Getting More From Less - Part 2

In the first instalment, we went full hippie and discussed the things we all know exist but do nothing about them. We discussed Stress, how to measure it, how to understand its impacts and why we need to address it. Now, let's hit Part 2...

We covered some very basic ins and outs of stress in Part One, and should be read first before continuing. I highly recommend you read it first, because, without stress management, everything else has a handbrake on it when it comes to functioning at optimal output.

Now we come to the simple matter of Energy.

Not calories. Not pre workouts. Energy...

Namely, it's production in the body. If you can help regulate this process, you'll feel better through the day, be able to focus more, and as a result, organically get leaner without doing any extra work. Sounds amazing hey?

The Magic of ATP.

Adenosine triphosphate (or ATP as we will refer to it as of now) is at the heart of useable energy in the body. Everything related to keeping your body with a constant supply of energy boils down to creating this. This goes deeper into the rabbit hole of how your food gets broken down, so let's be as basic as we can here.

The major contributors to your final ATP formulation are the Krebs Cycle (or citric acid cycle) and the Electron Transport Chain (ETC). The Krebs Cycle feeds into the ETC.

Have I lost you yet? If I have re-read that paragraph again real quick...

Each of these major factors have their own elaborate steps, and dependent on a variety of factors, if one of these steps becomes compromised, then the whole thing slows down.

Knowing how important these factors are, the real question we need to ask ourselves when it comes to energy production is not, "where is the coffee" but instead...

How can we influence these steps of ATP generation?

It should probably be pretty obvious that food intake (macronutrients - protein/fats/carbs) are needed to ensure this process ticks over. However, the micronutrients from food are just as influential, namely the b vitamins, magnesium, creatine, coq-10, and the list goes on.

So here in lies our answer... if you want to influence energy production then you need to get this 2 factors optimised.

1. Adequate Food Intake
   Seems stupid to have to write this down, but since the majority of the population is concerned with eating less to get in shape, it's worth stating that while eating less is a factor, it should be used way further down the line. For most people, it's their first port of call when it comes to weight loss when really these internal factors need to be addressed first. After addressing the food first, the next problem is closely followed by addressing how much of a softy you are in the weight room (but that's another article entirely).
2. Correct Supplementation
   Basics like Magnesium and B Vitamins are energy-creating supplements. That's right, Magnesium IS NOT a sleep supplement. Consistent supply throughout the day should see your energy levels soar, not buzzing like a pre-workout Caffeine mix, as it's not a stimulant, but instead, you should feel very alert, focused and calm.

And that it...

Sure we can go into every minutia of detail for a topic like this, but as the article suggests, this is about getting more from less.

Hacking the energy cycle is quite simple in practice, and whilst everyone may have their own specific hurdles, this general information goes a long way to getting you to your goals in a smarter and healthier manner that can be maintained over time.

And therein lies the kicker... Consistent, LONG TERM results!

Because no one wants a six-pack only for a photo shoot...

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Read more in the 'Getting More from Less' Series

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