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The PN framework that improves healthspan, longevity, and quality of life

There’s been a growing shift in the fitness, health, and wellness industry.

The promise of “immediate results” will probably never lose its sparkle.

But, as a good portion of our population (hi, Boomers!) moves into their “silver” years, conversations around optimizing lifespan (how long you live) and healthspan (how long you live with a high quality of life) are also on the rise.

People are more interested than ever in longevity, which, these days, means the combination of a long lifespan and a long healthspan. (Historically, longevity and lifespan were synonymous.)

Trending too is the concept of biological age—essentially, how “old” your cells are, determined by their health and functioning. (Compare this to chronological age, which just refers to how many years you’ve been on this planet.)

Increasingly, people want to improve their overall health—for the long haul.

Of course, the wellness market is responding to this trend with supplements, ultra-specific diet plans, I.V. therapy, cold plunges, and other fringe modalities that promise to reduce or slow biological aging.

While some of these therapies are questionable, the movement that inspired them is great; For many of us in the health and fitness industry, the shift toward holistic health and long-term wellbeing is a welcome one.

At PN, we’ve held and promoted this expanded view of health for a while now.

We call it Deep Health

Deep Health is a “whole-person, whole-life” phenomenon that involves thriving in all dimensions of the human experience.

This framework of health includes six interdependent dimensions that influence and interact with each other.

These six dimensions are:

Physical health

The one we all know best, and what people have historically thought of when thinking about health.

This is how your body feels, functions, and performs.

We measure physical health with blood work—such as your cholesterol and hormone levels and your blood pressure—as well as performance metrics like V02 max and demonstrations of strength, and subjective measures like energy and pain levels.

Emotional health

This is about feeling a full range of emotions, but having more positive than negative feelings.

You can recognize, regulate, and appropriately express your emotions directly, maturely, and honestly. You have the resilience to recover from strong emotions, and calm yourself when you become stressed, anxious, or upset.

Environmental health

This is about being and feeling safe and secure, as well as being and feeling supported by your everyday surroundings.

You have access to resources (health care, healthy food, clean air and water, nature) that support your goals and wellbeing.

Mental or cognitive health

This is related to how well you think, learn, remember, and creatively problem-solve.

Your mind is sharp, and you’re able to be your most productive and do your best thinking.

This dimension also includes your mindset, capacity for insight, and your perspective and outlook on the world.

Existential or purposeful health

Some might think of this as spiritual or soul health.

You have a deeper “why” or purpose for your life; you feel part of a “bigger picture.”

You have a strong sense of yourself and your intrinsic self-worth. You work to fulfill your purpose by choosing behaviors that align with your identity and values.

Social or relational health

This is about connecting and interacting well with others.

You develop and maintain authentic, fulfilling relationships. You have a sense of belonging, and you feel respected, “seen,” valued, and supported by others.

If you have Deep Health, it’s almost a guarantee…

You’re experiencing a life well-lived. A vibrant, thriving life that’s healthy in every sense of the word.

Not surprisingly, such a life is also statistically more likely to last longer, with more of those years being enjoyable.

(For more on Deep Health, plus how you can use the concept to transform your own—or your clients’—health, read: The “Deep Health” coaching secret)

High-impact habits to boost Deep Health (and by extension healthspan, longevity, and biological age)

While there are many things that can impact healthspan, longevity, and biological age, the following will give you the best return on investment.

These aren’t always the “sexiest” actions, nor are they likely to sound “cutting edge” (partly because they’ve been tested by time and robustly proven by decades of research).

But—if you’re looking to maximize Deep Health for as long as possible—they’re the things worth spending your time on.

The most important thing is being active.

If there’s a “magical panacea” out there, it’s exercise.

Before you start beating yourself up for not being “a gym person”…

…Any activity helps…

…At any dose.

Whether you clean your yard, vacuum, play games with your pets or kids, or just do a little walking, tell yourself, “I’m doing great!”

Because you are. These activities make a positive, measurable difference.

If you want to level up, get in a mix of aerobic or cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and stability work (like yoga, tai chi, or balance-challenging exercises).

Again, these can be in whatever amounts you can, in ways you enjoy.

For quintuple stars, aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise (or 75 minutes of intense aerobic exercise), plus two or more strength and stability training sessions per week. (If you do these activities with friends—bonus!—now you’re boosting social health too.)

In general, the more activity the better. (So long as you enjoy it—and your body is recovering adequately.)

A thoughtful diet—and a mindful approach to other substances—is big, too.

Rather than focus on food you “shouldn’t be eating,” center your attention on the abundance of foods that serve your health and wellbeing.

