Ozempic: metabolic scourge or panacea?
Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists are both controversial and incredibly popular. The popularity and controversy stems mostly from its efficacy as a weight loss drug but this is only one small part of the story. I think weight loss, as a topic is an emotional trigger for people and because of this, the logical fallacies of Internet-land begin to pop up. The utopian future where people don’t take these drugs to lose weight is far off, if at all possible and so I think it is worthwhile to offer some insight as to when and how to use these drugs,. It is also important to know that these drugs are multi-functional. They may offer people a lot of benefit when taken properly and while some people will always see it as a cop out, it is by no means a free lunch. If you take it as it is often prescribed you may be in for some real problems.
-PROMOTION- Partnered Training Discount
For new clients that start any time in June or July 2024 each person in your pair or trio will have a discounted rate for 6 months of training!
As a precision training studio we shy away from large group classes. There are benefits to working out in groups, some people need the camaraderie in order to maintain commitment, it can be very motivating to workout with others.
We do detailed physical evaluations for every client and 100% of the time the client needs foundational programming and tailored exercises for imbalances and/or goals specific to the individual. This is relatively impossible to achieve in a group setting.
Partnered training seems to allow for the best of both worlds. We get the motivation and healthy competition from training with a partner as well as enough attention from the trainer to prepare and assist with individualized programs. Most of the time we ask clients to come with their own partner. A friend or family member to increases the chances of maintaining accountability- plus it is difficult for us to find other trainees who have the same availability as you may have. Different fitness level between the pair is usually fine. If one of you has a significant injury or a very specific goal that requires a lot of attention then we suggest training individually.
DISCOUNT RATE –
- 35$ per person (3 people) – minimum one session per week
- 40$ per person (2 people) – minimum one session per week
Discount is running through July. New clients only and the rate will remain stable for 6 months.
Functional Plant Based Nutrition
If you have read anything I have written on plant based eating then you know I don’t think a strict vegan diet is sustainable, not if you want to truly be at your healthiest. But there is a way to thrive and limit your impact on animal life.
The only supplements worth taking
In the current world of obsessive optimization its not hard to find yourself ordering loads of supplements, each one lauded as the next super ant-oxidant or life extension compound. Taking all the advice of Andrew Huberman, Rhonda Patrick and Ben Greenfield I would need to work extra hours each week to just to afford the pills…where would I find the time to add the daily sunlight, sauna, cold plunge, meditation, breath work, skin tapping, workout, meal prep, yoga, grounding and whatever else these health gurus suggest I need to make time for. Not that these sup’ pushers don’t dole out great advice on health and wellness, they do but things have really taken a turn towards what most nutrition experts call disordered eating (if you consider supplements as eating).
Increasing VO2max – your best tool to live longer
“Cardiorespiratory fitness is inversely associated with long-term mortality with no observed upper limit of benefit.” This conclusion comes from a 2018 study published in the journal Cardiology (1) measuring all cause mortality in 122,000 participants under a treadmill based cardiovascular test.
Segmented into groups of cardiovascular health as such – Low, below average, above average, high and elite we can see how shifting from one group to another changes your risk of all cause mortality. For example, if you improve your fitness from low to below average you decrease your risk of mortality by 50%. If you can manage to move from low to above average it will decrease by 60-70%. When comparing this improvement vs the benefits of quitting smoking or reversing diabetes, increasing your cardiovascular fitness actually has a greater impact on mortality risk. These are incredible results. No single action moves the needle more for increasing longevity than improving cardiovascular health.
A Plant Based Diet: Healthiest Option or Logical Fallacy?
Years ago I wrote a two part series called – is a vegan diet the healthiest way to eat? Due to website issues, those articles are gone and so I wanted to revisit the topic because I think it continues to be a relevant question.
I grew up vegetarian until I was about 12 and then animal sourced foods were limited for another few years after that. In my early 30s I began a 6 month on, 6 month off vegan/omnivore experiment that lasted about 5 years. I was looking to prove that I could thrive on a vegan diet despite my very high activity level as well as hit various goals of gaining muscle mass and managing certain blood markers. I did this with months of research prior to beginning and then continued this research throughout the process. So I am not coming at this from a one sided perspective.
Exercise protocols to reverse cardiovascular disease
As a follow up to the last article I wanted to provide some information on how to combat heart disease with exercise. There are a couple myths worth dispelling and some very good science on what methods work best for people who are at high risk for an event or who are coming out of hospital, post event
Cardiovascular disease: testing, prevention and reversal
I am not a doctor: I am a nutrition and fitness coach and a health researcher. The following information is based on dozens of hours of research predominantly using studies and lectures from the very top specialists in Metabolic disease, Cardiovascular health, Endocrinology and Health Science So while it is advice that I myself trust and use for my own screening and prevention, in no way do I write this as a personal recommendation for your health. This is just some information for you to add to your toolbox to help you advocate for your own health.
Slow Progressive Eating Plans
As stated in our nutrition plan overview we do our best to avoid comparative planning while using current nutrition science. This involves a deep dive into your history with food.
“Authors, nutritionists and doctors want to prescribe cookie cutter programs because it means way less work. If you throw ideas out that work for the average person then it will inevitably hit enough people and stick for long enough to make it seem legitimate.” In order to get around this unfortunate truth is that we ask you a s@#* ton of questions. Food is both metabolic and psychological, to treat it like metabolic math is to undermine the real and important subjective values it holds. Our questionnaire is mostly open ended questions, like; what was your favourite food growing up and why? If you could eat any meal, every day, what would it be? What foods do you eat that are linked to your family background? These questions get into emotional value of foods, they also tend to bring out life stories that give us an idea as to how you think about meals and food in general.
Cumulative Training
I am normally not super interested in what works for the average person. My career started with a succession of failures trying to apply the science of averages to individuals. If there is one thing you learn (hopefully early) as a health coach is that the most important research is the N of 1 kind. In other words, what works for the person in front of you. This still involves looking at all the prevailing research, it’s not just throwing ideas out all willy nilly but it inevitably requires trial and error. So you have to be humble in the process and clear in setting reasonable expectations.