Are you Metabolically Healthy?
Less than 1 in 5 Americans today are deemed Metabolically Healthy. Are you one of them?
How do we determine if we are Metabolically Healthy?
Check this out; to be Metabolically Healthy, your numbers for these Metabolic Health Markers should be:
Waist Circumference: Men (less than 102 centimeters, or 40.2 inches) and Women (less than 88 centimeters, or 34.6 inches)
Glucose: Less than 100 mg/dL and HbA1c: less than 0.7%
Systolic Blood Pressure: Less than 120 mmHg and Diastolic Blood Pressure: less than 80 mmHg
Triglycerides: Less than 150 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol: Men (greater than 40 mg/dL), Women (greater than 50 mg/dL)
Not taking any diabetes, blood pressure, or cholesterol medications
Consult your Primary Care Physician, and/or look at the last blood test results you received to see if you satisfy all of those above requirements to determine if you’re metabolically healthy, or not.
If you are not Metabolically Healthy, meaning that you do not satisfy all above requirements, including the requirement of not taking any medications for diabetes, blood pressure, or cholesterol, then we can do something about it.
Lifestyle changes will help you get you in the right direction, whichever the Metabolic Health Marker is.
Simple, manageable, and continued adjustments over time in your Nutrition and Movement will help!
If you are Metabolically Healthy, then we can optimize what you already are doing with your already great approach to your Nutrition and Movement.
Which Metabolic Health Markers do you see as needing improvement? Comment below!
What are the benefits of being Metabolically Healthy?
We stave off what is called Metabolic Syndrome (read here), which can lead to Diabetes, Heart Disease, Stroke, and other chronic diseases.
By improving our Metabolic Health (observing our Metabolic Health Markers improve), then we become more Fit, and overall more Healthy.
Those of you who have done our Level Method Assessments here, and know your Overall Level, e.g. White, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, or Red, can see how your 15 different categories of exercises and movements in the Level Method of Athletic Progression (MAP) correlate with these Metabolic Health Markers.
If your waist circumference is decreasing, then most likely your body fat is being reduced, which might mean less weight you are carrying around. This might mean you will be able to perform a pull-up easier.
If you glucose level is getting to be closer to less than 100 mg/dL, then that means you might be becoming more Metabolically Flexible, or more able to process and use Fat and Carbohydrates more effectively now. In short, your insulin sensitivity is improving, and you might be performing way better in your Practice and Training sessions at the gym. You might be entering into, performing well, and even winning in Competitions. With this, you might feel more energetic throughout your day, without any energy crashes, especially after having a meal.
If your blood pressure is improving, then that means you heart is working less hard to get the right amount of blood around your body with every beat, which might mean you can continue to do activities that you like to do, longer, and easier, like hiking, running, cycling, etc.
If your triglyceride levels are improving, then all the same effects you’ll experience with a decrease in blood glucose you might be experiencing, as well.
If your HDL cholesterol levels are improving, then that also means that you might be more metabolically flexible. You might be better adapted to using your body fat, and dietary fat for energy. This means your power output in all kinds of aerobic exercise might improve!
If you are not taking diabetes, blood pressure, or cholesterol medications, then you might be higher up (or on the right side with the higher colored-levels) on the Level MAP, seeing all your performance markers, like your Front Squat, Deadlifts, Push-ups, Pull-ups, Rings, Kettlebell and Weightlifting, Sit-ups, Jump Roping, Squat Endurance, Running, Rowing, Flexibility, Fran, Diane, and Fight Gone Bad, improve!
Whoever you are, we can help you make those simple, manageable, and continued adjustments to not only normalize, or heal, but also optimize your Fitness and Health.
How we together can do this:
Assess where your Metabolic Health is, in addition to your Fitness, with the help of your Primary Care Physician, and the Level Method here at IMA, respectively.
Address your Metabolic Health Markers, and your Lower Levels on the MAP, that you want to improve, by making simple, manageable, and continued adjustments to your nutrition while practicing and training better movement.
Progress your Metabolic Health and Performance Markers, like the Levels on the MAP, and continue the cycle over again.
Need help with that process?
Start by scheduling an Initial Assessment with us here, and bring a copy of your Metabolic Health Markers with you, too.
From there we’ll complete the rest of our Assessments and start to address what we need to get you to progress you in the right direction.
See you soon!