Blood Work Series, Part 2: Metabolic Health

What Your Blood Sugar and Fats Are Really Telling You

In last week’s post on Vitamin D, we talked about why blood work matters so much more than just whether something falls inside a wide “normal” reference range. We looked at how Vitamin D functions as a hormone, why deficiency is so common, and how optimizing levels can dramatically impact immune function, mood, recovery, and long‑term health.

This week, we’re continuing the Blood Work series by zooming out to something even more foundational: metabolic health.

Specifically, we’re going to look at three simple, inexpensive labs that tell an enormous story about how your body handles fuel:

• Fasting Blood Glucose

• HbA1c

• Triglycerides

Individually they’re useful. Together, they provide a powerful snapshot of how much sugar and fat are floating around in your bloodstream in a fasted state — and whether your metabolism is doing its job efficiently.

What Is Metabolic Health?

At its core, metabolic health describes how well your body can:

• Take in fuel (carbohydrate, fat, protein)

• Store it appropriately

• Access it when needed

• Keep blood sugar and blood fats tightly regulated

A metabolically healthy person can move seamlessly between fuels. A metabolically unhealthy person — often insulin resistant — cannot.

When that flexibility breaks down, fuel starts backing up into the bloodstream. Sugar stays high. Triglycerides stay elevated. Insulin stays chronically elevated. And over time, that biochemical environment drives nearly every chronic disease we care about.

The Three Core Tests

1. Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG)

What it measures:

Fasting blood glucose measures how much glucose (sugar) is in your bloodstream after an overnight fast, typically 8–12 hours without food.

In a healthy metabolic system, fasting glucose should be low and stable, because:

• You’re not actively digesting food

• The liver is releasing only small, controlled amounts of glucose

• Insulin sensitivity is high

Optimal range:

• Ideal: 75–90 mg/dL

• Needs Attention: ≥100 mg/dL

Persistently elevated fasting glucose suggests that the body is struggling to regulate baseline blood sugar — often due to insulin resistance at the liver.

2. HbA1c

What it measures:

HbA1c (hemoglobin A1c) measures the percentage of red blood cells that have glucose attached to them. Because red blood cells live ~90–120 days, HbA1c reflects your average blood sugar over the past 2–3 months.

Think of it as a long‑term exposure marker rather than a snapshot.

Optimal range:

• Ideal: ≤5.4%

• Prediabetes: 5.7–6.4%

HbA1c tends to rise when blood sugar spikes frequently, stays elevated longer than it should, or both.

3. Triglycerides

What they measure:

Triglycerides are the primary form of fat in the bloodstream. After you eat — especially carbohydrates — excess energy is packaged into triglycerides and transported through the blood.

In a fasted state, triglycerides should be low, because fat should be stored in fat tissue, not circulating aimlessly in the blood.

Optimal range:

• Ideal: <100 mg/dL

• Needs Attention <150 mg/dL

Elevated triglycerides are often a marker of carbohydrate intolerance and insulin resistance.

Why You Don’t Want Fuel in the Bloodstream

Blood is a transport system, not a storage unit.

When sugar and fat linger in the bloodstream:

• Glucose damages blood vessels via glycation

• Triglycerides promote inflammation and atherosclerosis

• Insulin remains chronically elevated

• Cells become less responsive to insulin over time

This is why insulin resistance is such a big deal. It’s not just about blood sugar — it’s about cellular energy failure.

My Numbers — And Why They’re Interesting

Here are my recent results:

• Triglycerides: 52 mg/dL (excellent)

• Fasting Blood Glucose: 107 mg/dL (not great)

• HbA1c: 5.6% (down from 5.8% last year)

On the surface, this is a mixed picture.

Triglycerides are squarely in the optimal range, which aligns with how I eat: mostly meat, fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats, with minimal processed food and only intermittent treats like dark chocolate or potato chips.

However, my fasting glucose and HbA1c remain higher than I would expect given:

• My body fat (mid‑teens even without consistent training)

• My diet quality

• My overall lifestyle

Even when I eat very clean, these numbers don’t move dramatically — though the slow improvement in HbA1c suggests something positive is happening.

So what gives?

Why These Numbers Can Be Elevated Without a Bad Diet

This is where nuance matters.

Not all metabolic markers are driven purely by food choices. Some common non‑diet contributors include:

1. Genetic Predisposition

Some people are genetically predisposed to:

• Higher baseline fasting glucose

• Greater hepatic (liver‑based) insulin resistance

• Slower glucose clearance

This is often seen in people who stay lean easily but still show mild glycemic dysregulation.

2. Stress and Cortisol

Chronic psychological or physiological stress raises cortisol, which:

• Signals the liver to release more glucose

• Elevates fasting blood sugar

• Impairs insulin sensitivity

You can eat perfectly and still wake up with elevated glucose if stress is high.

3. Sleep Quantity and Quality

Poor sleep — even for a few nights — measurably worsens insulin sensitivity.

Short sleep duration and fragmented sleep:

• Raise fasting glucose

• Increase HbA1c

• Increase hunger and carbohydrate cravings

4. Low Muscle Mass or Low Activity

Skeletal muscle is the largest glucose sink in the body.

Less muscle mass or inconsistent resistance training = fewer places for glucose to go.

5. Dawn Phenomenon

Some individuals experience a pronounced early‑morning rise in glucose due to circadian hormone release.

This can elevate fasting glucose even when overall metabolic health is decent.

The Most Powerful Interventions for Metabolic Health

While supplements and biohacks get attention, behavior still dominates. If your metabolic health needs attention, this is how to get the picture to shift in the right direction. 

1. A Whole‑Foods Diet

The foundation:

• Eliminate ultra‑processed foods

• Minimize refined carbohydrates

• Emphasize meat, fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats

This reduces glucose load and volatility and lowers triglyceride production at the liver.

2. Sleep

Improving sleep duration and quality often produces:

• Lower fasting glucose

• Improved insulin sensitivity

• Reduced cravings

Sleep is not optional for metabolic repair.

3. Regular Activity and Exercise

The most metabolically protective combination:

• Low‑intensity movement (walking, daily steps)

• Aerobic training (Zone 2 or aerobic threshold work)

• Resistance training (muscle mass acts as a powerful glucose sink)

It's worth mentioning, exercise increases insulin sensitivity independent of weight loss.

What Better Metabolic Health Feels Like

This is the big one. While you often hear metabolic health mentioned in the context of long term health and chronic disease, you can change your metabolic health meaningfully in just a matter of weeks and reap some pretty cool benefits day to day. In the short term, people often notice:

• More stable energy throughout the day meaning no mid afternoon crash

• Improved mental clarity and focus driven by better fuel delivery to the brain

• Better mood and emotional resilience 

• Easier fat loss or body recomposition

This isn’t subtle — as my clients change their habits around food and sleep they often say "I had no idea I could feel this good" or that they thought it would take longer to see changes. 

Long‑Term Consequences (and Opportunities)

Poor metabolic health is the cause of — not merely correlated with:

• Type II diabetes

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Fatty liver disease

• Many cancers

• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias

Emerging research increasingly frames Alzheimer’s as a metabolic disease of the brain.

Newer studies show that improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility can acutely improve cognitive performance and slow cognitive decline, even later in life. 

This is huge considering the pharmaceuticals we have to treat alzheimers and cognitive decline are not currently very effective. However there are plenty of examples in the literature where even severe symptoms have been reversed through big changes in diet, sleep, and exercise. 

This makes metabolic health one of the highest‑leverage targets for both longevity and quality of life.

How Often Should You Test?

One of the most common questions I get after reviewing labs is: “How long will it take for this to change?”

The answer depends on the marker.

• Fasting Blood Glucose can improve relatively quickly — sometimes within 1–3 weeks — because it’s highly sensitive to sleep, stress, and recent activity levels.

• Triglycerides are also fairly responsive and often improve within 2–6 weeks, especially when processed carbohydrates and alcohol are reduced.

• HbA1c moves the slowest by design. Because it reflects roughly 90 days of blood sugar exposure, meaningful changes typically require 8–12 weeks of consistent behavior change.

For most people, re‑testing every 3–4 months strikes the right balance: frequent enough to see progress, but long enough for real physiology to shift.

If You Only Fix One Thing

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start here.

Eliminate processed foods.

A simple rule of thumb: if it’s something you couldn’t realistically make in your own kitchen, it probably doesn’t belong in your regular rotation.

Processed foods — especially processed carbohydrates — are uniquely disruptive because they:

• Deliver sugar and starch in forms the body absorbs extremely quickly

• Drive larger blood sugar spikes

• Increase triglyceride production at the liver

• Promote insulin resistance over time

You don’t need perfection. You don’t need macro tracking. You don’t need supplements.

Just removing foods that come from factories instead of farms or kitchens often produces outsized improvements in metabolic health all by itself.

Coming Next: Cholesterol (And Why Our View Is Different)

Next week in the Blood Work series, we’re tackling cholesterol — one of the most misunderstood and emotionally charged lab categories in medicine.

We take a more contrarian view.

You might be doing better with higher cholesterol than your doctor is willing to admit — and in some cases, aggressively lowering cholesterol can actually mask deeper metabolic problems rather than fix them.

We’ll break down:

• Why total cholesterol is often a poor standalone metric

• Which cholesterol markers actually matter

• How cholesterol, metabolic health, and inflammation are tightly linked

• And when high cholesterol may be a sign of resilience rather than risk

More to come.

Blood Work Series - Vitamin D

Why I Track Blood Work (and Why You Might Want To)

When I work with clients who are making meaningful changes to their health—fat loss, muscle gain, improving energy, fixing digestion, or reversing concerning trends—we run blood work about every six months.

That cadence gives us enough time to see real physiological change, not just day-to-day fluctuations. Once someone transitions into a more sustainable maintenance phase, we typically pull labs once per year, similar to how you’d service a well-running engine rather than constantly taking it apart.

I recently ran my own blood work—and honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to it.

Over the last year I’ve been battling a severe back injury that shut down my normal training routine. Layer on the holidays (which usually means more sweet treats and alcohol), and I fully expected to see that reflected in my labs.

Surprisingly, my results came back much better than expected.

That sparked an idea.

Over the next several weeks, I’m going to share one lab marker per week from my own blood work and break down:

• What the test actually measures

• What’s considered optimal (not just “in range”)

• How behavior influences the result

• And what that marker means in real life—how you actually feel day to day

We’re starting with one of the most important and most commonly deficient markers I see:

Vitamin D: The Lowest-Hanging Fruit of Internal Health

What Vitamin D Is (and Why Almost Everyone Is Low)

Vitamin D functions more like a hormone than a traditional vitamin. Your body can synthesize it when your skin is exposed to sunlight—specifically UVB rays.

That sounds straightforward, but in practice almost no one gets enough.

If you:

• Live north of roughly Atlanta

• Work indoors

• Wear sunscreen (which you should)

• Experience winter

• Or don’t regularly spend time in direct sun

…then you are very likely deficient without supplementation.

This shows up consistently in blood work—even in people eating a very “clean” diet.

The upside is that vitamin D supplementation is safe, inexpensive, and highly effective when dosed appropriately and monitored.

My Vitamin D Result

My 25-hydroxy vitamin D level came back at:

81 ng/mL

That places me right at the top end of the optimal range, which I consider to be 60–80 ng/mL.

Given the lack of training over the past year and the time of year, this was reassuring—and it reinforces something I see often with clients: when a few key behaviors are dialed in, internal health can remain surprisingly resilient.

