Here's How to Fix Metabolic Dysfunction

"You either whine or you win. Winners rarely do both."

According to Stanford's leading metabolic expert, Dr. Casey Means, 93% of adults have metabolic dysfunction. That's an insane number.

Metabolic dysfunction is the disruption of the process that converts food into energy, which can lead to the overproduction or underproduction of essential substances like enzymes or hormones.

The five key components of metabolic dysfunction: increased blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, high levels of triglycerides, low levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL), increased fat around the waist.

Metabolic dysfunction significantly increases the risk of chronic diseases like: Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, serious liver disease.

9 habits to keep your metabolism in check:

1. Walk 10 minutes after every meal - cures glucose spikes by 30-35%. Studies show 7k steps daily reduce risk of death by 70%. Post meal walks work like medicine.

2. Eat single ingredient foods 80% of the time - people who eat primarily whole foods vs. processed foods consume ~500 calories less per day without trying or tracking.

3. Compress your eating to 8-10 hours daily - shorter eating windows mean lower glucose and insulin all day.

4. Protect your sleep like your life depends on it - one night of poor sleep spikes your glucose like eating candy. Block all light. Cool temperature (65-68 degrees). Phone down an hour before bed. Same bedtime every night.

5. Mix 3 types of exercise weekly: Weightlifting, Zone 2 cardio (can still talk during), HIIT (higher intensity in short bursts).

6. Get 20 minutes of morning sunlight - directly triggers mitochondrial function and sets your circadian rhythm. Get out within 2 hours of waking.

7. Add fiber before meals to boost natural GLP-1 - your gut produces the same hormone as Ozempic for free. Add 2 tbsp flax or chia seeds to water 10 minutes before eating.

8. End hot showers with 30 seconds of cold - forces mitochondria to multiply and burn more energy.

9. Stand or move 2 minutes every 30 minutes - "Sitting is the new smoking." Brief movement every 30 minutes keeps glucose channels at the surface all day.

Personal audit: I walk a lot but not necessarily right after every meal. I do not eat in a compressed window. I don't do enough HIIT training. I eat a lot of fiber, but not usually before my meals. I do not end hot showers with 30 seconds of cold. I do not stand or move 2 minutes every 30 minutes.

Do a personal audit. Identify what you do well, and where you can improve. Commit to at least one of them for the coming week.

Stay well, Hal the Health Coach