What’s the best way to give yourself an energy boost naturally?
Well, with nutrition, of course! Eating the foods that contain an array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients and more at least 80% of the time will help increase your overall energy.
But what happens to those nutrients? Why are they so important?
Mitochondria: Energy Powerhouses
Almost every one of your cells has mitochondria (some even have more than 1!). Ninety percent of your energy is made inside your mitochondria.
These little organelles take in certain nutrients and convert them through very intricate biological processes into ATP. That’s your ‘energy currency’.
And, if you’re searching for that energy boost, it’s the mitochondria you need to be looking at!
After all, mitochondria are vital to our health and energy production. Plus, healthy mitochondria will even slow down the aging process.
8 Ways to Give Yourself an Energy Boost
Prioritize sleep
Get your 7-9 hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep each night. Studies show that less than 7 hours of sleep each night can cause a drop in mitochondria DNA. More mitochondria DNA means a more refreshing sleep and better focus overall.
A disruption in your circadian rhythm can reduce mitochondria function, too.
Without adequate sleep, it’s hard to get that energy boost you’re looking for!
I mean, ever felt groggy and foggy after a poor sleep?
Eat less food, but not too little
Overeating is like overcharging the battery on your car. Only with the mitochondria, that overcharge of energy molecules disrupts its ability to make energy.
At the same time, the hormones that help signal energy usage and production become imbalanced. And the mitochondria go into overdrive to try to deal with the excess of calories.
What happens is that each time the mitochondria have to convert oxygen and nutrients into ATP, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced.
More ROS in your body leads to more inflammation, which leads to problems with mitochondria energy production.
However, because eating too few calories will trigger your stress response, make sure you’re getting enough food each day to support overall health.
Move your body daily
Both a sedentary lifestyle and too much (or the wrong) exercise can deplete mitochondria function.
Get your body moving for 30 minutes each day. All you need to do is walk, if that’s what feels good.
For exercise, focus on HIIT moves and strength training. Avoid long, steady-state cardio while recovering from chronic fatigue.
Avoid eating for at least 12 hours each day
Intermittent fasting (IF) is one of the latest hypes being used for many health improvements, including weight loss and higher energy.
For women with chronic fatigue, practicing IF with care can give you an energy boost overtime.
Studies show that regular, daily periods without food do improve mitochondria function. The longer we go without food, the more likely our bodies switch from carb-burning to fat-burning. And using fat as energy is better for energy.
Using fat as energy also reduces ROS toxicity to the cells.
But practice IF with caution: Women with chronic fatigue need to remember that going too long without eating will trigger a stress response.
Avoid added pressure on your adrenals by sticking to a daily 12-16 hour fast only. You’ll get a better energy boost from eating 2-3 main meals within your eating window.
Ditch dairy, grains, sugar, and vegetable oils.
Inflammation inhibits energy production. And these are the top pro-inflammatory foods in the North American diet.
Vegetable oils promote oxidative stress that prevents mitochondria from performing healthy energy production.
Sugar is toxic to the cells. Many of our grains are sprayed with glyphosate, a harmful, potentially carcinogenic, herbicide.
The hormones in dairy disrupt our own hormonal balance.
Your mitochondria are highly sensitive to oxidative stress, toxins, hormones, and inflammation.
Ditch these 4 foods completely for optimal mitochondria health.
Practice daily stress management
Psychological stress is probably the biggest contributor to chronic fatigue in women over 35.
And many women don’t put themselves first, neglecting to prioritize their own health. This creates more stress load on the body, further interrupting energy production.
To give yourself an energy boost, schedule in 15-30 minutes of stress management activities each day.
If you’re not sure where to start, meditation, deep belly breathing, or a hot bath with a good book will help.
Boost Your Antioxidants
Many of our daily activities generate free radicals throughout our bodies: stress, poor food choices, pollutants on our drive to work, etc.
And oxidative stress acts like a draw bridge pulled up to prevent mitochondria from making energy for you.
Combat the free radicals with lots of antioxidants in your diet.
Enjoy 8-10 servings of fresh vegetables and fruit each day, the more varied the colors the better. And definitely indulge in a piece or two of dark chocolate while you’re at it.
Support an Energy Boost with Specific Supplements
The majority of the nutrients your mitochondria need are in your healthy, whole foods-based diet.
For some extra support, here is my list of go-to supplements:
- N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
- Coenzyme Q10
- Magnesium
- B complex
- Curcumin
- Alpha Lipoic Acid
Need Help With Your Energy Boost Plan?
Piecing together the many, many moving parts in chronic fatigue recovery is overwhelming. Not only do you have to consider your mitochondria, but you also have to focus on the 3 main health imbalances behind poor energy production.
Chronic stress creates a stress load that disrupts your adrenal function.
A stealth infection, exposure to toxins, and your stress load boost your level of chronic low-grade inflammation.
And psychological stress, past trauma and major changes in your life set your nervous system up to stay stuck in “fight or flight”.
To get an energy boost and live a life full of vitality and adventure, work on all 3 of these imbalances…at the same time!
I’ve created my Energy & Hormonal Rebalance System to help busy women like you get back their energy naturally following my 4-part systematic approach.
If you’d like to learn more about how I can help you reboot your energy in as little as 6 months, please check out this link.
