It’s a lovely 60ish-degree April morning, and you’re lacing up for a run. As the sun makes a grand entrance at 6:30, you notice green sprouts—the start of a vegetable garden that wasn’t there last week. Spring, after all, is the season of vitality—of energy. Now, imagine you could experience this kind of fully charged morning (and day) all the time.
That’s the elusive wellness wish of, well, most people, right? Today, there’s an uptick in interest in energy—where it comes from, how we expend it, how to gain it—among individuals and researchers alike, says Martin Picard, PhD, a mitochondrial psychobiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. (We’re not the only ones seeing tons of energy “hacks” flood our IG and TikTok feeds.) This may have to do with the typical U.S. lifestyle becoming a “recipe for fatigue,” says Amy Shah, MD, author of I’m So Effing Tired and I’m So Effing Hungry. And when the world shifted due to the pandemic, this was exacerbated. Think: staying up late to watch a show, then not leaving the house until past noon, thanks to remote work.
What even is energy?
But before we get into solutions, we need to attempt to understand what we’re talking about. The truth is: Energy is still nebulous and not entirely understood even in the scientific community. Part of what makes pinning down the deets so challenging is that your own perceived level of energy is subjective and influenced by a host of factors, from how well you sleep to how you exercise to how you manage stress. (Worth noting: We’re talking about lack of pep-in-your-step lethargy, rather than debilitating exhaustion that should be checked by a health pro.
While the straightforward meaning is up in the air, this we know: Energy and health are inextricably linked—and energy is controllable if you know how to vitalize the mitochondria, the tiny power plants of your cells. “A big part of what being healthy means is being able to regulate energy flow,” Picard says. The simple hacks ahead help you achieve just that, whether you need a quick boost, a revive at a particular time of day, or a full system reboot. Grab a power snack or brew yourself a chai tea (learn why, soon!), and keep reading.
1. Rise and shine—literally.
Expose your eyes to two to five minutes of natural sunlight within an hour, regardless of the time you get up. This is arguably the most important component of feeling energized, Dr. Shah says. “Your retinas have special neuroreceptors that tell the circadian center of your brain to wake,” says Dr. Shah. Doing this once sets off a positive chain reaction: The next morning you’ll wake up feeling more alert, making it easier to go out and view light, get another fast boost, and wake up again even more ready to take on the day. Try a light box if you get up before the sunrise or can’t go outside, says Jennifer Martin, PhD, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and professor of medicine at UCLA.
2. Caffeinate carefully.
A compound called adenosine builds up in the brain when you don’t get enough sleep and makes you groggy. It takes 60 to 90 minutes for that substance to clear out once you rise. The way caffeine works is to block adenosine, but it also prevents it from draining. So if you brew before it’s naturally gone, it’ll still be there when the java wears off. Delay your first sip for an hour or so post-wake-up to get the natural *and* artificial boost.
3. Lose your breath.
Morning exercise gives the biggest adrenaline dose, says Dr. Shah. All movement is good, yet “vigorous exercise tends to keep your mitochondria in better shape,” says Picard. “If you feel out of breath, you’re stimulating them.” Indeed, HIIT activities (like a minute of intense cycling followed by three minutes sans resistance) caused cells to produce additional proteins for mitochondria, a study in Cell Metabolism found.
4. Grab a power meal.
Go for a lower-carb meal with one of the four S’s: soup, salad, smoothie, or scramble, says Dr. Shah. Carbs at lunch (or any time) spike your blood sugar, causing it to plummet a couple of hours later, leaving you ready for a cat nap. (Don’t worry: Carbs do have a time and place in an energy-revving diet!) Remembering this little rule removes the guesswork and encourages vegetables and protein intake.
5. Snooze or stroll.
There’s a reason siestas are popular in many cultures, and if you work remotely or have a secret spot at work to sneak in a 20-minute nap in the afternoon (even a parked car!), it may help you feel recharged, Martin says. A 10- to 15-minute stroll may do you just as much good if you can’t make a nap happen. And a reminder: The “slump” is a feeling that does pass, Martin notes—you just need to ride it out, and napping or walking are solid ways to do so.
Rule exception: You may be thinking that a low-carb lunch after a long run sounds like not such a great idea. You’d be right. Eating for energy is different than eating for performance. If your motive is the latter, follow advice specific to that goal (say, consuming 30 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein after a long run).
6. Shift your schedule.
Some people naturally have an internal clock that runs a little late. “For them, getting up at 7 a.m. just feels very early,” says Martin, noting this could become easier now that the days are growing longer and the sun is appearing earlier. If you have the flexibility to shift your schedule, here’s your permission to do it to optimize your energy based on your circadian predisposition. To figure out your bod’s tendency, Martin recommends going to bed without setting an alarm clock for a few days and see what time you get up naturally.
7. Think it to feel it.
It’s possible that simply having a positive outlook could make you feel more energized. When researchers asked 91 women how energized they felt at the end of every day for a week, those who said they felt more positive emotions during the day actually had better-functioning mitochondria the next day, in a study led by Picard. While more research is needed to prove the cause-and-effect relationship, “I believe there’s a connection between mood and your state of mind and how much energy you feel you have,” Picard says, “as well as how much energy your body actually has access to.” Cool!