“Normal” vs. Optimal: Why Reference Ranges Can Be Misleading

Most standard lab reference ranges list vitamin D as “normal” somewhere between 30–100 ng/mL, with many labs flagging deficiency only below ~20 ng/mL.

The problem?

Those reference ranges are based on the general population, and the general population is already quite deficient.

So while a value of 30 ng/mL may be technically “in range,” it is rarely optimal for immune health, tissue quality, bone density, or hormonal function.

This is a theme you’ll see repeatedly throughout this blood-work series:

Normal does not necessarily mean healthy or optimal.

Why Vitamin D Matters (What This Actually Feels Like)

Immune Function (Especially in Winter)

Vitamin D plays a central role in immune regulation. Adequate levels are associated with:

• Fewer respiratory infections

• Shorter illness duration

• Better resilience during periods of stress or poor sleep

In real life, this often feels like getting sick less frequently, especially during the winter months.

Soft Tissue Health (Muscles, Tendons, and “Random Tweaks”)

This is one of the most under-recognized benefits.

Over the years, I’ve worked with several athletes who checked all the usual boxes:

• Clean diet

• Good hydration

• Intelligent training design

• Solid warm-ups and recovery

Yet they struggled with chronic muscle pulls and tweaks.

Every one of them had vitamin D levels in the low teens or even single digits.

Once supplementation brought their levels into an optimal range, the issue resolved.

In practical terms, this looks like:

• Fewer muscle strains

• More durable training

• Less of that “my body feels fragile” sensation in the gym

Bone Mineral Density (Especially for Women)

Vitamin D is critical for calcium absorption and bone remodeling. Chronic deficiency can negatively impact bone mineral density, increasing fracture risk over time.

This is especially important for women as they age.

In the real world, this translates to:

• Better bone density scores on DEXA scans

• Reduced long-term fracture risk

• More confidence staying active and lifting heavy things

Hormonal Health

Vitamin D influences several hormonal pathways, including those related to:

• Testosterone

• Estrogen balance

• Thyroid function

• Insulin sensitivity

When levels are optimal, people often report better energy, improved recovery, and more stable mood.

How to Supplement Vitamin D (What I Recommend)

For most adults, I recommend a Vitamin D3 + K2 combination.

Why D3?

D3 (cholecalciferol) is the most bioavailable form and reliably raises blood levels. If your levels are measured low by your physician you might get Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol), often prescribed in high-dose prescriptions (e.g. 50,000 IU weekly). We find D3 to be a better route for chronic supplementation.

Why K2?

Vitamin K2 helps direct calcium into bones and teeth, rather than allowing it to accumulate in soft tissues or arteries. Think of it as improving calcium handling and long-term safety.

General Dosing Guidelines

• Winter: ~10,000 IU per day

• Summer: ~5,000 IU per day

👉 Liquid Vit D3 + K2 from Thorne
👉 Capsule Vit D3 + K2 from DFH

When to Re-Test Vitamin D

Vitamin D levels don’t change overnight.

If you adjust your supplementation, you should expect to see meaningful changes in blood levels after approximately 8–12 weeks. That’s typically the earliest window where a follow-up test will accurately reflect your new intake.

This is why we avoid over-testing—and why timing matters.

Want to Follow Along With Your Own Blood Work?

If you want to run your own labs and interpret them alongside this series, you can start here:

👉 Complete Male Blood Panel
👉 Complete Female Blood Panel

Each week, I’ll reference markers included in these panels so you can connect the dots with your own internal health.

A Quick Disclaimer

If you are currently taking prescription medications, have a diagnosed medical condition, or are managing a chronic illness, you should consult with your health coach or healthcare provider before making significant supplementation changes.

Blood work is a powerful tool—but it’s most effective when interpreted in proper context.

Next week: we’ll shift gears and dig into metabolic health—what it really means, how it shows up in blood work, and why it affects energy, fat loss, and long-term health far more than most people realize.

The Surprising Side Effect of Eating Better: A Sharper Brain

There’s a moment I almost expect now.

About 7–14 days into the Holistic Transformation Program, a client checks in—not just lighter, not just leaner—but clearer.
More focused. More energetic. More mentally “on.”

And almost every time, they’re surprised by it.

Weight loss is expected. Better digestion makes sense.
But the sudden jump in mental clarity and energy? That catches people off guard.

Yet biologically, it’s one of the most predictable outcomes of changing how you eat.

Better Blood Sugar = Better Brain Fuel

Your brain runs almost entirely on glucose—but it needs a steady, regulated supply.

Most people come into the program riding a blood sugar rollercoaster:

• Refined carbs and sugar spikes

• Insulin overcorrections

• Reactive crashes

• Brain fog, irritability, and afternoon burnout

When we clean up food quality, prioritize protein, and reduce ultra-processed carbs, something important happens:

• Glucose delivery to the brain becomes more stable

• Insulin signaling improves

• Neurons get consistent fuel instead of chaos

Stable blood sugar = fewer cortisol spikes, less perceived stress, and noticeably better cognitive performance.

This isn’t “motivation.”
It’s metabolic physics.

The Gut–Brain Inflammation Connection

The second mechanism is just as powerful—and often overlooked.

A highly inflamed gut leaks inflammatory signaling molecules (like lipopolysaccharides) into circulation. These don’t stay in the gut. They cross the blood–brain barrier and interfere with neurotransmitter signaling, mitochondrial function, and mental stamina.

When clients remove common gut irritants and eat simpler, whole foods:

• Gut inflammation drops

• Immune signaling quiets down

• Neuroinflammation decreases

The result?
A brain that simply works better—with less friction.

Real Client Experience (And Why It Matters)

One of my clients, Seth, is three weeks into the program.

He’s already down over 8 pounds—but that wasn’t the biggest win.

What surprised him most was the change in mental performance, especially socially.

This is notable because Seth is a principal at a Silicon Valley VC firm. You don’t land in that role without already being super sharp, driven, and mentally resilient.

Here’s what he told me during a recent check in:

“I’ve also noticed good improvements in mental acuity and mental energy (including some specific increased mental energy related to powering social interactions). This has probably been the most noticeable area of change so far. Bigger change than I was expecting on that front, pretty interesting.”

That’s not placebo.
That’s an already exceptional brain finally getting clean fuel and lower inflammatory noise.

Why This Happens So Fast

Fat loss takes time.
But metabolic relief happens quickly.

Within days to weeks of:

• Stable blood sugar

• Adequate protein

• Reduced inflammatory load

The brain responds fast.

That’s why mental clarity is often the first major win clients feel—sometimes before the scale even moves.

Want to Experience This Yourself?

This is exactly why I built the free 14-Day Challenge.

It’s short. It’s structured. And for many people, it’s enough time to feel:

• Clearer thinking

• More stable energy

• Less brain fog

• Better mood and focus

Possibly even the same mental edge Seth noticed—faster than you’d expect.

👉 Start the free 14-Day Challenge Here

You don’t need perfection.
You just need two weeks of the right inputs.

Your brain will do the rest.

Why Fitness Media Will Never Tell You the Real Secret to Looking Good

If you’ve ever flipped through Men’s Health or scrolled fitness content online, you’ve seen the headlines:

“5 Moves for Six-Pack Abs!”
“Build a Bigger Chest With This Routine!”
“Do These Exercises for a Leaner Waist!”

And sure — training matters. Lifting is essential for strength, bone density, muscle mass, and longevity.

But when it comes to the aesthetic physique people actually want — visible abs, arm and shoulder definition, a lean silhouette — the truth is brutally simple:

It’s not built by workouts. It’s revealed by nutrition.

And that’s exactly why you’ll almost never see mainstream fitness outlets talk about it.

The Fitness Industry Doesn’t Exist to Get You Lean — It Exists to Make Money

This isn’t cynical. It’s just capitalism.

The fitness industry is worth over $100 billion, and it runs on products, not principles.

Things that SELL:

• Supplements

• Branded workouts

• Classes

• Fitness challenges

• Gear, gadgets, wearable tech

Things that DON’T sell well:

• Learning how to eat for results

• Hitting your protein target

• Controlling calories

• Minimizing processed foods

• Improving sleep

• Managing stress

• Being consistent

There’s no recurring revenue in teaching you how to build meals around whole foods and how to regulate your appetite. There’s no affiliate link for “eat more protein and fewer refined carbs.”

So the industry leans into what’s popular, not what’s effective.

The trend cycle becomes the product:

• High-intensity classes

• Boot camps

• “Functional training”

• GLP-1s

• Intermittent fasting

• Keto

• Detoxes

• Whatever the newest fitness celebrity is pushing

Fads fuel profit.
Results fuel transformation — but sadly, transformation doesn’t scale.

The Unsexy Truth: Your Physique Is Determined by Food, Not Fads

Here's the part most magazines, influencers, and gyms will never emphasize:

Your body composition, how much fat, how much muscle — the biggest driver of your appearance — is overwhelmingly created in the kitchen.

Not by:

• “Torched core circuits”

• “Fat-melting finishers”

• “Orange, purple, or whatever zone workouts”

You can train hard and still look soft.
You can train inconsistently and still look lean — if your nutrition is dialed in.

Aesthetic outcomes follow the people who:

• Eat mostly whole, nutrient-dense foods

• Hit an appropriate protein target

• Control total energy intake

• Manage blood sugar and cravings

• Sleep enough to regulate hunger (and optimize hormones)

• Reduce alcohol, or replace it with something better

• Stay consistent for long stretches, not short challenges

This isn’t glamorous.
It’s not marketable.
But it works every single time.

Yes, for everyone that does it.

Why Nobody Sells This

Because nobody gets rich teaching people:

• how to read labels,

• how to build meals,

• how to improve their relationship with food,

• how to create structure,

• how to stop eating like the average overstressed American.

Nutrition doesn’t come with VIP tiers, branded challenges, or flashy equipment.

It comes with:

• Honesty

• Behavior change

• Accountability

• Repetition

• Simplicity

That’s a terrible business model.
But it’s a fantastic results model.

And This Is Why My Work Looks Different

I’m not chasing the next trend.
I don’t have a branded supplement line.
I’m not writing “5 Exercises for crop top Abs.”
I’m not optimizing for ad clicks or quick dopamine hits.

Honestly?
I’ll probably never get rich doing what I do.

Because I teach the thing the industry avoids:

If you want to change your body, you have to change your food.
It’s not sexy.
It’s not easy.
But it is undeniable.

Once you understand nutrition, you unlock:

• predictable fat loss

• stable energy, all day

• a physique you’re proud of

• confidence in yourself

• optimized metabolic health

• a completely different relationship with fitness

The good news?
You don’t need six workouts a week.
You don’t need to train like a pro athlete.
You don’t need to follow trends.

You just need the real levers, the ones the industry ignores because they’re not profitable:

Eat well.
Eat consistently.
Eat for your goals.

Training builds your body.
Nutrition reveals it.

If You Want to Finally Get the Results You’ve Always Wanted…

Stop outsourcing your fitness to the trend cycle.
Stop chasing workouts that promise what only nutrition can deliver.
Stop assuming you “just need more discipline.”

You don’t need more workouts.
You need a framework that makes eating well work for your life — sustainably, consistently, and clearly.

That’s what I teach.
And it’s why my clients’ outcomes aren’t temporary.
They’re transformations.

If you’re ready to take real control of your health and physique — not the version the industry sells you, but the version that actually works — I can guide you step by step.

