The Moment Everything Shifted

FROM MY LIFE

There’s a moment I’ll never forget — standing in a hospital room, looking at yet another patient whose life had changed forever because of heart disease. The truth is, it wasn’t just one moment. It was a pattern I saw every day. A failing heart. Lungs struggling for air. A body too weak to walk to the door. And every time, I thought: It didn’t have to get this far.

For years, I treated the aftermath — the complications of habits, stress, and a healthcare system that waits until people are sick to step in. And while I’m grateful I get to help people on their hardest days, a deep part of me wanted to stop the suffering before it ever started.

What I didn’t expect was realizing… I was slowly becoming one of them.

I was exhausted. Grabbing drive-thru dinners between shifts. Working long hours. Trading movement for “just getting through the day.” Saying yes to everything. Ignoring every warning sign. I told others to take care of themselves while quietly neglecting my own health.

I used to think of myself as healthy — normal weight, no medications, no surgeries, active in high school and college. But none of that protected me from the reality I was sliding straight into chronic illness. My patients weren't any different than me. They didn't get there overnight — it was the accumulation of small choices. And I was on the same path.

Life doesn’t get easier. You just get clearer about what matters.
And at some point, I had to choose my health, even when life was messy.

I kept waiting for the “right time” to get my life together. After the holidays. After a busy season. After an exam. But life never slowed down. It stayed full, messy, unpredictable — and I realized I had to learn to take care of myself in the middle of real life, not outside of it.

True health starts when you stop waiting for perfect conditions and start taking one small step forward — even in chaos.

And that’s why I’m here. To give you the tools, clarity, and confidence to transform your mindset, your metabolism, and your lifestyle — in a way that fits your real life.

SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE

When I say metabolic health, I’m not just talking about “having a fast metabolism” or burning calories quickly.

Metabolic health is the way your body manages energy — how well it handles blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and fat storage. It influences your energy, cravings, mood, weight, and long-term risk for conditions like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Clinically, metabolic health is often defined using markers like:

• Fasting blood sugar
•  Blood pressure
• Triglycerides & HDL cholesterol
• Waist circumference/abdominal fat

You’re considered metabolically healthy when these are in an optimal range without medications.

Here’s the sobering part:
Research shows that only about 1 in 8 U.S. adults meet criteria for optimal metabolic health.

Why does that matter?

Because poor metabolic health doesn’t start with a heart attack or a diabetes diagnosis. It starts years earlier, with things like:

• Energy crashes after meals
• Intense afternoon sugar cravings
• Brain fog
• Gradual weight gain around the midsection
• "Normal" labs that are trending the wrong direction

Over time, chronically elevated blood sugar and insulin, inflammation, and visceral fat damage blood vessels, stiffen arteries, and strain the heart — setting the stage for the patients I see in the hospital.

The good news?
Metabolic health is highly modifiable with lifestyle:

• Prioritizing whole, minimally processed foods
• Eating in a way that stabilizes blood sugar (protein, fiber, healthy fats)
• Building and maintaining muscle
• Managing stress and supporting quality sleep
• Reducing smoking, excess alcohol, and sedentary time

These habits directly improve insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, lipids, and inflammation — which means fewer heart attacks, strokes, and chronic diseases down the road.

When you repair your metabolism, you don’t just lose weight — you change the trajectory of your heart, hormones, and longevity.

In future newsletters, I’ll break down more of the research behind this — so you understand why I recommend what I recommend, not just what to do.

With heart,

Hannah