Ep 145 Performance Tests for Human Health & Longevity with Evan Strewler

Conversation with Evan Strewler about the use of human performance testing to improve health and longevity. 

Topics of Discussion:
-The mission behind Human Performance Health, and athletic performance center
-Top three performance tests that are recommended for all including VO2max, DEXA Scan, and resting metabolic testing.
-Building recommendations from test results that are specific to each individual

Evan Strewler serves as the Head Performance Physiologist at Human Powered Health. With a Master’s degree in exercise physiology from the College of St. Scholastica, Evan brings over 12 years of experience as a metabolic specialist and exercise physiologist to the forefront of his role.

Website:
https://humanpoweredhealth.com/

Thank you to our sponsors Human Powered Health, The Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda and Harvest Health & Wellbeing that make this episode possible. 

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Transcript

Ep 145 Performance Tests for Human Health & Longevity with Evan Strewler

[00:00:00] Cynthia: You are listening to the Well Connected Twin Cities podcast. I'm your host, Cynthia Shockley, and I'm here to learn alongside you through meaningful conversations with health and wellness practitioners. This is your time to experience some mindset shifts, learn practical tips, and get excited about what is possible.

[00:00:22] We want you to own the power of choice in your personal well being journey. Let's discover what's possible right here in our Twin Cities community.

[00:00:33] Hello today, we get to have a conversation with a provider from one of our sponsors, Human Powered Health. As you may know from our ads, Human Powered Health is an athletic performance center that provides a variety of performance tests. Something that really stood out to me, though, in this conversation was the fact that these tests aren't just for marathon runners or Olympians.

[00:00:54] But for anyone who's interested in improving their health and longevity. In this episode, Evan Strewler teaches us about the top three performance tests that are recommended for every human and what kind of recommendations may come from them. I was surprised to learn that sometimes a 30 minute walk may be more effective than a high intensity workout for someone's unique body composition and metabolic rate.

[00:01:17] I'm excited for you to learn more about how these tests can make a difference in your own wellness journey. Evan ER serves as the head performance physiologist at Human-Powered Health with a Master's degree in Exercise physiology. From the College of St. Scholastica. Evan brings over 12 years of experience as a metabolic specialist and exercise physiologist to the forefront of his role. Thank you to our sponsors, Human-Powered Health, the Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda and Harvest Health and Wellbeing that make this episode possible.

[00:01:47] And here we are with Evan Strewler thank you so much for joining us today, Evan. 

[00:01:53] Evan: Thank you. It's a pleasure. 

[00:01:54] Cynthia: Yeah I'm really excited because I know Alex, the owner of Well Connected Twin Cities, she got to try an experience at Human Powered Health and she learned some really cool information about her metabolic rate and got some great tips.

[00:02:11] But I'm curious for you, what brought you into your role at Human Powered Health? 

[00:02:16] Evan: Yeah, so I was, I always have been a fan of physiological testing since, being in college. And so it was always something I was trying to figure out a way. In the marketplace to combine all your passions as a physiologist into one facility, which prior to human powered health, the market's very fragmented.

[00:02:36] So there wasn't a, an area was connected through, general networks and got connected to human powered health early on which brought me here and today and was able to combine all those passions in the workforce into one facility. 

[00:02:52] Cynthia: That's amazing. So it sounds like you found the right fit for you.

[00:02:56] And just why don't you tell us a little more about what it is about human powered health mission. If you can share their mission and then you know where you found that alignment. 

[00:03:07] Evan: Yeah. So at Human Powered Health, our mission is to impact the health and human performance of every athlete. And we talk about athletes, we refer to athletes as any individual that's wanting to take a step in the right direction and improving their health and or human performance.

[00:03:23] And how we do that is we do that through objective data and capturing and measuring data through physiological assessments. And then we really focus on those four pillars, which is going to be exercise, fuel, recovery, and mindset. And so those four pillars are the basis to health and human performance.

[00:03:43] And then we use the data to direct us. Into the insights that those athletes or individuals are looking for. And then we want to be able to take that data with the best in tech in house and the professional experience from our physiologist to provide every individual those actual recommendations when they leave our lab.

[00:04:02] So how do we take the data, distill it down into an actual recommendation for those individuals that they can then leave that day and be able to apply to improve their health or human performance. 

[00:04:14] Cynthia: I see. Yeah. So it's being able to be really intentional then with the knowledge, cause knowledge is power.

[00:04:21] So being able to know a little more so that you can really cater to those needs or those gaps that might be noticeable through the data in training, in, in taking care of yourself. And I know you say athletes, and I love your broadening of the term athlete as anyone who wants to take a step forward in their.

