100 in 100: Day 59- Dr. Safdar Medina

Dr. Safdar Medina spends his days telling teenagers that movement is medicine. He's a primary care pediatrician who works with adolescents struggling with mental health and substance use, and fitness is part of the prescription he hands out daily. But Safdar wasn't always the one giving that advice — for most of his early life, he wasn't following it either.

"I was never athletic in high school or college," he says. "My journey into fitness started in my 30s, when I realized that I was overweight and unhealthy and needed to make a change." Running became his outlet — but years in, he hit a wall familiar to a lot of lifelong runners: his pace was slowing, his energy fading, and he didn't know why.

Safdar found his way to Prototype through Steve, whom he met at the Westborough Health Fair. Different jobs, same underlying mission — both men spend their working lives trying to help others get healthier. Safdar was struck by Steve's holistic approach, and by how patiently he was guided through strength work he'd never really learned. Gillian, a fellow runner, added her own tips along the way. What he found at Prototype wasn't just a gym — it was a second education in how his body actually works.

The effects showed up fast. "Almost immediate: less aches, feeling stronger, running longer distances," he says. Two conditions that had dogged him for years as a runner — patellofemoral syndrome and plantar fasciitis — started to improve. He also discovered something he hadn't expected to care about: recovery. "The value of a cold plunge and time in an infrared sauna are priceless," he says. He's built it into a rhythm now, timing his recovery sessions around his long runs — starting and ending at Prototype. "My legs are not nearly as sore as they used to be. The infrared sauna clears my mind; it's the perfect place to meditate."

A Marathon He Didn't Think He'd Run Again

"I didn't think that I would be able to run another marathon again," Safdar says. This past October, he ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. — his best time ever, alongside his best 5K time of the past year. His weekly mileage now sits at 50. "Two years ago, I would not have thought that would be even possible," he says. He's also gone on strenuous hikes he wouldn't have attempted before, including summiting a 12,600-foot peak in Arizona. "At age 57, I feel like I am in the best shape of my life."

It's not lost on Safdar that this stretch of his life is also one of the more demanding ones — supporting young adult children finding their footing in the world while helping care for aging parents, the classic sandwich a lot of people his age know well. Through it, he says his sleep is better and he's generally more positive. His family has noticed, too. His wife no longer hears the old excuse of "I ran this morning" — he has the energy now for long hikes and walks whenever she asks. And his son, a competitive runner who ran track and cross country at Vassar, actually wants to run with him now.

The lessons haven't stayed inside the gym. Safdar has started bringing pieces of what he's learned directly into his exam room — simple stretches and mobility work he can hand to a teenage patient as something concrete to try. One young man, a former varsity athlete who'd drifted into cannabis use, slowly found his way back to feeling better and playing again, with some of the same exercises Safdar had learned for himself. "Kids respond well when we are specific and give them a deliverable they can apply in their lives," he says.

Ask him what he'd tell someone his age who thinks it's too late to start, and there's no hesitation. "Never think that age or anything else can get in the way of your goals." It's the same message he gives his teenage patients about activity and mental health, aimed now at anyone who needs to hear it: it's never too late, and it's never too small a start to count.

"As I tell my teenage patients, any form of activity is the best mental health treatment. Whether it is a short walk, an intense fitness class, or a marathon — it can never be underestimated."

Safdar spends his career telling teenagers that movement is medicine, and what I love about his story is that he's living proof of his own advice. I learned from what he shared that he didn't come from an athletic background. He came to this later, in his 30s, and he's kept building on it ever since — right up through a Marine Corps Marathon PR at 57 years old.

What stands out to me is how he's taken what he's learned here — about strength, about recovery, about consistency — and carried it straight back to his patients, handing it to kids who need it just as much as he did. That's the whole point of what we're doing with these 100 stories: nobody comes here for what they actually find. Safdar came in for faster splits and less soreness. He found a second toolkit for helping the patients he cares about most.

The last thing I'd like to add is while Safdar pops in sometimes as early as 5am or in the afternoon pre or post run, he's always got a smile on his face. He's one of the friendliest people I've met and I can sense he genuinely cares about those that he takes care of in his practice. I'm glad Safdar found us and I'm glad he's part of the community here at Prototype!

This story was developed through written responses submitted by the member and shaped with the help of AI writing tools. The facts, quotes, and experiences are Safdar's own — AI helped organize and present them in a format worthy of the story he's lived.