We’re talking:

Lean proteins (which can come from animals and/or plants, like fish, chicken, tofu, eggs, tempeh, Greek yogurt)
A rainbow of fruits and vegetables (fact: different colors provide different nutrients and benefits, so aim to eat all of the colors regularly)
Minimally-processed carbohydrates (whole grains, beans and lentils, starchy tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, and winter squash)
Healthy fats (from nuts, seeds, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, nut butters, and a little dark chocolate)

For help choosing higher-quality versions and a wide variety of the above categories, check out one of our most popular infographics: ‘What should I eat?!’ Our 3-step guide for choosing the best foods for your body

To stay hydrated, drink plenty of water. For variety, emphasize mostly zero-calorie drinks like unsweetened tea and coffee. (If you’re confused about how much fluid to drink every day, you’ll love the “pee chart” in this article: ‘How much water should I drink?’)

Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco, and if you drink alcohol, do so lightly to moderately.

And of course, getting quality sleep and regulating stress makes everything better.

Get enough quality sleep by prioritizing and protecting the time you rest.

Make your sleeping area as comfortable, quiet, and dark as possible. Figure out when you need to get to bed to get seven to eight hours of sleep, and ideally, start winding down with a relaxing bedtime ritual about half an hour to an hour before that time.

(Want to learn more about why sleep is so important—and how to get more of it? Check out our infographic: The power of sleep)

To build your emotional resilience and stress tolerance, incorporate soothing, self-regulating activities daily.

These activities are somewhat subjective (some people find it relaxing to sit and meditate, while others find it to be an opportunity for restless anxiety to boil over). However, “crowd favorites” include: breathing exercises, time in nature, various forms of self-expression (journaling, art, movement), or just a good soak in the tub.

One of the most important mindsets to adopt to help your mental and emotional health—although it can benefit all areas of life—is a growth mindset.

People with a growth mindset tend to view challenges and adversity as opportunities to grow, evolve, and learn. And turns out, this kind of perspective isn’t just good for your mental and emotional health, it boosts longevity, too.

Research shows that, compared to less optimistic individuals, those with a more positive attitude and a growth mindset about aging had a 43 percent lower risk of dying from any cause, and lived about 7.5 years longer.1 2

Lastly, don’t underestimate the power of finding your people—and a purpose.

Seeking and nurturing positive, supportive relationships is one of the best things you can do for your health.

And not just for your social health. Research shows that people who are satisfied with their relationships have better emotional health,3 cognitive health,4 and even physical health.5

In fact, one of the longest studies on human health—the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which tracked participants for nearly 80 years—showed that feeling happy and satisfied in one’s relationships was one of the best predictors of overall health, happiness, and longevity.6

(Feel like your social health could use a boost? We’ve got three strategies to improve connection in your life, right here: Is social health the secret to total-body health?)

Having a strong sense of purpose bolsters our health and longevity too.7 8

Interestingly, a sense of purpose seems to help people live longer, even when controlling for other markers of psychological well-being. So there’s something uniquely beneficial about having a strong purpose that’s different from, say, being happy.

A purpose can take time to uncover, but you can facilitate that discovery by devoting regular time to the “big questions” in life:

Who are you, really?
What do you want your life to be about?
How do you want to live?
More practically: What gets you out of bed in the morning? (Is it your family, or showing up for your clients? Or something else?)

But Deep Health isn’t just something you want to achieve—it also serves as a framework to help you make choices.

When you understand how Deep Health works, it can also help you answer the often vague and perplexing question, “How can I feel better?”

Knowing about your own Deep Health can tell you which area of your life to prioritize right now that will make the biggest impact on your overall health.

How to use Deep Health to help you prioritize next actions.

Start by assessing your current Deep Health to get a baseline status. Click on the image below to access your own free assessment.

Depending on what’s going on in your life right now, you might get a Deep Health score that looks like this:

Or like this:

Or this:

Whatever your results (and no judgment on the numbers), the distribution of your score can tell you:

Where you’re currently thriving
Where you have the largest opportunities for growth and improvement
Where you might be able to make some easy improvements
Which dimensions, if you improve them, might best help you reach (and sustain) your goals

Your personalized assessment will make some suggestions. (The below is a sample screenshot.)

But of course, it’s entirely up to you where you decide to focus, and what actions you choose to take next—if any.

Let’s walk through an example

Let’s say you’ve recently become interested in optimizing health and longevity.

You’ve been listening to podcasts, you’ve read the articles about people “reversing” their biological age, and you feel fired up about it.

You haven’t felt so passionate or inspired about your health in a long time, and you’re excited to try some of the strategies recommended in those podcasts and articles. (You want to be 27 again! At least, your cells do.)

