How To Improve Your Mitochondrial Health
You may remember from high school biology that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. The human body is basically 30 trillion cells working together. Therefore if the mitochondria are the powerhouse of your cells, they are the powerhouse for the entire body and can influence your body’s energy level.
If you feel low energy throughout the day, it might be time to do something for your mitochondrial health.
But before we go any further, we need to mention a few things. You don’t need to try to improve your mitochondrial health if you don’t:
1. Sleep a minimum of six and half hours a night
If you don’t get adequate sleep, you’re tired. Your hormones will be out of whack, and you’ll have less energy.
2. Walk or exercise at least 30 minutes a day
Physical activity and exercise boost your energy level and improve your mitochondrial health.
3. Avoid sugar in the morning
Sugar spikes your insulin levels and just anecdotally makes you sleepy. Just think about how you feel after eating hard-boiled eggs versus a stack of pancakes. Or what happens to a kid after you give them sugar, an energy spike, and then a crash.
4. Drink enough water
Dehydration is the answer to most of life’s small ailments. If you are dehydrated, you could feel sleepy or hungry. Also, if you get muscle cramps or hemorrhoids, you might be dehydrated. The problems not drinking enough water can cause really run the gamut. So, here is a complete article about how much you should drink.
If you didn’t check those four boxes, I’d give them a try before moving on to the rest of this article.
Suppose you lead a relatively healthy lifestyle, get adequate sleep, eat a generally healthy diet, and do at least thirty minutes of movement daily. In that case, improving your mitochondrial health can significantly improve your energy levels!
WAYS TO IMPROVE MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting can cause mitochondrial biogenesis(the process by which cells increase mitochondrial numbers) and improve mitochondrial function. A lot of people get intimidated by the idea of fasting. However, intermittent fasting is not as hard as it sounds. Start by picking a ten-hour window during the day when you are going to eat. I’d suggest something like 10 am-8 pm, but work it around your schedule. Then do your best not to eat anything outside that window.
Starting with a ten-hour window is very approachable for most people, but if you are hungry during fasting time, try drinking water, tea, or coffee but skip the cream and sugar.
Want to know more about intermittent fasting for weight loss? I wrote an entire article about just that.
Heavy Lifting
A 2017 study found that “high-load resistance exercise can stimulate mitochondrial function.” High load resistance exercise can mean different things for different people. I have trained clients from all walks of life in my career as a personal trainer, and I can tell you one thing for sure: everyone is unique. A high load for a fit 30-year-old might be light work for a heavy-set 60-year-old.
When getting started with lifting heavy, I strongly recommend working with a trainer. Luckily, I know a great one that works on Zoom.
Lifting heavy weights is all about having good form; if you try to lift something heavy without proper form and a proper warm-up, you will get injured. You are reading this to improve your health, so work your weight up slowly and safely.
High-Intensity Exercise
This might seem similar to the previous point, but there is a difference between high-intensity exercise and heavy load. For one, high-intensity exercise may seem more approachable than heavy resistance training to most people. Second, you don’t need any equipment to start doing it today.
You could go outside and run sprints to improve your mitochondrial health. In fact, I’d strongly recommend it. Sprints are a great workout and can help increase your energy levels. A few months back, I did sprints every day for thirty days, and here were the results.
Although you could choose any high-intensity exercise, exercise bike, jump rope, rowing, you name it, just make sure you are going at high intensity. Don’t try to go 100%, but you shouldn’t be able to talk to someone while doing it. Depending on the exercise will determine the sets you should do, but you could always start with a simple workout, like ten, thirty-second sprints.
Cold Therapy
Cold therapy is the rage lately, and with good reason. It helps reduce inflammation, strengthen your immune system, and increase your energy levels. Cold exposure can even help you lose weight and fight depression.
In addition, it can help you build up brown fat, a mitochondria-rich tissue, and help your body generate heat. Which is all well and good, but it doesn’t make getting into an ice bath any easier.
Cold therapy is excellent in practice but a hard habit to maintain. I recommend that anyone interested in cold therapy start with a cold shower. Well, start with the shower water warm and then after a few minutes, turn it over to cold and see if you can hang in there for ninety seconds. Then turn the water back to warm. Over time you’ll increase the duration as you feel more comfortable. For more tips on making cold showers easier, I have a whole article on the topic.
We could all benefit from more energy, which is the beauty of improving your mitochondrial health! All of the above strategies cost nothing, are non-addictive, and can be done from the comfort of your home. So give them a try, and watch how your energy level improves.
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How To Make Cold Showers Easier
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