Health Optimisation Programme Sample Report PeakHealth corporate health management
Health Optimisation Programme Sample Report Phase 1: Physiology and Lifestyle Report Summary Assessment Results Recommendations Phase 2: Metabolic Profiling Introduction Results & Recommendations Summary Phase 3: Nutrition Assessment Recommendations Antioxidants and your health. Adrenal Stress Profile Sample Data from the Optimal Nutrition Evaluation.
Physiology and Lifestyle Report - Summary It was a pleasure seeing you for a physiology and lifestyle assessment. I hope it gave you an insight into areas where you can optimise your lifestyle to assist with the pursuit of your health and fitness goals. Below is a summary of the findings from my lifestyle assessment, which is followed by a detailed breakdown of the results and a report that includes strategies and agreed action points that we discussed as part of the session Key objective findings from lifestyle assessment: An antioxidant status of 28,000 A total cholesterol of 5.48mmol/L Goals you indicated you wish to achieve to benefit your health and wellbeing: Reduce body fat level Increase fitness Improve sleeping pattern Summary of strategies to achieve these goals (see report and health strategy for full guidelines): Eat a protein based snack 30 mins before bed Put up blackout curtains in your bedroom
Assessment Results Weight (kg) 87.2 Height (cm) 180.2 Body Mass Index (BMI) 26.9 (Recommended range 18.5 24.9) BMI establishes whether a person is carrying too much weight in respect of their height. This fell above the recommended category and indicates that your weight is excessive for your height. However, the extent of the health risk will be determined by how much of weight is made up of fat and where that fat is stored. Waist size (cm) (Optimal range < 94cm) 87 This assessment is important as there is a high correlation between chronic diseases, inflammation and fat stored around the abdomen. There is also a correlation between excess abdominal fat, poor posture, core function and elevated cholesterol. Your waist size of 87cm would indicate that you are not storing a level of abdominal fat associated with a greater risk of ill health. Body Fat % (Recommended range 12 18%) 11.7 Body fat percent is simply the percentage of fat your body contains. Being overweight and possessing excess body fat is not the same issue. Your body must have a certain level of fat as it helps to protect the organs, is required for healthy hormone production, and is the main source of energy within the body. However, excess and low levels of body fat can lead to ill health. This fell below the standardised recommended range for a male of your age, but is not concerning and is actually a positive result. As a male your body fat can actually drop to around 5% without developing complications from too little body fat. Hydration Level (%) (Recommended range 55 65 %) 63.2 This fell within the recommended level for a male of your age and indicates you were properly hydrated at the time of your assessment. Being well hydrated has many health benefits including helping to control weight, improving concentration, maintaining focus and energy. Blood Pressure (mmhg) (Recommended range of <120/80mmHg) 108/74 When your heart beats, it pumps blood round your body to give it the energy and oxygen it needs. As the blood moves, it pushes against the sides of the blood vessels. The strength of this pushing is your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your arteries (and your heart) and this may lead to heart attacks and strokes. It is, generally speaking, determined by the fluid volume of the blood, the contractile force of the heart, and the resistance offered by the walls of the blood vessels. This indicates your blood pressure was within the normal parameters. Normal blood pressure ensures there is no excessive strain on the heart or the circulatory system carrying the blood.
