Metabolic syndrome is on the rise, especially among those approaching their middle-aged years.
Simply put, metabolic syndrome is a group of five conditions that exponentially increase your risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Each of the five conditions should be taken seriously, even in isolation.
If you meet even one of the five criteria, you need to do something about it.
And if you stick around to the end of this article, I share my strategy for reversing metabolic syndrome.
It has helped all of my clients reclaim their metabolic health.
As you approach your middle-age years, it’s incredibly important to get ahead of these risk factors so you can live a long healthy life and continue showing up for your loved ones.
Let’s go through the five criteria and see if you meet any of them.
Metabolic Syndrome Criterion #1
A waist circumference greater than 35 for women and greater than 40 for men.
Having a large waist circumference is the result of abdominal obesity.
Abdominal obesity is caused by a dysregulated metabolism and an excess of stored energy.
If you have a large waist circumference, your body is holding onto more energy than it needs.
A large waist circumference is strongly correlated with hypercholesterolemia or in other words – high cholesterol levels.
And we know that one of the greatest predictors of heart disease is elevated cholesterol levels.
You can simply measure your waist size at home using a tape measure.
Metabolic Syndrome Criterion #2
Blood Pressure of greater than 130/80.
It has long been established that high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Having high blood pressure damages your arteries by making them less elastic which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart.
High blood pressure also puts you at greater risk for stroke and kidney damage.
Metabolic Syndrome Criterion #3
Impaired fasting glucose of greater than 100mg/dL.
Your fasting glucose is a simple lab panel that you can ask your doctor for.
It will tell you whether or not your body can properly dispose of glucose in a fasted state.
This is important because glucose clearance is one of the hallmarks of metabolic health.
If your body cannot dispose of glucose properly in the muscle and liver, the result is high serum glucose levels.
High blood sugar over time damages your blood vessels and ultimately leads to heart disease.
Most people don’t take high blood sugar seriously because it takes some time for its negative effects to set in.
You can think of it as a long slow process of deterioration.
But then once a threshold is reached, it is too late.
Type 2 diabetes will be in full effect and all of the serious health complications that come along with it.
Metabolic Syndrome Criterion #4
High triglyceride levels greater than 150mg/dL.
You can think of triglycerides as stored energy.
And chances are if you have abdominal obesity you will also have high triglyceride levels.
You can find your triglyceride levels by requesting a lipid panel from your doctor.
High triglycerides are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease as well.
High triglycerides are often also associated with other signs of dyslipidemia, such as elevated LDL cholesterol.
If you haven’t noticed, all these criteria are a roadmap to one thing.
Cardiovascular disease.
And once you hit your middle-age years, the future of your heart health will determine how long you will live.
That’s why it is so important to learn about metabolic syndrome and start doing something about it now.
Metabolic Syndrome Criterion #5
Low HDL cholesterol of less than 40mg/dL for men and 50mg/dL for women.
You can find your HDL levels in the same lipid panel that your triglycerides will come back with.
I can’t stress the importance enough of getting a lipid panel done.
I recommend that my clients get a lipid panel along with a metabolic panel every few months to make sure they are making progress with their plan of action.
Metabolic Syndrome: Take Action
So, if you meet any of the five criteria that I outlined in this article, it’s time to start taking action.
And the first action step I recommend to all of my clients is to start implementing zone 2 training.
I did an in-depth video which you can watch here about zone 2 training.
But let me give you a quick run-through about zone 2 training so you can start reversing metabolic syndrome today.
Zone 2 Training to Reverse Metabolic Syndrome
Simply put, zone 2 is a sustained exercise intensity that improves your mitochondria’s function.
It’s imperative to improve your mitochondria function if you have metabolic syndrome because the mitochondria are where your body makes ATP from glucose.
If you have metabolic syndrome, your body is not clearing glucose efficiently and it is causing high blood sugar and excess fat storage.
In order to train your body for peak mitochondria function, you need to implement zone 2 training.
Zone 2 Heart Rate
All you have to do to calculate your zone 2 specific heart rate is take 180 – your age.
This is where you need to keep your heart rate for 30 minutes – 1 hour to be in zone 2.
Your zone 2 is relative to YOU, so don’t be concerned with how fast you are moving when you hit your target heart rate.
Everyone has a different zone 2 heart rate depending on how fit they are.
Some people will hit their zone 2 target heart rate by simply briskly walking.
Others will hit their zone 2 target heart rate by moderately jogging or cycling.
Zone 2 Subjective Intensity
Zone 2 is obtained at a conversational pace.
You should be mostly nasal breathing and experiencing only moderate labored breathing.
It’s a moderate intensity that is sustained.
Keep the pace constant and don’t go above your zone 2 determined heart rate.
Zone 2 Application
So do the quick calculation of 180 – your age and get a heart rate monitor.
Then perform the cardiovascular session on an exercise bike, on a treadmill, or outside on a jog.
A stationary bike is the easiest way to keep your heart rate constant and thus keep you in zone 2.
Just make sure you are keeping an eye on your heart rate to make sure you are not falling out of zone 2.
You will get the most benefits to your metabolic health if you sustain the heart rate that I mentioned.
Frequency + Duration
Ideally, you want to implement 4 days of zone 2 training at a duration of 1 hour for each session.
I recommend starting off slow and just doing 1 day for 30 minutes and then gradually building up.
Eventually, 4 days at 1 hour will feel like nothing.
Informing yourself about metabolic syndrome is the first step to curing it.
Now you need to learn how to reverse metabolic syndrome and get your health back on track.
You can find more about how to cure metabolic syndrome in the category that I created specifically for that information.
If you are struggling to get started and need some help along the way, feel free to send me an email and I promise I will get back to you.
You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to make this commitment to your health and I firmly believe in having professionals in your corner to help you.
If you need anything at all, seriously don’t hesitate to reach out.
Cheers and we’ll see you next time.