Recharge & Deliver: The Importance of Maintaining and Boosting Energy

Have you ever felt more exhausted as the day goes on? We feel you there! But that is most likely due to a lack of care towards your body’s energy levels. Energy is our driving force to tackling everyday tasks, behaving as the fuel to sustain and carry ourselves through whatever life throws at us.

Since it holds such a crucial role to daily life, understanding and taking care of your energy levels is extremely important towards both short-term and long-term wellness. Today, we at The Plug would like to give you a look at some of the ingredients and actions that will help boost your energy, allowing your body to run at high efficiency!

First Off… What Exactly Is Energy?

Let’s first grasp what exactly energy is! The human body turns ingested food into usable energy, which is also known as someone’s metabolism (1). This usable energy is extracted and obtained from three primary sources: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins (2). Breaking this down even further, there are two components known as ATP and CP. 

ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is a molecule that behaves as storage for high-compounded energy in the body (1). ATP is also crucial for giving energy to muscle fibers in order to perform muscle contractions. CP (creatine phosphate) is similar; it’s typically used more for intensive short-term tasks and efforts (1). In order for the body to properly and smoothly function, it needs both ATP and CP present. 

Why Is Energy Important for Us?

Energy is vital to human life, as it is necessary for facilitating bodily functions and actions for living (3). Additionally, caring for your energy levels allows for better physical movement (3) and sustains quality homeostasis (4). Homeostasis can also be understood as the body’s state of balance, where everything is functioning in harmony and allowing for pristine operations (4). Being such a fundamental basis for your body’s behaviors and well-being, there needs to be a strong care and focus on your energy levels!

The Plug’s Energy-Aiding Ingredients

Here at The Plug, we recognize the role energy plays in the grand picture of health and wellness, which is why there are key ingredients in both The Plug Pills and The Plug Drink to help! 

Present in both the Pills and Drink is morus alba, or more commonly known as the white mulberry. This plant is a great metabolizer of fats (5), which is one of the three primary sources of energy that the body extracts. Morus alba essentially acts as a deconstructor to make the body’s nutrient absorption process easier! 

Another facilitator of energy is found exclusively in The Plug Pills. Vitamins B1, B2, and B6 are the assisting catalysts when it comes to transforming carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into energy (6). Basically, these vitamins can support and keep up your body’s energy supply throughout the day, acting as your system’s long-term energy comrade! Just be sure to replenish them daily.

As exclusive components in The Plug Drink, ginger and electrolytes also contribute positively to your body’s energy conservation! Ginger contains many bioactive compounds, such as gingerol. This means that ginger is highly saturated with antioxidants to sustain the body (7). Moreover, ginger is stellar at keeping blood sugar levels stable, preventing an energy crash that makes people feel immensely tired (7).

Following ginger is the presence of electrolytes, a crucial factor to regulating chemical reactions and maintaining the fluids in your body (8). The electrolytes in our Drink help make up for what is lost through your sweat and urine (8). 

4 Ways to Boost Your Energy

To take your energy preservation and care to the next level, there are various recommendations to incorporate into your routine to help even further. Let’s check them out!

Stay Hydrated 

According to Harvard Health, once the body is short on fluids, it begins feeling fatigued and tired (9). Being consistently hydrated will help you feel more energized throughout the day, especially if you are physically active and losing more nutrients and electrolytes through sweating. Additionally, the most enhancing performance nutrient needed during intensive activities is found in water (9). So, be hydrated to fuel your body and reach peak energy!

Limit Alcohol & Caffeine Consumption

Alcohol and caffeine both enact different stimulating effects on the body, which can make you feel less energized. Alcohol behaves as a depressant, leaving your body feeling more slow and drowsy (10). On the other hand, caffeine is a short-term energy booster, but it can also lead to greater energy crashes. When this happens later in the day, it can impact your sleeping schedule (10). For both cases, consumption moderation is key to ensure you do not negatively impact your energy levels. 

Get Enough Sleep 

Sleeping at night allows for your body to properly rest and recharge the energy lost during the day (10). Typically, adults need an average of seven hours a night minimum, but it varies case by case (10). 15 or 20-minute naps throughout the day can also be energizing, but they must remain short! Sleeping for a long duration during the day can actually stunt your energy and make you more tired (10). 

Exercise

When you exercise, dopamine levels in your brain increase, which betters your overall mood (9). Additionally, being active allows your cells to circulate oxygen and provides more energy for your body to burn (9). Consistent exercise also releases endorphins, which relieve stress and improves mood (10) — like Elle Woods says, “Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands — they just don’t!”

Boost Your Energy to the Top

Energy is an essential building block to our everyday lives and activities. Without proper sustaining and nurturing of our bodies’ energy, we fall into a sluggish, dull version of who we truly are. And we deserve more than that! Luckily, The Plug values energy to a high degree for your physical, emotional, and mental wellness. So, take these priceless tips and tricks while sipping on The Plug Drink or popping in a Plug Pill to make your energy the best yet! 

Bibliography

1. Eberle SG. The Body’s Fuel Sources. Endurance Sports Nutrition 3rd Edition [Internet]. 2014. Available from: https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/the-bodys-fuel-sources?srsltid=AfmBOoo_zmkq08PIMsj-U4dQp3UVWZhJqumYDXWOTd0qJVAWSwqpCCZ_ 

2. Da Poian AT, El-Bacha T, Luz MRMP. Nutrient Utilization in Humans: Metabolism Pathways [Internet]. Nature Education. 2010;3(9):11. Available from: https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/nutrient-utilization-in-humans-metabolism-pathways-14234029/ 

3. Energy and nutrients – CCEA | Home Economics: Food and Nutrition (CCEA) [Internet]. BBC Bitesize. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zqj66yc/revision/1 

4. Metabolism [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21893-metabolism 

5. Chen F, Huang J, Zhao N, Jin F, Fan Q, Du E, et al. Dietary Morus alba L. leaf supplementation improves hepatic lipid accumulation of laying hens via downregulating CircACACA. Poultry Science [Internet]. 2023 Nov;102(11). Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579123005618#:~:text=Mulberry%20leaf%20extracts%20have%20been,et%20al.%2C%202018 

6. A Close Look at Each of the B Vitamins: Benefits, Food Sources and More [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. 2024 Jan 8. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/b-vitamin-benefits

7. Ballester P, Cerdá B, Arcusa R, Marhuenda J, Yamedjeu K, Zafrilla P. Effect of Ginger on Inflammatory Diseases. Molecules [Internet]. 2022 Oct 25;27(21):7223. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36364048/ 

8. Electrolytes [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/21790-electrolytes

9. 9 tips to boost your energy — naturally [Internet]. Harvard Health Publishing | Harvard Medical School. 2024 Apr 4. Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/9-tips-to-boost-your-energy-naturally 

10. Power Up: 10 Ways To Boost Your Energy Naturally [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. 2024 June 12. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/natural-energy-boosters