We’ve been taught to believe that declining health is an inevitable part of getting older. But a groundbreaking book is challenging that assumption. In Good Energy, Dr. Casey Means makes a compelling case that our vitality is directly linked to our metabolic health—something we have a surprising amount of control over. She reveals a startling fact: a staggering 93% of Americans are not metabolically healthy, a root cause of many common ailments. This book isn’t just theory; it’s a practical guide to listening to your body. This post will unpack the powerful message of Good Energy and what it means for living a more energetic life.
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The Big 65 is has made a donation to Fisher House, one of the best-vetted and most respected charities helping veterans and their families. They have many amazing programs. Fisher Houses provide military families housing close to a loved one in the hospital for an illness, disease or injury. Let’s do what we can do.
This was taken four years ago just after Airman Nicholas finished up training in Texas. He’s been on bases in four different countries since then. Now he’s a man, and we’re proud as hell❤️.
Well, yours truly is finally back home from overseas🌐, cleaning up the house and taking care of our bees (and Plato). One hive is thriving, the other is in need of serious TLC😢 (Plato is fine😅).
The hive almost died 🐝🪦because of the tough winter and the varmints. We are adding 5 additional frames of bees to hive number two, plus sugar water to give the hive some good energy.
“Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health” by Dr. Casey Means is also the name of the provocative book I read this week on metabolic health. Thanks to Cary for the suggestion😊👍!
Have you ever wondered why some days you feel energized and sharp—and others you feel like you’re dragging yourself through molasses😩🐌? According to Dr. Casey Means, the answer might lie deep inside your cells.
By the way, Q is still traveling🧳. After visiting Siracusa with our son, she took off for Albania. The love of travel is deep in her cells🌍✈️.
Here’s what I took away from the book:
Your cells are talking—are you listening👂? Poor metabolic health is a leading cause of chronic disease, from heart issues to Alzheimer’s. And yet, 93% of Americans aren’t metabolically healthy. That means our cells aren’t converting food into energy efficiently.
This week, I’m babysitting our daughter’s Rottweiler🐶, (yeah I know, it was only supposed to be a temporary foster). They fell in love with Elwood and this week I need all the metabolic energy I can get while they are on vacation!
The symptoms are sneaky. Fatigue, brain fog🧠🌫️😵💫, weight gain, blood sugar swings, depression—these could all be signs of poor cellular energy production. And it’s not just about food.
Sedentary behavior🪑💻📺💤, processed snacks, poor sleep, and stress all chip away at your mitochondrial health.
Did I mention Kali the cat 🐈⬛is with us too? She’s keeping her eyes on these two goobers.
Track the basics. Dr. Means recommends tracking key biomarkers like blood sugar, triglycerides, blood pressure, waist size, and HDL cholesterol. Most of these are checked in your annual physical👩⚕️⚕️🩺 —use them!
Speaking of physicals, say hello to Tank, a seven month old rescue dog from the California fires! Tank is a madman (but very sweet). I cannot wait until he finds his forever home😅🙏😌! Hint hint.
Eat like your life depends on it (because it does). Cut out industrial seed oils🛢️🌾, sugar, and refined grains. Prioritize fiber (shoot for 50g/day), healthy fats, and whole, unprocessed foods. Think olive oil, avocados, black beans, chia seeds, and leafy greens🥬.
My little brother Haas back in Virginia eats a super healthy diet. He catches 🐟 and grows 🌽most of his food. I’m still waiting for some of his deer jerky!
Move your body—especially after meals. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT IN THE ENTIRE BOOK👀⚠️📢!
Even a 30-minute walk🚶♂️within six hours of eating helps regulate glucose and insulin. Can’t do 30 minutes? Try brisk 5-minute walks🚶♂️every half hour. Set a timer ⏱️. Make it a habit.
I have to confess that part of the reason I came home was to try to get a couple more days of skiing⛷️in before the mountains close. I was so impressed by granddad Chris teaching his grandson how to ski. His grandson had the best jokes:
Why should you never iron a four leaf clover? You don’t want to press your luck😆!
