6 key habits for metabolic health

Increase your daily steps

Getting regular physical activity each day is the cornerstone of metabolic health and longevity. Of all types and styles of workouts, the one that you successfully integrate into your routine and maintain in the long-term is always going to be the best option, and for a lot of people walking is that long-term form of movement. Even at a lower intensity, movement like walking aids the absorption of glucose from the bloodstream into muscle cells and supports the markers of metabolic health in several ways.

Intentionally increase your step count

Whether you walk around the block during your lunch breaks, take walking meetings or choose to get to work on foot rather than driving or taking the bus–it all quickly adds up and it really does make a difference to your health.

After dinner stroll

Research highlights that walking after meals can be particularly beneficial in supporting the efficient absorption of glucose, and as little as two minutes after meals is enough to have an impact on blood sugar levels.

Maintain muscle mass

It’s understood that the more muscle mass we have, the less vulnerable we are to the common changes associated with aging. After the age of around 30-35 years old, our muscle power slowly declines in a linear fashion but after the age of 65 (age 70 for men), the decline in muscle mass and strength speeds up.

From increasing the amount of mitochondria within muscle tissue and enhancing the ability of mitochondria to produce ATP (energy). Strength training and building lean muscle mass supports mitochondrial and metabolic health in many ways. Studies also show that strength training may i improve the body’s response to insulin.

Strength train

Aging and inactivity are the two most influential factors when it comes to muscle loss, so strength training – aka, resistance training – is one of the best things you can do as you age to preserve your muscle mass (and maintain your health and independence as you age!).

Dr Lyon, a functional medicine doctor who is widely known for her work in the field of longevity, recommends 2-3 days per week of resistance training (3-4 sets of exercises for 10-12 reps). This frequency of training has been shown to be an effective weight training routine for beginner and intermediate lifters.

Eat enough protein

The thermic effect of protein is a lot higher than carbohydrates, which means that high protein foods take more calories, or energy, to digest. Because eating more protein increases the amount of energy you burn, eating a high protein diet has been linked to a healthy, firing metabolism. Protein also aids in the growth of muscle, and muscle mass supports insulin resistance and promotes metabolic health.

Prioritize sleep

Sleep disruption influences metabolic health in many ways. Your circadian rhythm is the physical and behavioral changes that happen throughout the body over a 24-hour period in response to natural light and darkness. While personal preferences, shift work and jet lag all try to steer us away from the natural pull to sleep with the moon and wake with the sun, this pattern is our basic instinct.

Stress can disrupt sleep and cause irregular sleeping patterns, and it has been shown that sleeping outside of the body’s normal light-dark cycles can lead to circadian misalignment—which is associated with impaired control of glucose and increased markers of oxidative stress. Sleep disturbances can also influence appetite and increase stress—further perpetuating the cycle.

Avoid caffeine 8-10 hours before sleep

After drinking caffeine, it will remain in your bloodstream for several hours before it is cleared. In fact, around six hours after you consume caffeine, half of it will still be in your body. Sleep expert from UC Berkeley Dr. Matthew Walker recommends avoiding caffeine 12-14 hours before sleep, but everybody is different. Having your last cup of coffee for the day around 8-10 hours before you plan on sleeping is the general recommendation for the average adult wanting to improve their sleep.

Supplement with magnesium

Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions within the body. It helps regulate several critical functions, and almost every cell and organ need it to function properly. This mighty mineral plays a key role in activating the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the ‘rest and digest’ division of the nervous system–which is a big reason why it’s so tied to sleep. There are many ways that magnesium works to encourage a good night’s sleep, from regulating melatonin to supporting the production of neurotransmitters. But research also shows that a deficiency in magnesium can impair sleep.

Stress less

The stress response increases the demands of your body—putting more pressure on mitochondria to generate more energy. If you’re constantly in a state of fight-or-flight, your mitochondria can struggle to meet these increased energy demands which can impact the body’s ability to support free radical balance and make it harder for them to mitigate oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress can impact cardiovascular health by influencing heart cell function, heart rhythm, blood pressure, and vascular health. Endothelial function is now recognized as an independent predictor in the status of heart health, and endothelial tissue (the tissue that lines of our blood vessels, arteries, veins and capillaries) is sensitive to oxidative stress. Ongoing exposure to oxidative stress can manifest as thickened, stiff arteries over time—which is why addressing the effects of oxidative stress is important in reducing cardiovascular changes and supporting overall metabolic health.

Reframe how the body responds to stress

While we don’t often get to choose the stress in our lives, we can control how we respond to it. Anxiousness and excitability are emotional phenomenon born from the same neural networks, and a recent study found that we can re-purpose our anxiousness into excitement simply by using positive language.

Support your cells

Taking care of your cell’s mitochondria and supporting their ability to mitigate oxidative stress means they can continue operating at their optimal efficiency—and so can your body.

Learn more about the science of MitoQ.

Eat more fiber and greens

Fiber rich foods have been suggested to support metabolic health in many ways, from promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria to supporting immune health and increasing hunger hormones like GLP-1. By slowing the rate of digestion and encouraging a more gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream, foods rich in fiber may support blood sugar regulation and encourage a healthy appetite and satiety. When fiber rich foods are fermented by the gut, they also increase the release of short chain fatty acids (SCFA). Research suggests that SCFA stimulate the release of GLP-1–further supporting metabolic health.