HEALTH & WELLNESS THE LINK BETWEEN COVID AND METABOLIC SYNDROME

THE LINK BETWEEN COVID- 19 AND METABOLIC SYNDROME

A Sharp Woman’s Health Paradox

by Kim Berube

Amidst the noise of the last 18 months, and despite personal opinion, facts have emerged about the state of our overall health in relation to the pandemic. One of those facts is that poor health outcomes, including an increased risk of dying with Covid-19, is directly linked to age, obesity, being immunocompromised and people who have ‘metabolic syndrome’.

Metabolic Syndrome (1) is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing one’s risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and type 2 diabetes. It is a direct result of our current state of health – what we eat, how much we move, how stressed we are, etc.

Metabolic syndrome is a lifestyle disease. It is as real as Covid-19 itself and subsequent variants, yet what is not being discussed along with immunization and infection management strategies is the desperate need to move the needle on the scale in order to support better health outcomes, globally.

One of the key factors driving metabolic syndrome is insulin resistance. (2) Insulin resistance is closely associated with pre-diabetes. Symptoms can include weight gain, however, metabolic syndrome can and does exist in ‘skinny’ people, too. Carrying excess bodyweight is no longer just about diet culture and striving for unreasonable body ideals. Losing weight and becoming metabolically healthy is about staying alive and experiencing a level of health that adds vitality to our ability to reach any goal.

It is truly a challenging paradox.

You can be winning at business and feeling exhausted and sore when you roll out of bed every morning.

You can be an exceptional mentor and friend and dislike the way your pants cut into your belly or be out of breath putting on your shoes.

You can still be a leader and champion of people and be blind-sided by high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or autoimmune disease.

As professionals, we understand the laws of success. We know about goals and action and results. Many of us are high performers. We’ve hit metrics and met quotas, built power teams and felt the high of financial wins. We aren’t scared of hard work, and are willing to dig in to lengthy projects. So why, when it comes to our body and our health, do many of us live with the blinders on, minimizing the need to attend to ourselves?

1. CDC People with Certain Medical Conditions click here

2. Insulin Resistance and Diabetes click here

3. Sarcopenic obesity - definition, etiology and consequences click here

We understand that professional success is not guaranteed, but we fight for it anyhow. We make peace with the fact that striving for success takes planning, work, strategy, and time. Why won’t we fight the same way for our health? The answer to that question comes back to understanding our thoughts, beliefs and values.

If thoughts drive our feelings, and feelings inform our actions and our actions bring about results, what thoughts would you need to think to motivate you to value the health of your body the way you value the health of your family, relationships or career?

What’s missing in the current paradigm of health is that without a strong body you don’t have true health. We are ruled by our schedules, commitments and the screens that lead us around on an invisible leash. We insist, offended, “I can be overweight and healthy”, yet with every argument against lifestyle change, we march toward a failing state of health in real time, and the proof is in the studies.

If anything positive could be gleaned from these months in and out of lockdown, one would hope it would be to remember that humans were designed for strength, resilience, creativity and living fearlessly.

Losing weight is a benefit, not the goal. The goal is to use food to rebuild a resilient body. (You are what you eat. Literally.) The goal is to use movement to assist with blood sugar management and insulin sensitivity. (Muscle is metabolic money. You need it to live.3) A robust and efficient immune system is a benefit; more LIFE in our years is the goal. Kim Berube is owner of Train for Life Wellness Coaching and is a strength and health coach who has created “Inspired to the Core: A Masterclass in Taking Control of Your Food, Strengthening Your Body, Mood and Habits” for powerful women who are ready to change their relationship with food and booze.