Daily Tip #22: Boost Mitochondrial Energy with Cold Exposure
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VARSHA: [00:00:00] Have you ever had to drag yourself outta bed, drink multiple caffeinated beverages, only to find that you are still low energy by 2:00 PM. Then you will wanna stay tuned as today's daily habit challenge has to do with our body's energy producers, the mitochondria. Mitochondria are tiny power plants inside each of your cells that literally create the energy from the foods we eat.
They convert your proteins, fats, and carbs into energy. When they're working well, you feel optimal, clearheaded and resilient. ~When they're struggling, you will feel low motivation. Oh you, ~when they're struggling, you will feel low motivation and feel like you are walking through mud. Your mitochondria are waging a daily battle against many forces that most people don't even realize exists when these energy factories start breaking down your cells, tissues, organs are not getting the energy they need ~factors that affect, ~here are some factors that affect your mitochondria.
Number one are environmental toxins. These cause oxidative stress, which damages your mitochondrial DNA, so they are not as efficient. [00:01:00] Toxins include heavy metals, pesticides, plastics, and mold toxins. Number two are lifestyle factors. Processed foods, oxidized fats, alcohol, poor sleep, chronic stress, and lack of exercise can affect mitochondrial health.
Number three are nutrient deficiencies. The mitochondria are very dependent on vitamins to help create energy. Some of the most important ones are B vitamins, magnesium and co-enzyme Q 10, and there are many other minerals and vitamins that they are dependent on.
Number four , chronic infections such as COVID, Epstein-Barr virus, which is mono, and chronic inflammation, such as autoimmune disease can cause damage to your mitochondria.
Even ~systemic, ~systemic inflammation from poor gut health can affect your mitochondria. Number five is excessive blue light, especially an hour before bed. ~And number seven is aging. Just as we get older, our mitochondria decrease in number.~
And number six is aging. As we get older, our mitochondria naturally decline in number and aren't as efficient at producing energy. But there are things you can do [00:02:00] to try to ward that off.
If your mitochondria are not working optimally and you're not making the energy, you're gonna have symptoms. Your brain is going to have brain fog or mood issues because it's not getting all the energy it needs to normally run its processes or for your neurons to communicate.
Your muscles don't get enough energy, so you might start having weakness and fatigue.
~You also might start noticing energy crashes through the day. Oh shit.~
You might also start noticing energy crashes through the day because your mitochondria just aren't able to sustain a steady energy output.
But your mitochondria aren't doomed. They are remarkably adaptable. There are some things that you can do to help improve your mitochondrial efficiency, and that leads me to today's daily habit challenge cold exposure.
Now, do be sure that you check with your healthcare provider to make sure that it is okay for you to do today's Daily Habit Challenge. ~But if they give you the go ahead, then what I would recommend.~
Today's daily habit challenge is ending your shower with 30 seconds of cold water. The cold exposure acts as a wake up call for your mitochondria.
When you step into the cold [00:03:00] water, your body suddenly needs more energy to keep your core temperature stable. That demand forces your mitochondrial to work harder, and just like as you have to make your muscles work harder, sometimes the mitochondria also can get stronger when they are challenged periodically.
And they can become more efficient. Research suggests that repeated cold exposure can stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis, which means you can make more mitochondria.
The cold activates y our brown fat, and this is a special type of fat that's packed with mitochondria and brown fat burns more calories to generate heat, which helps keep you warm and this can increase your mitochondrial function. The key is to start small. If you can't do. 30 seconds and just try 10 seconds and slowly increase.
The goal is to just try to train your body to a small amount of what we call hormetic stress. Because a little bit of hormetic stress can make your body more resilient over time.
[00:04:00] This is different than like the chronic day-to-day in your face stress. This is just a little bit now. Short cold exposure also boosts your no epinephrine, which is a brain neurotransmitter that plays a role in focus. So that's a little extra bonus, but when you support your mitochondria, everything feels better.
~You'll have more energy.~
When you support your mitochondria, though, you'll start to have more energy, better moods, and better sleep. If you enjoy today's video, please follow, subscribe so you don't miss out on future tips. Please leave a rating or review if you're listening to this on the podcast, it helps other people discover my podcast so they can benefit from these daily habits.
~And if you know anybody that might be interested and ~if you know anybody that can benefit from these daily habit challenges, please share. ~Thanks for listening or watching and have a fantastic day. ~Please also note there are some free downloadables in the description. So be sure to check that out. And if you haven't already, make sure you check out my YouTube channel.
Thanks for listening or watching, and Have a Fantastic Day!
