How to Enhance Your Life Energy for Better Health and Happiness
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Increasing your life energy involves addressing external factors that can significantly impact your well-being.
About 25 years ago, I found myself struggling with being overweight, experiencing low energy, frequent illnesses, allergies, and bouts of depression. Even mundane tasks, like brushing my teeth, felt like a chore. Despite being in a stable marriage, expecting a child, engaging in running and yoga, and following a vegetarian diet, something wasn’t right.
Living on the third floor of an apartment without an elevator, I vividly recall a day when I returned home with groceries, utterly breathless by the time I reached my door. It was a pivotal moment—I realized a change was necessary.
That realization sparked a transformative journey towards health that has consumed my life for the past 25 years.
Today, at 58, I can proudly say I've only had three colds or flu episodes in that time, my allergies have vanished, and I am in superb physical condition. I typically feel energetic, positive, and balanced. I enjoy restful nights and overall, I am happy, healthy, and strong—a complete transformation.
How did I achieve this?
Initially, I didn’t recognize it, but I have since understood that enhancing life energy—sometimes referred to as life force, sexual energy, Prana, or Chi—is crucial.
What does life energy mean? For me, it represents the vitality available for self-interaction, engaging with others, and positively contributing to the world. It also encompasses the energy needed to cope with life's stressors. I define stressors as anything that disrupts the body-mind equilibrium, such as pathogens, environmental toxins, anxiety from fearful thoughts, or the emotional turmoil of a breakup.
To boost my life energy, I adopted a two-fold strategy: first, I minimized stressors to maximize my innate energy reserves; second, I employed various techniques to amplify my life energy. Reducing stress might involve avoiding processed foods high in salt and sugar or removing certain toxins from my living space. Techniques to enhance life energy could include practicing Qi Gong, an ancient Chinese discipline focused on movement and breath.
In this two-part article, I will share insights and tools that have helped me maintain high energy levels and a robust immune system, categorized into eight key areas.
The first four areas pertain to external factors, which I will cover in this section (Part 1):
- Nutrition: What to include and what to exclude
- Physical activity for mental and physical wellness
- Building resilience: Breathwork and cold exposure
- Environmental toxins: Address them with seriousness
The latter four aspects focus on internal factors and will be explored in Part 2:
- Prioritizing mental tranquility
- Utilizing your mind for ideas rather than retention
- Cultivating and circulating life energy (sexual energy)
- Establishing a meditation routine
Please remember that this is my personal health journey; thus, not every aspect may resonate with everyone. While scientific backing exists for many of my claims, I have not referenced specific studies here; this is a personal narrative.
Over the last 25 years, I have experimented with various methods. If something works, I incorporate it; if not, I discard it. Take what resonates with you and feel free to experiment to discover what suits you best.
Nutrition: What to Include and Exclude
When I commenced my health journey, food was my primary focus. I sought not just a diet, but a new perspective on eating. Initially, I was uncertain where to begin, as many health books seemed to promote specific diets. However, serendipity struck while I was browsing a bookstore at City Airport in London, where I stumbled upon a vividly colored book titled You Are What You Eat. I was drawn to it, hesitated, and ultimately purchased it. It called out to me, prompting me to adopt a new approach to eating.
A significant realization from this book was that by adhering to wholesome, plant-based foods, I could enjoy eating freely without restriction.
Over the years, I experimented with various eating styles, including a year and a half as a raw vegan. Although I haven’t explored paleo diets—since they don’t align with my preference for avoiding meat—I’ve settled into a dietary approach that works for me.
When discussing my eating habits, I often describe myself as "food queer"—my diet doesn’t fit neatly into any category. I primarily follow a whole food plant-based diet (with occasional egg consumption), avoid excess sugar and gluten, and aim for 50% raw food intake daily. Green smoothies play a vital role in my nutrition (thanks to Victoria Boutenko). I consume only fermented soy products, like Tempeh and Tamari, and prefer herbal, fruit, white, or green teas over coffee. Alcohol is absent from my diet, and I pay attention to food order, eating fruit separately and in the morning, while avoiding mixing carbs and proteins in the same meal. I practice a form of intermittent fasting from 8 PM to 12 PM the next day. My guilty pleasure is chocolate, but I stick to varieties with 85% cocoa or higher.