Small changes = big wins🏁. The good news? You don’t need a complete overhaul. Just one healthy habit at a time—walk more, sleep better, eat cleaner—can dramatically boost your energy🌞, mood, and disease resistance.
Every time I get on my bike, I add one stone to this cairn, so do others. Just like this cairn, with small simple steps, your health will improve over time🌱.
At The Big 65, we believe every step👣 you take toward better health makes Medicare work for you—not the other way around. If you’re feeling the drag, maybe it’s time to check in with your body’s power grid⚡and flip the switch 🔛on Good Energy.
For over thirty years, my wife Q was a workaholic: 6 days a week, 10 plus hours every day, and email on Sunday. Thank goodness she flipped the switched in retirement and is finally living her best life. I’m so proud of her. Plus, she said she will come home, eventually, right Q🙏 ?
Keep squeezing the juice🍊 out of life and look for ways to help others!
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Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:
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The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
What is the “Good Energy” Book?
Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health is a book by Dr. Casey Means that re-frames how we think about health. It proposes that many common chronic diseases, from heart conditions to Alzheimer’s, share a single root cause: poor metabolic health. The book breaks down the science of how our cells create and use energy, arguing that this fundamental process is the true foundation of our well-being. Instead of focusing on treating symptoms after they appear, Dr. Means offers a clear guide to addressing the underlying dysfunctions that lead to fatigue, brain fog, and chronic illness. It’s a manual for understanding your body’s operating system and provides actionable steps to support its natural energy production for a more vibrant, healthy life.
About the Authors
Dr. Casey Means
Dr. Casey Means is a Stanford-trained physician whose work is dedicated to helping people understand and improve their metabolic health. She is the co-founder of Levels, a health technology company that helps users track their blood sugar in real time. Her core message is that our daily choices, particularly the food we eat, directly influence our cellular function and long-term health. Dr. Means is passionate about empowering people with accessible scientific knowledge, allowing them to move from a reactive to a proactive stance on their health. Her work aims to give individuals the tools they need to make informed decisions that support their body’s energy systems and prevent chronic disease.
Calley Means
Calley Means, co-author and brother of Dr. Casey Means, provides a unique perspective on the systemic issues within our health and food industries. As a graduate of Stanford and Harvard Business School, he has firsthand experience consulting for food and pharmaceutical companies, where he saw how profits are often prioritized over public health. He is the co-founder of TrueMed, a company that helps people use their HSA and FSA funds for healthy food and exercise. In Good Energy, his insights expose the broader challenges that make it difficult for individuals to stay healthy, adding a crucial layer of context to the book’s message about taking back control of our well-being.
Bestseller Status and Impact
Almost immediately after its release, Good Energy became a #1 New York Times Bestseller, signaling a major shift in public interest toward understanding the root causes of health problems. The book has resonated deeply with readers who are tired of simply managing symptoms and are looking for real answers to feel better. Its success has helped bring the concept of metabolic health into the mainstream conversation, encouraging a more proactive approach to wellness. By providing clear explanations and practical advice, the book has empowered countless individuals to make significant lifestyle changes, demonstrating the profound impact that focusing on cellular energy can have on one’s overall health and vitality.
Core Concepts and Themes
The fundamental argument of Good Energy is that our metabolic health—the efficiency with which our cells convert food into energy—is the bedrock of our physical and mental well-being. Dr. Means presents the startling statistic that 93% of Americans are not metabolically healthy, linking this widespread issue directly to the epidemic of chronic disease. The book challenges a healthcare model that often defaults to prescribing medication for symptoms rather than addressing the foundational problems causing them. It offers a powerful alternative: by improving our cellular energy processes through targeted changes in diet and lifestyle, we can prevent, and in some cases reverse, many of the conditions we’ve been taught to see as inevitable parts of aging. This approach is about empowering you with the knowledge to build a truly resilient foundation for your health.