[00:04:45] What was the phrasing? And they want us to take a step forward. 

[00:04:48] Evan: Take a step forward in their health and human performance. It's a very broad range. And so how do we impact the greater good of the population in, in, in an area where typically, There is a lot of gaps or gray areas in how to make that step, right?

[00:05:03] I'm sure every one of us has had an experience where you go and you get a recommendation from someone and then it falls short, right? Either the scheduling is left up to you or you're not sure where to turn. What we really want to do is be that hub for anyone where. We can give them every step or the process to get to the end game or the end goal that they have for themselves.

[00:05:26] So whether that's physiological testing, understanding the recommendations to them, providing them those resources into our network that we have. So they get all the care or attention they need to be able to attain their goals. 

[00:05:42] Cynthia: Yeah. And I would guess that's a kind of a potential misconception then that an athlete quote unquote is it could be anyone, right?

[00:05:53] So everyone is, I feel like most people are trying to take care of their health and make some progress in that space. And so human powered health, it sounds is for really everyone. They can all benefit from these testings. Yeah. 

[00:06:07] Evan: Absolutely. Everyone can benefit and it's just understanding your own unique physiology because we want to use objective data to be able to give you insights into your unique physiology because we know one size fits all approach is not going to be beneficial to most people.

[00:06:24] And so once we understand your own physiology, then how do we apply what we learned from your physiology into creating a pathway forward for you to obtain your goals? 

[00:06:35] Cynthia: Exactly. Do you mind sharing a specific example? Because like you said, one size does not fit all, but if there is even a specific example of a story, a client where they were able to utilize these performance tools to support their longevity, their wellbeing.

[00:06:53] Evan: Yeah. Yeah. That's a great question. So we actually I just had a great success story that, that comes to mind with a client. This individual was in a little over a year ago, did. The other baseline testing. So they came in for a bunch of different assessments which, we'll get into a few of what they did, but the main highlights, did a DEXA scan. understood body composition. They did VO two or ventilatory max testing, and then they did their resting metabolic, right? So those are three of the main ones they did. And then we made actual recommendations on how they can improve their health and wellness over the next course of 12 months.

[00:07:28] And so this individual took That action plan, put it to work really dove in and took, took the reins and came back now a year later, retested and saw significant changes to the tune of, down about 40 pounds, retained all their muscle tissue improve their VO2.

[00:07:47] Which, really what we're looking at from a view of two standard is just their longevity score, right? What is their risk of cardiovascular cardiometabolic disease based on that value? And when from a a relatively moderate risk to a very low risk by just working on those simple recommendations and giving it time to see that change occur.

[00:08:10] Cynthia: Yeah. What were his recommended behavior changes that came out of the testing? 

[00:08:15] Evan: Yeah. So for this particular individual, it was more so around, you understanding how many calories they need to be consuming for their goals and then also improving their cardiovascular endurance and exercise.

[00:08:28] And more so from a low intensity standpoint to improve aerobic capacity versus a high intensity standpoint where you're always working anaerobically. And trying to focus on those aerobic capacity exercises or that low intensity cardiovascular exercise is really understanding. And utilizing more fats as fuel.

[00:08:49] So training our body to become more efficient as burning fats as fuels and having your body understand when carbohydrates are needed, which is really going to be when we get into those anaerobic higher intensities or harder, intense workouts that we want to access that. 

[00:09:04] Cynthia: Yeah. I recall how Alex was surprised after her metabolic test that the recommendation was to do more of the.

[00:09:16] Like steady, like walking not high intensity. And she's Oh, really? 

[00:09:20] Advertisement: This podcast is supported in part by Human Powered Health, a human performance lab in Edina that combines best in class assessments, technology, and expert recommendations to help you achieve your health and performance goals. From running gait analysis to DEXA body composition scans, they offer assessments for all levels of wellness.

[00:09:43] Claim your free 15 minute virtual consultation by visiting get. wellconnectedtwincities. com slash HPH. 

[00:09:53] This podcast is made possible by the Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda. It is a local, woman owned, private, licensed career school that provides evidence based health and wellness training and certifications, integrating the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with conventional healthcare to make it incredibly accessible to our communities across the metro.

[00:10:16] Find out how an advanced Ayurvedic practitioner or health counselor certification might amplify your career opportunities. If you want to enhance your wellness practice skills or explore a new career, please contact the Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda. They are accepting applications for fall 2024.

[00:10:34] Learn more at www. mnayurveda. com. 

