1. Drink Plenty of Fluids
Being dehydrated can worsen fatigue. It can also contribute to foggy thinking, decreased alertness and frequent headaches. The best way to make sure you stay hydrated is to always carry a water bottle filled with spring water, your favorite tea or organic juice. A reasonable goal is to drink between 1-2 liters of fluid per day depending on your activity level.
2. Eat a Healthy Diet
You’ve heard it said many times before…you are what you eat! Consuming a natural foods diet high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants is enormously important to supporting the health of your mitochondria. Organic foods are advantageous since pesticides and other chemicals in the environment have been shown to directly promote mitochondrial damage.
3. Take Protective, Energy Boosting Micronutrients
KPAX Health has been exploring which micronutrients can best support the mitochondria for the past 20 years.
KPAX provides all the micronutrients and antioxidants shown in clinical trials to lessen fatigue, improve cognitive functioning, and strengthen immune function. This nutrient combination has published studies showing it to improve fatigue and other symptoms commonly associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.
4. Increase Your Omega-3-fatty Acid
Avocados, nuts, seeds, and low-mercury, wild-caught fish contain plentiful amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Taking a daily omega-3 rich fish-oil supplement can boost your intake of this important nutrient to support healthy nerve, skin, joint and connective tissue function. This can also protect mitochondria’s membranes from oxidative damage.
5. Supplement your intake of Fruits and Vegetables
Most people lead busy lives with little time available to prioritize balanced nutrition. Do you actually consume the six servings per day of fruits and vegetables generally recommended for good health? A fruit and vegetable supplement produced from organic berries and greens can provide extra nutrients to help build antioxidant reserves and minimize free radical damage.
6. Avoid Toxins in Your Environment
Mitochondria need pure oxygen, clean water, and a steady supply of healthy nutrients to function properly. Synthetic chemicals stress the mitochondria of the lungs, GI tract, and liver. While some environmental exposure to chemicals may be unavoidable, doing everything possible to breathe clean air, eat natural food, and keep your environment free of synthetic chemicals is very important to maintaining optimal mitochondrial health.
7. Adaptive Pacing/Stress Reduction
People who’ve recovered from fatigue almost always describe scaling back their activities and stress level, at least temporarily, as having made a positive contribution to their recovery. A useful analogy is to treat the amount of energy you have each day as “your energy bank account." Over-expending energy to the point where your account becomes overdrawn can precipitate “energy crashes." These crashes are not good for your long-term health. Becoming skillful at pacing can ensure you have an adequate supply of energy available when you need it most!
