“5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing” With Dr. Zachary Linhart

Use the half diet. Many diets are really difficult to follow, cutting out certain things and counting calories. Instead, I recommend just eating HALF of each meal. Something this simple can reduce your appetite over time.

As a part of my series about “5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Zachary Linhart. Dr. Zachary E. Linhart is a caring, compassionate, and well trained general, cosmetic, and restorative dentist. His experience in providing the best care to his patients has led to his reputation as a world-renowned dentist and healthcare provider. Dr. Zachary E. Linhart earned his Bachelor of Arts in neuroscience from Bowdoin College and his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) from New York University College of Dentistry. He completed his residency in general dentistry at the Bronx VA Medical Center, a Mount Sinai affiliated hospital. He joined his father at Linhart Dentistry in 2011 where he now practices full time. Dr. Zachary Linhart and his father, Dr. Jan Linhart launched their unique line of oral care products in 2018. Linhart is now sold in retail nationwide and online.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

I am a dentist, and I came to realize early in my life how important oral health is to overall health. Almost everything that enters your body enters through your mouth. When I was in college and on the fast track into a medical career, I looked very carefully at medicine, dentistry, and even the possibility of becoming a veterinarian.

After shadowing doctors in each of those fields, I realized the best opportunity I had was through dentistry. Today, so much of medicine is dictated by insurance companies, massive hospitals, and even the government. Dentistry allows me to practice what is best for my patients, no matter what.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

Since we service a large group of VIP and celebrity patients, there are interesting occurrences all the time. I once went into the office in the middle of the night to see a VIP patient — he ended up not coming, so the doctor that was there with us just ordered takeout and we hung out at the office all night. We’ve also worked with Carlos Beltran, the manager of the New York Mets, and Schindler’s List survivors.

A particularly heartwarming story is about a sales rep we hired for our Linhart oral care products. He was good at what he did, and he wanted to represent a toothpaste after 40 years in the beauty industry. The small problem was — he didn’t have any teeth! After he did some fantastic work getting Linhart into pharmacies in New York, we gave him a bonus — an entire new mouth of teeth.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

In dental school, I was adjusting the base of a removable denture. The process is called a re-line, and the re-line acrylic is placed on the underside of the denture and then the whole thing placed into the patient’s mouth to recapture the shape of their gums. I had no idea I was supposed to let the material partially set, and then remove it. Instead, it set all the way in the patient’s mouth, locking in the denture. Needless to say, the patient wasn’t thrilled. It took me about an hour of drilling very carefully to free it. I will never make that mistake again.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

At Linhart Dentistry, we provide the best care. We have patients from around the world — on a daily basis, we see royalty, movie stars, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and your everyday New Yorker! We have the most state-of-the-art dental equipment in one of the most beautiful buildings in Manhattan and all our dental specialties in-house. New York Magazine called our practice “One-Stop Dental Perfection.”

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My father has guided me and has had an enormous positive influence on how I work. We are lucky to work together daily. He has taught me how to communicate with people, run a business, and provide a pristine healthcare experience.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

Eating sugar is highly addictive. I read an article once from Europe about addiction. The article was about alcoholism — severely addicted individuals had brain surgery to rid them of the physiological addiction of alcohol. Surprisingly, none of them quit drinking because the addiction was not just chemical, it was mental. In my opinion, to get healthier, habits have to change. I think the three main blockages are:

#1 — Work. This is not just the 9-to-5 job, but also taking care of the kids, taking care of yourself, and daily tasks and chores. All this “stuff” makes it very difficult to set aside time for exercise, preparing meals and other healthy habits.

#2 — Stress. When we are stressed, many of us want to eat junk food, drink alcohol, sit around because it makes us feel better in the short term. We already know the long term harmful side effects of these stress-relieving binges.

#3 — Willpower. Would I rather sleep in, or wake up early and work out? Do I get a juicy burger, or cook a healthy meal that may not be as enjoyable? Willpower is a strong master to overcome.

Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)

1. Floss. Yes, I know, I’m a dentist — of course, I recommend flossing! Flossing can indeed be very healthy as part of a complete oral care routine. Poor oral health has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, pre-term birth, and many other life-threatening health conditions.
2. Take the stairs. Walking those extra few steps a day is healthy and a no-brainer.
3. Use the half diet. Many diets are really difficult to follow, cutting out certain things and counting calories. Instead, I recommend just eating HALF of each meal. Something this simple can reduce your appetite over time.
4. Rise and shine! Waking up 20 minutes earlier than you have been will allow your morning to be less stressful. Being stressed out can cause high blood pressure, premature aging, gray hair, worn teeth, and more.
5. Electronics off an hour before bedtime. The light from your cell phone can mess with your sleep cycle. I notice an enormous difference in my quality of sleep when I do this.

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

1. You will have better overall health. Besides weight loss, being in good shape through daily exercise can have massive health benefits. Decreased blood pressure, decreased risk of heart disease, increase lifespan, etc.
2. You will feel good. Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel good. Also, just the knowledge that you exercise makes you feel good.
3. You will look good. Differences in your physique can really motivate you to keep going. Exercise helps you lose weight and look better in general!

For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?

Exercises with your own body weight are extremely beneficial. Push-ups, crunches, pull-ups, and chin-ups are great exercises that I can do anywhere with zero equipment.

In my experience, many people begin an exercise regimen but stop because they get too sore afterward. What ideas would you recommend to someone who plays sports or does heavy exercise to shorten the recovery time, and to prevent short term or long term injury?

There are so many different diets today. Can you share what kind of diet you follow? Which diet do you recommend to most of your clients?

I already mentioned the half diet. I believe that trying to cut out big food groups is very difficult to do and unhealthy. Instead, cut your meal size in half. Smaller portions help you stay lean, healthy and decrease appetite.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?

The Catcher in the Rye, of course. I love that the story is set against the backdrop of New York and that Holden is searching for authenticity in away.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Take care of your teeth! Oral health influences your whole body. So many people ignore their mouths and worry so much about everything else. A healthy smile means a healthy body.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

I love the ancient Latin proverb, “Mens sana in corpore sano” which means “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” This is completely relevant to every part of my life. I work better when I feel better.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

I would love to meet Marcus Lemonis from The Profit. He is self-made, super smart, hard-working, and he knows what is important in life.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

@LinhartNYC and @LinhartDentistry

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!