Hi there,
What’s the Story?
This week I’m doubling down on heart health, the real kind that keeps you alive and energized. I’ve been exploring a simple framework that helps you understand how your body is actually doing, and what to change first to feel better, think clearer, and perform at your best.
You can listen to this week’s Changing Minds podcast for an interesting interview I did recently with Dr. Philip Ovadia, discussing metabolic health.
Today, I’m sharing a practical breakdown of metabolic health, the five numbers that matter, and a playbook for food, movement, sleep, and stress so you can take back control of your health, starting today.
To learn more about Dr. Philip and how to improve your metabolic health, get your free digital copy of his informative book, Stay Off My Operating Table, here.
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Metabolic Health: The Five Numbers That Predict Your Future (And How to Improve Them)
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes 03 seconds
We talk about health as if it were a vague vibe, more vegetables, more steps, fewer bad habits. Helpful, but imprecise. Metabolic health gives you a clearer dashboard. It’s your body’s ability to use the inputs you feed it, primarily food, for energy, building/repairing tissue, and safe storage without creating collateral damage. In an interesting interview I did recently with Dr. Philip Ovadia, he walked me through what metabolic health is and how to measure it and improve it.
When metabolic health breaks, it erodes quietly and then shows up wearing different masks: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, and certain cancers. The good news? You can measure it, and what you measure you can improve.
The Five Metrics
Two can be done at home, three via a standard blood panel. Aim to meet all five without medication:
1. Waist circumference
Measure at the level of your navel, first thing in the morning. Targets: < 40 in (men), < 35 in (women). This is a better proxy for risk than BMI because it reflects visceral fat, the metabolically active kind that fuels inflammation.
2. Blood pressure
Goal: < 130/85 (unmedicated). Think of the top number (systolic) as pressure when the heart squeezes; the bottom (diastolic) when it relaxes. Chronically elevated pressure batters the vascular system.
3. Fasting blood glucose
After 8–10 hours with no food: < 100 mg/dL (≈ < 5.6 mmol/L). Alternatively, HbA1c < 5.7% gives a three-month view. High baseline glucose signals your system is struggling to handle carbs.
4. HDL (“good”) cholesterol
We actually want this higher: > 40 mg/dL (men), > 50 mg/dL (women). HDL is associated with better metabolic function and cholesterol transport.
5. Triglycerides
Goal: < 150 mg/dL. Elevated triglycerides are often driven by excess refined carbs and indicate your body is shipping energy around rather than using or storing it safely.
If 3+ metrics are off, you’re in metabolic syndrome territory, meaning your risk profile is flashing red. And here’s the wake-up call: the majority of adults don’t meet all five “green” targets. That’s why this matters.
The Four Pillars (Plus One)
Once you’ve measured, behavior change gets simple, not easy, but simple. Focus on these in order:
1) What you eat (the base of the pyramid).
Start here because you can’t out-sleep or out-jog a broken diet. A pragmatic rule: eat whole, real food. Think plants and the animals that eat plants, in minimally processed forms. If it was engineered in a factory, it’s not doing your metabolism any favors.
If you’re metabolically off, reduce refined carbohydrates (sugar, white flour, ultra-processed snacks). This alone can drop triglycerides, raise HDL, and stabilize glucose. Prioritize adequate protein to support muscle and satiety.
2) What you do (activity and muscle).
More motion, less ceremony. Accumulate walking during the day: park farther away, take 10-minute loops between tasks, and use a standing desk. Then lift things 2–3x/week. Muscle is metabolically expensive (good) and provides a safe glucose sink and energy reservoir (also good). If time is limited, prioritize resistance training before steady-state cardio.
3) How you sleep (quality over gadgets).
Fancy trackers are optional. The acid test: do you wake up feeling rested and able to get through the day without naps or caffeine IVs? If not: anchor a consistent sleep/wake window, dim lights/screens 60–90 minutes before bed, cool your room, and avoid big late-night carb hits that spike and crash glucose.
4) How you manage stress (don’t eliminate, metabolize).
Stress hormones in short bursts help you perform; living in them cooks your system. Build a recovery ritual you’ll actually do: breathwork, prayer, journaling, walking outside, or a 10-minute “reset” between blocks of work. Community counts, talking with real humans down-regulates threat. The goal isn’t zero stress; it’s not letting stress accumulate and dominate your physiology.
+1) Keep score (measure, then iterate).
Re-check your five metrics every 8–12 weeks. Use them as feedback, not judgment. Tweak one pillar at a time so you can see what’s doing the heavy lifting.
Putting It Together (A 14-Day Reset)
- Days 1–3: Clean the environment. Remove ultra-processed snack foods, stock protein, and produce. Get a waist measurement and baseline BP/glucose/A1c/lipids scheduled.
- Days 4–7: Eat three whole-food meals/day, prioritizing protein + fibre. No liquid calories. Walk 8–10 minutes after meals.
- Days 8–10: Add two short full-body resistance sessions (push, pull, hinge, squat) at RPE 7/10.
- Days 11–14: Lock a wind-down ritual: lights low, phone away, 10 slow breaths, same bedtime. Add one daily stress-recovery block you enjoy.
Do this for two weeks and you’ll feel the shift, steadier energy, fewer cravings, and better sleep. Keep going, and the numbers follow.
The Mind–Heart Link
Finally, remember your mindset isn’t fluff, it’s physiology. Perception changes chemistry. When you interpret challenges as opportunities to adapt, your stress response tilts toward focus instead of inflammation. The heart listens.
Bottom line: measure the five, fix your food first, build and move your body, protect your sleep, and give stress a release valve. That’s how you take back control of your health.
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The Brain Prompt
For the next 14 days, after every meal, take a 10-minute walk and eat only whole foods (no ultra-processed snacks, no liquid calories). Book basic labs this week. Re-measure waist and BP on Day 14. Track how you feel each morning, rested or not, and adjust one habit at a time.
For more content on behavior change, influence, and psychology, subscribe to Inner Propaganda.
Cheers,
Owen.
P.S. You can find the interview with Dr. Philip Ovadia on the Changing Minds Podcast here.