At the beginning of this journey, let’s imagine your Deep Health looks like this:

Kind of “so-so” all around. Definitely, there’s room for improvement.

Of course, in reality, there’s infinite pathways you could take. But let’s imagine two scenarios…

Scenario A: Biohack like a beast

After seeing your Deep Health score, you decide to simply tackle everything at once:

You subscribe to a longevity-boosting supplement program, that has you taking about 20 different tablets and powdered elixirs per day.
You start practicing 16:8 fasting (in each 24-hour cycle, you fast for 16 hours, and eat within an 8 hour window), eating only two meals per day.
You start eating fully plant-based, getting in tons of veggies, fruits, and legumes, and start tracking your macros meticulously.
You incorporate four 45-minute zone 2 cardio workouts a week (you heard that’s the amount needed to see significant benefit to your mitochondria).
You also add two 60-minute resistance training sessions a week.
You start taking cold plunges at the gym multiple times per week, and are even considering buying a cold plunge tank for your home.

For two weeks, you feel on top of the world.

Then, not so much. (You’ve actually grown to hate that green sludgy stuff you drink every morning.)

You continue to show up anyway with a gritty determination, and for months, follow your protocol as best as you can.

You forego social events, finding yourself grouchy and irritable. (When everyone else is munching on buttery canapés, you’re counting down the hours until your next feeding window.)

Every day feels like a Sisyphean effort, and you begin to wonder what the point of all of it is. You can’t imagine doing this for the rest of your life, which you’re (now ironically) trying to extend.

Eventually, all this white-knuckling in pursuit of optimal health starts to take a toll. On you, your marriage, your social life, and your mental and emotional wellbeing. And you want to know if all of this effort and suffering are worth it.

After several grueling months, you gather some data.

Your blood work looks awesome. You’re definitely leaner. And your biological age test tells you your rate of aging has slowed and your cells have gotten younger.

You’re… winning?

You decide to reassess your Deep Health, and it looks like this:

Your physical health has gone way up, but your emotional, social, mental, and existential health have all gone down. Overall, your Deep Health is somehow worse! (Argh!)

It becomes clear to you: While your “do all the things” protocol might help you live longer—it’s definitely not helping you live better.

Scenario B: Dig deep for Deep Health

In this scenario, you take a different approach.

Seeing your Deep Health starting point, you consider that list of “high impact habits” above.

You’re not sure which one to start with though, so you take some time to think about why you’re really interested in this whole longevity thing.

What’s your deeper purpose for wanting to live a longer, healthier life?

You think about your family, and tears come to your eyes when you conjure up the thought of your children having children, and imagining yourself tumbling around with a bunch of rambunctious grandkids. You want to be healthy, strong, and capable of playing with them.

This deep purpose aligns with your identity too. You’ve always been a “family guy,” and now you add a new layer on top of that: You decide to become the kind of person who makes their health and wellbeing a priority, so they can be there for their family for as long as possible.

With this new, revised identity and a clear purpose in mind, you begin to make some changes over time.

You focus on eating protein at most every meal, and up your fruit and vegetable game too.
You practice self-compassion when you can’t or just don’t get in as much protein or produce as you’d like. You also work on viewing your choices on a continuum—rather than simply “good” or “bad.” This flexibility helps you feel a sense of freedom in your diet, and feels a little more realistic, long-term.
Instead of going for the “perfect” four cardio sessions, you aim for two a week, for as long as you can fit in (which sometimes is only 20 minutes, but you do your best). Any extra sessions are a bonus.
You’re diligent with your resistance training, but you cap them at 30-45 minutes, twice per week (occasionally you only have 20 minutes for these sessions too, but you focus on consistency over perfection).
You begin going for outdoor walks after dinner with your partner—sometimes inviting a few neighborhood friends, too—and enjoy the deep yet fun conversations you have about work, family, and life (and, let’s be honest, some good neighborhood gossip).

After several satisfying months, you gather some data.

Your blood work has improved. You’ve leaned out a touch too. Your rate of aging has also slowed and your biological age has decreased, seemingly just as much as Scenario A.

But the biggest difference: You enjoyed this process.

You found it not only physically beneficial, but also socially enriching, mentally and emotionally enlightening, and deeply meaningful.

You reassess your Deep Health, and it looks like this:

Your physical health has gone up (though not quite as high as Scenario A), and so has your emotional, social, mental, and existential health. Your overall Deep Health is now undeniably, significantly up.

The funny thing: It didn’t even seem that hard.

Moreover, you feel more inspired and energized than ever to take even more steps to further invest in your health and wellbeing.

This is the power of Deep Health.

It’s not just about improving your biological age or increasing your healthspan (which mostly center on physical health metrics).

