Where to look if your health is stuck

It’s not unusual for one’s perspective on their personal health to change at different points in his or her life. For some there is indifference, frustration, and reactivity. For others there is clarity, deep involvement, proactivity, and even identity.

Each person has their own “health documentary.” Typically it’s a blend of factors that include your health history, family’s eating habits, psychological health, environmental factors, financial pressures, value systems, and other lifestyle habits.

I want you to pause and think about how you engage with your own health and possibly your family’s health. Do you think about the future of your health? Is it your responsibility or is it a transaction to be had with a doctor at a perfunctory check up? Are you competent enough to embrace your own inner doctor barring some critical situations?

You may be familiar with the term functional medicine. Functional medicine was born out of necessity. It is a systems-based approach that looks to reverse disease by identifying the drivers and causes. This form of personalized medicine is practiced by M.D.’s, D.C’s, D.O’s, Naturopathic doctors and a host of adjunct practitioners. Allopathic or conventional healthcare accels in acute situations and provides disease management. Where it is lacking is disease prevention and health optimization. If you only treat symptoms, people want pills. Show people the root cause and they will demand a fix.

For the most part you do not catch disease. You build it through life exposure, sometimes referred to as the exposome. The exposome is a collection of environmental factors, such as stress and diet, to which an individual is exposed and which can have an effect on health.

Let’s get back to your health. Imagine that you just landed in your body. Time for an appraisal. Can you move well? How do you feel? What’s your emotional and mental state? Is it a fixer-upper or does it require just some basic maintenance?

Perhaps you want to take a closer look at your physiology and chemistry by running predictive lab work. But before you even seek out a doctor, what is in your immediate control? Your lifestyle choices! Let’s touch on a few.

I. Manage stress wisely

Stress is a ubiquitous part of life that affects us all. Stress can have a profound effect on your gut. There is ample evidence that many chronic metabolic diseases start in the gut. Exposure to prolonged stress alters brain-gut interactions, ultimately leading to the development of a broad array of psychological and GI disorders.

II. Focus on nutrition

Food is one of the most effective tools for bringing balance to your body. When we optimize our diets we see improvements in detoxification, energy and metabolic health. We are a society in a chronically fed state. Too much processed foods derail our metabolism. Eating low-carb and the occasional keto cycle can retrain your metabolism and provide a necessary reboot.

III. Intermittent fasting

Our high school biology teachers failed to mention that fasting is not only a evolutionary skill , but also the best way to activate your body’s own “house cleaning” systems. It’s referred to as autophagy and it promotes healthy cell cycles and deep cellular detoxification. When paired with a proper diet it can help balance blood sugar, prune the microbiome, and build metabolic flexibility. Metabolic flexibility means your body can use protein, fats and carbohydrates efficiently.

VI. Exercise

Physical activity has endless possibilities. Research shows that we get the best results when we mix up our routines and change how we stress our bodies.

Fasted- cardio in the morning can help support healthy blood sugar and utilize body fat for fuel. (2-3 times per week)

Post-meal activity can put circulating blood sugar to work. This is 20-40 minute walks a few times a week after lunch or dinner.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great way to work your metabolic machinery and increase insulin sensitivity (2 hours per week total)

Strength training you can’t go wrong having a higher proportion of muscle to fat mass ratio. Free weights, body weight, resistance bands all work well. (3 X per week 20-30 mins)

This article does not provide medical advice. It is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Up at 1 am

Let me start off by emphasizing that this post is not medical advice, but sharing something that I have found to be reenergizing and out of the norm.

It started off as an accident. My wife and I have a bedtime routine for our son. Now this routine includes reading in our bed and remaining in the bed after the lights go off. We escape once we have confirmation from the land of nod. On one particular occasion, I fell asleep (I believe it was around 9 pm) only to awake at 1 am feeling rather purposeful.  The next 5 hours were productive and therapeutic in a way that I have not experienced in a while. 

Upon review I realized that I had ample rest, no distractions, unmatched quiet (no calls, no social media, no strategic planning, no domestic responsibilities), and a sense of freedom. I began with

·      10 minute stretch/yoga/mobility routine

·      Wrote an article for my blog

·      Caught up with one podcast and discovered another

·      Did a deep dive into some research papers

·      Drafted a few emails (some personal and other business related)

·      Wrote some content for my IG account

·      Did some meditation (breathwork)

·      Trip to the Gym (30 minute workout followed by 15 minute in the sauna)

Afterwards, riding the super-achiever high, I thought to myself “ perhaps I should do this every Saturday. As the endorphins wore down, I realized that I might want some of those evenings to kick back with the wife. I decided that 1-2 per month would be a more realistic option.

Now I admit, this does not fall into the realm of orthodox productivity suggestions. However, it provided an outlet, or even better, a way to unplug. The first time was a fluke, but the 2nd and 3rd times were an exercise in simple discipline and delayed gratification.  Most people have a lot on their mind day-to-day and if your trying to be present you can't prioritize everything.  I’m going to continue the practice for now as I’m grateful for the space it creates.