Accessing New Levels of Energy

*Read: if you haven't read my previous post on my 4 needs of your 2 body's then please check it out.

Principle #1: “The body requires adequate and compatible sources of energy”

When discussing sources or our supply of energy I like to look at it through the lens of the classical 5 elements of earth, air, water, fire and ether. On a basic biological level we synthesize earth (food) along with air (oxygen) to produce ATP (cellular energy) and water is the medium in which this takes place and finally fire (sunlight) is necessary in mitochondrial function. So in essence 4 of the 5 elements are scientifically known to support cellular energy production.

The 5th element of ether or chi will also be discussed briefly in this module but since there is overlap across all 4 of my principles of a vital body it will be considered in greater detail in other articles.
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EARTH

As humans we are made of the same materials as the earth (and cosmos). The Sun provides an energy source that plants utilize through photosynthesis to be able to grow. Animals then consume those plants and convert that to energy to grow their own bodies. Humans then are able to consume both plants and animals as sources of energy to be able to grow and sustain their own lives. In turn, I am of the opinion that it is the responsibility of humans to then cultivate and look over the cycle of energy that sustains it, which means taking care of the earth, plants and animals.
As beings made from the earth, the more we disconnect ourselves from it and from this energy cycle and the responsibility therein, the more our physical body suffers. To connect to your body and to meet its needs you must supply it with foods that are a part of this inherent cycle of energy. This means that processed foods and synthetic supplements do not meet the body’s needs.

It should be stated that there is no perfect diet for all humans as each of us is dynamic and metabolically unique. That is why understanding and effectively listening to the call of your metabolic requirements becomes a key aspect to cultivating your health and well-being.

Your cellular energy requirements (Metabolic Type) represent the way you are presently functioning metabolically on your cellular level. Your unique metabolism has changing needs for food in order to produce energy in its cells. This is defined by both the types of foods as well as the balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat in a given meal. The potential requirements exist on a continuum and as such there are no perfectly clear boundaries of a “type” because as I mentioned earlier we are each unique individuals. As a starting point and initial template however we can say there are 3 types:

1. Fast Oxidizer
2. Mixed Oxidizer
3. Slow Oxidizer

See the chart below to understand the needs of each along the continuum. It should go without saying that the quality of your food is paramount to your health and success. This means organically grown foods, pasture-raised & humanely treated animal meats are very important. Any processed foods that didn’t exist 10,000 years ago do not support optimal energy production, energy flow, homeostasis or even a sense of bodily safety. 

AIR

The air element in many ways is the highest priority for cultivating health. To solidify the importance of air in your mind, imagine not breathing for 10 minutes. You can survive weeks without food, days without water but if you deny your body oxygen for too long you will die.

In order to convert the energy stored in your earth-given foods you must have adequate oxygen. Besides airs’ contribution to metabolic energy production the act of doing breath work will also cultivate another type of energy for your Energy Body that is commonly called Chi or Prana. The use of breath work will be covered in later posts but for the time being it’s important to begin the process of learning to breathe fully and to ensure that the quality of your air is supportive to your health and the production of cellular energy.

Air, oxygen in particular, plays a crucial role in cellular energy production. Cellular respiration (energy production) is heavily dependent on oxygen. Without oxygen you don’t have energy production taking place in the electron transport chain.
Your musculoskeletal system functions along with your lungs and airways to facilitate the delivery of oxygen to your blood stream. Your breathing pattern, how you habitually use your muscles and skeleton to breathe, can either support or inhibit optimal intake of air and oxygen. And while breathing is an autonomous activity we also can consciously take control of our breath and retrain our brains to create new optimal breathing patterns.

Before walking you through how to breathe optimally, let’s first identify a couple of areas that you may not be aware could be contributing to a faulty breathing pattern for you.

1. Poor posture - a “closed off” posture will limit the expansion of your pharynx, shoulder girdle, rib cage and diaphragm, resulting in less oxygen into your system. This is specifically covered in more detail in BodySense: Energy Flow.
2. Fear and Trauma - if you’ve ever been extremely startled by something then you know that for a moment you stop breathing and afterwards your breathing remains fairly shallow. If this pattern stays, as is often the case with severe trauma or persistent fear states then your breathing and consequently energy levels will suffer. This will be discussed in more detail with another of my Principles: Safety, Anchoring and Connection. 