Striving for Deep Health means working to thrive in ALL areas of your life—not just the physical. Because no single aspect of your health functions alone.

With the push towards longevity and healthspan, and the focus on things like biological age and “biohacking” for optimal aging, it can be easy to forget that we already know the fundamentals of what it means to experience a life well lived.

The truth is, scientists don’t know everything that improves our biological age. Or even the best ways to measure it.

However, if you’re thriving in all dimensions of your health and wellbeing—in other words, achieving Deep Health—you can bet you’re doing all of the things that matter most in living a long, healthy, rewarding life.

References

Click here to view the information sources referenced in this article.

If you’re a coach, or you want to be…

You can help people build sustainable nutrition and lifestyle habits that will significantly improve their physical and mental health—while you make a great living doing what you love. We’ll show you how.

If you’d like to learn more, consider the PN Level 1 Nutrition Coaching Certification.

The post The PN framework that improves healthspan, longevity, and quality of life appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

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Considering (or currently taking) weight loss drugs? Here’s what you need to know

If you live in a larger body, sometimes it feels like you can’t win.

If you don’t lose weight, people will criticize you for being “lazy,” “unhealthy,” or “lacking willpower.”

But if you take medication to help you, you’ll be criticized for “cheating” or “taking the easy way out,” even if you’ve tried for decades to manage your weight through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes (sometimes extreme ones).

In this article, we’ll be talking about a highly contentious group of medicines—GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).

And people have lots of opinions about them.

But the opinion that matters most? Yours.

At PN, we’re medication agnostic.

We’re not here to judge whether a person should or should not take medication for weight loss. Ultimately, that’s a choice left up to you, with the guidance of your primary care physician.

Either way, we’re here to support our clients and elevate their results.

Whether you take medication or not, a coach can help you optimize nutrition and satiety with the right foods, find exercises that work with your changing body, and help you navigate the emotional ups and downs that come when you attempt to tackle a big, meaningful, long-term goal.

However, we also understand that if you’re debating the pros and cons of beginning (or continuing) medication, you might have mixed feelings.

If you’re not sure if these new medicines are right for you, we have your back. In the following article, we’ll give you the honest, science-backed information you need to make a confident decision.

You’ll learn…

Why it’s so hard to lose (and keep off) fat
Why taking medication isn’t “cheating,” nor is it the “easy way out”
How GLP-1 drugs work, and the health benefits they can have (aside from weight loss)
How to determine if you’re at a “healthy weight” (it’s not just about BMI)
What actions you can take to minimize side effects and maximize long-term health, if you do decide to take these medications

Let’s begin.

First, why is it so hard to lose fat?

Fat loss is hard. Period.

But for some people, it’s harder still—because of environmental, genetic, physiological, social, cultural, and/or behavioral factors that work against them.

Here are a few of the contributing factors that can make fat loss so challenging.

We live in an environment that encourages a caloric surplus.

Imagine life 150 years ago, before cars and public transit were invented. To get from point A to point B, you had to walk, pedal a bicycle, or ride a horse.

Food was often in short supply, too. You had to expend calories to get it, and meals would just satisfy you (but not leave you “full”).

Today, however…

“We live in an obesogenic environment that’s filled with cheap, highly-palatable, energy-dense foods [that make overeating calories easy, often unconsciously],” says Karl Nadolsky, MD, an endocrinologist and weight loss specialist at Holland Hospital and co-host of the Docs Who Lift podcast.

“We also have countless conveniences that reduce our physical activity.”

Of course, even in such an environment, we have people in lean bodies, just as we have people who struggle to stop the scale from continuously creeping up.

Why?

Genetically, some people are more predisposed to obesity.

Some genes can lead to severe obesity at a very early age. However, those are pretty rare.

Much more common is polygenic obesity—when two or more genes work together to predispose you to weight gain, especially when you’re exposed to the obesogenic environment mentioned earlier.

People who inherit one or more of these so-called obesity genes tend to have particularly persistent “I’m hungry” and “I’m not full yet” signals, says Dr. Nadolsky.

Obesity genes also seem to cause some people to experience what’s colloquially known as “food noise.”

They feel obsessed with food, continually thinking, “What am I going to eat next? When is my next meal? Can I eat now?”

Physiologically, bodies tend to resist fat loss.

If you gain a lot of fat, the hormones in your gut, fat cells, and brain can change how you experience hunger and fullness.

“It’s like a thermostat in a house, but now it’s broken,” says Dr. Nadolsky. “So when people cut calories and weight goes down, these physiologic factors work against them.”