Just say the word.

Or better yet, book your free consult and let’s talk about the amazing things your future holds.

Holiday Sugar, Alcohol, Low Protein… and the Blood Sugar Roller Coaster (Plus: How to Stay Off the Ride)

As we slide deeper into the holiday season, there’s one pattern I see every year—both in clients and in the general population:

Higher sugar intake + festive alcohol + lower protein intake = chaotic blood sugar swings, cravings, energy crashes, and weight-gain momentum.

Individually, each of those factors is manageable.

But combine them—and do so repeatedly through December—and suddenly people feel like their metabolism is fighting against them.

Let’s break down what’s actually happening… and more importantly, how the habits we teach inside the Holistic Transformation Program (HTP) help you stay in control instead of feeling like your cravings are driving the bus.

🎢 Why the Combination of Sugar + Alcohol + Low Protein Wrecks Blood Sugar Stability

1️⃣ Sugary treats spike blood glucose quickly.

Holiday desserts tend to be simple-carb bombs. They digest fast and hit the bloodstream even faster, which sends glucose soaring.

2️⃣ Alcohol makes those spikes worse.

Alcohol temporarily shuts down normal glucose regulation in the liver. This means when you eat sugar while drinking, your body has a much harder time controlling the rise (and later, the crash).

3️⃣ Low protein means you have no anchor.

Protein is the macronutrient that steadies blood sugar, slows digestion, and prevents those post-treat energy nosedives.
When it’s missing, your body ends up riding massive spikes followed by aggressive crashes—crashes your brain interprets as:

"Eat more sugar. Eat it now."

This is why people often feel like they “lose control” around food this time of year.
It’s not weakness.
It’s physiology.

💡 How HTP Habits Keep You Out of the Danger Zone

Inside the Holistic Transformation Program, we train a few core habits that make the holiday season dramatically easier to navigate—without feeling deprived.

Here’s how they apply directly to this blood-sugar chaos.

1️⃣ Crafting Meals for Effective Satiety

Most people think overeating happens because they “lack discipline.”
But more often?
They simply didn’t engineer their meals to keep them satisfied.

In HTP we teach you to build meals around:

• 30–50g of protein

• Quality fats for hormonal stability

• Carbohydrates with fiber instead of sugar spikes

• Volume foods (veg, potatoes, fruit) for fullness

When you follow this structure, something powerful happens:

➡️ You’re naturally less hungry.
➡️ Cravings drop.
➡️ Holiday treats stop feeling like they have gravitational pull.

This is how clients routinely say things like, “It felt easy to say no,” even in environments where they used to feel completely outmatched.

2️⃣ The HTP “Worth-It Quotient” for Treats

Holiday dessert is not the enemy.

Mindless dessert is.

We use a simple rule inside the program:

Ask: Is this treat actually worth it?

Meaning:

• Does it taste incredible, or just “fine”?

• Will I enjoy this without guilt and move on?

• Will I feel good afterward?

• Does this fit today’s plan?

• Is this helping me hit goals—or pulling me off track?

When clients use this filter consistently, they automatically:

• Avoid the low-quality treats that lead to bloat, inflammation, and regret

• Choose indulgences intentionally

• Eat one serving instead of four

• Stay emotionally in control of their nutrition

• Reduce roller-coaster cravings because they stop stacking sugar + alcohol + low protein in the same meal

This single habit can change the entire trajectory of your holiday season.

📉 The Goal: Keep Blood Sugar Stable, Feel in Control, Enjoy the Season

When your meals support satiety…
When your protein intake is on point…
When treats are intentional, not reactive…
When alcohol is paired with real food instead of sugar…

Everything gets easier.

You enjoy the holidays more, not less.
You stay consistent without perfection.
You avoid the frustration of entering January feeling like you’re “starting over.”
And most importantly—you feel better in your body every single day along the way.

Case Study Update: Hannah & Jeremy’s Mid-Program Transformation

A few weeks ago, we introduced you to Hannah and Jeremy — two individuals who decided to take their health seriously through the Holistic Transformation Program. At that time, they were only a few weeks into the process and already seeing early wins. Now, at the 9- to 10-week mark, their results speak volumes about what’s possible when you combine consistency with the right strategy.

Hannah’s Progress: Confidence, Strength, and Control

At just 9 weeks in, Hannah has dropped 16.4 pounds — currently averaging nearly 1.8 pounds per week of steady, sustainable fat loss. But the scale only tells part of the story.

• Her energy levels have skyrocketed, and she describes feeling more focused and less drained throughout the day.

• The puffiness in her face that used to bother her has diminished noticeably — a sign of improved inflammation, and no salt wasn’t the culprit.

• She’s now lifting regularly and seeing impressive strength gains that are reshaping her body composition.

• And maybe most importantly, she’s learned how to navigate client dinners with confidence — making strategic choices that let her enjoy business and social meals without derailing her progress, critical since she travels nearly 100% for work.

Hannah’s story is a great reminder that when nutrition, training, and recovery all align, the physical changes are only part of the reward.

Jeremy’s Progress: Discipline Meets Real-Life Demands

Jeremy is now 10 weeks into the program and has lost 25.8 pounds — all while welcoming their first child just a couple of weeks ago. That alone is an impressive testament to consistency.

• His Whoop data shows big improvements in HRV (heart rate variability) and resting heart rate, clear indicators of better recovery and cardiovascular fitness.

• Visibly, he’s leaner with more muscle definition, especially in the upper body and midsection.

• His half-marathon training runs are feeling easier and faster as his endurance improves and extra weight comes off.

• He’s also learned the skill of getting back on track after celebrations or big meals, a key mindset shift for long-term success.

Jeremy’s progress shows that even in seasons of chaos — sleepless nights, new routines, and life changes — structure and clarity make all the difference.

The Tools That Make These Results Possible

By this stage of the Holistic Transformation Program, clients like Hannah and Jeremy have built the foundation for sustainable success. The habits they’ve learned go far beyond calories and workouts — they’re about understanding how the body actually works and how to keep it performing optimally.

Some of the key tools they’re now using include:

• Tracking and optimizing sleep quality to support recovery, hormones, and fat loss.

• Implementing basic supplementation that actually moves the needle — no gimmicks, just targeted nutrients that fill real gaps.

• Understanding macronutrients and how to adjust them strategically to change body composition without excessive hunger or fatigue.

• Following a structured resistance-training plan that preserves muscle mass while burning fat like clockwork.

The Takeaway

Hannah and Jeremy’s results are a reflection of what happens when effort meets education. They’ve each learned to take ownership of their health — and the payoff isn’t just in pounds lost, but in the confidence, energy, and knowledge they’ve gained along the way.

If you’re ready to experience this kind of transformation — physically, mentally, and metabolically — book a free consultation to see if the Holistic Transformation Program is right for you.

Nancy’s Story: From 15 Months of GI Frustration to a Calmer, Stronger Gut

When Nancy walked into our program, she looked like the picture of health on paper: a very active 53-year-old mom training five days a week, tracking her macros, and drinking 120+ ounces of water a day. But she’d been battling relentless gut issues—especially chronic diarrhea and uncomfortable bloating—for nearly 15 months. She’d already seen about five specialists (including functional medicine clinicians), completed extensive bloodwork and gut-microbiome panels, had an ultrasound, and even undergone a colonoscopy that revealed microscopic colitis.

Despite all of that, nothing changed. She tried the candida diet—no improvement. She was prescribed medications, including ivermectin, pancreatic enzymes (Zenpep), and a steroid (budesonide)—still no lasting relief. Probiotics and “gut health” supplements? They actually made things worse.

Step One: Slow Down to Speed Up

Our first move wasn’t to add more; it was to simplify. Complex plans and supplement “stacks” can keep symptoms bouncing around so much that you never learn what’s really helping.

• Food, simplified and tested. We removed the usual inflammation triggers and created a clean baseline of foods that were easy to digest and simple to track. From there, we tested one food group at a time, watching for a 24–72 hour response in stool consistency, bloating, energy, and training tolerance. This wasn’t a forever restriction—it was a short, structured discovery process to identify her personal tolerances.

• Supplement reset. We put away the laundry list of pills and powders. Instead, we used a small, targeted set of evidence-based options at the right timing and doses. No megadoses, no “kitchen sink” blends—just the essentials that supported the plan without stirring up the gut.

• Sleep as a lever for gut healing. Nancy started tracking sleep quality and duration. We made a few high-impact changes (consistent sleep timing to optimize circadian rhythm, smarter habits around screens, light and temperature tweaks, and a wind-down routine). Better sleep reduces stress hormones and calms the gut’s immune response—crucial for someone with inflammation on biopsy.

Step Two: Add What the Gut Actually Uses

Once symptoms started to settle, we added specific whole foods that nourish the microbiome and the gut lining—introduced gradually and only as tolerated. Think: consistent fiber from whole foods (not big swings), gentle pre and probiotic sources, and strategically prepared foods that are easier on digestion. The goal wasn’t to “biohack” the gut; it was to feed it well, consistently, and let the ecosystem stabilize.

Step Three: Keep Training—But Match It to Recovery

Nancy loved training, and we wanted to keep it that way. We dialed down intensity and focused on low stress workouts that kept her strong and fit without piling stress on an already taxed system. The result: she stayed active without constantly poking the bear.

Four Months Later: A Different Person

At the end of four months, Nancy’s results were exactly what she’d hoped for when she first set out on this journey:

• Complete resolution of her GI issues: diarrhea, bloating, and discomfort were gone.

• Energy back—plus some. She reported steady, all-day energy instead of the roller coaster.

• Better performance in the gym. With a calmer gut and better recovery, her sessions were stronger and more enjoyable.

• Long-term health gains. We also reviewed her bloodwork and identified specific opportunities for health optimization. With a few targeted changes, she lowered her long-term chronic-disease risk while feeling great day-to-day.

What Made the Difference

1. Personalized, not trendy. The candida diet and generic gut stacks didn’t match her physiology. Our elimination-and-rebuild approach did.

2. Less noise, more data. By simplifying and reintroducing stepwise, we finally got clear signals about what helped or hurt.

3. Foundations first. Sleep, recovery, and consistent whole-food nutrition created the conditions for the gut to heal.

4. Smart supplementation. A few well-chosen essentials beat a cabinet full of pills—especially when your gut is already irritated.

Takeaways if You’re in Nancy’s Shoes

• Start with clarity. A short, structured elimination with careful reintroductions can tell you more in four weeks than four more supplements ever will.

• Tread lightly with probiotics. They’re not all created equal, and many cause more problems than they solve.

• Protect your sleep. Your gut has its own nervous and immune systems—sleep is powerful for calming things down and promoting gut microbiome stability.

• Train with the grain. Keep moving, but drop the unnecessarily stressful workouts while allowing your body to heal.

• Use labs wisely. Bloodwork can reveal upstream opportunities (nutrient status, metabolic patterns, inflammation) that support long-term results—not just symptom control.

Nancy didn’t get better by trying harder—she got better by getting clearer. If you’ve been stuck in the gut-health maze—multiple opinions, lots of tests, and no real relief—there’s another way: make the plan simpler, make the measurements smarter, and let your body show you what works.

If you’re ready for a structured, hands-on process like Nancy’s, let’s talk. We’ll map a clean starting point, test your tolerances, and build the simplest plan that actually works for you.

