Broadcaster and campaigner Julia Bradbury, a mother of three and cancer survivor, has set out to improve her healthspan, not just her lifespan. She wants to be able to run around after her children for decades to come and, if lucky, after her grandchildren too. In her book, Hack Yourself Healthy, she acts as a ‘crash test mummy’ to trial lifestyle changes that promise to extend healthspan.
What is Metabolic Health?
In the UK, it’s estimated that around one in four adults may have metabolic syndrome, which can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and even dementia. Metabolic health isn’t just the absence of disease; it’s a state where our body’s energy systems function optimally, supporting every cell, tissue and organ.
When we speak of metabolic health, we are referring to our body’s ability to efficiently process nutrients, maintain balanced blood sugar levels, regulate cholesterol, and manage blood pressure – all while minimising inflammation and oxidative stress. Achieving metabolic health is a cornerstone of disease prevention and longevity, and it forms the basis of resilience against chronic illnesses, including cancer.
Key Metabolic Markers
High blood pressure indicates that the heart is working harder than it should, often due to imbalances in electrolytes, stress or dietary factors. Elevated blood pressure can damage the blood vessels over time, leading to heart disease, kidney issues and even certain cancers. Simple lifestyle changes, such as reducing salt, practising stress-management techniques like deep breathing, and engaging in regular physical activity, can have a significant impact.
When blood sugar levels remain consistently high, the risk of insulin resistance increases, setting the stage for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Managing carbohydrate intake, focusing on nutrient-dense foods like meat, seafood and vegetables, and incorporating regular physical activity can support better blood sugar control. Belly fat, especially visceral fat, indicates metabolic imbalance and inflammation, which can disrupt hormonal function and increase disease risk.
Elevated triglycerides in the blood reflect an imbalance in how the body processes fat, often linked to high sugar intake, refined carbohydrates and excessive alcohol. Incorporating healthy fats from nuts, seeds and fatty fish can help reduce triglyceride levels. HDL cholesterol, often called ‘good’ cholesterol, helps clear other forms of cholesterol from the bloodstream; low levels are associated with a higher risk of heart disease.
Julia's Happy Hacks
Bradbury suggests investing in intelligent scales to learn about your body’s daily, weekly and monthly trends, or using ordinary bathroom scales with skin calipers and a measuring tape. She recommends finding the right wearable fitness tracker, describing it as having a dashboard on your wrist.
For cold exposure, she suggests easing in gently with a cold shower or a bath full of ice. Deliberate cold exposure stimulates the release of dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline, which play a crucial role in the body’s stress responses and are brilliant for mental health. Cold-water exposure also activates brown fat, which burns white fat. Other tips include walking backwards to ease back pain and boost cognitive function, eating more omega-3s, cutting down on sugar, brushing twice a day and spitting rather than rinsing, and flossing daily.
Bradbury also advises keeping lights dim in the evening to encourage sleep, investing in a bath thermometer for hot baths at 38–41ºC, and taking a shot of high-polyphenol extra-virgin olive oil every morning for mitochondrial health.
Bradbury, 54 at the time of writing, notes that balance is crucial to spatial orientation and stability, and improves brain plasticity. She managed 11 seconds on both legs with eyes closed, placing her in the 81st percentile, and has 24.4cm of spring in a standing jump, in the 89th percentile for her age. Her grip strength of 39kg with her right hand and 37.6kg with her left puts her in the ‘excellent’ category, and she can do 25 press-ups. She is in the top 10% of the population for fitness in terms of her age and sex, and very well ‘fat adapted’, which lowers her risk of chronic diseases that shorten lifespan.
