Optimum Body.ie

Magnesium is one of those nutrients most people have heard of.

But very few understand just how much the body actually uses it for.

Magnesium is involved in hundreds of enzyme reactions throughout the body including energy production, muscle and nerve function, glucose metabolism and normal cardiovascular function.

And this is where metabolic therapy becomes interesting.

If someone comes to me complaining of poor recovery, muscle tightness, low energy or poor sleep, I don't just look at the symptom.

I start asking what systems are involved and whether the body has what it needs to run them properly.

For example, imagine a client coming in exhausted, sleeping poorly and constantly feeling tight after training.

Rather than immediately looking for something exotic, one of the basic things I'd want to assess is their magnesium intake and overall nutritional status.

Why?

Because sometimes improving the basics can change the entire picture.

That's metabolic therapy.

Understand the pathway.
Look for what might be limiting it.
Then decide what actually needs attention.

Magnesium is a simple nutrient.

Its role in human metabolism is anything but simple.

Sciatica nerve issues anyone?

I am seeing a lot in my clinic

Check out the video in the comments in how to hopefully approach the nervous system to work on down regulating the output of pain.

SPORTS PERFORMANCE ISN’T JUST ABOUT GETTING STRONGER OR FITTER.

An athlete has to be able to produce energy and then physically express that energy through movement.

Metabolically, I’m looking at the systems involved in producing ATP: oxygen delivery, nutrients, thyroid function, glucose and fat metabolism, mitochondrial function and recovery.

Structurally, I’m looking at whether the body can actually use that energy efficiently: joint movement, muscle function, nerve input, tissue restriction and biomechanics.

You can have a powerful engine and a poor chassis.

Or a great chassis without enough energy to drive it.

For me, sports performance is about improving both.

Produce the energy.

Deliver the energy.

Then make sure the body can actually express it. Boom 💥

That’s where Structural Therapy and Metabolic Therapy meet.

People often accept that a prescription medication can influence far more than the single symptom it was prescribed for.

Medications can affect metabolic health, mitochondrial function, the immune system, the nervous system, hormones, digestion and nutrient status. Sometimes those effects are minor. Sometimes they can be significant.

But the opposite side of that conversation often gets ignored.

Exercise, resistance training, nutrition, sleep, targeted supplementation and, in appropriate clinical or research contexts, certain peptides can also influence these same biological systems.

Your mitochondria adapt.

Your metabolism adapts.

Your immune system adapts.

Your nervous system adapts.

The body is not a collection of isolated systems. Everything communicates with everything else.

So when we talk about improving health, the question shouldn't only be:

"What medication treats this symptom?"

It should also be:

"What can we do to improve the biological environment that produced the problem in the first place?"

You don’t get faster just by training harder.

Performance is also about how quickly your body can produce energy, recover and produce it again.

In sprinting, your muscles need enormous amounts of ATP in a very short period of time.

Your immediate energy system provides the explosive power.

Your mitochondria then play a major role between efforts, helping rebuild that energy so you’re ready to produce force again.

Better energy production.
Faster recovery between efforts.
Higher quality training.

Speed isn’t just muscular.

It’s metabolic.

Metabolic & Structural Therapy

YOUR MITOCHONDRIA DON’T JUST MAKE ENERGY

Every time you train, work, move and live, your mitochondria are put under stress.

The damaged or poorly working parts can be separated and cleared away.

Your body can then build new mitochondrial machinery and reconnect the healthier parts into a stronger network.

This is happening all the time.

Your body is basically separating what isn't working, clearing it away, rebuilding and reconnecting.

Better energy isn't just about having more mitochondria.

It's about having better functioning mitochondria.

Grade 2 Hamstring Injury client feedback

A good example of why I combine Structural Therapy with Metabolic Therapy rather than looking at an injury in isolation.

With this Grade 2 hamstring injury, we worked directly on the structural side while also supporting the recovery process metabolically.

We incorporated BPC-157 and TB-500 as part of the recovery strategy, alongside a tailored weights programme designed to progressively reload the hamstring and rebuild strength.

Client feedback:

"I couldn't believe how quickly things started to improve. Each week I could feel the hamstring getting stronger and my confidence coming back. Having the treatment, recovery support and weights plan all working together made a massive difference."

The goal wasn't just to get the pain down.

Repair the tissue. Restore movement. Rebuild strength. Get them confidently back doing what they want to do.

Video link in comments..but this is a great one for SPINAL HEALTH and general overall spinal movement.

Any can give this a go, adjust the weight you hold in your hand accordingly

Aim for about 5 to 10min of work.

Have fun 👍

PERIMENOPAUSE — IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT “LOW HORMONES”

One of the biggest things I try to explain around perimenopause is that we shouldn’t look at estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in isolation.

Perimenopause is a transition.

Ovulation becomes less consistent.

Progesterone can begin to fall.

Estrogen can fluctuate considerably, high at certain points, low at others.

Testosterone and androgen signalling may also gradually decline.

And this can create a very different hormonal environment from one woman to another.

PROGESTERONE

As ovulation becomes less reliable, progesterone production can fall.

This can show up as:

Poorer sleep
Feeling more anxious or wired
Irritability
Breast tenderness
Heavier or changing periods
Feeling less able to handle stress

ESTROGEN ↕

Estrogen during perimenopause isn't always simply “low.”

It can fluctuate.

Those fluctuations can contribute to:

Hot flushes
Night sweats
Mood changes
Brain fog
Vaginal dryness
Changes in body composition
Bloating and fluid retention

And importantly, you can sometimes have symptoms of relative estrogen dominance not because estrogen is extremely high, but because progesterone has fallen relative to it.

TESTOSTERONE

This is often forgotten.

Lower androgen signalling can contribute to:

Reduced libido
Lower drive and motivation
Reduced training response
Loss of muscle
Lower energy and resilience

So when I assess a woman in perimenopause, I don't want to hear:

“Your estrogen is normal.”

I want to understand the whole hormonal picture.

Symptoms + menstrual pattern + blood markers + the relationship between the hormones.

The goal isn't simply to push one hormone up.

It is to understand which signal is changing, what symptoms that change is creating, and what the woman actually needs.

That is a much better way to understand perimenopause.

METABOLIC FLEXIBILITY

Your body should be able to switch between carbohydrates and stored fat for energy.

When that flexibility is poor, you can become increasingly dependent on regular carbohydrate intake to maintain energy.

Good metabolic flexibility means:

• Better access to stored fat
• More stable energy between meals
• Better glucose control
• Better insulin sensitivity
• Greater ability to adapt to fasting, exercise and changing energy demands

The goal isn't to avoid carbohydrates.

The goal is to build a metabolism that can efficiently use both glucose and fat when required.

Metabolic health is about adaptability.