I used to be unwell.
Metabollically-speaking, I was a bit of a disaster. I had PCOS, prediabetes, insulin resistance, hypothyroidism. Plenty of symptoms. Did NOT feel incredible or vibrant.
This chat today isn't about my backstory, but if you're curious, I spoke about that most recently here.
I have reversed all of those conditions naturally. No medications, no targeted supplements. I say this to share that it IS possible. MANY of my clients have reversed all kinds of conditions, come off of their medications or at least cut their doses way back with their doctors. I say that to let you know it's more than just possible, it's within reach for many people ... with the right knowledge and help. The unfortunate news there is that nearly all the advice and knowledge out there currently is inaccurate, outdated or downright damaging. Back to the good news! You're here. :-) And that tells me you're committed to a different way.
I can no longer be diagnosed with any chronic or metabolic conditions. But that doesn't mean it can't creep back for me! Because it's a common question I get asked, I'm going to share some metrics I use personally to keep tabs on my metabolic health. Of course everyone is different. Everyone is starting from different places. And this is just for information purposes, NOT medical advice ... please seek out a provider you trust to discuss your medical history.
This is not everything, I use lots of metrics (both objective and subjective), but here are some important ones:
Blood pressure - if elevated, it tells me my blood vessels aren't dilating well enough and my heart is being overworked. I'd suspect it's from insulin resistance or mitochondrial dysfunction in the endothelial cells.
Waist circumference - if elevated, I'm storing too much inflammatory visceral fat inside and around my organs
Triglycerides - if elevated, it is usually a sign of insulin resistance or excess glucose
HDL - if low, it tells me healthy cholesterol transportation and clearance is blunted
Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio (self calculated) - if elevated, it almost always means insulin resistance
ApoB - if high, it is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and heart disease, particularly in combination with a lifestyle that promotes damage to blood vessels
Fasting insulin - if high, it's a sign of insulin resistance
Fasting glucose - if high, it's a late sign of insulin resistance
HgBA1C - if high, it means my average blood sugar over the past 3 months or so has been elevated enough to be causing damage
Liver enzymes - if elevated, this tells me my lifestyle / environment is causing excessive liver cell death and damage
CRP - if elevated, it's a good indicator that there's some inflammation going on somewhere in my body
Important to note: I'm not typically looking to see "normal" values here, rather aiming to get within ranges I believe (based on many factors, not just my opinion HAHA) to be "optimal" ranges. Unfortunately, one could test within normal limits in every area above and still be well on their way to metabolic damage and disease. Optimal can sometimes be considered the same across the board and sometimes shift a bit based on individual factors.
Here are some of those ranges I look for for myself. Again, I only share because I trust that you'll use this for informational purposes only and understand that as an individual, your target ranges might make sense to be different than mine!
Blood pressure: I want systolic less than 120 and diastolic less than 80. I would consider 120/80 to be too high and would make a plan to bring that down.
Waist circumference: As a woman, I want this under 31.5 inches. (If I were a man, I'd want this under 35 inches)
Triglycerides: I'd like these to stay under 80
HDL: I feel comfortable when this is between 50 and 90
Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio: I want this below 1
ApoB - I like this below 80
Fasting insulin - under 6 makes me happy
Fasting glucose - I'd like to keep this about 70 - 85. At 90 or higher, I'd be ready to take action.
HgBA1C - 5.0 - 5.4 is a good sweet spot (no pun intended)
Liver enzymes (AST + ALT) - I want these no higher than 17 or 18 each
CRP - Ideally less than 0.5
I'd consider any of the above being 'off' to mean I have some work to do on my metabolic health. If I had two or more of these 'off' (as I used to and as 93%+ people do), I'd be even more serious about turning it around.
If you're not where you'd like to be for yourself here, that's ok! You should know that improving the various markers here on this list take some work but are almost always able to be improved. The coolest part is that we tend to FEEL so much better and find we achieve our body composition goals at the same time while we work on these. <3 That's the kind of hard work that's worth it on so many levels. This kind of hard work can also help us reverse disease, prevent all kinds of chronic disease, improve moods, energy levels, hunger / fullness cues, cravings, sleep, libido, rate of aging. If your metabolism is in need of some help, you could consider it a blessing as I have. I'm SO much healthier now than I would've been if I hadn't been sick and hadn't decided to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
It's all the stuff we talk about in my weekly newsletter and over on my instagram page.
It's all the stuff we work on in depth in my 28-day metabolism-boosting course,TRANSFORM: Body + Mindand in my 1-on-1 coaching program and why so many clients tell me they come to me for fat loss but end up also feeling vibrant and improving their lab work as a "side effect". ;-) It's. All. Connected. (And pssst ... it's no accident. We are always working on root causes).
Hope you found this helpful today!
XO,
Tara