It sounds very paradoxical to many. Exercise would drain my energy, right? That might be the case immediately after exercising, but overall, our bodies need exercise to have energy. Scientists in a variety of medical fields have found that one of the best ways to overcome fatigue and boost energy is to be more active, not less. Studies have shown that the more you move, the more energy you will feel. (And it doesn’t have to be a major movement; simply getting up and walking around the room will help.) In fact, a study published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics reported that inactive people who normally complained of fatigue could increase energy by 20% and decrease fatigue by as much as 65% by simply participating in regular, low-intensity exercise.

Exercise has been shown in countless other studies to increase energy and reduce fatigue through exercise than by using stimulants. This principle can be applied across the board to every group that was studied, including healthy adults, cancer patients, and people with diabetes and heart disease.

The explanation for this goes deep into the cellular level of the body, where we find the mitochondria, those tiny, energy-producing organs found in every cell of the body. The more you move around, the more mitochondria your body makes to meet your energy needs. The more mitochondria you have, the greater the boost to your metabolism, and the greater your ability to produce more energy.

There are many more variables than exercise that determine how much energy we have. This includes sleep, nutrition, hydration, mental health, intrinsic & extrinsic motivation, whether our home team has recently won or lost, and many many more. Consult one of our doctors of physical therapy if you’d like to find out more about how to boost your energy levels, not just through exercise.