Day 7: 8 Powerful Ways to Improve Mitochondrial Health and Boost Energy, Immunity and Mental Health

Fatigue, recurrent infections, low mood and anxiety are common in professionals working in high pressure environments.

Focusing on your mitochondrial health may help these issues.

Mitochondria are tiny structures within every cell that produce a chemical called ATP, our body’s energy currency. They also regulate neurotransmitters, neuroplasticity, focus and learning, hormones, immune function, oxidative stress and cell repair alongside a host of other tasks.

In his book ‘Brain Energy’, Psychiatrist Dr Christopher Palmer presents evidence that optimised mitochondria can also improve mental health by modulating brain networks:

• Enhancing depressed pathways to improve low mood, brain fog or poor concentration.

• Calming overactive pathways to improve anxiety, mania or hallucinations.

In essence, healthy mitochondria bring you back to balance.

So what helps your mitochondria? Here are 8 evidence based tools.

1) Nutrition — avoid processed food, eat more fibre, healthy fats, quality protein, plants of different colours and fermented foods

2) Eating pattern use short duration fasting i.e time restricted eating

3) Exercise — cardiovascular and resistance training

4) Adequate sleep

5) Appropriate light exposure

6) Stress reduction practices

7) Avoiding toxins — alcohol, drugs, smoking, pesticides, organic pollutants, “toxic self defeating thoughts”

8) Love, connection, spirituality (in any form), belief and purpose in life

Benefits to mitochondrial health typically take 3 months of consistent positive behaviour change.

Always discuss symptoms of mental or physical disease or any lifestyle change with your clinician.

Which of these tools surprised you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.