Note: This story reflects one client’s experience. It isn’t medical advice and isn’t a substitute for care from your physician—especially if you’ve been diagnosed with conditions like microscopic colitis.

Why Exercise Machines Deserve More Credit Than They Get

When most people think of strength training, they picture barbells and dumbbells, or at least that’s what comes to my mind after coaching CrossFit for more than a decade. 

Free weights have long been considered the “gold standard” in the gym, and for good reason — they challenge balance, coordination, and athleticism in ways that machines can’t. If I’m honest, I even looked down on typical gym machines for a time. But no more…

But here’s the truth: exercise machines are far more valuable than people give them credit for. Whether you’re new to lifting, pressed for time, or focused on preserving muscle during a fat-loss phase, machines can be one of the most effective tools in your arsenal.

Let’s break down why.

1. Minimal Learning Curve, Maximum Confidence

One of the biggest barriers for new lifters is technique. With free weights, it can take weeks (sometimes months) to learn proper form and feel confident moving under load. Machines remove that obstacle.

Because the path of motion is fixed, machines require very little technique to execute effectively and safely. You don’t have to worry about stabilizing the weight or perfecting angles — just set the seat height, grab the handles, and you’re in business. This makes ramp-up time minimal, which means you can start training productively from day one.

2. Simple, Straightforward Progression

Building strength and muscle boils down to one key principle: progressive overload. In other words, you need to challenge your muscles a little more over time.

Machines make progression almost effortless. You can add an extra rep or simply move the weight pin down one notch in the stack. There’s no complicated math, no need to load plates, and no stress about whether you can safely hoist a heavier dumbbell. The barrier between you and consistent progress is practically nonexistent.

3. Safe to Train Hard — Even to Failure

One of the most powerful ways to stimulate muscle growth is taking a set close to — or even all the way to — muscular failure. With free weights, pushing that hard can be risky. Dropping a barbell or getting pinned under a bench press isn’t just intimidating, it’s dangerous.

Machines, on the other hand, are built for safety. You can train to failure with confidence, knowing the weight won’t crush you if you can’t complete another rep. This safety factor allows you to push intensity further, which is a major variable in driving both muscle mass and strength gains.

4. The Perfect Fit for Certain Goals and Situations

It’s true: machines won’t develop the same level of balance, coordination, and full-body athleticism as free weights. But not everyone is chasing those qualities.

• If you’re new to the weight room, machines help you build strength and muscle without the overwhelm of learning complex lifts.

• If you’re short on time, machines let you get in a focused, high-effort workout quickly.

• If you’re rehabbing an injury or recovering from surgery, machines offer safe ways to continue to train without the risk of reinjury.

In these contexts, machines may actually be the smarter choice compared to free weights.

The Bottom Line

Free weights and machines aren’t in competition — they’re complementary tools. Free weights excel at building overall athleticism, coordination, and functional strength. Machines shine when you want efficiency, safety, and the ability to train hard with minimal barrier to entry.

If your goal is to gain or preserve muscle mass, improve strength, and make consistent progress without wasting time, don’t overlook the value of exercise machines. They may just be the underappreciated workhorse of the gym.

Keep reading for a sample week of training using only machines…

Example: A Full-Body Machine Training Week

To make this practical, here’s a sample three-day machine-based program. Each workout is full-body, alternates push and pull for the upper body, balances anterior and posterior chain for the lower body, and avoids repeating movements across the week. Stick to 3–4 sets of 5–8 reps per exercise, resting 90 seconds between compound lifts and 60 seconds between isolation movements.

Day 1

• Leg Press (posterior chain emphasis) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Chest Press Machine (push) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Seated Row (pull) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Leg Curl Machine (hamstrings, posterior) – 3x8, rest 60s

• Lateral Raise Machine (shoulders) – 3x8, rest 60s

Day 2

• Hack Squat Machine (anterior chain emphasis) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Lat Pulldown (pull) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Incline Chest Press Machine (push) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Leg Extension Machine (quads, anterior) – 3x8, rest 60s

• Biceps Curl Machine – 3x8, rest 60s

Day 3

• Glute Drive / Hip Thrust Machine (posterior chain emphasis) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Overhead Shoulder Press Machine (push) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Pullover Machine (pull, lats/chest crossover) – 3–4x5–8, rest 90s

• Calf Raise Machine – 3x8, rest 60s

• Triceps Pushdown (Cable or Machine) – 3x8, rest 60s

Best Practices for Machine Training:

• Adjust seats and pads so joints align with the machine’s axis of rotation.

• Control the tempo — 2–3 seconds lowering, 1–2 seconds lifting — instead of rushing reps.

• Progress weekly by adding small amounts of weight or an extra rep.

• Use the fixed motion to push intensity, taking some sets close to failure safely.

Case Study: Early Wins in the Holistic Transformation Program

One of the most exciting parts of the Holistic Transformation Program is seeing just how quickly people begin to feel better once they adopt the foundational principles. Last month, two new clients—Hannah and Jeremy—demonstrated exactly what this looks like in real life.

Hannah: 9 Pounds in 13 Days

Hannah, a 40 year old management consultant came into the program ready to make a change after getting some less than stellar blood work results at her recent executive physical. Within less than two weeks, she had already lost 9 pounds—5% of her starting body weight. She managed to achieve this despite traveling for work consistently every week. 

Down 9lbs in 13 days

Jeremy: 16 Pounds in 21 Days

Jeremy’s story followed a similar path. Despite being in phenomenal shape just a few years ago, some big life changes had taken his eye off the ball.  Getting married, buying and remodeling a house, switching careers, and preparing for a new baby had left him feeling heavy and out of shape compared to how he sees himself. 

In just three weeks, he was down 16 pounds—7% of his starting body weight. 

Down 16lbs in 21 days

This isn’t fat loss… yet

That type of change isn’t body fat loss. At least not yet. For context, Jeremy would have required a calorie deficit of around 2,700 calories every single day to make this happen through body composition change. Hannah would have had to achieve a 2,400cal a day deficit. Clearly this isn’t what was happening eating high quality food to satiety four times a day. 

What both clients experienced was a rapid reduction in inflammation and water retention, the kind that happens when the one shifts away from processed foods and inflammatory ingredients.

Why This Happens

When clients enter the Holistic Transformation Program, they begin eating in a way that prioritizes only whole, nourishing foods:

• Meat

• Vegetables

• Fruit

• Healthy fats

These are foods that all humans thrive on. Participants eat these foods ad libitum (within reason), usually four times a day. By removing ultra-processed foods, inflammatory oils, and hidden irritants, the body quickly responds. The initial weight changes are largely tied to reduced gut inflammation and systemic water retention, not drastic calorie restriction.

And that’s the point: this is not a crash diet. It’s a programmed systemic drop in inflammation.

Is This a Good Thing?

Absolutely. While the dramatic early changes might surprise some, they’re overwhelmingly positive. Clients not only lose scale weight, but also see improvements across key health markers:

• Energy levels rise

• Acid reflux often disappears

• Stomach bloating goes away

• Sleep quality improves

• Mental clarity sharpens

• Joint pain often decreases

• Blood labs testing metabolic health, cholesterol, and hormonal balance begin trending better

• Athletic Recovery markers (like resting heart rate and HRV) improve

Most importantly, early wins fuel motivation. Both Hannah and Jeremy felt encouraged to keep going after seeing their results in such a short timeframe.

But Then What?

After this initial reduction in inflammation, participants in the program continue to focus on holistic tools like improving sleep habits, fine tuning exercise to their personal goals, and utilizing macronutrient targets to change body composition in a powerful, predictable way. For all of that to work optimally, inflammation needs to be low and food needs to be nutrient dense. 

The Takeaway

The first few weeks of the Holistic Transformation Program are not about crash dieting or burning fat at a breakneck pace. They’re about removing the obstacles to health—foods and habits that cause inflammation—and letting the body reset.

For Hannah and Jeremy, that reset was dramatic: weight came off, energy returned, sleep improved, and they regained confidence. Their success is typical of what happens when you give your body the fuel it actually wants and needs.

If you’ve been struggling with bloating, low energy, or weight that just won’t budge, maybe it’s time to experience what Hannah and Jeremy did. Early wins can be the spark that transforms everything.

Brain Health Basics: Why Creatine, Omega-3s, and Vitamin D Should Be in Your Stack

I caught up with my friend Corey recently. He’s an ex–Green Beret who knows firsthand what it’s like to push the human body — and brain — to the edge. As a special forces operator he’s had experience most of us can’t even imagine including repeated exposure to breaching charges, shoulder fired heavy weapons, and getting hit in the head more than a bare knuckle boxer. All these concussive events take their toll on even the toughest most resilient warfighters. After witnessing first hand the cost on the brain of his friends and fellow soldiers, he’s working on a supplement designed to support brain health with three simple, powerful ingredients: creatine, omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA), and vitamin D.

Here’s the thing: these aren’t just “operator supplements.” They’re game-changers for anyone — from combat veterans exposed to blast overpressure, to contact athletes who take regular hits, to everyday weekend warriors who simply want sharper focus, faster recovery, and long-term brain health.

Let’s break down why.

Creatine (5g daily): Energy for Brain Cells

Most people think of creatine as a muscle supplement, but your brain relies on it just as much as your biceps do. Creatine helps your brain regenerate ATP — the energy currency your neurons use to fire, communicate, and repair.

Mechanism: Creatine acts as a buffer and storage system for high-energy phosphate groups, helping neurons meet their massive energy demands, especially during stress, sleep deprivation, or recovery.

• For operators and athletes: After concussions, blast exposure, or heavy contact, your brain is under enormous metabolic stress. Creatine supports the energy needed to repair and stabilize neurons.

• For everyday life: Creatine can improve working memory, processing speed, and even mood. Studies show it supports cognitive performance under stress and fatigue — exactly the conditions most of us live in.

👉 In my blog post on recovery after a night of short sleep, I discuss how higher doses (20–30g daily for short stretches) can further support the brain when sleep is cut short.

Omega-3s (3g EPA/DHA daily): Reducing Inflammation & Repairing Brain Tissue

EPA and DHA, the active forms of omega-3 fatty acids, are structural components of brain cell membranes. They don’t just reduce inflammation — they literally rebuild the raw material your brain is made from.

Mechanism: DHA integrates directly into neuronal membranes, improving fluidity and cell signaling, while EPA acts as a precursor to anti-inflammatory molecules called resolvins. Together, they reduce neuroinflammation and support synaptic repair.

• For operators and contact athletes: Repeated head trauma and blast exposure can drive chronic brain inflammation. Omega-3s help calm that inflammation and repair damaged neuronal membranes.

• For everyone else: Omega-3s support sharper cognition, better mood stability, and even improved sleep quality. If you’ve ever felt brain fog after a long week, this is one of the simplest fixes.

Vitamin D (5,000 IU daily): Hormone for Brain & Nervous System Health

Vitamin D acts more like a hormone than a vitamin, influencing hundreds of genes involved in brain development, neurotransmitter production, and inflammation control.

Mechanism: Vitamin D receptors are abundant in the brain, especially in regions tied to memory and emotion. Vitamin D helps regulate calcium signaling in neurons, supports the synthesis of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, and modulates the immune system to keep brain inflammation in check.

• For operators and athletes: Low vitamin D is linked to higher risk of depression, slower recovery from brain injury, and impaired immune function — not a recipe for resilience.

• For the rest of us: Almost everyone not supplementing is deficient in our experience due to a lack of consistent direct exposure to sunlight from indoor professional lives, sunscreen usage, and the dreaded winter season.

