Metabolic flexibility and overall metabolic health is your personal key to preventing many of today’s chronic diseases, avoiding or no longer needing prescription medications that others take for the rest of their lives, and feeling better not older! Your metabolism is much more than your ability to gain or lose weight. Metabolism is about the optimal functioning of every cell in your body. If you are one of the 12% of Americans who is good metabolic health, yay for you! For the rest of you, read on!
A Metabolic Flexibility Plan will provide encouragement and guidance for you to discover your optimal diet and for your body to use your own fat for energy.
What is Metabolic Flexibility?
Metabolic flexibility means that your body can “burn” or make use of both glucose (sugars) and fatty acids (fats) and easily swap between them on a daily basis as needed. If you recently ate and there is glucose available – you will use it! If you go for hours without eating, your body switches over to using fat – no big deal!
Inside your cells, glucose is needed to make ATP which is the unit of energy used by your cells. Happy cells (that make up organs, muscles, and your brain!) require good levels of ATP. The required glucose can come from that sweet treat you just ate. Glucose can also be created by your liver from the fat stored on your body or coming in through food (this process uses energy!). Sometimes the “switches” get sticky or even stuck resulting in your metabolism being stuck in sugar mode or fat mode. This Metabolic Flexibility Plan will help unstick your metabolic switches!
Unlike James Watts’s steam engine, for example, the body concentrates order. It continuously self-repairs. Every five days you get a new stomach lining. You get a new liver every two months. Your skin replaces itself every six weeks. Every year, 98 percent of the atoms of your body are replaced. This non-stop chemical replacement, metabolism, is a sure sign of life. ~ Lynn Margulis
Why Work on Your Metabolism
There are so many good reasons to improve your metabolism. How do you know if you should? How many of these apply to you?
- High blood sugar (glucose) results from blood tests
- Feel tired most days
- High triglycerides on your blood tests
- Under a lot of stress
- High body fat according to a body composition analysis
- Plenty of restful sleep is hard to come by
- Received diagnosis of pre-diabetes
- Experience sugar cravings most days
- Your abdomen keeps expanding!
- Blood pressure is higher than optimal
- Brain fog is normal for you
- Limited diet so you feel good
- Post menopausal
- Sit for most of your day (car, work, couch, etc.)
- Insulin resistant
- Migraines are part of your life
- Cranky mood before you eat
- Weight changes are hard for you to create
- Exercise means you need to eat!
The more reasons you identify with, the more interested you should be in creating your own metabolic flexibility!
Many people find that before they can become Metabolically Flexible, they must do the work to support a healthy liver and the accompanying detox processes. I can help you with both of these endeavors.
3 Month Metabolic Flexibility Plan
Wow, 3 months! Did you think that? I often get to remind people that months and years went into creating whatever problem you are dealing with or your current lifestyle.
It takes time to make long lasting changes and improvements. In order to set you up for success, I want to give you plenty of time and support along the way.
When you commit to improving your energy usage and production with a Metabolic Flexibility Plan, you receive the following*:
- Initial 25 minute private wellness consultation with me
- Package of 2 Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) with the option to purchase additional CGMs so we can monitor your blood sugar levels in real time
- Access to the Veri app to enhance our ability to use your CGM data for lifestyle changes
- 1 Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis Test and Consultation to help us understand if you have the minerals and vitamins needed to be metabolically flexible
- Analyses of the micronutrient and macronutrient content of your diet using multiple 3 day and 1 day food logs
- Access to my Self-Guided Intermittent Fasting Program
- Weekly or Daily check ins and suggestions from me done electronically
- Two 15 minute Wellness Consultations that you can schedule when needed during the program
- Unlimited Q&A via text that are program related
- A 25 minute private wellness consultation at the end of your Metabolic Flexibility Plan
Together we will develop goals that meet the SMART criteria of being Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. We will use the principles of tiny habits as explained by B.J. Fogg in Tiny Habits: The Small Changes The Change Everything (Wellness Book Club read this book in 2020).
One Time Purchase
$750 total
for 3 month Metabolic Flexibility Plan *
Monthly Installments
$270/month
for 3 month Metabolic Flexibility Plan*
*If you can obtain 2 Abbott Freestyle Libre sensors from a doctor prescription and insurance, your plan fee will be reduced by $200.
**Any additional wellness services that Zen and Vitality with Zoa can provide are purchased separately. Clients located near the studio may request to also purchase a Wellness and Metabolism membership in order to gain unlimited access to the Metabolic Exercise Bike and other wellness tools. Everyone is different!
How do I Gain Metabolic Flexibility?
We begin by you telling me your story. I want to know what’s going on with body, mind, and spirit right now and the recent past. I hope to hear about how you are feeling, about your current wellness practices, your goals, and what your priorities are. This is our starting point.
We will collect your hair sample and send it to the lab – if we meet in person. If we meet virtually, I can talk you through collecting your own – a friend is helpful here!
We get you set up to use your Continuous Glucose Monitors so we can both see your data.
We examine your food choices and eating patterns.
Together we come up with a plan of action for the first 2 weeks of lifestyle changes. Baby steps are the key to a new sustainable lifestyle. Small changes to your diet. Shifts in your meal times. Work to improving your sleep quality. Adjusting the type and timing of your exercise and daily movement. After that, we will adjust on a weekly basis depending on how you are progressing, what your challenges are, and what information you need to be successful!
Accountability
For most people, accountability is key to making lasting changes. For some people, the family and friends are great accountability parters or coaches. Luckily, you do not need a network of wellness-minded friends to improve your own metabolic flexibility. You do not even need the people living with you to make the same changes (and they could even be liabilities on your wellness journey!). Yes, it is easier if you do, but I makes a great accountability partner – just ask my clients!
In the beginning of your lifestyle changes, you need more help, more check-ins, more guidance, and have a lot of questions. My Metabolic Flexibility Plan includes a daily or weekly check-in form on which I can reply and access to me via text or email for Q&A.
These metrics are not about judgement. They are providing support and a way to see your own progress. Yes you will fall behind sometimes. That is normal. Yes you will have days when you need to shift and choose different wellness practices than you had intended. Also perfectly normal. The key is refocus, avoid negative self talk, and keep going forward.
I will be able to see your data from your Continuous Glucose Monitors through the Veri system so we can communicate about what your body is experiencing and what you can learn about your lifestyle from your glucose patterns. You will share your food logs with me so we can discuss potential changes to your diet an eating patterns. If you are local and also have a Wellness and Metabolism membership, I will definitely keep you on track with your exercise!
What If I Fail?
When you acknowledge that every day is different and life has ups and downs, you will find that you do not fail. You might slow down. You might take a step in the wrong direction – even backwards! You might struggle more at certain times. You might get frustrated and think you can’t go on. You might not see your progress.
How Do I Maintain My Metabolic Flexibility Long-Term?
That will be a lifelong endeavor – as are most things worthy of your time and energy! Your selected foods and eating patterns, movement and exercise, sleep hygiene, and more are all part of maintenance. It should be easy. It should be enjoyable. And it will be worth it!
While weight loss is important, what’s more, important is the quality of food you put in your body – food is information that quickly changes your metabolism and genes. ~ Mark Hyman, M.D