
8 min read
Are your body's energy factories under-performing?
There are a multitude of reasons why so many people suffer from TATT - or feel ‘tired all the time‘.
If you‘re struggling to find enough time to sleep because you‘re flat out with work, or if your sleep is disrupted by ‘litluns‘, for example, the causes will be obvious.
Looking on the bright side, improving your life-work balance or waiting till your kids‘ sleep patterns have settled will sort you out.
But if you suffer insomnia, or sleep a full 7 or more hours and continue to feel exhausted, there‘s something else going on. How‘s your immune system?
Finding you have difficulty shaking off bugs, or do you suffer their consequences more than others you know who seem to have boundless energy?
All of these (and other) symptoms can point back to under-performance from the tiny energy-producing units (organelles) with which are cells are endowed, known as mitochondria.
If we don‘t have sufficient numbers of mitochondria, or they are small in volume, our capacity to produce energy is reduced - sometimes severely.
Mitochondria can get their energy from any of the three fuels we consume: carbohydrates, fats or protein.
These all get converted into our body‘s key fuel, ATP - which stands for adenosine triphosphate. Fat yields by far the most energy, that‘s why you‘ll see in the energy calculations on food labels that each gram of fat converts to 9 calories (kcal) or energy, as against 4 kcal for carbs and protein.
But to make our millions of little energy factories work properly, we also need a bunch of nutrient co-factors that we can only get from our diets.
That includes most of the B vitamins, vitamin C, the minerals magnesium, zinc, selenium, iodine, manganese, copper, calcium and iron - and coenzyme Q10.
Having enough of these nutrients in your body is a bit like putting fuel in the tank of your car. But you still need to make sure the motor works and that it‘s serviced properly for the car to run properly.
This is where things so often go awry in today‘s world, where daily living - and working - involves so much less in the way of regular physical activity compared with the environment in which we evolved.
Putting this into perspective, our genome has changed little over the last 20,000 years - and during most of this time our ancestors were physically very active for a much of the time.
Hunter-gatherer lifestyles that are the predominant ones that have shaped our genome actually revolved around cycles of intense physical activity linked to hunting and gathering, followed by periods of feeding and resting.
It couldn't be more of a contrast from our modern much more sedentary lifestyles, with refrigerators, supermarkets, corner stores and garages bursting with food, often very rich in simple carbs (refined grains, sugar) and processed fats.
Over the last decade or so we've learned a lot about what makes our mitochondria snap back into action, developing in both density and volume.
Here‘s a few pointers
Don‘t stay seated for more than an hour at a time
Regularly counteracting gravity, be it through going to make a cuppa for your colleagues or friends, bouncing on a rebounder, running up some stairs, or doing some press-ups, sit-ups or other body-weight exercises, should be built into your daily routine.
This is particularly important if your job is sedentary. Set a timer to remind yourself that your hour‘s up and it‘s time to stand up! You might also want to consider a standing desk.
Incorporate some high intensity interval training (HITT) into your week‘s activity
ideally around 3 times a week. How hard you push yourself during your intense phase that might last between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, is going to depend on your level of fitness and underlying health.
If you‘re unsure what‘s right for you, consult a personal trainer. Try your HIIT sessions in a fasted state, ideally after an overnight fast that‘s run for over 12 hours (yes, that might means doing your HIIT before breakfast, or even skipping breakfast).
Within 30 minutes or so of completing the session, you should indulge in 20 grams of high quality, highly digestible, hypoallergenic protein - and Nuzest‘s Clean Lean Protein is as good as it gets.
Have you tried intermittent fasting?
If you haven‘t, now‘s maybe the time - knowing it‘s what your mitochondria love! That could mean not eating more frequently that every 5 hours, giving up snacks between meals, eating just two meals rather than three meals a day - or doing the 5-2 diet, where two days a week you drastically restrict your food intake to around 500-600 kcal a day.
Include some longer bouts of endurance training into your weekly activity
That can be anything from longer walks, cycle rides, swimming, kayaking - take your pick.
