Prescription For Energy

No one knows what energy is. I’m mean pure energy, the stuff behind the curtain and beyond the veil. Beyond radiation, heat, quantum particles or a photon. No one knows what it is or where it comes from. Some say energy is dark, others light.

We can see its shape and form all around us, and we can see it change, but we don't know what it is exactly, as in intrinsically, organically or constitutionally. Energy is intimately related to life. Perhaps that’s why it’s so mysterious.

The root of energy in Greek is en ‘within’ + ergon ‘work’, so energy is about how much work you can expend. In physics energy is the capacity to do work.

It’s been said that we are beings of pure light composed of stardust.

Light is a spectrum of wave-particle duality. Anything comprised of matter is equivalent to an exact quantifiable form of energy. Energy = Matter. What’s your total bodyweight in kilograms? Multiply that number by the speed of light squared. That’s your personal energy number; you’re energy equivalence in kJ (kilojoules).

My number is 9.35 Q (quintillion).

E = MC²

Some call energy moxie, vitality, steam, force or punch. Other colloquial terms include P & V, get-up-and-go, drive, hustle, juice, spirit, zeal, zest, virility, vim and vigor. The currency of energy in the body is called ATP.

But what is energy exactly and where does it come from?

One thing’s for sure, we all need energy to sustain us in an ideal and pristine state. If we are to age smoothly and naturally, we must understand and apply the laws of natural health that create natural health. If we’re slowly oxidizing and we are, we need to know how to balance the energy equation and control free radicals.

Energy Rationality

Like freedom, energy isn’t free, yet. “There’s a price barbarian.” Energy required for regeneration, renewal and recovery is best obtained from external renewable resources. The future of energy is free.

The best way for a person to obtain clean energy in the most direct and basic physical sense is from enzyme rich, organic whole natural food. Whole food gives more than it takes. Whole food sustains us with the essential micronutrients we need to process and release energy bonds stored in fats, carbs and protein. Enter the Krebs Cycle.

Human food is obtained from plants and animals. Both provide energy measured mechanically as a calorie. A calorie (small) is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Centigrade, but a living body is not a bomb calorimeter. What happens in the lab with food is unlike our human experience.

All calories are not the same. Food can spike insulin or generate a wild cascade of inflammatory cytokines. It can heal and nourish or decimate the blood with lectins, alkaloids and deadly antigens. Modern food can stimulate or inhibit neurotransmitter release and suck you into a lifelong struggle of addiction, cravings and depression.

Evidence suggests that humans once lived in small, peaceful, egalitarian hunting gathering societies. In biological terms, humans are omnivores. Although this characteristic can be viewed as a great evolutionary advantage for survival, in the modern world it complicates things. It’s difficult not to eat empty calories or food that causes harm when you’re surrounded by it.

Energy Economy

Sleep deprivation. If you don’t sleep enough, you will suffer. If you trick your body into living on less sleep than you need, you will lose the game. No matter how bright you think you are, eventually you must submit and sleep like a baby.

Overeating late at night depletes total energy reserves. Load up after parking and you run a higher risk of dying prematurely. Heavy late night eating puts major stress on our system of life support. It takes a huge amount of energy to digest heavy food when you’re motionless. It’s like trying to roll over with a hippo on your chest.

Disordered eating. Simply put, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. For many the best way to eat is smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. This helps maximize digestion and absorption and streamline the entire process. Each meal should revolve around protein, as protein actually means ‘to come first.’ Remember this. Unlike essential vitamins, minerals, water, amino acids and fatty acids, caffeine, alcohol and carbs (sugar) are not essential for humans to consume.

Running on empty. Missing meals forces the body to use up important emergency reserves. Long term it weakens tissue and compromises stamina. A negative calorie diet threatens the health of the nervous system and brain. Less food means less vitamins and minerals and typically, more dependence on artificial stimulation.

Too little too late in love has the same effect in nutrition.

Dehydration. We begin life with the highest percentage of body water we’ll ever have. After day one it’s a downhill fight to keep the body’s water percentage the same as the planet (70%). Less water means a higher percentage of toxins and waste. The solution to pollution is dilution.

Protein Shakes

You’ve got a personal relationship with your gym bag and water bottle; now develop one with your blender. The protein shake acts like a dietary anchor, it prevents mindless drifting and provides stability.

When you make your shake, take your natural health products (dietary supplements) at the same time. Shake’n’Take. A great habit for life.

The protein shake is one of the best ways to control and alter the fuel for your metabolic fire. Start with filtered clean water. Add a scoop of whey protein isolate and/or your favorite plant protein and 2-4 T. of oil rich in EFAs. If energy is what you’re after, add some creatine, glutamine and ribose.

Add fresh or frozen fruit for a source of unrefined, high-water volume carbs, antioxidants, carotenoids and flavonoids. If you want to get crazy, add some spirulina or chlorella. Energy in is equal to energy out. My friend Dr. Terry Willard calls it the “in-do-out” principle.

When blended correctly in the right amounts and consumed at the right time, a custom-designed protein shake enhances immune function, improves insulin efficiency, increases your fat-burning capacity, improves performance and recovery and encourages long-term participation in physical activity.

Don’t underestimate what this technique can do for your body composition, health and energy level. Best time for me is one hour before a workout, immediately after and at nighttime as a nice, light snack. Each shake is customized to fit my size, appetite, metabolism and DNA.

Photo by Ryan Bruce from Burst

As always...Stay Well and Live Free!

Dr.C