👉 At NHP (Nicholson Human Performance), we target 60–80 ng/mL on a blood test for optimal vitamin D levels — the sweet spot for brain, bone, and immune health.

My Recommendation

At NHP, I recommend these exact dosages — 5g creatine, 3g EPA/DHA, and 5,000 IU vitamin D daily — for every client I work with. Whether you’re recovering from years of service, colliding with linebackers, or just trying to stay sharp for your career and family, these nutrients are foundational.

They’re simple, safe, and effective — and the research is only getting stronger.

Bottom Line

You don’t need to be a Special Forces veteran to benefit from brain-focused supplementation. The same principles that protect a Green Beret’s brain after blast over pressure conditions can also protect yours from the stress, fatigue, and wear-and-tear of modern life.

Small daily habits compound into long-term resilience. Adding creatine, omega-3s, and vitamin D to your routine is one of the easiest, highest-impact steps you can take for your brain.

As soon as Corey’s brand is available to the public, we’ll let you know. For now, you can pick up high quality supplements from our trusted partner Thorne. All products are third party tested for purity and quality.

Get your Brain Health Stack here.

5 Things I Do The Day After a Short Night of Sleep

Earlier this week I was on two days of solo-dad duty with our 10-month-old, Ethan, while Mom took an overnight work trip. I was keyed up and slept just under five hours, definitely not enough.

Here are the five levers I pulled the next day so I can still think clearly, feel decent, and perform—without wrecking the following night’s sleep.

1) Caffeine, but smarter

What I do: I allow one extra cup of coffee in the morning, then move my cutoff two hours earlier (from 2 p.m. to noon). I pair caffeine with L-Theanine to smooth jitters.

How/How much

• Caffeine total for the day: keep ≤ 250–300 mg (roughly 2–3 strong cups).

• Cutoff: at least 8 hours before bedtime; earlier is better after a short night.

• L-theanine: 100–200 mg with your first coffee (common ratio is ~2:1 theanine:caffeine). Evidence shows caffeine+theanine can sharpen attention while reducing the “buzzy” edge.

Why it works: Caffeine metabolism is highly individual, and I know with a target 10pm bedtime my cutoff is no later than 2pm. Since I’m allowing myself an extra cup of coffee to boost function in the morning, I need to move that cutoff earlier so I’m not going into bedtime with significant caffeine still on board.

L-Theanine is a non-protein amino acid found naturally in tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) that crosses the blood–brain barrier and promotes a calm, focused state by increasing alpha brain waves and modulating GABA, dopamine, and serotonin. It’s commonly paired with caffeine to sharpen attention while reducing jitters

2) No nap + effective wind-down

What I do: I skip naps (tempting, I know) to keep sleep pressure high, then run my normal bedtime routine: no screens or bright light for 60 minutes minimum before lights out, some meditation or light stretching, calming music, a hot shower, and a real paper book.

Why it works: Longer or late-day naps can blunt sleep drive and push sleep onset later; if you must nap, keep it 10–20 minutes and early in the afternoon, but on short-sleep days I usually skip it entirely. Bright light in the evening—especially from screens—suppresses melatonin and delays sleep timing, while a warm shower 1–2 hours before bed can help you fall asleep faster.

3) High dose creatine for brain energy

What I do: I bump creatine from my normal 5g a day to ~20–30 g total for the day, split into 3 servings (pre-breakfast, with breakfast, mid-morning).

Why it works: Under sleep loss, the brain’s phosphocreatine/ATP buffer is stressed. Read: your brain is having a tough time making and transporting energy. A single high dose (~0.35 g/kg bodyweight; ≈25–30 g for many adults) has been shown to improve cognitive performance and processing speed during sleep deprivation. Splitting doses reduces GI upset; higher single servings (≥10 g at once) are likelier to cause some GI upset. Creatine is generally safe for healthy adults; hydrate, and if you have kidney disease or are under medical care, check with your clinician first.

4) Adjust food to counter the metabolic hit

What I do: I know I’m temporarily hungrier and more insulin resistant as a result of the insufficient night of sleep. So I build meals around protein + plants + healthy fats, keep sugars low, and avoid starches like rice and potatoes. Meals look simple: meat and a vegetable or some berries with some olive oil drizzled on top or salted avocado on the side.

Why it works: Short sleep shifts appetite hormones—leptin the satiety hormone down, ghrelin the hunger hormone up—and increases feelings of hunger. Even one partial night of sleep loss can measurably reduce insulin sensitivity; a week of restriction makes it worse. Stabilizing hunger with protein, produce, and fats helps curb blood sugar spikes and snack cravings.

5) Stay active, but downshift training

What I do: I swap heavy strength training or hard aerobic intervals for a long outdoor walk (bonus: morning light exposure to set your circadian rhythm) plus mobility and maybe a few easy technique sets. I keep my time in the gym sacred, but focus more on getting the body moving at low intensity than driving a training stimulus

Why it works: Sleep loss degrades neuromuscular coordination, raises perceived effort, and impairs performance. Light–moderate activity still boosts mood and can support better sleep that night—without layering on more stress to your already compromised recovery capacity.

---

While these five actions won’t magically fix a bad night of sleep, they do dramatically improve how I feel and my ability to get work done while setting me up for a better night of sleep to come.

The Simple Plan

• On Waking Coffee + 100–200 mg L-theanine.

• Morning 30–60 min brisk walk outside (get bright light).

• Meals: 30–50 g of protein each; pile on veggies/berries; drizzle EVOO; skip added sugars.

• Creatine: ~8–10 g × 3 (morning split).

• After 12:00 No more caffeine.

• Evening Light mobility; hot shower 1–2 h pre-bed; no bright screens for 60 min; read a paper book.

Notes

• Caffeine: total ≤300 mg/day for most adults; lower if pregnant/breastfeeding or sensitive.

• Creatine: choose creatine monohydrate, ideally third-party tested; split doses if your stomach is touchy.

The Blood Test Every Woman in Her 30s–50s Should Ask for at Her Next Physical

When it comes to your thyroid health, waiting until something “feels wrong” can be a big mistake. For women in their 30s–50s especially, subtle changes in energy, mood, weight, or even digestion can be early signs of an underlying autoimmune condition that’s quietly doing damage.

One of the simplest ways to catch thyroid issues early — before they require lifelong medication — is to ask your doctor for a Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody (TPO) test at your next physical.

What is a TPO Antibody Test?

A TPO antibody test measures the amount of thyroid peroxidase antibodies in your blood. These antibodies form when your immune system mistakenly targets thyroid peroxidase — an enzyme your thyroid needs to make hormones — as if it were a foreign invader.

• Normal range: Usually under 35 IU/mL (lab ranges can vary slightly)

• Elevated range: Anything above normal can signal autoimmune activity against the thyroid

• High results: Strongly suggest conditions like Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, even before thyroid hormone levels (like TSH or Free T4) are abnormal

If you see a number in the hundreds — or even higher — it’s a sign your immune system is in overdrive - attacking your own tissue.

Why This Matters — Especially for Women

That’s why I recommend asking for a TPO (thyroid peroxidase) antibody test at your next physical — it can detect the immune activity of Hashimoto’s years before your thyroid hormone levels drop low enough to show up on a standard screening.

I frequently work with otherwise healthy women in this age group dealing with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. It’s one of the most common autoimmune conditions, where your immune system mistakenly attacks your thyroid gland, slowly impairing its ability to produce hormones. This process can go on for years before being detected, which is why it’s often missed until symptoms escalate and permanent damage has been done.

For those who have it, Hashimoto’s can feel like an unshakable fatigue that no amount of sleep fixes, stubborn weight gain despite healthy eating and exercise, brain fog, thinning hair, dry skin, and sometimes mood changes like depression or anxiety. Many women describe it as “feeling like I’m moving through molasses” or “just not feeling like myself anymore.” Left unchecked, the immune attack gradually reduces thyroid function, leading to full-blown hypothyroidism — which can affect metabolism, energy, heart health, and fertility.

The good news? If caught early, you can often slow or stop the immune damage before it leads to complete thyroid hormone loss, giving you a much better chance at restoring energy, stabilizing mood, and protecting long-term health.

Early Intervention Can Mean Avoiding Medication

By making targeted changes in diet, lifestyle, and stress management, you can often calm the immune attack enough to preserve thyroid function — and in some cases, avoid medication altogether.

Calming the immune system isn’t just about protecting the thyroid, either. Autoimmune conditions rarely exist in isolation. If your immune system is attacking one part of your body, it’s more likely to go after something else down the line — joints, skin, gut, nerves.

Real Client Example

A recent client joined my Holistic Transformation Program with a TPO antibody level in the mid-400s. That’s more than ten times the upper limit of normal. Through a personalized plan — focusing on food quality, gut health, inflammation control, and stress reduction — she cut her antibody levels in half during the program.

Now she’s working toward bringing them completely into the normal range, and in the process, she’s reduced her risk for other autoimmune issues and improved her overall health.

How to Request and Use the Test

1. Ask your doctor to include a “TPO Antibody” test at your next physical — even if your thyroid hormone levels have always been “normal.” Or you can run it on your own through a direct to consumer blood test company.

2. Keep a copy of your results so you can track changes over time.

3. If elevated, address it now — don’t wait until symptoms worsen or medication is your only option.

Bottom Line

The TPO antibody test is a low-cost, high-value tool for early detection of autoimmune thyroid disease. For women in their 30s–50s, catching Hashimoto’s early can mean the difference between lifelong medication and keeping your thyroid healthy for decades to come.

If you’ve never had one, put it on your list for your next check-up. Your future self will thank you.

The Worst Part About Ultra-Processed Food Nobody Is Talking About

Walk down any aisle of the grocery store and you'll see it: row after row of colorful boxes, crinkly bags, and shiny packages promising convenience, flavor, and even “health.” But behind the flashy marketing and health halos lies something far more dangerous than most people realize.

We’ve heard the usual warnings—ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are full of unpronounceable ingredients, synthetic additives, and preservatives. And yes, some of these can trigger gut inflammation, hormonal disruption, and immune responses. That’s bad enough.

But here’s the real danger no one’s talking about:

UPFs are designed to hijack your appetite—and they’re incredibly good at it.

🤯 What Is Ultra-Processed Food, Exactly?

Let’s keep it simple:
If you can’t reasonably make it in your own kitchen, it’s probably ultra-processed.
That includes:

• Artificial flavors and sweeteners

• Emulsifiers, stabilizers, and gums

• Synthetic vitamins, isolates, and industrial seed oils

• Long lists of unrecognizable ingredients

Even if it’s marketed as “natural,” “gluten-free,” or “organic,” it might still fall into the ultra-processed trap. Some examples of UPF marketed as health foods are: flavored greek yogurt cups, granola and protein bars, plant based meat alternatives like “Beyond Burger”, and veggie chips or straws.

🍪 The Real Problem: Engineered to Overeat

While gut issues and hormonal imbalances matter, the biggest threat from ultra-processed foods is how they completely break your body’s ability to regulate hunger.

These foods are engineered—yes, literally designed in labs—to:

• Maximize craveability (think salty-sweet-crunchy all at once)

• Minimize satiety (so you don’t feel full even after hundreds of calories)

• Encourage hyperpalatable eating (the “I can’t stop” feeling)

So you keep eating. And eating. And eating.

