The Goldilocks Rule
When it comes to looking at your health and body composition (how much lean muscle mass versus fat mass you possess), most people fall into one of three categories:
1. Under or Over nourished
2. Under muscled or not
3. Metabolically healthy or not
But what does this mean, and is there anything we can do about it?
Number one is the goldilocks rule, either you eat just the right amount for your activity and body type, you eat too much and you are over-nourished (often this leads to an unhealthy metabolism, but not always!), or you don’t eat enough (usually this means you are under-muscled).
Follow some basic rules of nutrition: Eat whole foods most of the time. Include lean protein and veggies at every meal. Eat slowly, and just enough, until satisfied but not overly full. Eat enough fiber, protein and fats before carbohydrates. Abstain from caloric beverages.
Number two is that you either do or you do not possess an adequate amount of muscle mass, and adequate muscle is needed not only for strength and stability, but uber important for metabolic health! Of course you can argue that one could be “over” muscled, but this would be a lifestyle choice and someone with abundant muscle knows the cost of that muscle.
Participate in a strength training routine, lifting weights if possible, though bodyweight movements are a great place to start if you currently don’t train at all. Make sure to include explosive, and plyometric movements as well, and begin at an appropriate level for you.
Number three goes deep, a healthy metabolism means a healthy gut microbiome, optimal blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, adequate sex and thyroid hormones.
Insulin resistance is the leading cause of metabolic diseases, so proper nutrition habits, consistent exercise, sleep hygiene, stress management and supplementation or pharmaceuticals can greatly improve blood sugar management and metabolism!
Which one of these categories do you fall into? Maybe you fall into all three, maybe you have no idea! Ask your doctor about a body composition test, so you know where you are when it comes to fat mass vs muscle mass, and where you need to put in the work. And everyone, even those who don’t fall into #1 or #2, should have yearly bloodwork done and know your lipid numbers, fasting glucose and insulin, and thyroid hormone levels. 30% of Americans are knocking on the door to metabolic disease and don’t know it, because on the outside we seem “healthy” and at the right weight. Don’t let this be you!
Follow me on social media, for more information to come as we break down the different biomarkers you should have tested, and what numbers you should really be aiming for!
