Other Women's Jobs // Dr. Aarti Javeri-Mehta

NAME: Dr. Aarti Javeri-Mehta

AGE: 36

INSTAGRAM HANDLE: https://www.instagram.com/sustain__health/

JOB TITLE: Internal Medicine Specialist & Lifestyle Medicine Physician 

MOVED TO THE UAE IN: 2018 

Dr. Aarti Javeri-Mehta is an Internal Medicine Specialist and a board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician and founder of Sustain Health. A thought leader in the movement of Lifestyle Medicine in the UAE, she has delivered and played an active role in key conferences and educational talks. Her passion lies in the field of Women’s Health, specifically PCOS as well as diabetes, pre-diabetes, and Insulin resistance.

Sustain Health is a passionate team of lifestyle medicine experts who empower patients to thrive through personalised, reliable and evidence-based medicine and customised programs. At Sustain Health, Dr Aarti's ethos is not to only treat symptoms, but delve deeper to understand the root cause of her clients’ imbalances. Sustain Health’s personalised lifestyle medicine plans address clients’ unique needs and promote health at a deeper level.

Let's discover a day in the life of Dr Aarti:

4:30AM: I wake up to go to the gym with my husband (Part 1 of My “Golden Hour”). This is our part of the day to brainstorm ideas, catch up with each other, and set the tone for the day to come. I aim for resistance training two to three days a week, and the other days are all about getting in a walk or some form of aerobic activity. Not all days look the same when it comes to motivation, and on days when I do require it, I sleep in OR get in a quick 10-20 minutes of movement. 

6AM: I usually spend this time with my three children, getting ready for our day and then heading to the breakfast table together. I read them the newspaper and allow them to ask questions where they want. It’s so interesting to see their views or opinions on current affairs—so pure and innocent! 

7:30am – 8am: Part 2 of my “Golden Hour.” I like to head to work 30 minutes before my patients start so I can read the most recent medical studies, podcasts (my favourite is JAMA clinical reviews or Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better, Live More), or news articles related to health AND journal -– I use Rewire Your Brain by Coach Saloni Suri; a practice I’ve been religiously doing for the last two years). This has been transformative in managing my day, helping me focus and commit to tasks I’m supposed to get done that day and also to help me overcome the struggles from the previous day. I also thoroughly enjoy savouring my coffee during “Golden Hour.” 

8am—4pm: This is all about patients! Each day of the week is different for me; some days are focused on clinic patients (seeing new patients or follow-ups, managing blood work, prescriptions, and insurance approvals); the latter by the way super time consuming! Whilst other days are focused on programme patients (I usually check in with my patients at least twice a week, where we troubleshoot, streamline goals, and hold them accountable). I usually spend between 30-40 minutes on new patients and about 20 minutes on follow-up patients, as it really allows me to get an in-depth understanding of what’s happening with regard to their lifestyle, habits and behaviours. After each patient, I spend another 10-15 minutes per patient doing admin work (customised plans, insurance approvals, etc). I usually also spend some time of the day checking in with our team; PR and marketing and our nutritionists to see developments in the business! 

4PM: This is my hour to decompress with my children without my phone. This has definitely been a work in progress, as it’s not always possible to switch off my phone during busy work days, but I try my best! I also try to accompany at least one of them to their activities and help them complete their homework. A few times a week, we’ll make sure to either play board games (our current favourite is Catan) or enjoy a good painting session. 

6PM: Dinner time with my children is when we try to build strong connections. Our meals are usually well-balanced: a whole grain carbohydrate with some proteins and healthy fats. Some things I make sure when it comes to their nutrition are that we stay away from labels (good or bad), enjoy less nutritious and fun foods regularly, and also avoid dessert as a ‘prize’ for finishing a meal. 

7pm: After dinner we do some bath time and then it’s book time. Each of my children enjoy different books but some of our favorites include the “Little People, Big Dreams” series, Roald Dahl books, and my littlest LOVES  the Julia Donaldson books. I find bedtime is the best time to really understand what their days were like; and we go through three questions 1. What was their favorite part of the day 2. Where can they improve tomorrow 3. What was the funniest thing that happened that day. 

8PM: After the kids get in bed, unwind and catch up with my husband. We talk about our day and the plans for the weekend and check in on social activities. We both enjoy a good game of padel, walk a few times a week or meet some friends! 

9pm: Usually a little bit of everything: shower, a simple skin routine (which includes the LED boost mask, a game changer!) and some TV - I just completed Federer, and I was blown away! It shows the power of consistency and dedication! The TV is usually off 30 minutes before bedtime and I fall asleep ready to start the same routine the next day!