🚨 The Hidden Impact: Massive Calorie Load, Zero Satiety

Because UPFs dull your natural satiety cues, you end up:

• Consuming way more processed carbs and sugars

• Spiking insulin again and again

• Developing insulin resistance, the doorway to weight gain, metabolic disease, and type 2 diabetes

This isn’t just a personal willpower issue—it’s a biological mismatch between our ancient physiology and modern food engineering.

This mechanism—overeating without fullness—is the engine behind the obesity epidemic. And it’s happening one granola bar, one frozen burrito, one “healthy” snack at a time.

🥩 The Alternative: Foods That Actually Fill You Up

Want to know what your body does understand?

Single-ingredient foods.
Simple. Whole. Unprocessed.

• Chicken

• Blueberries

• Beef

• Eggs

• Asparagus

• Potatoes

• Wild salmon

• Olive oil

• Spinach

These foods trigger satiety signals properly. You feel full. You stop eating when your body says it’s had enough.

No cravings. No blood sugar crash. No sneaky “serving sizes” that trick you into doubling your intake.

✅ Want to Lose Weight and Feel Better—Fast?

Here’s your cheat code:

1. Eliminate UPFs—clean out your pantry

2. Eat single-ingredient foods—shop the perimeter of the grocery store

3. Don’t count calories—just focus on real food

4. Watch your hunger normalize, your cravings vanish, and your energy improve

Final Thought

The worst part of ultra-processed foods isn’t just what they’re made of—it’s what they do to your body’s ability to know when to stop eating.

The good news?
You can reverse this. Your biology wants to work correctly. It just needs the right fuel.

So if you're tired of feeling stuck, bloated, or out of control around food, start by swapping the boxes and bags for ingredients your great-grandparents would recognize.

Your gut, hormones, and waistline will thank you.

Gut Health 101: Why It Matters More Than You Think

You’ve probably heard the phrase “gut health is everything”—and while it may sound like a wellness buzzword, it’s actually grounded in something very real.

Your gut isn’t just where food gets broken down—it’s where inflammation begins or ends, where your immune system gets trained, and where your body decides how well it absorbs nutrients, stabilizes energy, and even regulates mood. That’s why dialing in your gut health can be one of the highest-leverage moves you make for your overall wellbeing.

And here’s the twist: good gut health often starts not with what you add, but with what you remove.

🚫 Start With What You’re Not Eating

The standard American diet is loaded with gut disruptors. The first and most powerful step toward a healthier gut is eliminating the foods that cause irritation, inflammation, and microbiome imbalances:

• Wheat (and gluten): Even in non-celiacs, wheat proteins can increase gut permeability ("leaky gut") and promote inflammation.

• Refined sugar: Feeds pathogenic bacteria and yeast in the gut, crowding out the beneficial strains you need.

• Alcohol: Damages the gut lining and throws off microbial balance.

• Processed foods: Often full of additives, emulsifiers, and chemicals that confuse your digestive system.

• Seed oils (canola, soybean, corn): High in omega-6 fats that fuel inflammation and oxidative stress.

Eliminating these foods can significantly calm the digestive tract, reduce immune reactivity, and set the stage for healing.

🥬 Then Add Fermented, Whole-Food Probiotics

Once you've stopped feeding the bad guys, it’s time to support the good ones.

Fermented foods are nature’s probiotics. Unlike many commercial probiotic products, these whole foods contain a diverse and living population of beneficial bacteria—and often come with fiber and prebiotics to help those bugs thrive.

Try incorporating:

• Raw sauerkraut

• Kimchi

• Kombucha (low sugar if possible)

• Naturally fermented pickles (look for ones that say “live cultures” and are found in the refrigerated section)

Even a few tablespoons a day of these foods can have a powerful cumulative effect on your gut environment.

💊 Not All Probiotics Are Created Equal

If you're looking to supplement, quality really matters.

Many commercial probiotic brands fall short—they contain too few strains, aren’t designed to survive stomach acid, or simply don’t match what your gut actually needs. But high-quality options, like Seed’s Daily Synbiotic, have changed the game.

Seed is a clinically validated, multi-strain probiotic + prebiotic that’s built to deliver bacteria alive to the colon, where they can actually make a difference. Many clients report improvements in digestion, skin, mood, and overall vitality after 30–60 days of consistent use.

Think of it not as a cure-all, but a strategic tool in a broader gut-health approach.

✅ What Happens When Your Gut Is Working for You?

Optimizing your gut isn’t just about avoiding discomfort. Here’s what you can expect when things are running smoothly:

1. GI Symptoms Fade Away

Bloating, acid reflux, diarrhea, and constipation all become rare or disappear entirely. A healthy gut supports regular, smooth digestion.

2. Steadier Energy Through Blood Sugar Balance

A stable gut microbiome improves insulin sensitivity and helps buffer post-meal energy crashes—meaning fewer afternoon slumps and more consistent output.

3. Improved Nutrient Absorption

If your gut is inflamed or leaky, you’re not absorbing nutrients efficiently. A healed gut allows your body to fully utilize vitamins, minerals, and amino acids from your food and supplements.

🌱 Bottom Line: Your Gut Is the Gateway to Your Health

If you’re struggling with digestive issues, low energy, food sensitivities, or unexplained fatigue, it’s worth asking: How’s your gut doing?

Start by removing the offenders, adding fermented foods, and considering a high-quality probiotic. The gut doesn’t heal overnight, but small consistent actions create powerful shifts—inside and out.

Want help building a gut-friendly eating plan or choosing the right probiotic for your needs?

Book a free consultation and let’s map it out together.

Why You’re Not Losing Weight (Even If You’re “Doing Everything Right”)

Let me start with something I hear all the time:
"I eat clean, I work out, I track my calories… but I’m just not losing any weight."

If that’s you, I get it. You’re putting in the effort, making sacrifices, and trying to “do everything right”—yet the scale won’t budge, or worse, it inches up. So what’s going on?

The truth is, weight loss isn’t just about eating healthy or exercising more—it’s about precision, consistency, and an understanding of how your biology responds to your environment. And in my clinical and coaching experience, there are a few key reasons why people struggle to lose weight despite “doing everything right.”

Let’s break it down.

1. The Weekend is Wrecking Your Progress

This is the most common and overlooked issue.

You eat well all week—protein-forward meals, whole foods, hydration dialed in. But then the weekend hits. You relax a bit. Go out for dinner, have a drink, enjoy a dessert. After all, it’s just one meal… right?

Here’s the problem: body fat loss is a math equation, and your physiology doesn’t take weekends off.

If you're in a modest calorie deficit of 300–500 calories per day, just one or two days of going over your maintenance intake by 700–1,000+ calories can completely wipe out the entire week's progress—or even reverse it.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being honest with what “consistency” really means. If you want to change your body, you have to hit that deficit consistently enough to force adaptation.

That means planning for the weekend, building in meals that feel indulgent but still align with your goals, and learning to treat food as information for your biology—not just entertainment.

2. Changing Your Body Composition Is Hard—But Maintaining It Isn’t

Here’s what most people don’t realize:

Changing your body composition—losing fat and preserving muscle—is an unnatural, unsustainable process.

Think about it. Your body wants to stay the same. It’s designed to protect fat stores, conserve energy, and resist change. So when you ask it to do something different—to burn fat, to change shape—you need a high degree of specificity.

It’s like cracking a safe. If you’re just a little off, the lock doesn’t open.

That means your nutrition, training, sleep, and stress need to be dialed in together. Macros need to be specific. Protein needs to be sufficient. Training needs to stimulate—not exhaust—your nervous system. And your body needs to feel safe enough to let go of stored energy.

But here’s the good news:

Once you change your body composition, it’s much easier to maintain it.

Why? Because maintenance doesn’t require a calorie deficit. It doesn’t require pushing against your biology. It just requires you to live in alignment with it. That means eating whole foods, moving regularly, managing stress, and sleeping well—all things that support your life, not just your weight.

3. You’re Trying to Lose Weight Too Fast

I’ve seen it over and over again—people get motivated and want results yesterday. So they crash their calories, overdo the cardio, and end up exhausted, frustrated, and often heavier than when they started.

We do things differently.

Our clients aim for no more than 1% of body weight lost per week. That’s the sweet spot—fast enough to stay motivated, slow enough to preserve muscle, keep energy up, and prevent rebound.

If you weigh 180 pounds, that’s about 1.8 pounds per week. Not 5. Not 10. Just under 2.

And that’s more than enough. Because week over week, that progress compounds. You’re not just losing weight—you’re transforming your metabolism, your hormones, your relationship with food, and your confidence.

Final Thoughts

If you feel like you’re “doing everything right” but not seeing results, ask yourself:

• Are you truly consistent, including weekends?

• Are you aiming for a realistic, sustainable rate of loss?

• Are your macros and habits tailored to preserve lean tissue while burning fat?

• Are you allowing your body the recovery and support it needs to change?

You’re not broken. You don’t need to work harder—you need to work smarter.
When you do, the changes you make aren’t just possible—they’re permanent.

To your health,

Tyler

Work Capacity: The Ultimate Health Metric for Longevity and Quality of Life

The world of health and fitness can get complicated. We obsess over fad diets, hacks, and pseudoscience while ignoring the simplest, most objective metric of all: work capacity. Your ability to DO difficult physical tasks isn’t just a measure of performance—it just might be the most direct indicator of your health, longevity, and overall quality of life.

Work Capacity and Longevity: The Inescapable Link

Longevity isn’t just about living longer; it’s about maintaining function for as many years as possible. There’s no prize for dragging out an existence if you’re weak, fragile, and incapable of performing basic human tasks. If you want to know how long you’ll live—and how well—you need to assess your work capacity.

Work capacity measures your ability to generate power across broad time and modal domains. More simply: How much work can you perform in a given period? This isn’t an abstract idea; it’s physiology in action. The higher your work capacity, the more resilient you are against aging, disease, and physical decline. The lower your work capacity, the closer you are to frailty, loss of independence, and ultimately, the grave.

The data doesn’t lie. High-intensity functional movement improves cardiovascular health, increases muscle mass, and enhances insulin sensitivity—each of which is directly correlated with, and more importantly causal in, improved longevity. We’re not talking about arbitrary numbers on a treadmill or some government-recommended step count. We’re talking about the real-world ability to pick up heavy objects, run hard, climb stairs, and move dynamically in a way that keeps you alive longer and more capable while you’re at it.

Work Capacity and Quality of Life

Work capacity not only dictates how long you live, it also dictates how well you live. What’s the point of reaching 80 if you can’t get off the toilet unassisted? Longevity without function is suffering, and work capacity is the antidote.

Think about what makes life enjoyable—playing with your kids (and grandkids), hiking up a mountain, carrying groceries without breaking a sweat, even standing up after sitting for a while without groaning. That’s work capacity in action. The greater your ability to do work, the more doors stay open in life.

Declining work capacity leads to a cascade of problems. First, you avoid physical tasks, then you lose the ability to perform them entirely. The moment you start losing strength, speed, and endurance, your world shrinks. Eventually, you’re not just avoiding hikes—you’re avoiding stairs. You’re not just skipping workouts—you’re skipping life.

Testing Your Work Capacity Annually: A Reality Check

If work capacity is the key to health and longevity, you better measure it regularly. As we’ve mentioned in the last two blog posts, you shouldn’t ignore your body composition or blood work as metrics of health and fitness — so why ignore the single most important metric of physical health?