Keeping blood pressure as low as possible without causing any abnormal functioning reduces one of the major risks for heart disease. Autonomic Nervous System This test is designed to look at the balance of the two branches of the nervous system; the nervous system that responds to stressors and the nervous system that responds to rest and relaxation. An imbalance between the two branches of the nervous system may indicate you have a greater susceptibility to stress. This test showed the two parts to your nervous system within the normal limits of balance and can indicate that you are less susceptible to stress related conditions. Antioxidant Status (Recommended range > 40,000) 28,000 Antioxidants are part of the body s defence mechanism that neutralise free radicals - the damaging unstable molecules linked with disease and an accelerated ageing process. Your Skin Carotenoid Score (SCS) is an indictor of the body s overall antioxidant status and a general measurement of the body s ability to fight off free radicals. Free radicals cause inflammation within the musculoskeletal system and can be experienced as soreness after exercise and movement. Your SCS is dependant on numerous genetic and lifestyle factors. People who fall in this category are possibly eating a couple of servings of fruit and vegetables a day, are under considerable stress, may get little exercise and/or their nutritional supplements are simply not working (not being absorbed or contents being misrepresented on the label). Estimated VO2 Max (recommended range > 43ml/kg/min) 45 Fitness can be measured by the volume of oxygen one can consume whilst exercising at maximum capacity. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen in millilitres one can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight. Those who take part in regular aerobic exercise are more likely to have higher VO2 max values and therefore can exercise more intensely than those who are not as fit. Your results would indicate that your fitness is at a level recommend for a male of your age. Maintaining a good level of fitness is important in ensuring long and short term health and well being. Total Cholesterol (recommended range <5.00mmol/L) 5.48mmol/L Cholesterol is essential for producing hormones, building new cells, and the production of bile acids which aid the digestion of dietary fats. Cholesterol is mainly produced by the liver but it can also be ingested in the diet. When cholesterol is present in excess it can contribute to the development of coronary artery disease. This indicates that you had an elevated level of cholesterol in the blood on the day of assessment, which in some cases is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
Blood Glucose (recommended range <5.8mmol/L) 3.8mmol/L The level of glucose (sugar) in the blood is vitally important to both our energy levels and health. Keeping blood sugar within normal limits will help to prevent against diseases such as diabetes. This fell within the recommended range for a fasted blood glucose sample on the day of testing and indicates a normal regulation of blood sugars. This helps to reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Recommendations It was a pleasure to take you through a physiology and lifestyle assessment, I hope you found this first stage useful in identifying where current markers of your health are in regards to the recommended ranges and some initial strategies to work on. Regarding your body composition results, your BMI of 26.9 (recommended range 18.5 24.9) fell above the recommended range and would suggest that you are overweight for your height. What we have to do with this figure is decide if the weight you are carrying is problematic toward your health. In light of this I measured your waist size, which was 87cm (recommended range <94cm) and your body fat percent, which was 11.7% (recommended range 12 18%). This would indicate that although you are carrying excess weight, it because you are of an athletic nature and therefore the high BMI value is not concerning toward your long term health. Our main discussion surrounding your goals focused on your sleeping pattern as this can influence many aspects of your health and vitality, and also, rather surprisingly, your body fat level. This is because when our sleep pattern is negatively affected, it causes an increase in the hormones that encourage fat storage and a decrease in the hormones that tell cells to burn fat. As an initial starting point, we agreed that you would purchase blackout curtains and maybe a blind as well, as this will help to reduce the amount of light entering your bedroom. When any light source hits your skin it makes your body think that it is daylight and therefore stress hormones are produced. This is fine of course during the day, but at night you want your stress hormone levels to be nice and low so your body can rest and enter the deeper stages of sleep. We also discussed you eating a protein based snack such as some turkey, tuna or chicken around 30 minutes before going to sleep. This is because it will help to prevent your blood sugar dropping too low during the night, which can again lead to stress hormone release. Low blood sugar is a threat to the survival of the brain and therefore it will artificially raise blood sugar through secreting stress hormones, which unfortunately in the process causes you to wake up as they have a stimulating effect within the body.
Your total cholesterol was noted as being outside of the recommended range on the day of assessment. As I explained to you, this figure is made up of good and bad cholesterol and through this test we have no way of knowing how much of each you have, which is more relevant to establishing your risk. Because of your age and positivity of other results I would not be concerned with this figure at this moment in time. If you get a chance to have your cholesterol tested through a full blood test in future then this would be worthwhile. Finally, the only other additional result that fell outside the recommended range was your antioxidant status. This measure provides you with an indication of your exposure to oxidative stress, which in excess can lead to diseases such as heart disease and some forms of cancer. As your score was below the recommended level, this can suggest that your cells are less protected against these damaging oxidants. By consuming a higher amount of antioxidant rich fruit and vegetables, such as berries and leafy greens this can help to improve this score and therefore your immune system and ability to fight off damaging oxidants called free radicals. Aim to consume one to two portions of these on a daily basis along with at least five other portions of fruit and vegetables of your choice; the brighter the colour the better in most cases!