After losing weight, your gut may continually send out the “I’m hungry” signal, even if you’ve recently eaten, and even if you have more than enough body fat to serve as a calorie reserve. It also might take more food for you to feel full than, say, someone else who’s never been at a higher weight.

Being in a larger body often means being the recipient of fat stigma and discriminatory treatment.

Until you’ve lived in a larger body, it’s hard to believe how different the world might treat you.

Our clients have told us stories about being bullied at the gym, openly judged or lectured at the grocery store, and otherwise being subjected to innumerable comments and assumptions about their body shape, health, and even worth.

Even in medical settings, people with obesity are more likely to receive poor treatment.1, 2 Healthcare providers may overlook or downplay symptoms, attributing health concerns solely to weight. This can lead to delayed- or missed diagnoses or just plain old inadequate care.

All of this combined can add up to an incredibly pervasive and ongoing source of stress.

This stress—in addition to being socially isolating and psychologically damaging—can further contribute to increased appetite and pleasure from high-calorie foods, decreased activity, and poorer sleep quality.3

Which is why…

Taking medication isn’t an “easy way out.”

In 2013, the American Medical Association categorized obesity as a disease.

And yet, many people still don’t treat it as such, and rather consider obesity as a willpower problem, and the consequence of simply eating too much and moving too little. (The remedy: “Just try harder.”)

In reality, people with obesity have as much willpower as anyone else.

However, for them, fat loss is harder—for all the reasons mentioned above, and more.

So, just like chemotherapy or insulin isn’t “the easy way out” of cancer or type 1 diabetes, medication isn’t “the easy way out” of obesity.

Rather, medication is a tool, ideally used alongside healthy lifestyle behaviors, that can help offset some of the genetic and physiological variances that people with obesity may have, and have little individual control over otherwise.

What you need to know about GLP-1 drugs

In 2017, semaglutide (a synthentic GLP-1 agonist) was approved in the US as an antidiabetic and anti-obesity medication.

With the emergence of this class of drugs, science offered people with obesity a relatively safe and accessible way to lose weight long-term, so long as they continued the medication.

How Ozempic and other obesity medicines work

Current weight loss medications work primarily by mimicking the function of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a hormone that performs several functions:

In the pancreas, it triggers insulin secretion, which helps regulate blood sugar (and also helps you feel full).
In the gut, it slows gastric emptying, affecting your sensation of fullness.
In the brain, it reduces cravings (the desire for specific foods) and food noise (intrusive thoughts about food).

In people with obesity, the body quickly breaks down endogenous (natural) GLP-1, making it less effective. As a result, it takes longer to feel full, meals offer less staying power, and food noise becomes a near-constant companion, says Dr. Nadolsky.

Semaglutide and similar medicines flood the body with synthetically made GLP-1 that lasts much longer than the GLP-1 the body produces. This long-lasting effect helps increase feelings of fullness, reduce between-meal hunger, and muffle cravings and food noise.

Interestingly, by calming down the brain’s reward center (the part of the brain that drives cravings and even addictions), these medicines may also help people reduce addictive behaviors like compulsive drinking and gambling, says Dr. Nadolsky.

Note: Newer weight loss medicines, for example tirzepatide, mimic not only GLP-1, but also another hormone called gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP). Like GLP-1, GIP also stimulates post-meal insulin secretion and reduces appetite, partly by decreasing gastrointestinal activity. Other drugs soon to come on the market, like retatrutide, mimic a third hormone, glucagon.

How effective are GLP-1 drugs?

Researchers measure a weight loss medicine’s success based on the percentage of people who reach key weight loss milestones of 5, 10, 15, or 20 percent of their weight.

These medicines are still evolving, but so far, they have shown to be quite effective:

About 86 percent of people who take GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy lose at least five percent of their body weight, with about a third of them losing more than 20 percent of their body weight.4, 5

And newer generation versions of these medications—such as tirzepatide, and the not-yet-FDA-approved retatrutide—are only getting better, with up to 57 percent of people losing more than 20 percent of their body weight.6, 7

How do weight loss medications compare to lifestyle interventions?

In the past, weight loss interventions have focused on lifestyle modifications like calorie or macronutrient manipulation, exercise, and sometimes counseling.

Rather than pitting lifestyle changes against weight loss medicines or surgery, it’s more helpful to think of them all as compatible players.

With lifestyle modifications and coaching, the average person can expect to lose about five to 13 percent of their body weight.

When you add FDA-approved versions of GLP-1 and other weight-loss drugs to lifestyle and coaching, average weight loss jumps up another ten percent or more. 8, 9, 10, 11

Fat loss often comes with powerful health benefits

For years, the medical community has told folks that losing 5 to 10 percent of their body weight was good enough.

