The telltale signs that you’re completely drained – and how to recharge
Is your cell phone housekeeping perfect? According to Dr. Molly Malouf, if you’re in a midlife energy slump and you’re feeling tired, depressed, and having a low libido, your cells may not be recharging. A “professional biohacker” and former lecturer at Stanford University, she currently works with Silicon Valley head honchos, A-listers, and the general public to explore mitochondrial function (“powering life”). We value the intracellular battery that gives us “the battery”) and help us create the lifestyle we want. Tweaks to rekindle the lost spark of middle age.
“We are collectively experiencing a human energy crisis, and the underlying fatigue that plagues many is the result of mitochondrial dysfunction,” Maloof explains. The goal is not just to live longer, but to extend healthy life expectancy.
Maloof does it through biohacking. The term may sound disconcertingly high-tech, but it doesn’t have to be, she says. What that means is monitoring individual aspects of your body. sleep For example, it tracks how they get better or worse, such as blood sugar and blood pressure, and identifies lifestyle factors that may be contributing to it.
“Admittedly, there are still some high-tech gadgets out of reach for many of us, but the old methods are often just as convenient, if not more convenient, than the new ones,” says Maloof. say. During sleep, for example, you can choose to go analog (which writes down how many hours you’re getting) or an enhanced smartwatch that depicts your rest, breathing, and heart rate throughout the night. Whatever you choose, here’s how to find your slump, make the necessary changes, and reboot your cells to make 2023 more vibrant.
find the signs
Maloof articulates why many people lose their luster in middle age. “Frankly, this is a result of our lifestyle,” she says. The combination of age-related lack of exercise, desk work, and years of accumulating wine at night and processed food during the day can “break the engine of your cells.”
There are clear signs that you are in a slump and your mitochondrial function (and ultimately energy) is declining. Evaporation of this “spark” affects not only middle-aged people, but also young people, she added. stressful job Or home life (premature graying is another giveaway).
Maloof was there. As a medical student, she found herself perpetually sedentary after being a very fit teen. She was no longer happy and no longer herself. She began monitoring her sleep, fitness, and personal relationships, making sure she had enough time for each to get her through the day. This took her from being an average student to ranking in her 99th percentile of an exam cohort (she then taught students at Stanford University how to optimize performance through lifestyle changes). designed a course to teach the “The equation is simple: more energy = better performance.”
Reboot Metabolic Health
Much of that performance is driven by metabolic health. “We need to move away from this notion that BMI is the most important biomarker… [as] Many people are metabolically unhealthy and not obese.”
Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels can become more difficult as we age (and as our cells deteriorate) due to the potential risk of insulin resistance and pre-diabetes. A woman in her 60s underwent a series of blood tests to seriously assess her health and found that “her triglycerides [a form of fat] was off the charts.her homeostein [a possible indicator of vitamin deficiency that elevates risk of heart disease and dementia] It was really expensive.”
the woman was not an obvious candidate to struggle metabolismweight-wise, however, on a diet high in homemade sourdough and fond of wine and fruit juices, her blood sugar levels were not. This reduced both her weight and inflammation.
Maloof says it’s important to make your metabolism flexible as well as functional. The more your body can switch from burning carbs to fat, the easier it will be to process food and avoid insulin resistance and fat storage.
What should I do: Maloof suggests skipping snacks and allowing five hours between meals to train your body to use body fat as an energy source. Timed meals, with the first meal at 10am and the last meal at 7pm, also work your metabolism and increase your flexibility.
stress right
Hormesis occurs when a small amount of stress is placed on the body, ultimately producing a positive effect. “When administered properly, stress is beneficial because it signals the mitochondria to boost energy production to meet ongoing demand. It gives you the ability to do it.”
This requires extreme caution, but Marouf warns against tactics that extreme biohackers put too much stress on the body, ultimately reducing its resilience. If you go over it, your body will collapse.”
What should I do: Fast for 12 hours (preferably 16 hours) each day and eat only during specified periods. After that, do high-intensity workouts (no more than 60-90 minutes of his HIIT workouts per week) with plenty of rest days to keep him exposed to the cold. For example, a cold plunge he into a pool followed by a sauna.
move more
The more energy our mitochondria produce, the more energy they continue to produce. So if you spend the rest of your day sitting down, one gym session isn’t enough to kickstart the process.
Especially for women over the age of 50, especially those with declining estrogen levels, the first area to focus on is weight training to maximize bone (“Fewer repetitions, heavier weights are recommended for women at this stage in life”). I advise you to lift the .”). Increases density and reduces the chance of osteoporosis and frailty. Also take into account plyometrics (activities involving jumps such as skipping and hopping). These are “perfect for strengthening bones and maintaining power and speed.” Maloof advises keeping her daily steps in her 7,500-11,000 range, or 11,000 or higher if she’s aiming for the “Very Active” rank.
A second critical area for sustaining exercise is non-exercise activity thermogenesis (or NEAT) – minor tasks that consume energy. Then he prioritizes inefficiencies, such as bringing in one bag at a time and parking farthest from the supermarket entrance.
What should I do: Fold the laundry between TV commercials, fine-tune your wake-up time (“Studies show that middle-aged people tend to walk 20 to 30 minutes longer than sleepers. ), adopting the “3/30 rule”. ‘, every 30 minutes he sets a reminder on his phone to move for 3 minutes. “True health is built on daily habits and consistency over time.”
men and women react differently
Focusing on and improving individual areas such as cholesterol and sleep quality means that cells can produce more energy, which can extend healthy lifespans. Biology must be taken into account. For example, stress can significantly reduce thyroid function (needed to regulate metabolism and thus energy) in women. This problem is less pronounced in men.
Our chromosomes also affect other regions. Maloof put his keto diet (high-fat, low-carb) on various clients and found that men lost weight and lived longer, healthier lives. ”
This is because childbirth, parenting, and menopause are the times of major hormonal changes that often result in metabolic dysfunction (whereas men experience a more simple “childhood-adult-senior” cycle). There are three life stages). .
Women are also disproportionately affected by oxytocin, the “love hormone,” according to Maloof. It is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that is “extremely protective for heart health”. So you need loving social relationships to thrive…. The easiest thing you can do to optimize your health is actually strengthen your social connections. “