[00:10:41] Cynthia: Yeah, so it's really cool to hear how the recommendations are really curated to what, based on the testing and let's say just the average Joe, right? 

[00:10:49] The average person who wouldn't consider themselves an athlete, but under human powered health definition yes.

[00:10:55] They are an athlete. They care about their health and their wellbeing and they want to make some changes. What are the tests that you feel like everyone should have access to and why are they important? 

[00:11:05] Evan: Yeah. So there's a few that I want to really highlight. And in reason we want to highlight them is because everyone should have access to them.

[00:11:12] But Right now, it's very fragmented, so it's hard to find them all. You might be chasing all over town or across the country to find these assessments to get all three. But the three that we like to highlight right away is one is VO2 max. So VO2 max test is a maximal energy or exercise test looking at oxygen consumption that we're delivering to the tissues that are working.

[00:11:36] What that test is not only looking at is not only looking at a value you get, but it's also looking at longevity metrics and it's now become the gold standard for longevity. So when we talk about, people wanting to live longer and live a longer, more satisfying life, how can we use it as a predictor right now?

[00:11:54] And something, the other reason VO2 is very important. It's always a value and always a metric you can improve, right? So even if we take a 20 year gap in our exercise, because life gets busy, it's always something we can come back to and see it improve. And it's a tangible thing that we can continue to work.

[00:12:12] Secondarily would be a DEXA scan. So there's many forms of understanding body composition. But the reason are the gold standard for body composition is we understand a multitude of things from that scan. And more importantly, the big one we're looking at is Understanding subcutaneous versus visceral fat and visceral fat is that fat restore around our organs, which is going to increase our risk for metabolic disease risk factor, right?

[00:12:39] And that's the one test that we can scan and measure that volume. We have a visceral fat around our organs, primarily our liver. And so how can we start to change our dietary and exercise habits to reduce that visceral fat that we have on our body, even if Our subcutaneous fat or the fat under our skin is relatively low.

[00:13:00] So we look healthy from the outside, but we don't necessarily know how our health measures up on the and then third, that pay pairs well with both of those. Cause we need to understand how metabolically active is your body is arresting metabolic. So we look at what is your body utilizes calories and arresting fasted state to be able to determine what we need to be consuming throughout the day to support our.

[00:13:25] daily activities of living, and then also our exercise on top of that, whatever those goals are. If it's a performance goal for a race to wanting to lose weight, to wanting to maintain weight, to wanting to maybe gain muscle, we need to know what our baseline caloric consumption is just to support our body's natural function.

[00:13:45] And so we get that. And then from that, we also look at how efficiently are we utilizing the fuels we're bringing in. which is going to be a composition of fat versus carbohydrates, right? And usually exercise and dietary modifications can help impact that. 

[00:14:01] Cynthia: Yeah. So these three tests, it's the VO two, the DEXA scan, and the rest of resting metabolic rate.

[00:14:10] So let's actually, Go one at a time. I'm so curious with starting with the VO two and how our body is bringing oxygen into our muscle tissues if it's bad, if someone's score is Not looking great and they need to improve how their body is working that process What might be some recommendations that you might give?

[00:14:34] Evan: Yeah. So again, like I mentioned, it's something you can always work on and improve throughout the course of our life. And so even if we come in a state where maybe it's not ideal or optimal, and we've got a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, or maybe it's just it's very poor. There's always something we can do to improve it.

[00:14:52] And in the simplest form, we want to be thinking about that movement over the course of time. And so when we think of movement, we're thinking of. Depending on where we sit, depending on what our current activity levels are, what can we be doing to impact our cardiovascular health? And that's going to be derived by our heart rate response. And so from the VO2, you get working heart rate zones. And that's going to help educate people as to what the intensity level needs to be to directly impact VO2 over the course of time. It's a way to be able to track your progress because as soon as you become more efficient at that process, your heart rate zones will change, right?

[00:15:33] So everyone has different heart rate zones and different ways they can track. And maybe not necessarily on a day to day exercise level basis, but it's a good way to moderate and understand. Am I working out too hard or am I working out not hard enough to yield the response we're looking for from our body, right?

[00:15:51] And not everyone needs to be going extremely hard all the time. It might be as simple as going out for a 30 minute walk once a day for five days a week, right? And when you're out on that walk, I'm going to give you a talk test. So I want you to either a talk to yourself, which yes, it's okay. You can do that.

[00:16:09] Or, you're walking with someone and it's. How well can you have a conversation? Right now, we're having a conversation. It's not taking me much to formulate a sentence or take a break to take a breath. I want you to get to that point where you're still able to maintain a conversation.