Partly, this message was designed to right-set people’s expectations, as few lose much more than that (and keep it off) with lifestyle changes alone.

In addition, this modest weight loss also leads to measurable health improvements. Lose 5 to 10 percent of your total weight, and you’ll start to see blood sugar, cholesterol, and pressure drop.12

However, losing 15 to 20 percent of your weight, as people tend to do when they combine lifestyle changes with second-generation GLP-1s, and you do much more than improve your health. You can go into remission for several health problems, including:

High blood pressure
Diabetes
Fatty liver disease
Sleep apnea

That means, by taking a GLP-1 medicine, you might be able eventually to stop taking several other drugs, says Dr. Nadolsky.

Experts suspect GLP-1s may improve health even when no weight loss occurs.

“The medicines seem to offer additive benefits beyond just weight reduction,” says Dr. Nadolsky.

Research indicates that GLP-1s may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events (heart attacks and strokes) in people with diabetes or heart disease.13, 14, 15 In people with diabetes, they seem to improve kidney function, too.16

The theory is that organs throughout the body have GLP-1 receptors on their cells. When the GLP-1s attach to these receptors in the kidneys and heart, they seem to protect these organs from damage.

For this reason, in 2023, the American Heart Association listed GLP-1 receptor agonists as one of the year’s top advances in cardiovascular disease.

7 strategies to make weight loss medicines more effective—and improve long-term health

Here’s what we believe:

Weight loss medicines don’t render lifestyle changes obsolete; they make them more critical.

When GLP-1 medicines muffle food noise and hunger, many find it easier to prioritize lean protein, fruits and veggies, whole grains, and other minimally processed foods. Similarly, as the scale goes down, people often feel better, so they’re more likely to embrace weight lifting and other forms of exercise.

Indeed, according to a 2024 consumer trends survey, 41 percent of GLP-1 medicine users reported that their exercise frequency increased since going on the medication. The majority of them also reported an improvement in diet quality, choosing to eat more protein, as well as fruits and vegetables.17

This is great news, because it further reinforces the idea that medication isn’t simply “the easy way out.”

(Of course, sometimes drugs are used as “the easy way out”; After going on medication, people can continue to eat poor quality food—just less of it. This increases the risk of losing critical muscle and bone, and losing less—or even no—body fat.)

When used correctly, weight loss medication is a tool that, as mentioned above, can make healthy lifestyle changes easier to accomplish, making both the drugs and the lifestyle changes more effective, and enhancing both short- and long-term success.

If you do decide to take weight loss drugs, use these strategies to get the most out of them—and preserve your long-term health.

Strategy #1: Find ways to eat nutritiously despite side effects.

The slowed stomach emptying caused by GLP-1 drugs can trigger nausea and constipation.

Fortunately, for most people, these GI woes tend to resolve within several weeks.

However, if you’re experiencing a lot of nausea, you’re not likely going to welcome salads into your life with open arms. (Think of how you feel when you have the stomach flu. A bowl of roughage doesn’t seem like it’ll “go down easy.”)

So, try to find more palatable ways to consume nutritious foods. (For example, fruits and vegetables in the form of a smoothie or pureed soup might be easier.)

Dr. Nadolsky also suggests people avoid the following common offenders:

Big portions of any kind
Greasy, fatty foods
Highly processed foods
Any strong food smells that trigger your gag reflex
Sugar alcohols (like xylitol, erythritol, maltitol, and sorbitol, often found in diet sodas, chewing gum, and low-sugar protein bars), which can trigger diarrhea in some

Strategy #2: Prioritize strength training.

When people take GLP-1 weight loss medicines, about 30 to 40 percent of the weight they lose can come from lean mass.18, 19, 20

Put another way: For every 10 pounds someone loses, about six to seven come from fat and three to four from muscle, bone, and other non-fat tissues.

However, there’s two important caveats to this statistic:

1. People with severe obesity generally have more muscle and bone mass than others. (Carrying around an extra 100+ pounds of body weight means muscles have to adapt by getting bigger and stronger.)

2. Muscle and bone loss aren’t inevitable. (As Dr. Nadolsky puts it, “Muscle loss isn’t a reason to avoid treating obesity [with medication]. It’s a reason to do more exercise.”)

To preserve muscle and bone mass, aim for at least two full-body resistance training sessions a week.

In addition, move around as much as you can. Walking and other forms of physical activity are vital for keeping metabolism healthy—and can help to move food through the gut to ease digestion.21, 22

(Need inspiration for strength training? Check out our free exercise video library.)

Strategy #3: Lean into lean protein.

In addition to strength training, adequate protein consumption is vital for helping to protect muscle mass.

