METABOLIc HEALTH explained

Good metabolic health means your body is functioning optimally to give your organs and tissues the energy they need while also removing toxins from the body.  It is a sign that your mitochondria are healthy. Mitochondria are the organelles that create energy for us. We want to be metabolically flexible (ie able to alternate between burning fat and glucose) as it enables mitochondria to rest and regenerate, which in turn helps to regulate body fat, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

Being metabolically healthy is like futureproofing your health. It significantly lowers your risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (including strokes), some cancers and neurodegenerative diseases (like dementia). Great metabolic health also provides you with the energy and physicality to live a fulfilling life.

Hormones like insulin (drives energy uptake by cells and energy storage), ghrelin (tells us we are hungry) and leptin (tells us we are full) are a critical part of metabolic health. They decide what the body does with the fuel you eat, and in turn the food you eat regulates these hormones. These hormones are at work in the background either helping you lose weight and feel great, or not.

As we age, we find that the same dietary and exercise strategies do not yield the same results. Sex hormones fluctuate (particularly for women over 40) and metabolic hormone levels shift (eg increased feelings of hunger). A decline in lean muscle mass leads to a reduction in metabolic rate. Our body also becomes less capable of managing blood glucose. All of this doesn't make poor metabolic health inevitable; it just means our strategies need to adapt.

Poor metabolic health often results in a condition known as 'insulin resistance', which often goes undetected until a routine blood test or illness manifests. 

These are the main indicators that confirm insulin resistance:

• Larger waist size/higher visceral (abdominal) fat
• Elevated blood pressure
• High triglycerides
• Low HDL cholesterol 
• Elevated blood glucose and insulin 

Improving your metabolic health requires a multi-faceted approach in the context of your unique biology (it's not a one size fits all). 

We can improve our...

1. Nutrition

2. Physical activity eg strength training to build lean muscle

3. Sleep quality and circadian rhythms

4. Gut/microbiome health

5. Response and adaptation to stress eg exposure to hormetic stressors like hot/cold therapy, short duration high intensity exercise