I have some nerdy friends, and that happens to work out well for me because …
Every once in a while, I like to geek out about biochemistry: things like the Kreb’s Cycle, the Electron Transport Chain, the Sodium/Potassium ion pump.
In fact, for the past two weeks, I’ve had my biochem book out revisiting some of these amazing chemical reactions inside our body.
Now I may have lost you at ‘nerdy’… so let’s keep it simple and focus on ONE thing – Oxygen.
We all know oxygen’s important to survive. If you choke on a piece of steak and can’t breathe, unless someone performs the Heimlich Maneuver, you’re in really bad shape. Do you know WHY oxygen is important? Like what does it actually DO inside your body?
Oxygen is the catalyst that makes energy inside our body. Without oxygen, we can’t make enough energy to survive.
Here’s the nerdy part.
Inside each of your cells, in the mitochondrial cell wall, there’s a process happening constantly termed the Electron Transport Chain (ETC). The last step of the ETC requires oxygen in order to complete the chemical reaction. The step AFTER the oxygen is needed, your body creates ATP – which is the molecular form of energy. So no Oxygen = no ATP = no energy = very bad for staying alive.
The crux – our bodies require a TON of energy to survive on a day to day basis. It’s the energy we can’t live without…and the Oxygen is the catalyst to make energy.
You might be asking yourself, “If oxygen is that critical – how do I get more of it?!”
Great question! Answer: Slow it down, for at least five minutes.
In Breath, James Nestor discusses the best breathing rate for optimal health is 5.5 seconds inhalation, 5.5 seconds exhalation, which equates to 5.5 breaths per minute. What he discovered in his research is this breath pattern is exactly the same as Tibetan monks prayer mantras and Catholic rosary prayers.
Here’s the exciting catch! It only takes five minutes per day of this breath work to make positive physiological changes inside your body (have more energy!).
To wrap up:
You got the nerdy side of me today and a simple practical tip on how to get more energy to your body: more oxygen.