The process through which mitochondria affect cell health and immune system is extremely sensitive to lifestyle. And that’s great news, especially during a viral pandemic.
Mitochondria, the energy plants in our cells, produce 95 percent of our daily energy needs. What’s good for the mitochondrion, is good for our overall health, performance, mindset, immune system and resistance to novel pathogens. It’s up to the individual to choose between boosting mitochondria and leaving them to drain.
Here are the top ways to boost your energy triggers and fortify your immune system.
1. MOVE
All forms of exercise belong to a mitochondrial green zone. Intensity has the most significant effect on mitochondrial respiration: marathon wears and tears; high-intensity interval training cleans and boosts.
- High-Impact Method (if you’re already in relatively good shape): Warm up for three minutes on a bike, treadmill, or jogging trail. Then rip it apart (max performance) for 30 seconds. Slow down for 90 seconds. Repeat the cycle eight times. Cool down for two minutes. The 20 minutes you spend on this protocol increases your HGH (human growth hormone) sevenfold, improves mitochondrial function, and lowers the risk of heart disease. Start with once a week, then twice.
- Less: Take a long walk in nature as often as possible.
2. BURN
Processing food into cellular fuel is heavy work for mitochondria. The more we eat, the more we cause mitochondrial labor. Less food means more time and energy for other tasks, like cleaning out mitochondrion corpses (mitophagy).
- Example: Leave a slight craving before you finish eating. The burn that stays through the day is not from hunger, but from cellular regeneration.
3. FAST
Mitochondrial duties are further reduced with intermittent fasting, which gives mitochondria a chance to fight oxidative and nitrosative damage. Intermittent fasting is habitual, relatively effortless, yet as efficient as long-term fasting, sans the extended suffering.
- Weekly Fast: Fast one day a week, drinking plenty of water (3-4 liters).
- Daily Fast: Eat within a 4-5-hour window, for example between 2 pm and 6 pm only.
4. KETO
A ketogenic diet is high in healthy fats and low in carbohydrates, which helps the liver produce so-called ketone bodies, a superior fuel to the body and brain. Mitochondria love ketosis, because ketones burn cleaner, causing less wear and tear in their ranks.
- Example: Limit simple carbohydrates like sugar, wheat, pasta, rice, and processed foods to the minimum. Take your carbs from whole foods, organic vegetables, and local organic farms. Respond to carb and sugar cravings with healthy fats from coconut oil, olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, and grass-fed meats. Cheat once a week if you need to.
5. DETOX
We can’t eliminate all the toxins from the modern environment (80,000 or so in the immediate vicinity), but we can remove the obvious.
- Example: Use only pure consumer care products. Exclude additives and preservatives. Drink clean water. Breathe clean air. Avoid industrial, processed, packaged, canned foods. Sweat a lot. Poo at least once a day. And avoid synthetic drugs (like painkillers) unless they are absolutely critical.
6. PERSONALIZE YOUR NUTRITION & SUPPLEMENTATION
We’re all different in terms of what type of foods and micro-nutrients we require. Few tests give a full understanding of how we can personalize our nutritional strategy aside from a full metabolomic test that is able to define a precise individualized protocol. Supplementation is also important, but only if we understand our individual needs. Fifty years ago, we didn’t have supplements, so why do we need them today? Because 50 years ago a piece of broccoli had 10 times the nutrients. Soil erosion has caused food erosion which has caused health erosion. Supplementation has become vital. With one caveat: the type of supplements we need are also highly individual.
7. TOUCH
We’re touch deficient, by default. Mitochondria prosper with a caring touch. A deep tissue massage also leads to mitochondrial biogenesis, the division of mitochondria. Touching, whether it is through affection or play, is one of the highest energy sources available. Respect the force. The force can be energy-giving or energy draining. We know which one is which.
Example: Hug.
8. NATURE
The Earth’s negatively charged electrons wipe out free radicals, which happen to be missing an electron. Nature is not just a sight, it’s a sight to digest.
- Example: Play with earth and dirt. Hike, trek or run deep and far, as often as you can, in nature. Any exposure to nature is regenerative, and one reason for this is Schumann Resonances.
- Example 2: Explore the therapeutic power of Vital Fields, used by top Swiss-German clinics to re-energize cells and counter chronic disease and fatigue with precise natural frequencies that support the body’s self-healing tendency.
9. ELECTROSMOG
The evidence against human-made EMF (electromagnetic fields) is solid but unrecognized. Microwaves hit mitochondria where it hurts most; at frequency level. EMF pollution has been linked to brain tumors, cancer, Alzheimer’s, migraines, Parkinson’s, osteoporosis, skin problems, behavioral problems in children, and DNA damage, with little media exposure. Cellphone radiation also disrupts the blood-brain barrier, allowing heavy metals and other toxins to enter the brain.
- Example: Cut down human-made EMF radiation from your living environment, especially at night. Put a kill-timer on the Wi-Fi. Auto-shutdown or put the cellphone on the flight safe. Avoid extended proximity to cellular stations or power lines. Learn more about harmful EMF sources here.
10. NATURAL LIGHT
We’re sunlight deficient, by default. Sunlight should cover two-thirds of our daily vitamin D needs. Natural light has a healing spectrum, which we need to greet during the day. Mitochondria love natural light. Human-made light, especially the one from our phones and screens, tells the amygdala that we’re ok with not sleeping.
Example: Take your shirt off for 20 minutes of sunlight per day. Put blue light filters on your phone and desktop screen or kill them altogether after 8 pm.
11. HYDRATION
Seventy percent of the population is dehydrated, a condition that wreaks havoc on mitochondria. Mitochondria guzzle water.
- Example: Drink three to four liters (up to a gallon) of water a day. Start the day with a liter (a quarter), which will also jumpstart the colon. The real challenge is finding clean and natural water, preferably spring water. If filtered water is the only source, re-mineralize with a pinch of Himalayan salt. Or use molecular hydrogen to improve hydration (recently used by Chinese hospitals to strengthen the immune system against COVID-19, as well).
12. MINDSET & PURPOSE
Work, relationships, hobbies, and other activities that we enjoy and find purposeful correlate with longer telomeres. Telomeres are the aglets at the end of shoelaces, except that the shoelace is made of DNA. When the lace unfolds, we age. Telomeres are extremely measurable, and thereby a practical yardstick of mitochondrial health. According to a major telomere study, the bad guys that wreak the most havoc on telomeres and mitochondria are chronic stress, negative thoughts like fear and anxiety, hidden trauma, strained relationships and bad neighborhoods – factors that we don’t necessarily even notice, but need to acknowledge, before we can address them.
Improving the immune system by serving our little energy plants, the mitochondria, is our best bet to deal with hostile micro-organisms.
We’re designed to be self-regenerating, self-healing wonders when we have enough energy!
Jan Wellmann