Metabolic Profiling - Introduction What is Metabolism? Metabolism is the whole range of biochemical processes that occur within an organism, like the human body. The term is commonly used to refer specifically to the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy. Metabolism is the chemical processes by which cells produce the substances and energy needed to sustain life. As part of metabolism, organic compounds (our food) are broken down to provide heat and energy in a process called catabolism (breakdown). Simpler molecules are also used to build more complex compounds like proteins for growth and repair of tissues as part of anabolism (growth). Many metabolic processes are brought about by the action of enzymes. The overall speed at which an organism carries out its metabolic processes is termed its metabolic rate (or, when the organism is at rest, it s Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). The way we live our lives can have a huge influence on our metabolism both at rest and whilst active in respect to our health and ageing; weight and fat management; personal and sport performance and stress handling ability. Having a strong robust lifestyle foundation, diet and exercise is of huge importance in building and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Metabolism Profiling provides vital information helping to focus efforts in the right direction for faster and longer lasting results removing guesswork and giving peace of mind that our bodies are responding positively to specific and focussed effort. What is a Metabolic Profile Assessment? The Metabolic Profile Assessment is the gold standard, clinically validated and non invasive method to analyse the human metabolism. A Metabolic Profile Assessment is performed using a simple breathing assessment by a scientific method known as Indirect Calorimetry (Respiratory Exchange Analysis) which provides an accurate snapshot of the human metabolism at REST and under ACTIVE conditions. It highlights how efficient the body is at metabolising fats and carbohydrates, whether the metabolism is slow/average/fast and the efficiency of the cardiovascular system whist active/ exercising. The information provided and recommendations issued will serve to focus attention and optimise outcomes.
Results and Recommendations Active Metabolism AEROBIC (Fat Burn) Efficiency Range Fat dominates or supplies enough energy to limit lactic acid build up allowing endurance activities. Training improves fat burn, sustained endurance and cardiovascular stress handling ability. Resting Heart Rate (bpm) 55 Heart Rate Range (bpm) 90-137 Lung Capacity range (L/min) 18.8 49.2 Oxygen Absorption range (ml/kg/min) 13.1 29.7 Optimum Fat Burn (OFB) (bpm) The heart rate where you burn the highest sustained fat calories per minute within the activity session. Also useful to 100 use as an Active Rest day or for any recovery sessions. Training improves your fat burning ability. Recommendation: Type Optimum Fat Burn - Steady HR Heart Rate (bpm) 100 Duration 30-90mins+ Frequency 1 x week Progression increase duration every 2 weeks Optimum Endurance (OE) (bpm) The heart rate range most suited to endurance activities from 30mins+, limited lactic acid build up occurs. Training in this range especially towards the middle and upper end helps to develop your aerobic endurance base/ efficiency improving your body s ability to use fat and sustain endurance activities/ events. Recommendation: Type 90-117 Optimum Endurance Heart Rate Range Heart Rate (bpm) 90-117 Duration 30-90mins Frequency 1 x week Progression Increase duration every 2 weeks by 5-10mins
Onset Blood Lactate (OBLA) or Lactate Threshold (LT) (bpm) The gold standard indicator of your highest sustainable endurance or race pace heart rate. Here lactic acid begins to accumulate faster than your body can buffer it, potentially limiting your ability to sustain endurance/ stressful activities at heart rates higher than this as muscles will feel heavy. Training develops a delay in lactic acid accumulation and cardiovascular fitness/ stress efficiency. 117 Recommendation 1: Lactate Intervals Heart Rate (bpm) Peak to 114-122, hold here for 5-10min. Recover for 1-3mins. Duration Repeat for 20-60min. Frequency 1 x week. Progression Increase peak HR and work period every 2 wks. Recommendation 2: Anaerobic Intervals Heart Rate (bpm) Peak to 154-161 hold for 0-3mins, Recover heart rate to 102-107. Duration Repeat for 20-40min. Frequency 1-2 x week before or after strength (weight) training. Progression Add strength training 1-2 x wk to increase lean muscle mass, joint strength and Resting Metabolic Rate for better fat burning potential. Increase your peak HR hold time duration every 2wks. Once you can hold peak for 3mins then choose a new higher peak HR and start over.