These activities should ideally be 2 hours or more as during the first 90 minutes or so you‘ll just be burning stored carbohydrate in the form of glycogen in your muscles and liver. After this you start burning fat - your mitochondria‘s favourite and cleanest endurance fuel.
Your fat fuel can come both from your own body fat, and fats your consumed in your diet. These should all be healthy fats like hydroxytyrosol-rich, cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil, MCTs from coconut oil and Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils or algal sources.
Take it easy on Omega-6 rich polyunsaturated acids that are the predominant fats in most cheaper vegetable oils, over-consumption of which prevent our anti-inflammatory responses from working properly.
Make sure your body has all the cofactors your mitochondria need for making energy. The easiest way to do this is by taking a serve of Nuzest‘s Good Green Vitality each day - or even two half serves twice daily if you prefer.
We‘ve formulated this product especially for all 12 of your body systems - with your energy-yielding metabolism and protection from oxidative stress being key to helping your mitochondria work to their full potential - just as nature intended.
Read more:
Save yourself from being tired all the time...
Getting out and moving your body for those who just don't want to...
Related news
min read
How To Get Rid Of Stress With Nutrition
Good Green Vitality conatins vitamins, minerals, and vital nutrients to further support your body's ability to manage stress, and increase your energy levels throughout the day.
min read
The Best Protein Bliss Ball Recipes
The most delicious protein bliss balls. Made with Nuzest.
min read
How to Kick Start Your Energy
Top tips on how to fight fatigue and get your energy back on track.
min read
The Best Protein Pancake Recipes
The best protein pancakes ever! Made with Nuzest Clean Lean Protein and Kids Good Stuff.
min read
Top 10 Best Protein Porridge Recipes
A list of our favourite porridge recipes of all time, using Nuzest products.
min read
All You Need To Know About Pea Protein & Pea Protein Benefits
Everything you need to know about Pea Protein Powder and it's benefits.
min read
International Women's Day - Tips for Womens Health
Top tips for supporting your health as a women.
min read
How to cope in times of sickness
There is so much information about preventing yourself from getting sick, but what about when we do get sick? It is bound to happen at some point, so it's good to also prepare yourself for times of sickness.
min read
Veganuary - Tips for adding more plant-based foods to your diet.
Benefits of adding more plant-based foods to your diet.
min read
An Interview With Claudia Kelly
We sat down with Claudia Kelly to chat about her life as a New Zealand athlete.
min read
Top Tips For Mindful Eating Over The Holidays - Less Stressed, More Blessed"
6 tips for a happier and healthier holiday.
min read
Kids Good Stuff for Brain Health
Key nutrients in Kids Good Stuff to support brain health in kids.
min read
How Can Something So Small, Be So Nutritious?
Why I’m loving the new Good Green Vitality bars – a personal review by Michelle Yandle
min read
End the food fight - How to work with picky eaters
Would you describe your child as a fussy eater? Are mealtimes stressful? Do you worry that your child isn’t getting enough nutritionally? Let's end the food fight!
min read
The Importance Of Protein For Hair, Skin & Nails
There is often an emphasis placed on taking care of your hair, skin and nails from the outside, but what about nourishing from within?
min read
The Link Between Gut Health & Skin
Did you know that the health of your gut can affect the health of your skin? The word 'microbiota' refers to the group of beneficial, and pathogenic micro-organisms found in a fixed environment, like the gut. In this blog, we explore the link between gut health and skin health
min read
Kids Good Stuff for Skin Health
How can you ensure your kids have healthy skin? A part from the obvious, what nutrients can we provide our kids to ensure their skin stays in tip top shape?
min read
Why Is Protein So Important As We Age?