A Critique of Modern Healthcare
Dr. Means presents a compelling critique of the modern healthcare system, framing it as a “sick care” system rather than one focused on true health. While it is incredibly effective at handling acute issues like broken bones or bacterial infections, it often struggles with the slow-moving tide of chronic disease. The book argues that the system is designed to manage symptoms, often with a lifetime of medications, instead of digging deeper to fix the underlying cause. For many chronic conditions, that cause is metabolic dysfunction. Good Energy advocates for a paradigm shift, encouraging both patients and practitioners to prioritize prevention and address the root issues at the cellular level to create lasting wellness.
Metabolic Health as the Root of Wellness
The book firmly establishes metabolic health as the most critical factor for a long, vibrant life. Your metabolism is not just about how fast you burn calories; it’s the sum of all the chemical reactions in your cells that generate energy to power every single bodily function. When these processes become inefficient, it triggers a domino effect that can lead to a wide range of health problems. Dr. Means explains that by optimizing our metabolic function, we can enhance everything from our daily energy levels and cognitive clarity to our body’s ability to fight off illness. The book serves as a practical roadmap for supporting this essential process.
Early Warning Signs of Poor Metabolism
One of the most valuable takeaways from Good Energy is its list of the subtle, early warning signs of metabolic dysfunction. These are not the symptoms of a full-blown disease but rather the nagging issues many of us brush off as normal. These “sneaky” signs include chronic fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, skin problems like acne or eczema, intense cravings for sugar, and difficulty losing weight, especially around the waist. By learning to recognize these signals, you can identify that your cells are struggling to produce energy efficiently. This awareness provides a crucial opportunity to make proactive changes before these minor issues escalate into more serious chronic conditions.
The Connection Between Food, Soil, and Health
Good Energy broadens the conversation about nutrition to include the health of the soil our food comes from. Dr. Means makes a powerful case that the nutrient quality of our food is directly tied to the quality of the soil it was grown in. Unfortunately, modern industrial farming practices have often stripped the soil of vital minerals and beneficial microbes, leading to produce that is less nutritious than it was in the past. This nutrient depletion in our food supply can directly contribute to metabolic dysfunction in our bodies. The book encourages a greater awareness of where our food comes from and advocates for choosing whole foods grown using regenerative agricultural practices.
Specific Advice and Tools from the Book
Good Energy stands out because it is not just a book of theory; it is a practical manual filled with actionable advice to improve your metabolic health. Dr. Means provides readers with concrete tools, structured plans, and clear guidelines that make it easy to translate knowledge into daily practice. The book is designed to be a user-friendly guide for anyone ready to take a more active role in their health. It offers specific recommendations on what to eat, how to monitor your body’s responses, and which habits to cultivate for long-term success. The advice is straightforward and focused on creating sustainable changes, providing a clear path toward feeling more energized and alive without making you feel overwhelmed by the process.
The Four-Week Good Energy Plan
A central feature of the book is its Four-Week Good Energy Plan, a structured program designed to reset your metabolism and help you build lasting healthy habits. This is not a crash diet but a guided journey. Each week introduces new principles, focusing on systematically removing foods that disrupt metabolic function (like processed sugars and industrial seed oils) while adding in foods that support it. The plan includes clear instructions, daily goals, and meal inspiration to keep you on track. It makes the transition to a healthier way of eating feel manageable, empowering you with early wins and tangible results that build momentum for the long term.
Key Health Metrics to Track
A core principle of the Good Energy philosophy is that you can’t improve what you don’t measure. Dr. Means encourages readers to become familiar with five key biomarkers that serve as a report card for your metabolic health: fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, blood pressure, waist circumference, and HDL cholesterol. By tracking these numbers, often included in a standard physical, you can gain a clear, objective picture of your health and see the direct impact of your lifestyle adjustments. The book explains what each of these metrics means and provides optimal ranges, empowering you to have more productive conversations with your doctor about your health goals.
