Tarzan made other lifestyle changes that helped improve his metabolic and overall health.

The more of these changes we can make, the better our health will be.

• Reduce stress. Our stress response is an important part of our body’s tool kit for keeping us alive. Let’s say, for example, you make an ill-advised remark that inflames the populace and you find yourself having to flee an angry mob—as happens to all of us from time to time. You will need to mobilize all your body’s resources to stay a step ahead. That is equally true should you stop and pick up a length of pipe to make a stand, as I have found such situations to sometimes require. Hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, will be released to prepare your body to flee or fight, as the situation warrants. But that is meant to be a temporary condition. Ideally you will either escape or repel the mob in short order and your hormonal milieu can return to normal. But if our stress is ongoing, those same hormones will lead to inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction. So take what steps you can to reduce the stress in your life; if you can’t remove the stress, learn to reduce your stress response. (Here is link to some articles on dealing with stress at the National Academy of Sports Medicine website: link.)
• Get some Sunshine. Get out in the sun every day—ideally in the early morning, at midday, and late in the evening. We weren’t designed to be indoors all the time. Our bodies expect sunshine and malfunction when they don’t get it. Sunlight is known to improve mood and mitochondrial function.
• Get some Sleep. Take the necessary steps to improve your sleep. Sleep is important for our mood, and the proper functioning of our brains—our brains do maintenance and repair while we slumber.
• Avoid toxins. That includes toxins we voluntarily ingest–like tobacco smoke, e-vapors, and alcohol—but also environmental toxins like chemicals and air pollution. (Alcohol can be very damaging to our metabolic health; anyone striving to improve metabolic health should avoid it. Those who are metabolically healthy can perhaps get away with a small amount.)
• Connect socially. Having strong social bonds is critically important for our health.
• Find a sense of purpose. Having a strong sense of purpose is associated with better overall health. We not only need to know how to live a healthier life, we need a reason to live it. I get my sense of purpose in living out my faith and through my family.

In addition to the lifestyle factors we’ve discussed, a small percentage of people can have metabolic dysfunction for unrelated reasons. There are genetic conditions that can cause metabolic dysfunction, as can exposure to toxins such as mercury and mold. For those dealing with such issues, it is even more important to get the lifestyle factors right.