I recently spoke at Philips.  You know, the company famous for light bulbs, electric toothbrushes, CPAP machines, and all sorts of consumer electronics?

The topic of discussion was "Fix the fatigue.  The 3 reasons you're always tired which have nothing to do with your sleeping habits."

Energy creation for a human isn't much different than power creation for a vehicle.   Both equations below contain a fuel source, oxygen, and a spark of some sort to light that fire.  

Let's look at the 3 primary inputs that need to be addressed to create energy and fuel efficiency.

For humans, we have 2 primary fuel sources.  Carbohydrates and fats.  Carbs are fast burning fuel and fats are slow burning fuel.  Either can get the job done.  

Where I see the main road block for people is that they have them BOTH coming into their system in equal quantities.  It's like trying to drive 2 cars at once.  It's not possible to drive both cars, so they just sit in the garage.  

In the case of the carbs and fats, we tend to be not-so-good at using both simultaneously, so they just sit (in the form of triglycerides) or they get stored (fatty liver, obesity, etc).

A person has all this energy needed (excess weight) but it's not being utilized.    

Trouble shoot #1.  Keep fats and carbs away from each other.  This can be during each meal or if you're comfortable tracking macros, this can be a tally at the end of the day where you have one primarily dominant fuel source.  

Trouble shoot #2.  Contrary to what it feels like for people, I see more people UNDER eating than overeating.  If you don't have enough fuel, that car isn't going to be able to go far.  If you don't have enough calories, your energy tank will be empty often.   This may not be felt in just energy levels but also sleep, hormone imbalances, and feeling chronically achy.

Oxygen is the next requirement for energy production.  Living here in Colorado Springs, our access to oxygen is reduced due to our altitude.  We still have an environment of 21% atmospheric oxygen, just like at sea level. 

We just have less atmospheric pressure, pushing those oxygen molecules close together to then be consumed.  It's like, at the end of the game, Hungry, Hungry Hippo with only a few marbles left compared to a whole board full of them.  The success of grabbing a marble lessens as those marbles are spaced apart. 

This one isn't as black and white with oxygen.  You can have a great pulse oxygen level, but this doesn't always mean you're oxygenating well.  

Your red blood cells may not be supported well, thus creating fewer oxygen carriers, giving you a great pulse O2 level but not carrying enough total to meet your requirements.  It's like my high school basketball career.  I had the HIGHEST per minute scoring rate for the team.  The issue is that my career 12 points in 7 minutes of action isn't that impressive for college recruiters.

Red blood cells depend on many influences from B12, folate, iron, protein, and even thyroid hormone.  The lack of these could be from the first part of the equation; just not getting enough fuel to obtain enough raw materials to build red blood cells. 

Another scenario I'll see often is the person has an absorption issue due to gut imbalances.  It could be an unrecognized intolerance for gluten.  It can be an ecosystem imbalance.  It can even be the disruptive effects of plant-based foods. 

There can be an inflammatory condition happening.  Chronic inflammation puts a road block in the passage of oxygen from blood into the cells to be used for energy (ATP) creation.   Just like altitude creates a pressure difference, inflammation does the same thing.

This is why one of my favorite interventions is Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBOT).  The increase in pressure both pushes oxygen molecules closer together to be consumed more efficiently AND re-establishes the necessary pressure gradient to get oxygen from your blood and into your cells. 

Finish the lyric.  "You can't start a fire.  You can't start a fire without a _____."  - Bruce S.

Most people's cars still need a spark in order for that mixture of octane and oxygen to light up and create the heat and power.  

Humans need a spark.  It's called oxidation.  Oxidation isn't bad, it's just dose dependent.  Most people have lifestyles that have continual flame throwers that burn up that mixture of fuel and oxygen very quickly, leaving them without a continual burn.  

What I've learned from working with people over 17 years is that, for most, those life stresses aren't going away any time soon.  So, telling the person to stress less is the WORST, most unrealistic advice.

To troubleshoot this area of the equation is to first optimize the first 2 parts of the equation.  If you're burning through your resources super fast, you need MORE of the first 2 elements. 

The second way to troubleshoot the combustion part of the equation is training your brain to understand what a higher level of combustion feels like.  For most, their level of life stress seems unrelenting, but the reality is that they are keeping pace.  

This is where throwing SHORT bouts of high demand activities can retrain the brain's perception of what stress actually is.  Lift heavy.  Sprint.  Ice baths/showers.  Sauna sessions.  

Troubleshooting your fatigue and energy woes is about increasing your capacity to take care of your business and having enough left in the tank to enjoy the fruits of your business.