Our Household

This post is a follow up from last week’s. So many of you who come to our classes and workshops are wrestling with health and weight issues. I say you, but I want you to understand that both Maribel and I also struggle and wrestle. You are not alone!

Based on the criteria from the National Institute’s of Health, just eight months ago I fell under the category of having metabolic syndrome.

The five conditions described below are metabolic risk factors. You can have any one of these risk factors by itself, but they tend to occur together. You must have at least three metabolic risk factors to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.

• A large waistline. This also is called abdominal obesity or “having an apple shape.” Excess fat in the stomach area is a greater risk factor for heart disease than excess fat in other parts of the body, such as on the hips.
• A high triglyceride level (or you’re on medicine to treat high triglycerides). Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood.
• A low HDL cholesterol level (or you’re on medicine to treat low HDL cholesterol). HDL sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it helps remove cholesterol from your arteries. A low HDL cholesterol level raises your risk for heart disease.
• High blood pressure (or you’re on medicine to treat high blood pressure). Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage your heart and lead to plaque buildup.
• High fasting blood sugar (or you’re on medicine to treat high blood sugar). Mildly high blood sugar may be an early sign of diabetes. (Source: National Institutes of Health)

I had high blood pressure, low HDL, and high triglycerides, my waist to height proportions were not optimal, even eating what I thought was a good diet and exercising regularly.

Metabolic syndrome is something I only recently learned of when I heard Dr. Peter Attia”s Ted Talk “Is the Obesity Crisis Hiding a Bigger Problem?”  Please watch. It’s only 15 minutes!

In all my visits to my doctor for check-ups, I was never really alerted to this condition. Instead, I was prescribed blood pressure medication and told to go on a statin.

As I look back, I now can see that I have a good 30 years or so of poor eating not because I was careless but because I followed the medical advice given at the time of reducing fats and eating most of my calories from whole grains (carbohydrates).

What is interesting and unfortunate, however, is that many of you who are reading this and who come to us often dealing with weight control challenges and what we now define as metabolic syndrome, are still not dealing with what may be the main culprit of what ails you–your diet.

The message that the food pyramid was wrong has not gotten through and so you may be trying to become healthier by restricting your calories, exercising more, taking meds, and hoping for the best. We know this is not a long term approach because both Maribel and I tried it many times.

This past week a good friend of ours passed away from cancer. Our sadness is deep. In a strange sort of way this post is my way also to work through grief. Cancer is a terrible disease. If heart disease can seem like a hurricane you sort of can prepare for, cancer is often like an earthquake, something unexpected, terrifying, and dreadful.

What we are beginning to better understand, however, is that the body is an entire ecosystem, an intricate household of relationships. What is bad for the heart is also a contributing factor with cancer. This past month the International Agency for Research on Cancer reported that being overweight or obese increased cancer risks for at least 13 cancer types.  The summary report concludes with the following:

In 2013, an estimated 4.5 million deaths worldwide were attributable to overweight and obesity. The identification of new obesity-related cancer sites will add to the number of deaths worldwide attributable to obesity.

“The new evidence emphasizes how important it is to find effective ways, at both the individual and societal level, to implement World Health Organization recommendations on improving diets and physical activity patterns throughout life if the burden of cancer and other noncommunicable diseases is to be tackled,” says IARC Director Dr Christopher Wild.

Many may hear the word obesity and believe they are not at risk, but obesity is a symptom of something that is bigger. As Dr. Attia explains, obesity is the consequence of metabolic syndrome. If we focus solely on losing weight but not on the real cause of the disruption within the household of the body, we miss an opportunity to heal. This is important because you may be ideal weight but still be insulin resistant or unknowingly be dealing with the effects of metabolic syndrome.

I mentioned the food pyramid earlier. Understanding why this way of eating is not the best choice for most of us is probably the most important step toward regaining our health. We will keep coming back to this theme in future posts. In the meantime, we encourage you to become curious, engaged, and do some basic things that can help. Here’s a short list:

• Reduce or eliminate all added sugar.
• Reduce your carbohydrate intake.
• Eat lots of green leafy vegetables.
• Make friends with avocados.
• Eat more fatty foods (fish, eggs, pastured meats, nuts)
• Eat an adequate amount of protein.
• Eat home cooked meals.
• Smile and love.
• Come train with us!

Schedule of Classes this Week

Here are some opportunities to get moving with us.

• Fitness Camp: Tuesday  and Thursday 5-6 PM
• Yoga: Monday-Thursday 7-8 PM
• Basic Calisthenics Warm-Up: Wednesday 6:15-6:45 PM (New Offering!) (Text to let us know if you are coming (305.403.9542) We meet right in front of the Dice House.
• Small Group Fitness Training: Monday-Saturday (By appointment/$15 in a group of 3) 786.991.2269
• Personal Training: (By appointment/$50) 786.991.2269
• Private Yoga Classes: (By appointment/ $60) 305.403.9542