ANAEROBIC (Carbohydrate Burn) Efficiency Range Only Carbohydrates supply fuel for energy within this range resulting in a build up and accumulation of lactic acid, making endurance activities very difficult and unsustainable. Training lifts this heart rate higher and improves stress handling ability. Heart Rate Range (bpm) 138-171 Lung Capacity (VE) (L/min) 50 101.5 Oxygen Absorption (V02) (ml/kg/min) 29.8-46 Anaerobic Start Point Only carbohydrates provide all the fuel for energy requirements from this heart rate and higher. Training will extend your fat burning ability at near peak effort and delay the point at which Carbohydrates take over the energy supply from fat. Heart Rate (bpm) 138 Recommendation: Complete Anaerobic Intervals Anaerobic Maximum Point This is the highest point you reached during your assessment so represents your efficiency at or close to your maximum capacity. Training following the recommendations will improve your cardiovascular efficiency at your peak effort and help to improve your personal performance ability. Heart Rate Maximum (HRmax) (bpm) 171 As a % of your predicted Max Heart 89% Rate (%/HRmax) Maximum Lung Capacity (VEmax) 101.5 (L/min) Ranking Good Maximum Oxygen Uptake (V02max) 46 (ml/kg/min) Ranking Vs Age Group Above Average Max Power in watts 338 watts Metabolic Summary It was good to meet you and well done on your efforts during your metabolic assessment. In line with one of your goals of increasing your fitness level I have highlighted a focus area for you to consider. Your assessment revealed that your current cardiovascular aerobic efficiency level sits at a heart rate of approximately 117bpm which is 68% of your measured maximum heart rate of 171 and scores as high average. By adding 2-3 Anaerobic Interval sessions of 20-30mins weekly you will make good progress towards lifting your true fitness efficiency levels.
Nutrition Assessment Recommendations Further to your assessment. We discussed strategies in order to increase your antioxidant levels and, with this, decrease your risks of most diseases of deterioration, and in particular, cancer and heart disease. We also discussed better sleep hygiene in order to improve the depth and quality of your sleep. It is recommended you read Sleep Therapist Dr Nerina Ramlakhan s Tired but Wired for ideas about improving sleep quality. As we discussed, your impaired sleep reflects the effects of light but, in particular, your increased susceptibility to light due to relatively elevated levels of adrenaline. This relates not only to stressful experiences but your propensity to over produce adrenaline each day, and, in part, by exercising during the late evening. It takes 2-4 hours to clear adrenaline and it is recommended you avoid exercising during the evening at least twice a week in order to protect the quality of your sleep. The circadian rhythm which determines a change in physiological responses between day and night is set by exposure to bright light during the day and it is recommended you get out for at least 25 minutes during the lightest part of the day. You can also reduce physiological stress by better balancing your blood sugar levels. Also attached is some ancillary information about antioxidants. It is particularly recommended you; Eat frequently and regularly, including 3 main meals and 2 snacks daily. Minimize refined sugar (soft drinks, confectionary, cakes, biscuits, pastries and crisps) and alcohol. Increase your intake of water enough to pee at least 8 times a day, this is likely to equate to 8 large glasses of water daily. Eat a protein rich breakfast within 45 minutes of rising. Include a rich source of fibre (fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts and seeds) at every meal Include a rich source of protein (meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, cottage cheese, pulses, nuts and seeds) at every meal. Eat fruit and vegetables including all 5 primary colours (green, red, mauve, orange and yellow) daily. Eat at least 7 portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Supplement your diet with a powerful antioxidant such as Higher Nature s Super Antioxidant x 3 a day, one with each main meal. Eat cinnamon as a snack or mix a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon into a drink during the afternoon. Supplement your diet with 3 x 1000mg of L-glutamine when you lack energy or crave sugars during the afternoon.
