Your Checkup: Patient Education Health Podcast

Ed Delesky, MD and Nicole Aruffo, RN
  • 5.0 (17)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Ever leave the doctor’s office more confused than when you walked in? Your Checkup: Health Conversations for Motivated Patients is your health ally in a world full of fast appointments and even faster Google searches. Each week, a board certified family medicine physician and a pediatric nurse sit down to answer the questions your doctor didn’t have time to. From understanding diabetes and depression to navigating obesity, high blood pressure, and everyday wellness—we make complex health topics simple, human, and actually useful. Whether you’re managing a condition, supporting a loved one, or just curious about your body, this podcast helps you get smart about your health without needing a medical degree. Because better understanding leads to better care—and you deserve both.

  1. 1D AGO

    99: Understanding Your Body Composition: Why the Scale Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

    We swap small talk for a deep dive on body composition and why muscle and visceral fat tell a truer health story than the scale. Practical tools like DEXA, bioelectrical impedance, and a simple tape measure help you track what matters and take action. • why body composition beats weight and BMI for risk • what visceral fat is and why it drives inflammation • how muscle improves insulin sensitivity and metabolism • aging, sarcopenia, and protecting independence • methods to measure composition from DEXA to smart scales • using waist circumference as a powerful proxy • healthy body fat ranges for men and women • daily habits to build muscle and lower visceral fat Send us a message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply. Support the show Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN Artwork Rebrand and Avatars: Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski

    35 min

  2. FEB 16

    98: Menopause, Hormones, & GLP Weight Loss Shots

    In this episode of Your Checkup, we explore a new study from the Mayo Clinic examining whether menopause hormone therapy enhances weight loss outcomes in postmenopausal women taking tirzepatide. Menopause is a major metabolic turning point — with rising visceral fat, declining muscle mass, and increasing cardiovascular risk. Researchers found that women using hormone therapy while on tirzepatide lost significantly more weight — nearly 5% more total body weight — and experienced additional cardiometabolic improvements compared to women not using hormones. We break down what this means, why estrogen may play a synergistic role, what the study does not prove, and how to think about personalized obesity treatment during midlife.  Send us a message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply. Support the show Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN Artwork Rebrand and Avatars: Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski

    24 min

  3. FEB 9

    97: The Motivation Checkup: Episode 6: From Motivation to Momentum, How to Turn Insight Into Action

    This is the final episode of our Motivation Checkup mini-series, and it’s all about turning everything you’ve learned into real, sustainable change. Over the last five episodes, we explored why motivation fades, why willpower isn’t enough, how small habits create lasting progress, what to do when motivation disappears, and how stress, sleep, and burnout sabotage behavior change. In this episode, we bring it all together. You’ll learn how to stop waiting for motivation and start building momentum with small, flexible systems that actually work in real life. We introduce a simple framework for choosing your starting point — whether your focus is eating well, exercising, losing weight, improving sleep, or protecting your mental health — and show you how to create progress without burnout or shame. This isn’t about trying harder.  It’s about building a plan that fits your life. 🎯 Pick one small thing. Start today. Your future self is already grateful. Send us a message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply. Support the show Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN Artwork Rebrand and Avatars: Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski

    34 min

  4. FEB 2

    96: The Motivation Checkup: Episode 5: Motivation vs Habits vs Discipline, What Creates Change

    In this episode, we break down the difference between motivation, habits, and discipline — three tools people often confuse when trying to change their health. You’ll learn why motivation is great for starting but unreliable for consistency, why habits are the real engine of long-term change, and why discipline is best used as a short-term support, not a lifestyle. We show how relying too much on willpower leads to burnout, how “minimum viable habits” protect progress on low-energy days, and how to build systems that make healthy choices easier instead of harder. This episode helps you stop pushing yourself and start designing change that actually lasts.  Send us a message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply. Support the show Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN Artwork Rebrand and Avatars: Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski

    24 min

  5. JAN 26

    95: The Motivation Checkup: Episode 4: How to Continue When Motivation Fades

    In this episode, we talk about what really happens when motivation fades — and why it’s not a sign that you’ve failed. Life stress, poor sleep, illness, and emotional overload all pull on the same limited energy system in your brain, making even good intentions feel hard to act on. You’ll learn why pushing harder usually backfires, how to use “minimum viable habits” to protect your progress on low-energy days, and how self-compassion and flexibility are the real keys to consistency. This episode will help you stop blaming yourself and start showing up in a way that actually lasts.  Send us a message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply. Support the show Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN Artwork Rebrand and Avatars: Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski

    32 min

  6. JAN 19

    94: The Motivation Checkup Episode 3: Small Steps, Lasting Change

    In this episode, we explore why starting small is actually the most effective way to build lasting habits. Big goals can feel overwhelming, and relying on motivation alone often sets us up for failure. By focusing on tiny, repeatable actions — what we call minimum viable habits — you can protect your confidence, maintain consistency, and slowly train your brain to see yourself as someone who shows up. We break down the psychology behind small wins, explain why doing less can actually lead to more, and give practical examples you can start today to make real, sustainable progress.  Send us a message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply. Support the show Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN Artwork Rebrand and Avatars: Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski

    24 min

  7. JAN 12

    93: The Motivation Checkup: Episode 2: Why Willpower Fails

    In this episode of Your Checkup, we unpack why relying on willpower alone so often fails — and why that failure isn’t a personal flaw. Willpower is a limited resource that gets drained by stress, decision fatigue, and daily demands, making it unreliable for sustained health change. Instead of asking ourselves to try harder, real progress comes from designing systems that work with our brains: reducing friction for healthy behaviors, increasing friction for unhelpful ones, and anchoring habits to existing routines. By shifting the focus from discipline to supportive environments, we can build changes that last — even on hard days.  Send us a message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply. Support the show Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN Artwork Rebrand and Avatars: Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski

    27 min

  8. JAN 5

    92: The Motivation Checkup: Episode 1 Understanding Motivation

    New year energy fades fast, and that’s exactly when most health plans fall apart. We’ve been there—patients telling us “I can’t stay motivated,” and our own early alarms that sometimes lose the argument. So we take a fresh, practical look at motivation: not as a trait you’re born with, but as a state you can design by meeting three basic needs—choice, capability, and support. We start by ditching the willpower myth. Fear and guilt can get you moving once, but they rarely carry you through February. Instead, we walk through how to create autonomy by making health changes feel like your choice, not a chore. Then we shrink the mountain with competence—tiny, repeatable wins that build evidence you can do this. Finally, we highlight relatedness, the social fuel most of us ignore, from a partner’s quick “you got this” to a clinician who helps you tailor goals to real life. You’ll hear everyday examples that translate theory to action: reframing exercise from “the doctor said so” to “I feel clearer after a 15‑minute walk,” turning “I need to lose weight” into “steady meals give me steady energy,” and linking medications to the life you want to lead. We cap it with a fast self‑audit you can do today: Does this feel like my choice? Do I feel capable most days? Do I feel supported? Wherever you answer no, you’ll learn how to adjust the plan rather than abandon it. If you’re ready to turn external pressure into internal purpose and make habits stick without white‑knuckling, press play. Then share this with someone who could use a gentle reset, subscribe for next week’s deep dive on building systems that support your goals, and leave a review to tell us the one small change you’re making first. Send us a message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply. Support the show Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN Artwork Rebrand and Avatars: Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski

    38 min
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5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Ever leave the doctor’s office more confused than when you walked in? Your Checkup: Health Conversations for Motivated Patients is your health ally in a world full of fast appointments and even faster Google searches. Each week, a board certified family medicine physician and a pediatric nurse sit down to answer the questions your doctor didn’t have time to. From understanding diabetes and depression to navigating obesity, high blood pressure, and everyday wellness—we make complex health topics simple, human, and actually useful. Whether you’re managing a condition, supporting a loved one, or just curious about your body, this podcast helps you get smart about your health without needing a medical degree. Because better understanding leads to better care—and you deserve both.

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