After extensive reading and research on nutrition, I’ve embraced key principles articulated by Fred Bisci, a seasoned nutritionist aged 93. According to Bisci, it ultimately comes down to:
- What you consume
- What you exclude
- The order of your meals
- The quantity of food
Bisci’s book, Your Healthy Journey, is a classic worth reading. I also recommend exploring Eric Edmeades and his WildFit program.
Physical Activity for Mental and Physical Wellness
Recently, I watched a documentary series titled Radical Remission, showcasing individuals who defied odds to recover from terminal illnesses. In one episode, the researcher expressed confusion over why exercise didn’t emerge as a significant factor in radical remissions. It puzzled her until she realized that all survivors engaged in daily physical activity—they simply didn’t label it as “exercise.”
Thus, my advice is to keep moving—frequently and diversely. In my weekly routine, I incorporate the Five Tibetan Rites, running, yoga, swimming, resistance training, cycling, walking, gardening in warmer months, and Tai Chi.
I enjoy keeping my body active and prefer a mix of activities each day. It may sound like a lot, but I avoid overexertion. I prioritize variety in workouts over pushing myself to extremes in a single session. Recently, I began experimenting with the super slow workout method, focusing on five major muscle groups. My advice here is straightforward: keep moving, engage in various exercises that you enjoy, prefer outdoor activities over indoor ones when possible, and aim to enhance stamina, strength, flexibility, and suppleness.
Establishing an exercise routine can be challenging for many. For habit change guidance, I recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Building Resilience: Breathwork and Cold Exposure
Several years ago, during a particularly stressful phase of my life, I was doing my usual activities yet still felt overwhelmed by stress and anxiety. It was during this time that I discovered Wim Hof, known as “the Iceman.” After viewing several of his videos, I was struck by his advice:
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
This resonated with me; I realized I needed to develop resilience.
If you’re unfamiliar with Wim Hof, I highly recommend watching the Vice documentary The Superhuman World of Wim Hof: The Iceman and his interview with Russell Brand on the Under the Skin podcast titled Heal Yourself with the Ice Shaman.
The Wim Hof Method encompasses three elements: breathing exercises, cold exposure, and mindset. To get started, check out the free miniclass on Wim Hof’s website, and if it resonates with you, consider enrolling in the fundamentals video course.
Wim Hof advocates for becoming happy, healthy, and strong—a phrase I now embrace, as it encapsulates my health journey.
Another intriguing and effective breathing technique I’ve come across is Soma breathing.
Environmental Toxins: Address Them Seriously
I would like to quote a well-researched article by nutritional therapist Melissa Smith from Thrive Global, as it articulates my thoughts perfectly:
“There’s an ever-growing list of known environmental toxicants in our food, water, air, household products, personal care items, bedding, clothing, furniture, building materials, furnishings, children’s toys, offices, cars, parks, and, of course, our bodies. They’re found in the breast milk of mothers, the umbilical cord blood of newborns, and children. We inhale, ingest, and absorb them through our skin.”
The article identifies numerous environmental toxins, including Bisphenol A (BPA), Teflon (Perfluorooctanoic acid), and other perfluorinated chemicals, acrylamide, heavy metals like mercury, glyphosate, parabens, organophosphates, mold, formaldehyde, asbestos, and radon.
It also highlights Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) radiation as a significant environmental toxin, a notion I wholeheartedly support.
EMFs encompass radio frequencies from wireless devices, electric fields from hidden wiring, and magnetic fields from appliances and power lines. If you’re not familiar with EMFs, I recommend the TED Talk Wireless Wake-Up Call by Jeromy Johnson as a starting point, along with his website.
To minimize EMF exposure, I use Ethernet connections at home instead of WiFi, turn off electricity while I sleep, keep my phone on flight mode when resting, and sometimes wear a silver-thread protection shirt while traveling.
At home, I opt for organic food whenever possible, use natural cleaning products, and rely on a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter.
Environmental toxins represent a vast topic, and while I’m not an expert, I emphasize the importance of taking them seriously. I encourage you to research and determine how much you can or wish to limit your exposure. I believe that these toxins stress the body and weaken our immune systems.
That concludes the discussion on external factors. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll delve into internal factors.