You can use our free macros calculator to determine the right amount of protein for you. (Spoiler: Most people will need 1 to 2 palm-sized protein portions per meal, or about 0.5 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.)

Strategy #4: Fill your plate with fruit and veggies.

Besides being good for your overall health, whole, fresh, and frozen produce fuels you with critical nutrients that can help drive down levels of inflammation.

In addition to raising your risk for disease, chronic inflammation can block protein synthesis, making it harder to maintain muscle mass.

(Didn’t know managing inflammation matters when it comes to preserving muscle? Find out more muscle-supporting strategies here: How to build muscle strength, size, and power)

Strategy #5: Choose high-fiber carbs over low-fiber carbs.

Beans, lentils, whole grains, and starchy tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes do a better job of helping you feel full and managing blood sugar than lower-fiber, more highly processed options.

(Read more about the drawbacks—and occasional benefits—of processed foods here: Minimally processed vs. highly processed foods)

Strategy #6: Choose healthy fats.

Healthy fats can help you feel full between meals and protect your overall health.

Gravitate toward fats from whole foods like avocado, seeds, nuts, and olive oil, as well as fatty fish (which is a protein too!)—using them to replace less healthy fats from highly-processed foods (like chips or donuts).

(Not sure which fats are healthy? Use our 3-step guide for choosing the best foods for your body)

Strategy #7: Consider coaching.

It may go without saying, but the above suggestions are just the start.

(There’s also: quality sleep, social support, stress management, and more.)

While many people choose to tackle these strategies on their own, many others find that the support, guidance, and creative problem-solving that a good coach can provide makes the whole process a lot easier—not to mention more enjoyable and more likely to stick.

And that’s the real gift of coaching: A coach doesn’t just help you figure out what to eat and how to move; They help you remove barriers, build skills, and create systems and routines so that habits become so natural and automatic that it’s hard to imagine not doing them.

Then, if you do want to stop taking medication, your ingrained lifestyle habits (that coaching reinforced, and medication perhaps made easier to adopt) will make it more likely that you maintain your results.

References

Click here to view the information sources referenced in this article.

The post Considering (or currently taking) weight loss drugs? Here’s what you need to know appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

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Private: How to know you’ve found a good health coach

Reviewed by Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD

Once you decide you want to work with a health coach, finding the right one goes beyond checking off a list of qualifications.

How do you know if you’ve found the best health coach for you? What are the qualities of a good coach besides the obvious credentials?

We’ve listed some traits to look out for when choosing a health coach.

Essentially, it all boils down to how the two of you “vibe.” You should find someone you get along with and trust, someone who seems to truly “get” you and is as invested in your success as you are.

Let’s dive deeper into what all that means.

Why is it important to find a good health coach?

A skilled health coach serves as a personalized guide.

They’ll help you achieve your goals with tailored advice, motivation, custom nutrition plans, and exercise routines designed specifically for you.

They won’t just give you generalized or generic advice about diet and exercise. This individualized approach ensures that you maximize your full potential and make the most of your fitness journey.

7 signs you’ve found a good coach

What are the qualities of a good coach?

How do you know when you’ve found one?

These seven qualities are by no means an exhaustive list, but they can help you narrow down your options.

1. They can walk you through their process.

A good health coach should possess the skill to clearly explain the steps, strategies, and milestones integral to their approach.

This not only demonstrates their expertise but also shows that they have a structured process to help you succeed.

Even more than that, they should also be able to draw on insights gained from practical experience. Articulating lessons learned from working with other clients like you shows understanding for the issues or preferences you might have. They’ve proven that they know how to address challenges similar to yours.

2. They can provide references and testimonials.

A hallmark of a good coach is their openness to share references and testimonials without hesitation. Transparency not only reflects confidence in their ability but also underscores their commitment to client satisfaction.

Ideally, these references should be from clients in your demographic with similar goals. If you have a particular injury, for example, a good coach will have testimonials from clients they’ve worked with in the past who experienced a similar injury or physical limitation. A good coach understands the value of real-world feedback and recognizes that the experiences of past clients can speak volumes.

Moreover, the ability to connect with past clients demonstrates a coach’s confidence in the relationships they’ve built. If a coach avoids providing references, that should raise concerns about their client interactions and the impact of their coaching.

Testimonials, in particular, offer insights into the tangible benefits clients have experienced under a coach’s guidance. Positive testimonials not only validate the coach’s skills but also provide you with a glimpse of the potential results you can expect.

3. They ask you questions.

A coach’s interest in your story is a reflection of their commitment to your success. They should ask you questions—lots of them. A quality coaching relationship is built on a foundation of understanding, and effective coaches recognize the importance of delving into your unique circumstances.