Recommended Blood Tests
For those wanting to go a step further, Good Energy recommends several specific blood tests that offer a more detailed view of your metabolic function. In addition to the standard labs, Dr. Means suggests asking your doctor for tests like fasting insulin (which can reveal insulin resistance long before blood sugar rises), HbA1c (a three-month average of blood sugar), and hs-CRP (a marker of inflammation). These tests provide crucial data points about how your body is handling energy and inflammation. The book explains how to interpret these results, giving you the tools to better understand your health on a deeper level.
Using Wearable Devices and At-Home Tests
The book also embraces modern technology as a powerful tool for personal health management. Wearable devices that track sleep quality, physical activity, and heart rate variability can provide valuable insights into how your daily choices affect your body’s systems. Dr. Means is a particularly strong advocate for using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which shows you in real time how different foods, exercise, and even stress affect your blood sugar levels. This immediate feedback is an incredibly effective learning tool, helping you understand your unique physiology and make personalized adjustments to optimize your metabolic health.
Building “Good Energy” Habits
True, lasting health is built through small, consistent actions, not temporary, drastic measures. The book outlines “25 Good Energy Habits” that serve as a practical framework for a metabolically healthy lifestyle. These habits cover nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, and even your connection with nature. The goal is not to adopt all 25 overnight but to gradually integrate them into your daily routine. By focusing on simple, sustainable actions—like taking a walk after every meal or ensuring you get morning sunlight—you can create a powerful, cumulative effect that transforms your health and energy over time.
Principles for Good Energy Eating
The nutritional guidance in Good Energy is based on a few simple, powerful principles rather than a complex set of rules. The main objective is to eat in a way that maintains stable blood sugar and provides your cells with the high-quality fuel they need to thrive. This means prioritizing whole, unprocessed foods while avoiding refined sugars, grains, and industrial seed oils that cause inflammation and metabolic chaos. Dr. Means emphasizes the importance of building meals around protein, healthy fats, and fiber from sources like leafy greens, nuts, and seeds. This approach helps you feel full and satisfied while keeping your cellular engines running smoothly.
Lifestyle and Mindset Strategies
Good Energy makes it clear that what you do outside the kitchen is just as important as what you eat. The book provides practical strategies for other critical areas of health, emphasizing the importance of regular movement, particularly walking and resistance training to build and maintain muscle mass. It also delves into the profound impact of quality sleep and effective stress management on your metabolism, offering simple tips to improve both. A key part of the message is to approach your health with a mindset of curiosity and self-experimentation, viewing it as a journey of discovering what works best for your body.
Helpful Guides and Recipes Included
To ensure you can easily put its principles into practice, the book is filled with helpful resources. It contains detailed lists of “Good Energy” foods to help you stock your kitchen, along with a guide to reading nutrition labels so you can make informed choices at the grocery store. You will also find a collection of simple, delicious recipes that align with the book’s philosophy, showing that eating for metabolic health can be enjoyable and satisfying. These practical tools are designed to remove any guesswork, providing you with the support and confidence you need to start your journey toward better health.
What Health Experts Are Saying
The message in Good Energy has been met with strong support from a wide range of health and medical professionals. Many doctors, researchers, and nutritionists have praised the book for its ability to explain complex scientific concepts in a way that is easy to understand and apply. The endorsements frequently highlight how the book addresses a critical blind spot in conventional medicine by focusing on the root causes of chronic illness instead of just the symptoms. Experts commend Dr. Means for creating a resource that empowers people to prevent disease and take an active role in their own health, calling it essential reading for anyone seeking true, long-term wellness.
Endorsements from Medical Professionals
The book has earned high praise from many respected leaders in the medical community. Prominent physicians have called it “life-changing” and “a must-read,” filled with “accessible science and practical strategies.” This support from fellow doctors adds significant weight to the book’s claims, assuring readers that its advice is grounded in solid scientific evidence. The chorus of endorsements from within the medical field signals a growing recognition that metabolic health is a crucial, and often neglected, component of preventing and treating the chronic diseases that affect millions of people today.
