Hello, and welcome to today's podcast. Today we're going to be talking about energy. We've talked before about fatigue, which is a big issue for a lot of people for many different reasons, and the opposite of fatigue is energy. It's really important to understand how energy is produced in the body, so today we're going to try hard not to get too deep in the weeds of the science and instead give an introduction to where your energy comes from.
A 30,000-Foot View of Energy Production
Essentially, our bodies have to produce ATP. ATP is derived from our cells — specifically from the mitochondria, the little powerhouses of the cell that drive energy production. These important little fellas are in every cell in our body; some cells have a lot and some have fewer, but we need those mitochondria to work efficiently. We take the food we eat, convert it into molecules, and run those through the different cycles and oxidative phosphorylation in our mitochondria. It's more complicated than that, and we'll get into more at the end, but the key point is that the food we take in is what produces our energy — and there are many factors we can influence to become more efficient energy producers.
It's also important to note that our mitochondria inevitably become a little less efficient as we age, which is normal. There are ways to combat that. Beyond aging, metabolic dysfunction can inhibit mitochondrial efficiency, and things like menopause and andropause affect it too. There isn't one single thing that affects it primarily — they all contribute to how our energy is produced.
Factors That Affect Your Energy
Some of the biggest factors affecting energy production in our mitochondria are:
- **Diet and nutrition** — what we eat and how we eat it makes a big difference. - **Exercise** — personally, I think this is one of the most important things that can move the needle. It's hard to come by for a lot of people because of time and motivation, but movement in general is very important. - **Sleep** — sleep is underrated and needs to be overemphasized, because that's when we repair and get the machine ready to run efficiently the next day. Everyone has felt the difference after traveling or staying up too late. - **Stress** — stress has a huge impact and affects us from a lot of different angles. - **Environmental toxins** — chemicals, smoke, odors, additives, plastics, herbicides, and the like all affect the effectiveness and efficiency of our mitochondria. - **Genetics** — there are genetic factors too, but a genetic predisposition doesn't mean you can't do things to improve your efficiency as much as possible.
All of these things affect the mitochondria, which is what produces our energy, and in turn they affect our ATP production — something we really need to maximize.
How Common Metabolic Dysfunction Is
Some basic statistics on the prevalence of diabetes and metabolic dysfunction: roughly 34 million Americans have diabetes, which is incredible. But if you look at the general population, upwards of 90-plus percent of us are metabolically dysfunctional in some form or another — some more, some less. It could be something as simple as insulin resistance or a lipid disorder. With insulin resistance, people often don't know they have it until late, because traditional medicine typically doesn't look at your fasting insulin, which is really the first sign of a problem.
Insulin is what drives glucose into the cell — whether it's a muscle cell, a brain cell, or an intestinal cell. That glucose has to get into the cell and to the mitochondria to produce energy. If we have insulin resistance and can't move glucose into the cell efficiently, we have trouble producing ATP.
Enhancing Energy Through Exercise
So what can we do to enhance our energy levels? We really need to emphasize exercise, which can be done through aerobic training, resistance training — anything that improves your cardiorespiratory system will improve the efficiency of the mitochondria. When your body gets used to performing an activity, it adapts, and when it adapts it improves its mitochondrial efficiency. Your body is fully capable of getting rid of bad mitochondria and replacing them with good ones. That's the beauty of exercise — it's free, and you can improve your quality of life just by moving.
One reason exercise is so good for your mitochondria is that it can be uncomfortable. When we make our body uncomfortable, it creates activity inside us — "What do I need to do to sustain this and overcome this discomfort?" — and the body adapts. That's also why sauna and cold plunge can help increase mitochondrial efficiency. There are plenty of studies showing that if your body requires more energy, you'll increase the number of mitochondria in your cells — it's not a fixed number. This also improves recovery, which is something I always talk about with long-distance running or any activity longer than about an hour and a half. Your ability to recover is what allows you to keep going. We need to fuel the system, but the engine also has to run efficiently to keep moving.
Supplements for Mitochondrial Health
What supplements are good for mitochondrial health? A few worth mentioning:
- **Urolithin A** (such as Mitopure from Timeline Nutrition), which has been shown to improve mitochondrial efficiency by about 10 to 15%. We take it ourselves. - **Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)**, which is very important. - **Magnesium** — your cells can't run without it; it's essential for energy production. - **B vitamins.** - **Omega-3 fatty acids** and good healthy fats. - **Antioxidants** like alpha-lipoic acid, which your body produces and which are good for cellular health.
Since we're talking about antioxidants, it's worth talking about free radicals — the things antioxidants are there to combat and clean up. If we have free radicals being produced by inefficient, low-functioning mitochondria, they float around creating damage, whether in the brain or the arteries. Those things can be controlled. People have also talked about methylene blue and other nutritional strategies. A disclaimer here: this list is not all-inclusive. There are a lot of things you'll hear or read about that may or may not affect mitochondrial efficiency, and many still need more studies. What matters in the end is the overall energy production and reduction in fatigue.
It's Personal — and It's a Process
Something that affects you may not affect another person in the same way, and that's why this type of practice is really about seeing what works for you. Fortunately, it's a bit of an experiment to find what feels good in your body — it's truly a process to customize what works well for you. For instance, bioidentical hormone replacement works well for some people and not as well for others. But hormone optimization is one of the things we can do to improve energy production — testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid balance have all been shown to improve overall health, vitality, and energy. As we age, these levels decline, and people assume feeling tired is just part of aging. There are reasons for it, and we can slow the process down or control its progression by replacing those hormones.
Nutritional Strategies
Your body is replacing itself constantly — some structures within seven years, some sooner. Cells replace quickly, bone is constantly turned over, and muscle is regrown. We're not static. If we do our due diligence to increase our intake of whole foods and good protein sources — whether you're vegetarian, carnivore, or somewhere in between — there are ways to get the nutrients into our system to restore and improve cellular function.
It's also important to listen to your body when you eat things that don't agree with it. Over the years, there are things we used to eat and can't anymore, because we've become more in tune with how our body responds. Once you cut out the simple, highly processed carbs and start eating whole foods, good protein, leafy vegetables, and more fiber, your system sometimes doesn't tolerate the old stuff as well — which can throw off the GI tract with bloating, gas, or other issues.
Practical Tips to Improve Energy and Vitality
- **Sleep** — good sleep hygiene is essential for regeneration, regrowth, and repair. - **Hydration** — get enough fluids, and replace electrolytes if needed. It doesn't have to be a special powder; a little salt in your water can help. Good electrolyte balance is important for cellular health and function. - **Stress management** — who doesn't have stress these days? It's a matter of how you manage it. - **Mindfulness** — this helps manage stress and also gets us in tune with our body, so we can hear what it's telling us at the cellular level. Yoga and meditation are great for this. - **Regular health checkups** — whether with your primary care provider or a functional, integrative practice like ours, it's helpful to look at your metabolic parameters and biomarkers, including insulin resistance, to catch things before they become a problem.
Wrapping Up
It really all boils down to being aware and in tune with your body, and knowing that what you do daily — what you eat, how you act, how active you are — makes a difference in your energy output and reduces fatigue over the long run. We hope you've come away with a few small action steps you can implement to help increase mitochondrial function. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out — we're happy to talk about it. Small changes, big differences. Have a healthy day.