Weekly Blog

Jan 23

It probably seems a little "off" to still be talking about New Year's resolutions with the end of January coming up quickly. It's definitely not the first time I've been called a little "off" :), but I'd much rather we think of the last 3 weeks as building a case that took some time but is worthy of action...which means now is that time.

In case you missed it, in week 1, we jumped on 3 themes identified by a large group that could act as resolutions (MOVE more, ENDURE better, and invest time and energy into home-cooked meals) and then explored some of the possibilities that could compound the effect. Growing the food that supplies the meals to increase the nutrient density seemed especially good. Then in week 2, we tried to find the root "why" that made these 3 endeavors particularly good ones. We came up with "energy management", specifically the transformation and transportation of energy through our cells, as something all 3 resolutions could help with. Then in week 3, we dove a bit deeper to show how energy and the apparatus that allows us to keep it flowing well, touch a variety of areas that might not otherwise seem connected, including: sleep health, cancer, and emotional distress. There are, of course, many, many more, but now it's time to add the final bits and (hopefully) answer what the best next steps are if we are ready to repair, restore, or bolster our health by improving the energy apparatus and its function.

The short answer, which no one, including me, prefers is of course, "it depends". Where we are starting plays a major role in what action to take, which means assessing before proceeding. 

Let's start zoomed out: For anyone at the edge of or beyond the preventative end of the spectrum - whether diagnosed with a condition that includes fatigue as a central component (e.g., post-infection syndromes) or not diagnosed necessarily but always feeling tired, run down physically, and/or emotionally drained or regularly irritable - the best step 1 is to involve professionals. Start with a consultation with one of the members of our team to dive a little deeper or seek out another trusted health professional to have the conversation with. Getting another brain on complex problems increases the odds of finding direction.

For those who might fit within the "at-risk" category, doing some version of a functional self-assessment might be a great step. Generally speaking, growing (but not necessarily limiting) fatigue, sleep disturbance, a few persistent pounds from the holidays, or possibly biomarker changes like increased blood sugar, triglycerides, or blood pressure - would all be signs. Day to day, I often use the walking test described a couple of weeks back (walk briskly but not hard for 5-15 minutes and ask yourself if you feel better, worse, or the same afterward). If I'm more tired, I chalk it up to being truly drained and focus on RECOVER, while if I'm more energized, I consider ways to challenge the system a bit. Of course this same approach could be done by considering energy levels after a meal (and identifying foods that energize and foods that drain), or, perhaps most classically assessing how well rested we feel first thing in the morning after experimenting with sleep hygiene tactics to ease the transition to good sleep. Using heart rate or blood pressure data to make it more precise is probably even better. Bottom line, for the at-risk group, I often recommend experimenting - test, try something, and retest - to find the formula that gets the results you're looking for. There are SO many little things that can have an impact. HERE is an AI-generated list of 100 that might inspire.

Last, for those who are already well on their way to solid baseline health, gaining momentum or closer to the performance end of the spectrum, now may be the time to start thinking about how to challenge the energy apparatus to maintain or improve its adaptability. While certainly not perfect, I really like simple calculators like those offered HERE as a fun assessment. Changing different variables on the biological age or metabolic age calculators, for example, can be a great help in deciding which is the "best right" area to focus on. I was impressed by how much losing a few pounds or adding another day of exercising per week could do. It makes sense, of course. Since aerobic fitness is a large part of what drives the energy system, as reviewed here, the treadmill or indoor rower should probably be a prominent feature in many energy management plans for folks at this level...it definitely will be in mine. However, those in this bucket should also never forget the cautionary tale of attempting to "outrun a bad diet" or the near futility of burning the candle at both ends by diminishing the "regenerative window" of sleep.

For me personally, 2 of the 3 original resolution ideas fit particularly well - MOVE more, which will include a refocus on aerobic training this year as one of the most well-proven ways to improve energy apparatus and investing more time and energy into making home-cooked meals more nutrient-dense (in the garden) and more frequent (on the table). 

I hope you, too, have found something that has or, with work, will energize you this year. Now we start.

Have a great weekend,

Mike E.