Humans are living longer and longer. How excellent is that? However, if we are not taking care of our bodies the best we can, our bodies may struggle to perform their best as body composition begins to change as we grow older.
min read
The Brain Boosting Benefits of Panax Ginseng
Ginseng, an herbal medicine in widespread use globally, is one ingredient in Good Green Vitality chosen for its brain-boosting potential.
min read
How To Optimise Brain Heath & Function
To optimise brain function we must consider the health of our second brain – the gut! But how do we make sure we are feeding our gut the right nutrients it needs?
min read
Moving Beyond Diets, An Interview With Michelle Yandle
We sat down with Michelle Yandle, HPN Certified Nutrition Coach and got a little insight into who she is, what she does and why she is so passionate about it!
min read
Nutrients for immune health that aren't vitamin C
While vitamin C can certainly help, there are heaps of other foods that contain powerful properties to keep our immune system healthy, some of which may be surprising.
min read
Protein For Kids 101
Why is protein so important for growing kids? How much protein does a child need? What are the best sources of protein? How can I increase protein in my child’s diet? We get up close and personal with protein and why it is so important for our little ones.
min read
How to keep your gut happy
A happy healthy gut needs a few things to continue to function optimally - a healthy balance of bacteria, a strong immune system and naturally, an intact lining. So how do we make sure we have all these things? Michelle Yandle explains.
min read
Is Protein Only Good For Sports Recovery?
You may have heard a myth that you need to consume protein immediately after a workout to maximise muscle growth. Is this the same with preventing recovery? Are the gym goers and fitness fanatics who chug shakes immediately after a workout doing so for muscle repair as well? Well we have the answers.
min read
Pea Protein Vs Whey Protein? Why we use European Peas in our Clean Lean Protein
Protein powder supplements aid the supply of amino acids to the body and can support individuals to reach their health goals. They are a nutrient dense and convenient way to support your daily protein intake. Clean Lean Protein is made from the highest quality European Golden Peas and provides the building blocks for vitality, repair, recovery and muscle growth.
min read
Creative Ways To Upcycle Your Nuzest Tubs
Nuzest tubs use #2 HDPE plastic and are 100% recyclable when the labels are removed, and the powder is cleaned out. Recycling is great, but how about upcycling? There are some awesome ways you could upcycle your Nuzest containers, which can be super fun, stylish and save you money.
min read
Dancing her way to the top - Interview with Christa Albert
We sat down with Nuzest Ambassador and Professional Dancer, Christa Albert, to chat about her dancing career, goals and how she maintains her performance.
min read
Good Green Vitality For Energy
So, what is it that makes Good Green Vitality and Kids Good Stuff such a powerful energy booster? Besides the obvious benefits of having all your daily requirements for vitamins and minerals there is a secret sauce to the ingredients in both Good Green Vitality and Kids Good Stuff that gives an extra kick.
min read
Getting Started With A Gentle Approach To Nutrition
Here are some simple steps to getting started with taking care of your body in a way that feels through gentle nutrition.
min read
Nutrition & Lifestyle for Ultimate Health & Wellbeing
Good health is the foundation for our mental and physical performance. It also allows us to be in a good position to deal with health conditions and the many other things that life throws our way. Despite many of us being confused about the best way to shape our nutrition and lifestyle behaviours for optimal health, there are many simple changes that can be made to enhance our overall wellbeing.
min read
What Makes Clean Lean Protein so unique?
All around the world, the shelves are flooded with protein powders – whey, soy, pea, insect, you name it, it's available. So, what makes our Clean Lean Protein so unique in a sea of worthy competitors?
min read
Maximising Mood In Your Kids
Almost 1 in 7 children and adults aged 4-17 had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Amy Butler discusses good nutrition and lifestyle modifications, that can help to reduce the risk.
min read
Long-Lasting Energy For Kids
Children and adolescents are going through massive periods of growth and development. To keep up with the demands of school, extracurricular activities, sports and friendships, kids often need a bit of an energy boost. In our latest blog we break down some specific nutrients for energy, to help support growing kids, and the best places to source them from.
min read
Setting Health Goals & Staying Motivated in 2021
Goal setting is easy, yet it can become overwhelming when trying to achieve and plan for too many goals at once. This year try setting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART) goals so you can stay on track and feel motivated (beyond February) to achieve them.
Use this tried and tested goal strategy to set smaller, specific goals to avoid the overwhelm of unrealistic and vague health objectives.