Metabolic Health

What do you think of when you hear the term Metabolic Health?

Most of us think of high glucose or diabetes. Some experts say that metabolic health means the absence of metabolic syndrome, which is a group of risk factors that contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and other metabolic diseases. But other experts argue that metabolic health means more than that. Being metabolically healthy means that a person has good overall health and a low risk of developing metabolic diseases.

Let’s dive deeper into the root cause of metabolic syndrome and recognize how it is connected to your cellular health. When we dive deeper, we can connect your metabolic health to the health of your mitochondria.

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What are some causes of tired mitochondria?

• Chronic Inflammation
• Your food choices
• Your personal metabolism
• Microbiome - Leaky Gut
• Exercise - Too much or too little
• Sleep - Poor or too little
• Stress and mental health
• Your age, sex, and genetics

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What does it look like when our mitochondria stop working as efficiently or become tired?
Tired mitochondria are no longer able to keep up with the intake of energy/calories/food. The effects look like:

• High blood pressure
• High blood fat
• Low levels of good cholesterol
• High blood sugar
• Higher risk for Alzheimer’s
• Larger waistline

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Here are some great tests/labs you can easily have completed to see if you are metabolically healthy:

• Blood Glucose
• Triglycerides
• HDL
• Blood Pressure
• Waist Circumference

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Creating strong and healthy Mitochondria

When we create healthier mitochondria, we stop metabolic syndrome at its root cause. So what can we do to strengthen our metabolic health and create stronger mitochondria? The basic pillars to better health can do just this: clean food, rest and restore, exercise and movement, good hydration, and healthy connections. For this article, we will focus on exercise and movement. Here are some top ways to strengthen your mitochondria:

• Walking 7,000 steps a day - increases mitochondrial capacity
• HIIT and resistance training - create more mitochondria (Biogenesis)
• Endurance training - creates more efficient mitochondria while also supporting a healthy range of mitophagy.

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What does this mean for you?
This means you need to create an exercise and movement program that includes a variety of exercise modalities to create complete health for your mitochondria.

This could look like:

• Walking three days a week
• Weight training or HIIT sessions two days a week
• Endurance training once a week

Your body also requires rest time. This time to rest and heal could look like active rest time on the yoga mat, a hike in nature, or light gardening.

Having the perfect tracking form can also be a powerful tool in supporting your fitness plan. Here’s an example.

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Link to additional resources

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