Rather than simply presenting a pre-packaged solution, a good coach should be genuinely interested in your “why.” They should want to understand your motivations, challenges, and specific goals. The questions they ask should help them tailor their coaching plan to your particular preferences and lifestyle.

4. They listen to you.

Another quality of a good coach is the ability to integrate your thoughts and feedback into the coaching process. Remember, this is a two-way, collaborative relationship.

Listening extends beyond the spoken word; it involves deciphering the nuances and subtleties of your communication. A good coach is attuned to not only what you say but how you say it.

A coach’s responsiveness to your feedback should foster an environment of trust. If you express concerns or suggest modifications to the plan, a good coach listens, understands, and adapts the program. This flexibility ensures that the coaching process remains dynamic, adjusting to your evolving needs and circumstances.

5. They communicate openly and often.

As we said, transparent and open communication is a two-way street. This element is fundamental to your success and includes how and when you and your coach touch base.

Effective coaches establish clear expectations regarding communication from the outset. Whether it’s setting regular check-ins, defining response times, or outlining preferred communication channels, a good coach is accessible to you and reliable in responding. You should feel comfortable reaching out, knowing that your coach is receptive to any questions or concerns you have.

6. They consider your health holistically.

Your well-being extends beyond isolated facets like exercise and nutrition. You’ll know you’ve found a good health coach when they also take into account your sleep quality, stress levels, past injuries, and exercise experience. They know how these factors work together and influence one another.

For instance, understanding your nutritional habits allows a coach to develop a diet plan that improves on your current eating habits, without being unrealistic. Acknowledging past injuries or exercise experiences informs workout routines that prioritize safety and effectiveness. The consideration of sleep patterns and stress levels further refines the approach, promoting overall well-being.

This holistic, multi-faceted view of well-being is called “Deep Health.” And when a Deep Health approach is applied, it means you’re more likely to create positive habits that affect every aspect of your life—for the long term.

7. They can adjust your program to fit your needs.

A good coach will adjust your program to fit your changing needs as you work to achieve your goals.

Whether you have specific dietary requirements, time constraints, or preferences in workout styles, a coach tailors the program to ensure it not only helps you make progress but also integrates seamlessly into your lifestyle—and can adapt as necessary.

Tips for finding a good health coach

Finding a good health coach goes beyond looking up online reviews or asking friends for recommendations (though those are good ways to get started).

Here are some more tips to keep in mind as you look for a health coach.

Identify your goals

Before seeking a coach, take a moment for introspection.

Ask yourself why you want to work with a health coach and what specific outcomes you aim to achieve.

Whether it’s weight loss, improved fitness, better sleep, or overall well-being, clarity on your objectives serves as a guiding compass in selecting the right coach.

However, it’s also okay not to have a specific goal, or if your goal is something general like, “I want to be healthier.” Helping you clarify and refine your goals is part of a health coach’s job. They can engage you in meaningful conversations to understand your aspirations, challenges, and motivations until the two of you shape a tailored plan together.

Talk to prospective health coaches

Once you’ve identified three to five potential health coaches, take time to meet with each one-on-one.

Prepare a list of questions and talking points to guide these discussions. Your questions should focus on things like their coaching philosophy, past experiences, and success stories. Understanding how their approach aligns with your goals is essential to making sure you truly “get” one another.

During these conversations, also pay attention to the coach’s communication style and demeanor. Consider whether you feel comfortable and genuinely heard during the conversation.

Day-to-day logistics are important as well. As you get to know each coach, ask them about their availability, preferred communication channels, and the structure of the coaching sessions. This will ensure a smooth and manageable collaboration.

Evaluate the “vibe”

Coaching is, at its core, a relationship-based service, and the personal connection you establish with your coach can profoundly impact your motivation and commitment to your health goals. A positive and supportive connection fosters a sense of trust, making the coaching relationship more enjoyable and effective.

However, recognize that there’s no “perfect” coach.

Instead, focus on finding a coach who’s “good enough” for you—someone whose approach aligns with your preferences and understands your unique circumstances. While there might be a coach who, on paper, seems to fit all your criteria, less tangible elements like a coach’s personality, communication style, and general energy are paramount. Trust your instincts and choose a coach with whom you genuinely connect.

We’re here to help you reach your goals

The health coaches at Precision Nutrition are experts in their fields. They take the time to understand your behavior and habits as they design a plan to fit your unique goals and lifestyle.

Our coaches don’t just give you advice about diet and exercise. They work closely with you so you can learn healthier, sustainable habits that will help you feel better long term.

Try our 1:1 coaching program now and achieve the results you deserve.

The post Private: How to know you’ve found a good health coach appeared first on Precision Nutrition.