Wouldn’t you like to have more energy? To bound out of bed every morning full of beans and continue that way all day?
Well, we might run the risk of annoying those close to us if we were like that all the time… However, there are ways that you can increase your energy levels – naturally (and legally)!
There are so many different factors that can affect your energy levels:
the food you eat and how well you digest it,
exercise,
sleep,
emotions,
hormones…and even
the weather.
There are also some medical conditions that cause fatigue. Read more in by blog about tiredness and fatigue.
Ultimately though, energy is about what you feed your mitochondria. Watch my presentation at a recent Superhuman Summit or read my article below to find out more.
Your energy and your mitochondria
What are mitochondria?
Mitochondria are structures inside our cells that convert the fuel we eat – fat, sugars and protein - into energy. Just like a tiny factory.
This energy is produced in the form of adenosine triphosphate – ATP – which supports every function in our body.
We have one hundred thousand trillion mitochondria in our body (1000 to 2000 in each cell) and each one contains 17 000 tiny "assembly lines" that make ATP.
We have more mitochondria in our ‘active’ organs - muscles, heart and brain – because they physically have to keep moving and working hard.
If your mitochondria aren’t working properly, it can slow down your metabolism, cause fatigue, memory loss, pain and rapid ageing. When the mitochondria break down they stop producing energy.
Oxidative stress damages mitochondria
Mitochondria are very sensitive and get damaged easily.
Mitochondria are damaged by mitochondrial toxins – fatty foods, processed foods, sugar, smoking, sunburn – anything that increases oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress creates free radicals that circulate in our body destroying our healthy cells. (Think of the video game Pac Man – Pac Man is your antioxidant that runs around gobbling up the free radicals that have been created by the oxidative stress.)
How can we keep our mitochondria working well?
How do we protect our mitochondria from being oxidised and ensure we have enough energy to do everything we want to do in our day? There are lots of different ways we can do this.
1) Exercise
This is a big one! Exercise oxygenates our tissues, stimulates blood flow, stimulates toxin release, stimulates all our organs to work more effectively.
2) Food
What we eat is incredibly important. Eat a rainbow on a plate – every meal! Brightly coloured foods. 50% of your plate should be filled with non-starchy veggies, 25% with protein and 25% with starch or whole grains.
Fuel your body with clean, healthy food, the less processed the better. Imagine owning a high-performance car and not fuelling it, or maintaining it. It’s like filling a car with the best fuel, as opposed to putting diesel into a petrol engine.
In an ideal world, our food would be organic, grown without chemicals in highly fertile soil in our backyards. We would collect it, cook it and present it on the table at the end of each day. Ahhh...bliss! But, since that can be a little difficult, there are herbs we can use that can fill in the gaps.
3) Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting increases efficiency and function of mitochondria. Intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone though. Please see your health professional for advice. We really should be doing this incidentally anyway – not eating after 8-9pm at night and eating again after 8am.
4) Water!
Don’t forget water! Our bodies are made up of 60-70% water. Water helps the mitochondria to maintain their little factories when manufacturing ATP, or energy.
How herbs can help
There are many different herbs available that can help to increase your energy levels once the root cause of your energy problem has been determined.
There are herbs that can help with cleaning up the lymph, liver and kidney. Herbs that can help with re-oxygenating lung and brain tissue. Herbs that are high in nutrients that will nourish your body.
There is a particularly amazing class of herbs called adaptogens. They support your adrenal glands, support your stress response, help you to cope better with what’s going on with your life. They help you to act not react.
If you find yourself snapping at everyone around you, getting cranky, getting teary, or you just can’t get out of bed – it’s definitely time to get some help.
Why not make an appointment for one of my holistic health reviews? Together we will investigate the underlying cause of your lack of energy. Then we’ll make the changes your body needs to repair and revitalise.
And don’t worry…. we’ll take it one step at a time… at your pace.
To book, or if you have any questions at all, please call me on 0412 270 033 or email deanne@natureofhealth.com.au. Or you can book online. I’d love to help you feel like leaping out of bed every day!