​Here are some important points on proper breathing:

• Breathe only through your nose unless absolutely necessary to breathe through you mouth; mouths are for eating, drinking and communication, not breathing.
• The first 2/3 of your in breath should involve expansion of the diaphragm and rib cage laterally and front to back; The final 1/3 of your inhalation is the expansion of your chest. 
• Relax your shoulders, neck and face. If you are using those accessory muscles of respiration excessively then you are wasting energy as well as contributing to muscular trigger points and neck and shoulder dysfunction.
• The balance of your exhalation to inhalation is both dependent on and contributory to the balance of your autonomic nervous system. At rest when you inhale your heart rate slightly increases and when you exhale it decreases. If you spend more time in inhalation then you are shifting yourself into a sympathetic state (fight/flight/freeze). If you spend more time in the exhalation phase then you are stimulating the parasympathetic system (rest/repair/relax). ​

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WATER

Water molecule blessed with words of love

Second only to air in it’s hierarchical importance to survival is the element of water. Our bodies are upwards of 90% water. This is an incredible realization and the roles that water plays in sustaining life is remarkable. Water allows for biological electrical conduction, water serves as both solute and solvent, it carries messages and information, provides fluidity to our tissues and organs and so much more.

If you are familiar with the research of Massaru Emoto with water then you know that toxic water, toxic emotions, toxic thoughts can all affect the quality of water within our bodies and consequently our health and energetic field.

Water is vital for all life. Its versatility and adaptability help perform important chemical reactions. Its simple molecular structure helps maintain important shapes for cells’ inner components and outer membrane. No other molecule matches water when it comes to unique properties that support life.
Here are some important points on water:

• Clean water is critical. This means you must filter your water with a high quality filtration system. Fluoride is neurotoxic and chlorine, while it does an effective job at killing bacteria in water systems, does not belong in your body, so you must filter it out.
• You can find a broad recommendation in terms of how much water to drink. Some say 1/2 of your body weight in ounces (200lb man drinks 100oz), others say to monitor the color of your urine (tea colored pee is not good) and others suggest that if you are juicing or eating lots of vegetables/fruits that you are getting enough (not true). I recommend the 1/2 your body weight rule but then monitor urination frequency. If you are peeing much more than 6 times a day then you are either drinking too much or you are not getting adequate minerals/electrolytes
• Structured water is something that I have not sufficiently researched to comment on but the little research that I have done supports the concept.
• Add a pinch of sea salt to your water to return the natural minerals to water to better match your bodies needs. This can reduce frequent urination if that is an issue.​​

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FIRE

Fire in this case refers to sunlight as well as another form of light that we will talk about. Vitamin D (produced in the body after exposure to sunlight) is necessary for mitochondrial activity. It is know that Vitamin D supplementation in those deficient in D improves mitochondrial oxidative capacity in muscles. So this 4th element also proves to be critical in energy production.
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In addition to sunlight, red and near-infrared light can penetrate the skin and act on mitochondria through stimulation of a molecule called cytochrome c oxidase. So exposing yourself to this unique band of light is a great way to increase energy.

Considerations with sunlight:

• Expose your bare skin to the sunlight every day but do it during the times that the sun is lower in the sky. Depending on the time of year this is at sunrise until 10-11am and in the late afternoon until sunset.
• Do not use sunscreen during the above times as it will block all of the benefits.
• Daily exposure to sunlight will help signal your body in its production of melatonin in the evening.​
• Use red-light therapy daily to enhance your well-being (I personally even built my own infrared sauna (see picture below)

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Homemade infrared sauna light

CONCLUSION

You are fundamentally energy at your core. It is your job as a conscious being, in my opinion, to be the manager and director of this energy. You can plug the leaks, move the stagnation and fill the emptiness all on your own. And if you do you are rewarded with an incredible God-given vital force running through your body and being.

If you are feeling lost when it comes to your health, like you don't know what to do or are overwhelmed by so much information out there, let me simplify it for you and guide you to your best health. Click the button below to schedule a no-charge consultation to learn how you really can transform your health far beyond what you thought was possible.

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