Here’s a simple, no-BS way to test your work capacity every year:

1. 10-Minute Work Capacity Test

Pick a simple, universally applicable test that spans multiple movement patterns and energy systems. Something like:

• 500m row

• 40 air squats

• 30 push-ups

• 20 box jumps (20” height)

• 10 pull-ups

Complete for time. Compare year over year. If you’re slowing down, you’re not aging—you’re decaying. Stop it.

Scaling Options: If pull-ups are out of reach, start with ring rows or banded pull-ups. If box jumps are painful, substitute jumping to a one inch high plate. The point is to move at high intensity—there’s always a way.

2. Deadlift to Bodyweight Ratio

A strong back is a long life. Can you deadlift 1.5x your body weight? If not, you’re vulnerable. Work on it.

Scaling Options: If heavy barbell lifting is not an option, use kettlebells or sandbags. The goal is to build posterior chain strength safely over time. 

3. 1-Mile Run Time

Many of us hate to run, but that’s no excuse. A slow mile time correlates with early mortality. If you’re slowing down dramatically, you’ve got work to do.

Scaling Options: Row 2000 meters, bike 3 miles, or do sled pushes to test endurance without impact.

4. Max Pull-ups and Push-ups

These aren’t just gymnastic party tricks. They’re critical indicators of upper body strength and endurance. If you can’t do 10 strict pull-ups or 40 push-ups, you’re functionally declining.

Scaling Options: Do ring rows or assisted pull-ups. Push-ups can be scaled to incline variations or knee push-ups. The goal is to progress, not avoid.

5. Sandbag Carry for Distance

Pick up a 100-pound sandbag and walk. See how far you can go before setting it down. Strong, healthy people carry heavy things. Frail, unhealthy people don’t.

Scaling Options: Use a lighter sandbag or farmer’s carry with dumbbells. Load matters, but so does consistency.

The Takeaway: Train for Life

None of this is complicated. None of it requires a new app, wearable, or diet trend. If you want to live longer and better, train for work capacity. Lift heavy, move fast, test yourself, and refuse to become one of the millions slowly rotting away in a nursing home because they prioritized comfort over capacity.

Your work capacity today is a direct window into your future. Assess it, train it, and refuse to let it slip. Your life depends on it.

The Most Important Blood Tests for Unlocking Peak Health and Performance

Understanding your blood work can give you unmatched insight into your internal health, risk for chronic disease, and opportunities to improve how long you live as well as the quality of that time. 

As a friend once said, relying on a doctor to interpret your blood work is a lot like relying on your priest to read the bible for you.  While doctors can be invaluable when it comes to treating acute disease and managing complex conditions, they rarely have the mindset or knowledge to help you optimize your health and fitness via your blood work. 

I’m going to break it down for you—the key blood markers you need to measure and optimize if you want to feel superhuman.

** DISCLAIMER**

This is a blog post meant to inform and empower. It is NOT medical advice nor is it intended to treat any medical condition. If you have a medical condition these tests and ranges may not be applicable to you. Consult your physician or one of our Functional Health Coaches before taking action.

1. Blood Health (CBC) 

Think of this as a snapshot of your white and red blood cell health, critical for oxygen delivery, immune function, and inflammation detection.

Hemoglobin or hematocrit: These two markers are measures of your body’s ability to deliver oxygen to your tissues. If they’re low you might have an iron deficiency or low testosterone which can disrupt sleep and cause overall energy issues. 

Optimal Hemoglobin: 

Men: 14-17.5 g/dL

Women: 12.3-15.3 g/dL

Optimal Hematocrit: 

Men: 40-50%

Women: 36-45%

White blood cells: Elevated WBC counts, or unexpected ratios of white blood cells can signal an inflammatory condition or latent infection. Generally speaking, it’s healthy to see the number of white blood cells decrease as you step down the list from neutrophils all the way to Immature Granulocytes. 

2. Metabolic Health

We look at three tests to assess overall metabolic health. Our goal is to see how much fuel in the form of sugar (glucose) or fat (triglycerides) you have in your bloodstream. If you haven’t eaten recently (you should do these tests fasted) it’s healthy to see moderate to low levels of circulating sugar and fat. High levels of circulating sugar and fat signal poor metabolic health and is the primary cause of most chronic diseases including heart disease, type II diabetes, Alzheimers and dementia, and many cancers. 

Fasting glucose: This is a spot measurement of how much sugar is circulating in your blood at the time of the test. We look for optimal levels well below 100 mg/dL. 

HbA1C: While fasting blood glucose is a spot measurement of blood sugar, HbA1c is a 90 day retrospective look at your blood sugar. It measures a type of damage to your red blood cells called glycation. If your A1C is above 5.6%, you’re moving toward insulin resistance and potentially even type II diabetes. Optimal HbA1c is ~5.4% or lower. 

Triglycerides: This is a measure of circulating fat in your bloodstream. Levels around or below 100 mg/dL are optimal and > 150 mg/dL is the true danger zone. 

3. Kidney Health

Your kidneys are your body’s filtration system, working 24/7 to clear toxins, regulate electrolytes, and maintain hydration. But most people don’t even think about kidney health—until there’s a problem.

By the time kidney disease shows symptoms, you’ve already lost significant function. That’s why checking your creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is critical for early detection and optimization.

Creatinine: Creatinine is a waste product from muscle metabolism, filtered out by the kidneys. If your kidneys aren’t clearing it efficiently, levels rise in your blood—which can indicate kidney dysfunction. We generally look for values < 1.0mg/dL, although depending on your training program it might be ok for this value to be slightly elevated

eGFR: Your estimated glomerular filtration rate measures how well your kidneys are filtering waste. Over 90 is optimal, however this should be adjusted for age and other conditions. 

3. Liver Health

Your liver is the command center of detoxification, metabolism, and hormone balance. If your liver is struggling, you might experience fatigue, brain fog, stubborn fat gain, or digestive issues

ALT: ALT is the most sensitive enzyme for liver stress. When your liver is damaged or inflamed, ALT leaks into the bloodstream. We look for values under 30U/L for men and 25U/L for women 

AST: AST is another enzyme released when liver or muscle cells are damaged. Unlike ALT, AST is also found in heart and muscle tissue, so it’s not as liver-specific. Look for an AST/ALT ratio of 1.0-2.0. 

AST/ALT ratio < 1.0 → Fatty liver, insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction
AST/ALT ratio > 2.0 → Alcohol-related liver stress or cirrhosis

If ALT is higher than AST, it usually means non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) due to diet and insulin resistance.

Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP): ALP is an enzyme involved in bile production, digestion, and bone metabolism. Elevated ALP often signals liver, gallbladder, or bone issues. Optimal ALP Levels are 40-120 U/L

4. Vitamin D 

Almost everyone that isn’t supplementing aggressively with Vitamin D is deficient. This isn’t just a vitamin; it’s a hormone that regulates immunity, mood, testosterone, and fat metabolism as well as being a necessary component of optimal bone mineral density and soft tissue health. .

Ideal range: 60-80 ng/mL (not the outdated “normal” range of 30-50).

5. Testosterone (For Both Men and Women)

Testosterone isn’t just for muscle—it impacts energy, metabolism, cognitive function, and recovery. Low levels can lead to fat gain, low libido, and brain fog. While more is generally better, most middle aged men should strive for total testosterone > 600 ng/dL and middle aged women enjoy the benefits of optimal total testosterone > 20ng/dL. 

Our approach is most often to raise clients’ testosterone levels as much as possible through holistic means like nutrition, supplementation, sleep, and exercise. If those adjustments aren’t sufficient to achieve optimal levels, TRT run through a knowledgeable physician can be safe, effective, and dramatically improve quality of life. 

It’s also important to note that hormone replacement therapy doesn’t cause cancer in men or women, despite what you may have heard. These claims are based on old studies poorly interpreted. 

6. Lipids

Cholesterol is one of the most misunderstood markers in medicine. For years, people have been told that LDL is “bad” and HDL is “good”, but the truth is far more nuanced.

If you’re only looking at total cholesterol, you’re missing the real story about your heart health, metabolism, and inflammation levels. Let’s break it down the right way so you know exactly what to look for.

HDL: High-Density Lipoprotein acts like a garbage truck, removing excess cholesterol and delivering it back to the liver for processing. More HDL = better cholesterol transport and lower inflammation. Men should have HDL > 50 ng/mL and woman > 60 ng/ML. Low levels of HDL can be a sign of systemic inflammation or insulin resistance. 

LDL:  Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) has been unfairly labeled as “bad” cholesterol, but here’s the truth: LDL isn’t inherently harmful—it depends on the type and size of LDL particles.

Large, fluffy LDL? Not a problem.
Small, dense LDL? Higher risk for heart disease (oxidizes easily, sticks to arteries).

Standard medical guidelines say <100 mg/dL is ideal, but if your HDL is high and triglycerides are low, higher LDL is not necessarily dangerous.  If LDL is high (>130 mg/dL) with high triglycerides, it signals metabolic issues. A large meta analysis has identified the “sweet spot” for LDL to be in the range of 100-189 ng/mL

7. TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone)

Your thyroid is your body’s thermostat—controlling metabolism, energy, and even mood. We recommend women get their TSH tested as a high level test of thyroid health. If TSH comes back high that might indicate further investigation via a full thyroid panel and a TPO test to assess for an autoimmune based thyroid condition. 

Optimal Ranges for TSH: 0.5 - 2.0 μIU/mL

The Bottom Line: Test, Don’t Guess

We recommend our clients run their own blood work, or have their PCP do so, on an annual basis. This provides a powerful time series of data from which you can identify any areas that need work or risk factors you’d like to take control of. 

If you want to run this check-up through your primary care physician, simply ask them to run the following tests as a part of your annual health check up: 

• Total and Free Testosterone 

• Vit D

• CBC

• CMP

• Lipid Panel (HDL, LDL, triglycerides) 

• HBa1c

• TSH and TPO (Female only

You can also run your own blood work. We use the direct to consumer service Ulta Labs. You can purchase your lab tests without a prescription for competitive prices, schedule a blood draw at a lab near you, and you’ll receive your results in roughly 5 days.  It's very convenient! 

Male Blood Labs

Female Blood Labs

Let us know if you’d like some expert guidance interpreting your lab work and building a plan to improve your markers!

Assessing Body Composition for Health and Fitness

Body Composition
Body composition refers to three key variables: body fat percentage, muscle mass, and bone mineral density. In general, having less body fat, more muscle, and higher bone mineral density is associated with better overall health.

Body Fat Percentage
While people can look different and still achieve optimal health, carrying excess body fat is clearly unhealthy. Increased fat accumulation—especially in obesity—is linked to a chronic low-grade inflammatory state. This inflammation has been associated with metabolic disturbances such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Another important factor is the enzyme aromatase, which is present in adipose (fat) tissue. Aromatase converts androgens like testosterone into estrogens. In individuals with excess body fat, particularly with higher amounts of visceral fat, increased aromatase activity leads to more conversion of testosterone into estrogen. This hormonal imbalance can result in lower testosterone levels in men (sometimes leading to conditions like gynecomastia) and cause adipose tissue to become a primary source of estrogen in postmenopausal women.

Excess body fat can also make daily activities and physical pursuits more challenging. For example, losing twenty pounds of body fat—while maintaining muscle mass—can feel like removing a weighted vest, improving athletic performance and reducing stress on joints, connective tissue, and the cardiovascular system.

