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YOUR HEALTH IS AT RISK—TAKE CONTROL WITH

METABOLIC HEALTH COACHING

A deeper focus on what really matters

By Dr. Joe Martin, PT, DPT, OCS

• Have ever been told you are pre or borderline diabetic?
• Do you have belly fat?
• Do you want to lose weight naturally without being sold a bunch of meals, supplements, or other substances?

 

What is Metabolic Health?

Metabolic Health brings us deeper into our body than people typically think. Most people know and talk about weightlifting, cardio, group fitness classes, smoothies, pressed juice, cross-fit and ninja workouts, and all sorts of different diet approaches. 

When people think about getting in better shape, they may join a gym, seek the services of a personal trainer or dietician, and they think about getting firmer muscles and reducing body fat. 

Don’t get me wrong, these are all contributing to optimal metabolic health. 

However, a focus on metabolic health is starting from the inside; deep inside at the cellular level and understanding the implications of cell health, DNA (gene) expression, hormones, organs, visceral fat,(the deadliest) energy metabolism, and the synchronization and inter-workings of our organs and the microbiome of our digestive tract. 

Now, of course the general population isn’t looking for and education in biochemistry nor should they need to, but there are certain things within our body that should be of great focus and should drive and occupy the time we have to dedicate to the things that matter most. 

Metabolic Health at Home

The early stage of metabolic disease starts with the foods that are stocked in the refrigerator and cupboards at home. Obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and fat in and around our organs (visceral fat) have just about everything to do with what we put in our mouths and the mouths of our children.  All of these conditions are a direct representation of what is going on at the cellular level. Most of the time, metabolic disease grows silently inside of us and commonly goes undetected for a very long time allowing these deep-rooted dysfunctions to progressively worsen. 

Sometimes, a good metabolic health optimization strategy for the entire family involves a metabolic health coach coming right into your home to SWEEP through every cupboard, pantry, refrigerator and freezer and perhaps the kids rooms where snacks are compiled! Consulting parents on ways to make sure sensible nutrition follows their kids to school is also critically important! 

In addition to making sure parents and kids are eating beautiful, nutrient dense foods and avoiding toxins and poisons, there are a handful of  KEY  components that must be kept in check for optimal metabolic health and for  setting the entire family on a path to a long and healthy future.

 

VO2max

Understanding the importance of optimizing a value known as VO2 max is critical and one of the most prominent predictors of how long you will live. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be utilized by your cells and is measured in ml/kg of body weight /per minute. So, since this is such a strong predictor of longevity, someone looking to live longer may want to know that there are well researched strategies and workout regimens that specifically help to raise VO2 max! And as Peter Drucker famously said “You can’t manage what you don’t measure” so for people who are particularly determined, VO2 max testing is available and it typically will involve a graded test on a  treadmill with a face mask and a blood gas analyzer. 

Insulin 

Now, let’s go in a completely different direction and talk about another critical determinant of metabolic health that when understood and managed can lead to a very healthy life for adults and children. 

Insulin is one of the most important hormones in our body and under normal conditions it seamlessly manages the process of getting glucose (sugar) out of the blood and into our cells for energy.  When people want to improve their health and the health of their family in an effort to live a long time, it is imperative to keep insulin levels in their body low. 

Insulin levels that spike significantly and stay elevated is a sign of one of the primary drivers of disease and poor metabolic health, Insulin Resistance. 

Insulin resistance means that our cells don’t recognize insulin as friendly and as a result they prevent glucose from entering the cells. The result is the accumulation of sugar in our bloodstream which triggers the beta cells in our pancreas to work overtime and secrete more insulin. Another reason we don’t want high amounts of Insulin floating around is because it helps us stay fat! It prevents the breakdown of stored fat!  Insulin resistance can also contribute to the accumulation and storage of fat in our liver cells leading to a fatty liver. 

There are many strategies to reduce insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity in our body.

The Liver and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Another area that is a primary focus of any good metabolic health optimization program is our liver. Fatty liver disease historically has been known as the disease of alcoholics, but with the avalanche of highly processed foods and added sugars in the diets of adults, children and adolescents the prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is rising at an alarming rate (In adults and children)and can lead to a whole host of associated diseases. 

Parents interested in preventing metabolic disease and dysfunction in themselves and in their children must think about their Liver. How many times has the liver been part of a discussion at the dinner table? I would guess, not enough. The good news is that specific nutritional strategies can reverse NAFLD quite rapidly and it is best to get to it as early as possible.

Sleep 

This is probably one of the areas where many adults, adolescents, and children fall short.  There is a growing body of evidence that sleep deprivation leads to a whole host of metabolic issues beginning with the fact that it creates systemic inflammation throughout the body. 

Blood biomarkers (substances floating around in the bloodstream that represent a set of conditions occurring in the body) such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) are elevated in sleep deprived or sleep restricted individuals. Chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disease. 

When devising a plan to “get healthy” and stay healthy, taking measures to ensure adequate sleep needs to be just as high of a priority as exercise and nutrition. I think most people realize that they need good sleep to function optimally, but associating sleep deprivation with metabolic disease is something less common. 

Stress

Who doesn’t know about stress? This is an area that most people recognize as something they need to work on reducing. Acute stress in “fight or flight” situations is not abnormal and likely more helpful than harmful. It is the chronic, low-grade stress that has the most impactful consequences on our metabolic health and certainly something that can kill us. 

Chronic stress leads to higher heart rates, high blood pressure, elevated cortisol and can suppress our immune system and lead to a whole host of mental health issues like anxiety and depression. 

Again, in a typical “get healthy” plan, exercise and nutrition are given a lot of attention because they are most commonly associated with popular goals like weight loss and getting in “in better shape.” 

While exercise and nutrition should garner significant dedication, stress reduction strategies will have far reaching health benefits as well. 

Autophagy

Autophagy is another critical and seemingly miraculous process promoting metabolic health in our body and may be referred to as a “total body cleanse or cleanout.”  This “self-eating” phenomenon, Autophagy, was first discovered in the 1960’s by a Belgian scientist Christian de Duve, but an advanced understanding of the inter-workings of genes and molecules during this process was brought to light by a Japanese scientist named Yoshinori Ohsumi.

Autophagy is basically our body’s own ability to clear out all the dysfunctional and disease promoting substances from our cells. A total body “reset” switch if you will. 

His work uncovered the role of autophagy deep in our cells and even its function related to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. He remarkably was awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology or medicine in 2016. 

Autophagy is another reason why taking a “metabolic health” approach to wellness allows us to dig deep and have far reaching impact on our lives.

Understanding how to fire up this process in our body is another “new age” approach to improving our chances of preventing disease and living a long and healthy life. 

Metabolic health optimization, in many ways, has always benefited from  traditional efforts, but when we sharpen our focus and understand and address deep foundational factors, we become a better pilot of our health journey through life.

Get in touch or a discounted Virtual Consultation with Dr joe today!