[00:16:26] But you have to stop and take a breath about every sentence or so, right? So we're getting enough movement where our body is having to work, but it's not where you're breathless or can't hold a conversation. 

[00:16:38] Cynthia: Yeah, something in the middle there. 

[00:16:41] Evan: Yeah exactly. Not quite super intense, but not necessarily just, movement.

[00:16:45] We want it to be definitely be exercise. 

[00:16:48] Cynthia: Yeah, so it sounds like another test in terms of your heart your heart rate would also be helpful. And I know that's something unique about human powered health is that you have access to so many tests. And like you said, it's typically fragmented. You might have to go to one clinic for this one or a different specialist for this one.

[00:17:08] And so at human powered health the nice thing is it's all under one roof and the providers know how to work with all the tests together. 

[00:17:18] Evan: Exactly. Yeah. And we really want to tailor that experience to the individual or athlete in front of us. So we really recommend people do a console on the front end.

[00:17:26] So we can get to know them and understand what their needs are. What's my goal? Where do I currently. assess myself at, in terms of exercise and where maybe I'm falling short. And then based on that, what can our professionals provide as what would be the best assessments to understand objectively from the data where we are and how we can then create a plan to get you to your goal, right?

[00:17:50] So we have a lot of different assessments in house and it might not. might not fit exactly that single person's goals, but we can address anyone across the spectrum with the assessments we have in our lab. So we want it to be a one stop shop for people. 

[00:18:06] Cynthia: Yeah, that's great. And I know the one that, the other one you mentioned, the DEXA scan being able to know visceral fat percentage versus subcutaneous fat levels.

[00:18:19] It sounds like you'd be able to really differentiate so that you can again, give those recommendations. Let's say someone does have a lot of visceral fat around the organs and that does indicate a higher risk level for certain conditions. What would be, a standard protocol or something that you might recommend to someone to help reduce that visceral fat?

[00:18:43] Evan: Yeah. So without having, specific context around it, let's just talk in general terms. If someone has a higher amount of visceral fat, we're going to discuss increasing or increasing our duration of our cardiovascular exercise. And we want to think about back to that. What we're looking at in arresting metabolic rate is being able to improve our substrate utilization of fats as fuel.

[00:19:05] And so we're going to work through that typically in an aerobic fashion. So we're working those lower intensity cardiovascular exercise zones over the course of a week, improving that overall duration that we're accumulating. Secondarily, it might be a conversation around, Making a dietary switch, right?

[00:19:25] What types of foods and fuels are we bringing into our body? So from that, maybe it's all right. I want you to do a week long food log just to understand where are you currently, right? Let's just get a starting point to really have a self reflection of where am I? What am I currently consuming?

[00:19:44] And maybe that's enough to spark change in their diet or secondarily, that's a, it's a good point to understand where I'm currently at. And then if. If that individual needs more resources, maybe it's us connecting with the dietitian we work with. So you can get more resources to understand how do we want to fuel our bodies appropriately for health longevity, or if it is sport performance right to that next level.

[00:20:07] And then you can start to get. As in depth as you need or just get enough resources to start to make those changes that you need to see a direct impact in that visceral fat content. 

[00:20:20] Cynthia: Yeah. So being able to work even with dietitians. Not just exercise, but being able to work with what we're putting in our bodies makes a huge difference.

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[00:22:18] Cynthia: Then the third test you mentioned that you would want everyone to be able to have access to is that resting metabolic rate test. And that's the one that Alex took. And I know I was planning on coming and taking it and I ran out of time. But. What would you say are maybe some trends people might see in the resting metabolic rate?

[00:22:40] Maybe something that you've seen more often in your clinic and then what the recommendations might be to improve health. 

[00:22:48] Evan: Yeah. So I think general is people are surprised by how many calories they actually need to consume in a day. We all think of 2000 calories a day in the back of a nutrition label.

[00:22:59] Yeah. And we hear that in, in everywhere we go, but everyone's resting metabolic rates unique to them. It depends on, how much muscle tissue you have, how active you are what's your exercise regime you currently are doing in terms of volume of training or exercise in a week. And so we all require different amounts of of calories.

[00:23:20] Which I think is the general overall trend is people are surprised by how high their resting metabolic rate is, right? So they're usually not consuming enough food to attain their goals. And contrary to popular belief, even if it is weight loss, right? It might be we're advising a further conversation of maybe improving our dietary consumption throughout the course of a day to see weight loss occur.

