colbert views it as one of the most important nutrients in the body. He describes vitamin D as crucial for immune function, bone strength, mood regulation, hormone balance, and inflammation control. Many people, he argues, are deficient without knowing it because they spend little time outdoors and consume nutrient-poor diets. He encourages responsible sun exposure, supplementation when needed, and regular testing.

Throughout the book, Colbert repeatedly returns to the idea that health is spiritual stewardship. He frames physical wellness not merely as self-improvement but as part of fulfilling one’s God-given purpose. He believes people can serve others, enjoy family, think clearly, and live more fully when they take care of their bodies. His Christian worldview shapes the tone of the book, especially in the conclusion, where he encourages readers not to surrender to decline or hopelessness. A major strength of Live Long and Strong is its accessibility. Colbert avoids overly technical medical language and instead explains complicated lab values in practical, understandable terms. The book is designed less as a strict diet manual and more as a roadmap for understanding how the body functions and how small daily decisions affect long-term health. Ultimately, the book’s message is hopeful and preventive rather than fear-driven. Colbert believes aging does not have to mean inevitable weakness and disease. While he acknowledges genetics and unavoidable factors, he argues that most people possess far more influence over their health than they realize. By understanding their body’s key health markers and responding early, readers can “live long and strong” physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

To learn more about Dr. Don Colbert, or to purchase his latest book, Live Long and Strong, click the LINK! 

CREDITS:

NY Times best-selling author with over 50 books, latest:, Live Long and Strong (Siloam, 2026) / practicing medicine for 40+ years / Medical Director, Colbert Institute for Anti-Aging, Orlando, FL and Dallas, TX / treated more than 50,000 patients / sold more than 10 million books / media: The Dr. Oz Show, Fox News, ABC World News, BBC, Newsweek, Prevention Magazine, etc./ Co-host with wife, Mary, of YouTube broadcast, Divine Health Report now known as Dr. Don Colbert M.D. / B.S. and M.D., Oral Roberts University.