ATP: Understanding Your Body’s Energy Factory ⚡

How cool would it feel to have more energy??

🪫 Think about it: we're probably only accessing 10% of the human experience — 10% of the colors, sounds, and potential experiences available to us.

What if we could access more?

⚡ Well, the VST team did some research, and it turns out our energetic access is determined by the amount of “ATP” we have.

🔋 The more ATP we have, the more energy have, and the more life we can experience.

🔎 So in this article, we will explore our body’s 2 ATP factories, and the things YOU can do to maximize your energy levels. Let’s begin…

Part 1: The Krebs Cycle

✌️ So our cells have 2 different kitchens that cook up ATP.

🍔 The first kitchen is called “the Krebs Cycle,” and it runs off the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates from our food.

🌪️ When this food enters the mitochondria in the form of “glucose,” the cellular chefs stir it up, releasing a frenzy of life-energy molecules.

👨‍🍳 With each cycle, the cellular chefs can turn 1 glucose molecule into 4 units ATP (energy).

But here’s what’s going on in the other kitchen…

Part 2: The Electron Transport Chain (ETC)

💨 Whereas Kitchen #1 runs on food, Kitchen #2 runs on oxygen.

🔗 And with oxygen, the cellular chefs can use a different cooking method — the chain method — which can generate buckets of ATP.

🧑‍🍳 Whereas Kitchen #1 turns 1 glucose molecule into 4 ATP…

🤯 Kitchen #2 (with the help of oxygen) turns 1 glucose molecule into a whopping 34 ATP.

So what does this say about our internal energy factory?

Oxygen: The Amplifier

🐜 So Kitchen #1 was able to produce 4 ATP.

🦍 But with the help of oxygen, Kitchen #2 was able to produce 34 ATP — 8x more energy.

😕 However, when our cells run out of oxygen, Kitchen #2 is not able to function, and all of our energy is produced by the food-run Kitchen #1.

However, Kitchen #2 needs oxygen to run… so when we are low on oxygen, our only energy is coming from the low-ATP Kitchen #1.

💭 So hypothetically, if our cells always had enough oxygen, we would always be running on maximum 34-ATP-energy, and we could access the maximum amount of the human experience…

So how do we get more oxygen?

Increasing Your Internal Oxygen Levels

The body has something called the “VO2 max”, a number that represents how much oxygen a given person can process and utilize. Here are some ways to increase your V02 Max:

🏃 Aerobic Exercise

The term aerobic literally means “with oxygen.” Aerobic exercises are prolonged exercises like running, swimming, and biking. These exercises challenge Kitchen #2, and train it to adapt and use oxygen more efficiently. (Source)

⏰ Interval Exercises

Interval exercises such as Tabata, HIIT and Fartlek Training are found to be the most effective at increasing V02 max. The bursts of activity train your body to send more oxygen per heartbeat, and the short rest periods train your body to absorb oxygen more efficiently.

If you are new to interval training, this 4-minute workout from Zach Bush is a beginner-friendly modality that is designed to dilate blood vessels so everything in the body can be more oxygenated.

🎢 Altered Exercises

Engaging in different modalities — running one day, swimming the next — can challenge our mitochondria to produce energy in various conditions. Dr. Peter Attia highlights a potential routine of aerobic and interval exercises throughout the week.

🫁  Segmental Breathing

This practice involves intentionally bringing air into different units of our respiratory system — filling the throat, then the chest, then the diaphragm. This can essentially strengthen the muscles involved in breathing, increasing the amount of oxygen that can flow through them. 

Energize These Practices

💧 AquaRX: A Bodyguard For Your Cells

Toxins can damage our energy factory and limit how much ATP is produced. AquaRX helps to protect our cells from toxins, while also inviting 70+ micronutrients into the cell to support all the chefs in the energy kitchens.

🍄 Adaptogens: Energy for the Spirit

When the body is out of balance, ATP is used to support the body. When the body is balanced, ATP can be used to support the spirit. Adaptogens like Balance, Magic Matcha and Not Coffee help our find balance, so our energy can go towards spiritual development.

⚡ M-States: Support Your 2nd Energy System

Like cars, our body has 2 energy systems — ATP and electricity. M-States are electrolytes that can increase the efficiency of our electrical (nervous) system, creating even more energetic room for spiritual expansion.

Happy Living

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of the VST Newsletter. We hope this information helps to bring more life, love, and energy into your days.

Infinite love,

Void Space Technologies 💜