[00:23:46] And so I would say that's the number one thing people are surprised by. And then from that, recommendations, right? Typically we're working on, Depending on where we sit, it's either understanding and adjusting our dietary intake throughout the course of the day and a week. So doing again, just a quick recall of what am I currently doing, right?

[00:24:06] Let's get a Monday through Sunday. Yes, we want a weekend to see what happens. And then from there, how do we start to make decisions? Finite tweaks. And how do we start to, to understand what our body's currently utilizing is fuel and why, and then what can we be doing to improve that? And the one thing we want to do with our recommendations is make sure it's fitting into that individual's lifestyle, right?

[00:24:28] Because if it doesn't fit your lifestyle, most likely it's not going to. stick, right? If we can make and have an understanding of the data and what it tells us that then you can apply directly into your day to day life, it's going to be an easier adaptation for you to stick with longterm. I think the number one thing with resting metabolic rate is people just don't know what their body needs in terms of fuel to function properly.

[00:24:53] That could be just mental fatigue, brain fog, sleep. Energy throughout your day, energy to fuel an exercise or a workout, keep up with your kids, everything else that goes along with life. It all comes back to how are we fueling our body and then how are we recovering and resting our body?

[00:25:10] And if we don't have enough fuel, everything else is going to be subpar, if you'll say. 

[00:25:16] Cynthia: Yeah. And that's so interesting. I actually recall now that you say that a client of mine who was going through a program and doing these kinds of tests. And she's I found out that I'm not eating enough to lose weight.

[00:25:29] And she was so mind blown. But that could be an issue if your metabolic rate is higher than you would expect. So you actually need to intake more calories so that you have the energy to do the things you need to do and function properly in your body. So yeah, so these tests can make a huge impact on how you are strategizing your usage of energy, the fuel you're putting in your body.

[00:25:56] So if someone listening was like, yes, let me, I want to try these tests out. I want to know what's going on. How do they get started at human powered health? 

[00:26:06] Evan: Yeah. So we try and make it as easy as possible for people. I generally try and recommend doing a consultation on the front end. So you can go to humanparthealth.

[00:26:15] com, click on free consult, and you can register right there for a 15 minute consult with one or one of our physiologists, And we'll just talk through what tests you're interested in, what your goals are, and then be able to create a plan for your visit. If you already are like, I know exactly what I want to do.

[00:26:35] You can click on the assessments tab on our website and you can book direct right there. We have packages for people as a, as a guide. Depending on what your goals are, what, where you see yourself fitting into the specific assessments. Otherwise, you can create a custom package yourself as well.

[00:26:54] Cynthia: Awesome. Alright. And the website link, all of that will be in the show notes if you want to go take a peek. So Evan, I'm curious. And I always love asking this because we've covered a lot in terms of the testing and what's available, how to access it. If there was one takeaway that listeners left this conversation with, what would you hope it would be?

[00:27:16] Evan: If there's one thing I want listeners to know is this is for everyone. You don't have to resonate with being an athlete or you don't have to have a race goal or an athlete goal, but all of us can put more energy and emphasis on our own health.

[00:27:33] And I think at the end of the day, all of us want to live a long, fulfilling life. And if we can impact our lifespan by understanding our current human physiology and how we can make change now to live a longer, more successful life, it's a small investment that can be made. And it's never too late.

[00:27:53] And I think that's one thing people, we don't necessarily tell enough people about is it's never too late. You can always improve. So even if you're feeling defeated right now, let's get a start. We'll provide you with those recommendations and understanding where we currently sit and then small steps in the right direction is all you need to, is all you have to think about.

[00:28:16] Cynthia: Yeah. It sounds like a really really encouraging space and to be able to lean on. The data could be something that's been missing, being able to have those numbers to look at so that you have a curated plan So I really appreciate you sharing that message that it's never too late to start These are some new tools that people can work with and hopefully can be supportive in the journey Yeah, I really appreciate your time today evan and appreciate everything that human powered health is doing.

[00:28:46] I know it's been It's important. It's not something that's really out there. So it's really cool to see all under one roof. 

[00:28:54] Evan: Absolutely. It was a pleasure and thank you so much for having us on.

[00:28:58] Cynthia: Thank you so much for listening to the Well Connected Twin Cities podcast. Did you learn something new? Did you feel that spark of hope and excitement for what is possible? Because so much is possible. Tell us about it in a review on Apple podcast. Not only would we absolutely love hearing from you, but these reviews help our ratings and help other curious minds like you find this resource.

[00:29:23] We are always better together. Thank you again, and see you next time.