EVER felt burnt out and unable to recharge?
According to “professional biohacker” Dr Molly Maloof, the nation is experiencing “a human energy crisis”.
Our lifestyle choices are causing “mitochondrial dysfunction”Getty
These days, the most adult lives involve little exercise, desk jobs, binge drinking and snacking on processed food.
It’s this toxic combination of lifestyle choices that often leads to something, the former Stanford University lecturer, called “mitochondrial dysfunction”.
Mitochondria are essentially the batteries in our cells that power our lives. When they slow down we slow down, she said.
There are some tell-tale signs that you’ve hit the slump and your mitochondria is failing you, Dr Maloof told The Telegraph.
1. You are becoming reliant on constant snacking
It’s fair to say we all love the occasional snack.
But as we age our blood sugar levels become harder to regulate as our metabolism slows down leaving us more at risk to health issues like pre-diabetes and obesity.
Even those who appear ‘slim’ might have a struggling metabolism.
Keeping your blood sugar down and your metabolism at a fast pace helps your mitochondria work better and produce more energy, Dr Maloof said.
2. You are feeling disconnected from loved ones
When you don’t have enough hours in the day to spend time with loved ones, it’s not just your social life that suffers – your mitochondria does too, the expert said.
Oxytocin, the hormone that’s released when you spend time with people you love, helps support mitochondria.
Therefore we need loving social relationships to thrive, Dr Maloof explained.
3. You are experiencing premature greying
This evaporation of energy doesn’t just affect mid-lifers, but younger people, the expert said.
Premature greying is giveaway of stress affecting youngsters, which affects around 14 per cent of under 30s, one study found.
How to recharge
To reboot your mitochondria Dr Molly suggested waking up earlier.
Studies have shown that people in midlife who rise earlier tend to walk twenty to thirty more minutes than people who sleep in – which would help with weight-loss.
She also suggested making time for socialising with loved ones.
And cutting out snacking and trying to go five hours between meals, to train your body to use body fat as a source of energy.
Time restricted eating, with your first meal at 10am and last meal at 7pm, will also train your metabolism to become more flexible.
This will leave your body burning fat, instead of carbs, which helps with weight-loss.