8. Chase your passions.
Having a sense of purpose is thought to be related to better capacity in those so-important mitochondria, Picard says. Purpose could come from many areas, including your job, supporting family, or doing anything you value in life, like hobbies or volunteering. Greater sense of purpose was linked to more life satisfaction, grit, and hope, as well as fewer negative daily symptoms, found a large review of studies.
9. Eat an energy-supporting diet.
Most eats are energy dealers. But specific kinds impact brain chemistry in a way that gives you a more immediate and, most important, sustainable boost. Specifically peanuts and almonds, nuts are an amazing snack choice for, say, an afternoon slump. They toss a hint of dopamine to your brain thanks to the amino acid tyrosine. Dopamine is a close cousin of epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, Dr. Shah explains, which can make you feel more energized.
In addition, protein-rich foods, like eggs and Greek yogurt, contain tyrosine and may enhance cognitive performance and even creativity, studies show. Magnesium-rich foods like bananas and apples are also known to help with dopamine levels, according to Dr. Shah.
10. Get the tea.
Did you know? “Chai is an Ayurvedic tonic made thousands of years ago to be healing, energizing, and tasty,” says Dr. Shah. The not-so-secret energy ingredients are spices like cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and nutmeg. She suggests swapping regular sugar for monk fruit or stevia and regular milk for coconut or almond if you’re sensitive to dairy.
11. Go easy on refined sugar.
“If you eat a lot of sugar, you can make energy without really involving your mitochondria,” says Picard. But as we now know, exercising those parts of your cells is exactly what helps you feel more energized. “Consuming too much sugar kind of takes your mitochondria offline,” says Picard. Let them do their jobs naturally.
12. …And ultra-processed foods.
They’re proven to increase risk for fatigue, depression, and cardiovascular disease, notes Dr. Shah, who defines an ultra-processed food as anything you couldn’t make in a kitchen. If a packaged granola bar has nuts, seeds, and honey, you could theoretically make that. But if you look at the ingredients on a certain bag of orange chips, we’re going to guess that’s not the case. “Anything you make at home is going to be healthier because it’s not ultra-processed—you’re using real ingredients,” says Dr. Shah.
13. Supplement with supercharging nutrients (if your doc OKs it).
When you stick to a varied whole-foods diet, your energy level should show it. But if you’re not hitting these nutrients (a food log can help) or you’re still feeling gassed, ask your physician about the following supps.
- Vitamin D. This hormone-like vitamin is needed for many bodily functions, but we primarily need it for energy, as vitamin D gives our mitochondria a lift, says Dr. Shah.
- Omega-3s. “Omega-3 fatty acids are great for the mind-body connection,” says Dr. Shah, noting that they can improve your strength, motivation, and happiness, thereby improving your vitality.
- B vitamins. If you eat a vegan diet, B12 and B-complex vitamins may be helpful for energy as well as quelling anxiousness, Dr. Shah says.
- Adaptogens. Herbs like ashwagandha and rhodiola (often sold in powder form at health food stores) seem to have an effect on hormones that, in turn, impacts energy, says Dr. Shah.
14. Lighten the mental load.
While the outcome is the same whether you’re physically or emotionally spent, the solutions can differ, Martin says. Ask yourself these Qs to gauge if your mind is what’s wiped out: Am I tired all day but wired at night? Have I been more impatient and easily irritated than usual? From an evolutionary standpoint, your body is designed to stay alert when it senses a threat (e.g., if a cougar were hunting you, your body would keep you awake!). That same response occurs in modern times, except now, the threat is an email or a fight with your friend. “You need to convince your brain and your nervous system
that it’s safe, and that it’s okay to go to sleep,” Dr. Shah says, which is where her wind-down routine comes in: the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.
15. Consider complementing your lifestyle with alternative energy remedies.
There are other remedies for energy that are more alternative, such as those that involve chi. In traditional Chinese medicine and other philosophies, chi is believed to be a life force or current that flows inside your body and aids in mental and bodily functions when flowing properly. “Our best guess is chi is related to the flow of energy in mitochondria,” says Picard.
But there’s a big scientific divide here “because we can’t measure and quantify the chi that practitioners think they’re tapping into.” Regardless of the how, there’s quality evidence to support that some of these energy interventions (such as acupuncture and structured breath work) make an impact. “We need to keep an open mind about the different forms that energy exists in, and then how things like yoga, breathing practices, homeopathy, and acupuncture might affect it,” Picard says. No harm in experimenting!
16. Stay active for the long haul.
Our energy reserves do worsen as we get older (womp). “It’s clear that vitality and energy decrease with age,” says Picard. However, many people become more sedentary, Martin adds, and, because of that lifestyle, feel less energetic. The positive spin? Keep active and become consistent with the habits here and you’ll have more control over
long-term battery life than you think.
17. Figure out your energy “type.”
Some people may be predisposed to having different patterns of energy flow, so to speak, says Picard. Some individuals might be better at transforming energy in a way that makes them really good marathon runners. Or someone who has a calm, steady flow of energy may be an amazing caregiver. Try thinking mindfully about what brings you energy (creative expression, swimming laps, learning a new hobby, caring for others) as a way to ID your “type” to help fill up your tank.