Free Supplementary Materials
One of the most valuable aspects of Good Energy is that the support continues long after you’ve finished reading. Dr. Casey Means and her team offer an array of free online resources designed to help you apply the book’s principles and track your progress. These supplementary materials serve as a practical toolkit to complement the book, providing ongoing support for your health journey. This commitment to helping readers succeed is a key reason the book has been so effective, as it makes it much easier to turn knowledge into consistent, daily action and build the habits required for lasting metabolic health.
Online Resources for Readers
With the purchase of the book, you get access to several helpful digital tools. On the official Good Energy website, you can find a downloadable “Good Energy Tracker” to monitor your new habits and a “Good Energy Food Journal” to log your meals and observe how they make you feel. There are also detailed shopping lists and guides available to simplify your grocery trips. These resources are designed to provide structure and encouragement as you work through the Four-Week Plan and integrate the principles into your life, acting as a helpful companion on your path to better health.
Clarifying the “Good Energy” Name
The title “Good Energy” is a perfect fit for a book about cellular vitality, but because it’s a common phrase, it can sometimes lead to confusion with other organizations. Several well-known companies in the energy industry share this name, so it’s helpful to distinguish Dr. Means’s book from them. While they all deal with “energy,” the book is focused on human biological energy—the kind your body produces—not the electricity that powers your home. Understanding this distinction will help you find the right information and resources related to the book’s metabolic health concepts.
Good Energy (U.S. Energy Consultant)
In the United States, you might come across an energy consulting firm called Good Energy. This company works with cities and businesses to help them purchase electricity and natural gas, often with a focus on securing renewable energy sources. They are experts in energy procurement and helping their clients manage utility costs. While their work in sustainable power is important, it is completely unrelated to the health and wellness topics discussed in Dr. Casey Means’s book. This company is focused on the nation’s power grid, not the energy production happening inside your cells.
Good Energy (U.K. Energy Supplier)
Similarly, if you are in the United Kingdom, you may be familiar with Good Energy, a popular supplier of renewable electricity and green gas. This company was founded with the mission to fight climate change by providing power generated from clean sources like the sun, wind, and water. They are a significant force in the U.K.’s green energy sector and are dedicated to building a more sustainable future. Just like the U.S. consulting firm, this company’s business is powering homes and communities, and it has no affiliation with the metabolic health principles and dietary advice in the book Good Energy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is “metabolic health” in simple terms? Think of your metabolic health as the instruction manual for how well your body creates and uses energy from the food you eat. When it’s working well, your cells efficiently convert food into fuel, giving you steady energy, mental clarity, and a strong foundation for overall wellness. When it’s not, your body struggles with that conversion process, which can lead to fatigue, brain fog, and other issues.
Do I have to completely change my lifestyle to see any benefits? Not at all. The book’s message is actually the opposite. It emphasizes that small, consistent actions create the most significant and lasting improvements. Instead of a massive overhaul, the idea is to pick one simple habit, like a short walk after dinner, and make it part of your routine. These small wins build on each other over time to create a powerful positive effect on your energy and health.
Is this book just another strict diet plan? It’s less of a rigid diet and more of a guide to understanding how your body works. The focus isn’t on counting calories or extreme restrictions. Instead, it teaches you the principles of eating in a way that supports your cells, like prioritizing whole foods and avoiding things that cause blood sugar spikes. It’s about learning to listen to your body and giving it the fuel it actually needs to function at its best.
What is the single most effective habit I can start today? One of the most powerful takeaways from the book is the simple act of moving your body after you eat. You don’t need an intense workout; even a 10-minute walk after a meal can do wonders for regulating your blood sugar and insulin levels. This single habit helps your body use the energy from your food right away instead of storing it, which is a game-changer for your metabolism.
How can focusing on metabolic health help me now, especially if I’m already managing health conditions? Improving your metabolic health is about strengthening your body at a fundamental, cellular level. By helping your cells produce energy more efficiently, you can build a more resilient foundation for your entire body. This can lead to more daily energy, a clearer mind, and better overall function, which can be incredibly supportive when you’re also managing other health concerns. It’s about giving your body the best possible resources to work with, no matter your current state of health.
