How to Optimize Your 'Energy Trifecta' to Beat Burnout

How do we boost the trifecta and feel reinvigorated?

"Diet is the biggest needle mover. One study shows a rapid improvement in gut bacteria within three days of changing your diet. This is the easiest, fastest, most effective way to improve the energy trifecta.

We tend to reach for sugar and caffeine when we're tired, but those actually rob us of energy. What you need to eat is vegetables — six to eight servings a day, especially of prebiotic vegetables like asparagus, leeks, greens, and bananas. The type of fiber they contain feeds your gut bacteria and is instrumental in boosting your energy."

You've seen great success with a method called circadian fasting. What does that involve?

"Stop eating two to three hours before bed — it's that simple — and you'll be healthier and more energized. This is the way humans used to eat before electricity was invented, and numerous studies show it works. To do it, go 12 hours without food — say, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. This gives your body time to rest and repair itself, a process that happens while you're sleeping. Melatonin, the hormone released before bed, tells the brain that it's time to get sleepy. It also speaks to the pancreas, signaling it to turn down the digestive enzymes and insulin.

But if you eat later at night, the body doesn't get the chance to do its repair work because the pancreas has to try to digest food when it should be resting. Also, you're more likely to have GI issues and even gain weight. Research shows that disrupting your circadian rhythms is terrible for your energy and your long-term health. I've found that after two weeks of circadian fasting, patients feel better, have more energy and focus, and sleep better. By three months, we see that digestion is improved and hormones are more balanced."

What are some other naturally effective ways we can gain energy and stop stress?

"Expose yourself to natural light shortly after waking in the morning. There are receptors in our retinas that are directly connected to the area of the brain that manages circadian rhythms. When you look at natural light, your brain sends your body signals that it's time to get going, focus, and be productive. It also tells your metabolism to start working.

As you're getting that morning daylight, do some deep breathing. Taking slow, deep breaths in, and exhaling even slower and longer than you inhaled, stimulates the vagus nerve that runs from your brain to your abdomen. That in turn counteracts adrenaline and helps you feel calm. Do this twice a day for 10 minutes at a time to get the benefits. Besides deep breathing, you can do yoga or meditation or take a walk outside. Anything that induces mindfulness and lets you check in with your body will have this effect.

The bottom line is that it's not hard to make little tweaks in your life that can give you much more energy. Get a little sunlight in the morning, do some deep breathing twice a day, and stop eating at 8 p.m. Just one of these changes can change everything."