Solving Metabolic Syndrome

Ever heard of leptin ? It's a hormone that plays a critical role in regulating your appetite, energy levels, and body weight. 🌟 Leptin is often referred to as the "satiety hormone" because it signals your brain when you’ve had enough food, helping you feel full after eating. However, when leptin levels are out of balance, they can contribute to hunger, overeating, and  weight gain. 🤯 Leptin’s Role in Metabolism : Leptin is produced by fat cells. It communicates with the brain (particularly the hypothalamus) to control appetite and energy expenditure. High leptin levels can signal that you have enough fat stores, leading to reduced appetite. Low leptin levels can make you feel hungrier and can lead to overeating or weight gain. Leptin Resistance : In some cases, despite having plenty of fat stores, the body becomes resistant to leptin’s signals (known as leptin resistance). This can lead to chronic hunger, overeating, and difficulty losing weight. Leptin resistance is of...

  I’ll be honest – I didn’t grow up eating a lot of whole fruits and vegetables. It just wasn’t something I was accustomed to.  I have wondered if this is one reason that I have struggled with metabolic issues as an adult.  In my health journey, I had to teach myself how to incorporate them into my life and way more than 1 a day. 🍏  When my kids were little, I knew I wanted them to eat more whole fruits and vegetables that I did so I would ask them eat the fruit and/or vegetables that were on their plate first. It worked (mostly) and as teens they now eat and enjoy a good variety!  When I started to try to really up my fruit and vegetable intake, I realized that the same method might work for me. Now, the simple trick I use is starting every meal (or snack) with a fruit, veggie or a salad 🥝🍓🥒 no matter what the meal. I just keep it simple - today before lunch I simply peeled, cut and ate a huge carrot. Here’s how it can work: 👉 Before eating your usual meal...

One thing that is fortunate in our fight for metabolic health is that there is technology that can help. Here are a couple of my favorite tools:  ⌚️Apple Watch  I use it to measure: Heart Rate Variability 'HRV': HRV is the measure of variation in time between each heartbeat. It can be used to decipher stress levels in the body. Cardio Fitness 'VO2 Max': VO2 Max is a measure of the max amount of oxygen the body can utilize during intense exercise. A higher VO2 Max is an indication of better cardiovascular health. Sleep Duration: Several types of smart watches can track how long you sleep. Not getting enough sleep can affect metabolism and health. Steps and 'Active' Calories: Step counts and estimated calories burned from activity can give you more data points into whether you are staying active enough throughout the day. 📈Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) CGMs provide real-time continuous tracking of blood sugar levels. This can help you see how your body respond...