How do you maintain your energy levels? What do you do to have even more energy? If your body cannot create the energy it needs, the brain, which is an energy hog, panics and returns to a primitive state focused on fear, hunger, or procreation. You know the symptoms: forgetfulness, cravings, brain fog, drowsiness, anger, lack of willpower. Yes, willpower depends on your energy levels. As a result, a lack of willpower is not a moral failing, but an energy deficit.
Is it possible, every day, to draw on a constant supply of energy without too many peaks and crashes? I believe it is, and that is our normal state, often lost to the hectic pace of more-more or to an “I’m just getting older” mentality. I’ll admit, I’m so convinced, energy has become a bit of an obsession.
The Basics
Did you know that our energy depends on our mitochondria? Mitochondria are organelles in cells that produce the energy used to fuel our daily activities. They are the basis of all our energy—for both the muscles and the brain. It is, therefore, necessary to treat them particularly well.
Moreover, brain, heart, and retina cells have the most mitochondria and suffer the most when energy demand exceeds supply. All the unpleasant aspects of aging—fatigue, fat accumulation, muscle loss, and cognitive decline—stem from weakened mitochondria.
3 Strategies to Have More Energy
Here are three basic strategies. Test them as you choose.
Identify energy thieves. Contemplate the various aspects of your life (food, activities, and even the people around you), paying attention to what causes your energy to drop. Then reduce what drains you. The idea seems basic, but the practice, despite its cumulative impacts, is quite rare. Try it.
Add more energy. Not in the form of extra coffee (you get used to coffee and its effect diminishes). The idea is to understand how your body produces energy. It uses either fat (good healthy lipids) or glucose (from sugary or starchy foods). Fat is more effective. Think of eating vegetables with good fat (butter, olive oil), and lower your consumption of sugary and starchy foods.
Boost mitochondrial density. For that, nothing is better than physical activity, which results in more oxygen, better blood circulation, improved mitochondrial function, and a boost in brain performance. Walking has its merits, but the real benefits come from high-intensity interval training (HIIT)—60 seconds intense followed by an active break of 30 seconds, alternating exercises up to 15 minutes total.