Based on fifteen years of coaching experience, most men tend to do best with body fat percentages in the mid-teens, while women generally thrive in the low to mid-twenties. At these levels, people often appear lean and athletic, enjoy better energy and metabolic health, and even experience improved sleep. However, going much lower than these percentages may require an overly restrictive lifestyle and can lead to decreased energy, impaired recovery, undesirable hormonal profiles, and negative impacts on fertility and mood stability. Lowering overall body fat percentage can be achieved by both reducing fat mass and increasing skeletal muscle mass.

While before and after photos like this are common in the fitness world, both of these pictures are representative of extremes and should be avoided.

Muscle Mass
While increased fat mass negatively impacts fitness, increasing muscle mass offers substantial benefits. More muscle enhances overall muscular strength—the ability to generate maximal force—which allows your body to perform a wider range of activities. Being physically capable acts as a strong defense against frailty later in life. The more you can do now and the longer you maintain that capacity, the higher your quality of life will be as you age.

It’s important to remember that many individuals enter assisted living not because of a terminal illness, but because they can no longer complete daily tasks independently. In later life, simple activities can feel like a one-rep max strength challenge. Building strength now means you’ll remain stronger as you age.

Muscle also serves as a “glucose sink,” improving metabolic health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. With more muscle mass, you can consume more sugar and even indulge in junk food without a significant increase in health risks or fat accumulation. Additionally, extra muscle increases your basal metabolic rate and overall cardiovascular health.

Furthermore, improved muscle mass and strength benefit joint health. The stronger and more mobile the tissues surrounding a joint, the less likely you are to experience pain and dysfunction. In many cases, chronic knee, shoulder, or back pain can be alleviated by strengthening the muscles around the affected joint. Given that people tend to lose roughly 1% of their muscle mass per year after the age of 30, I encourage building and maintaining as much muscle as possible throughout life—simply put, more muscle is better.

Bone Mineral Density
The final component of body composition is bone mineral density (BMD), which measures how hard and dense your skeleton is. This is particularly important for women due to hormonal influences. A reduction in BMD is known as osteopenia, and when it becomes severe, it is called osteoporosis.

Having a denser skeleton improves your durability in the event of accidents like falls or car crashes. Being able to take a tumble and walk away with only minor injuries—as opposed to suffering a bone break—can make a dramatic difference in your longevity and quality of life.

Consider this striking statistic: the one-year all-cause mortality risk following a hip fracture in individuals over 65 is 30%. In other words, if you’re over 65, your chances of surviving the year after a hip fracture are only 70%. Maintaining a very dense skeleton can effectively eliminate the risk of fractures in nearly all but the worst accidents.

I aim for bone mineral density scores of my clients to be as high as possible on a DEXA scan, ideally with a minimum T-score of 0—preferably closer to 1.0 or even 1.5.

Measuring Body Composition
Both bioimpedance analysis (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) offer valuable insights into body composition, each with distinct advantages. BIA methods, such as InBody scans, are praised for their convenience, affordability, and ease of use. They quickly estimate metrics like total body water, fat mass, and lean mass by measuring the electrical conductivity of tissues, making them especially useful for routine monitoring in fitness or wellness settings. However, BIA accuracy can be affected by hydration status, activity level changes, and recent food intake. While at-home BIA assessments are useful for tracking trends, they may not provide the precision needed for a detailed progress evaluation.

In contrast, DEXA is considered the gold standard for body composition analysis. It provides highly precise measurements that not only differentiate between fat and lean tissue but also offer detailed information on bone mineral density. Although DEXA scans typically come at a higher cost and require specialized equipment, they deliver the accuracy needed for comprehensive assessments. National chains such as DEXA Fit and Live Lean RX are available in most major metro areas, offering DEXA scans for less than $100 each.

Overall, while BIA is a budget-friendly option for frequent at-home tracking, DEXA remains the preferred method for in-depth body composition analysis.

Optimizing Your Gut Health After Antibiotics

While I don’t get sick very often, I came down with a nasty cold a little over a week ago, my first in a couple years.  I started to feel better a few days in, but then things took a turn for the worse. With symptoms changing and not resolving despite getting plenty of rest, fluids, and clean foods I headed into my local  urgent care. Yup, I had a secondary sinus infection.  After just a few days of my prescribed antibiotics, I’m feeling better, but I also know that I’ve got some work ahead of me to get back to 100%. 

Antibiotics are a modern marvel. They save lives, knock out infections, and can be the difference between a minor illness and a serious health crisis. But they also come with a cost—especially for your gut. If you’ve recently taken a course of antibiotics for a sinus infection (or anything else), you’ve likely wiped out not only the bad bacteria but a good chunk of the beneficial microbes that keep your digestive system humming, your immune system strong, and your body functioning optimally.

So what’s the game plan? How do you rebuild and optimize your gut after a round of antibiotics? Let’s walk through a holistic approach to restoring balance and resilience.

1. Prioritize Fermented and Probiotic Foods

Your gut needs reinforcements, and the best way to deliver them is through a diverse range of fermented foods that can deliver plenty of healthy microbes to reinforce a healthy gut microbiome. Some of our favorites are:

• Sauerkraut - We love the Wildbrine brand. It’s organic, with simple ingredients, and lots of gut goodness

• Kimchi - The Wildbring brand does a great job with this one too, if you prefer a spicy asian profile to your fermented foods. 

• Pickles - Bubbies kosher dill are excellent. Throw a couple in with any meal for a gut boost. Don’t throw out the cloudy saltwater brine!  Drink it when you’re done with the pickles for more healthy microorganisms with an added electrolyte boost. 

• Yogurt - If you’re confident that you tolerate dairy well, look for full-fat, organic, and live-culture varieties without added sugars. Siggi’s is one of our favorites. 

You want to introduce these foods gradually and aim for a variety. A healthy gut is a diverse gut, and each of these probiotic-rich foods brings different strains of beneficial bacteria to the table.

2. Consider a High-Quality Probiotic Supplement

While fermented foods should be your first choice, adding a high-quality probiotic supplement can help repopulate your gut faster. Look for one with multiple strains, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are among the most well-researched for gut health. 

Our go-to probiotic comes from a company called Seed. We love it for its super diverse set of microbial strains and unique double capsule delivery system that gets the microbes deeper into your gut where they do the most good. In our experience, most probiotic supplements provide little benefit, and can even make your gut health worse.  Seed is one we’ve been using for years with consistently positive reports from our clients. 

3. Load Up on Prebiotic Fiber

Probiotics are only half the battle. You also need prebiotics, the fibers that feed your gut bacteria and help them flourish. The best sources?

• Onions and garlic – Great for both flavor and gut health.

• Leeks – High in inulin, a powerful prebiotic fiber.

• Asparagus – A fiber-rich vegetable that feeds beneficial bacteria.

• Green bananas or plantains – These provide resistant starch, a fantastic food source for gut microbes.

The key here is to eat a mix of soluble, insoluble, and resistant starch fibers to support bacterial diversity and encourage beneficial strains to take hold.

4. Minimize Gut Disruptors

After antibiotics, your gut is already in a fragile state, so the last thing you want to do is introduce more gut stressors. This means avoiding ultra-processed foods, refined sugars, and industrial seed oils, all of which can contribute to inflammation, disrupt gut bacteria, and slow your recovery.

Additionally, you might want to continue to limit gluten, corn, and excessive dairy, especially if you notice bloating or digestive discomfort. Even if you tolerate them normally, your gut lining may be more permeable post-antibiotics, making you temporarily more sensitive.

5. Optimize Your Diet with Bone Broth and Collagen

Bone broth isn’t just trendy—it’s loaded with gelatin, collagen, and amino acids that help repair the gut lining and support overall digestive health. A daily cup of bone broth (or a scoop of collagen peptides in your morning coffee) can help seal up any increased gut permeability that may have resulted from your antibiotic course.

6. Get Back to Your Healthy Holistic Lifestyle

Your gut microbiome is shaped by more than just what you eat. Lifestyle factors play a huge role in gut health, so make sure you’re:

• Spending time outdoors – Exposure to diverse bacteria in soil and nature supports a resilient microbiome.

• Getting quality sleep – Your gut and circadian rhythms are deeply connected, and good sleep helps balance gut bacteria.

• Managing stress – Chronic stress can negatively impact gut health, so make meditation, breathwork, or even just a daily walk part of your routine.

• Exercising intelligently – Move frequently at a slow pace, lift heavy things, and sprint occasionally—all of which promote a robust, adaptable gut.

7. Reintroduce Starchy Carbs Thoughtfully

If you were eating lower-carb or keto before taking antibiotics, you might want to cycle in some starchy whole-food carbs to help feed beneficial bacteria. Think sweet potatoes, yams, beets, squash, and berries—all great for gut recovery without spiking blood sugar excessively.

The Takeaway: Be Intentional About Gut Healing

Antibiotics can be lifesaving, but they also create a temporary state of microbial imbalance. By taking a proactive, holistic approach—eating probiotic and prebiotic-rich foods, avoiding gut disruptors, optimizing lifestyle habits, and being mindful of your diet—you can rebuild a resilient, diverse, and healthy microbiome.

Your gut is your second brain and a foundation for overall health. Give it what it needs, and you’ll come back stronger than ever.

Making Your Own Electrolyte Supplement

Last week we made the case for why sodium-heavy electrolyte supplements can be so desirable. From delivering improved hydration, athletic performance, and even cognitive function to regulating blood pressure in a positive way.  Salt combined with magnesium and potassium can make you feel a TON better especially if you’re eliminating processed foods and cleaning up your diet.  

We love the brands LMNT and Saltt for making delicious electrolyte supplements with clean ingredients, and use them daily in our household.  But what if you wanted to make your own? 

In this post we’ll share how you can combine three basic minerals to make your own electrolyte supplement for a fraction of the cost. Admittedly, without the added flavors it might not taste quite as good as our favorite commercial brands, but if that’s not a deal breaker, this is worth a try! 

First, you’ll need to source the salt, magnesium, and potassium. Next, we’ll measure out the right ratios of each using a food scale. Lastly, mix up your minerals, seal in an airtight container, and dose as desired to achieve optimal hydration. 

Sourcing Minerals

1. Salt: We used a Morton’s Kosher Salt which you can find in your grocery store or online delivery retailer. 48oz container

2. Magnesium: we’re using 500g magnesium glycinate powder from BulkSupplements.com 

3. Potassium: we’re using 250g potassium citrate powder also from BulkSupplements.com 

Ordering these materials cost us roughly $55 and will be sufficient to make roughly the equivalent of 250 packets of LMNT or Saltt, a substantial cost savings. 

Mixing Your Ingredients

Use a food scale to weigh out your three hydrating minerals in the ratios of 2.5x salt / 1.5x magnesium / 1x potassium by weight. To make the math easy we did: 

• 250g salt

• 150g magnesium

• 100g Potassium 

Put these in an airtight container and mix well. 

Serving a Dose

While bulk material densities can vary, if measured accurately this mix should yield roughly the following per teaspoon (5g serving):

• 1,000 mg Sodium

• 200 mg Magnesium

• 400 mg Potassium 

Most people feel their best with between 2-5 servings of this mix per day each dissolved in 24-32 oz of water, equivalent to 2-5 electrolyte packets from the brands mentioned above.  While it seems unlikely, it’s worth mentioning that potassium can be harmful or even fatal if ingested at the rate of tens of grams at a time.  It would be hard to do this accidentally, but please hydrate responsibly!