ANTIOXIDANTS AND YOUR HEALTH Antioxidants are nutrients which have enormously important roles to play in our bodies as they help protect us against oxidation and free radical damage. Antioxidant nutrients are crucial to our ability to protect ourselves against not only major diseases such as cancer and heart disease but also many other inflammatory illnesses. The higher your antioxidant level the better protected you are against many forms of ill-health. Oxidation Oxidation is a highly damaging but natural process which takes place constantly in every cell of our bodies. It s caused by the release of free radicals and is an unfortunate by product of respiring oxygen. Oxidation is what causes iron to rust if it is left out in the open. Our ageing process can be likened to us rusting. Oxidation, however, does more than cause us to age. When oxidative damage occurs at our cellular DNA it can lead to cancer, when it occurs in the blood vessels it can lead to cardiovascular disease. Indeed all of our body tissues are vulnerable to oxidation. Some activities that are known to speed up oxidation and are associated with increased risks of developing ill-health include smoking, exposure to environmental pollutants and the effects of radiation and ozone. Oxidation is also increased when we are under stress, exercise and with bacterial and viral infections. Whilst it is important to not smoke, and minimize pollution, stress and infections as far as is possible, our greatest protection comes through antioxidants. The antioxidants found in food and available through dietary supplements provide considerable protection against oxidation. The higher the level of antioxidants the better the protection. Antioxidants Whilst oxidation is inevitable, the good news is that it can be slowed down by increasing our antioxidants. This can be achieved through the increased synthesis of antioxidant enzymes from key nutrients, including, selenium, copper, zinc and manganese. It is for this reason it is important to consume sufficient foods rich in these nutrients. Whilst the antioxidant enzymes are powerful they will not combat all oxidation within our bodies. It is extremely important that we consume nutrients in our daily diet which have a direct antioxidant effect. These nutrients include vitamins A, C and E, which are largely obtainable from fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Plant foods which are rich in other powerful antioxidants called phytonutrients are also found to be enormously protective against certain types of ill-health. For example, red wine is a rich source of resveratrol a phytonutrient which helps protect against heart disease, catechins in green tea have been shown to protect against cancers, lycopene from tomatoes and other red plants protects against prostate cancer. Antioxidants are so important to us that the World Health Organization have recommended we all eat 5-8 portions of RAW fruit and vegetables per day and the World Cancer Research Fund recommend we eat 400-800g of fruit and vegetables per day, equivalent to 5-10 portions per day. Optimising and Protecting Yourself Clearly it is important you optimise your diet in order to slow the process of oxidation and protect yourself, as far as is possible, against ill-health. Please see the below guidance notes to change your diet in order to increase your intake of antioxidant nutrients:
Adopting a rainbow diet which includes green, red, yellow, orange and purple fruit and vegetables daily. Eating at least some of the fruit and vegetables raw or minimally cooked. Eating 2-3 portions of fresh mineral rich foods, such as fish, pulses, nuts and seeds daily Adding fresh herbs and spices to your diet Consuming super-foods such as dark chocolate, green tea, garlic, ginger, pomegranates, turmeric, berries and walnuts Increasing your intake of antioxidant rich foods when stressed, exercising, unwell and when exposed to environmental pollutants Supplementing your diet with a comprehensive wellness vitamin, mineral & antioxidant programme Nutrition Assessment Adrenal Stress Profile Your results show a deranged circadian (daily) rhythm commensurate with what you describe and indicates likely lowered both energy and immune function during the latter half of the day. Your low levels of DHEA indicate you have insufficient rest and recuperation over night which leads to a supranormal release of cortisol during the morning as a way of getting energy into an exhausted body. It is important you take more rest and protect your sleep if you are to prevent adrenal exhaustion, chronic fatigue and over-training syndrome.
Nutrition Assessment Sample Data from the Optimal Nutrition Evaluation. The images below are some of the key snapshots from an extremely comprehensive report that this test generates.
Health Optimisation Report I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your participation in the Health Optimisation Programme. I appreciate that there is a large amount of information to digest and the level of detail will inevitably raise questions. The report is designed to provide you with advice and intervention strategies to promote optimal health. The specificity of data obtained will enable you to maximise the return on time invested in your health and wellbeing. I hope you are now considerably better placed to make informed positive lifestyle choices. The Programme is designed to offer you continued support and should not be viewed as a standalone "health screening". We would obviously welcome any feedback and please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind Regards