Total Mitochond…what?
I’m tired, can't sleep, my skin is itchy and I still got to go train today…twice! Do I “David Goggins” my way through it, or stay in bed. If you know me you know the answer, WWGD? I live a pretty busy life, like most people. I’ve been living and working bi-coastal for almost 2 years now. I travel between NYC and LA on a monthly basis. I know, it sounds cool! It is but it can take a toll on your body. The constant airplane travel and time changes can really mess with your sleep cycle and circadian rhythm. To add to my workload I took on a challenge this year like no other I’ve done before. An entire year full of athletic challenges, peaking with a Full Ironman in September. Did I mention I’ll be turning 41 this year too? Needless to say, I need all the help and advantages I can get when it comes to supplements, training, and recovery. Insert Onnit product here… because I use a lot of their stuff and when they recently launched something called Total Mitochondria I was intrigued but to be honest not entirely excited about adding another supplement to my routine, see my supplement blog. I’ve heard a lot of talk about mitochondria on podcast such as Joe Rogan, Aubrey Marcus, and Ben Greenfield, so I knew the importance it. So with my Ironman training kicking into full gear in April, I knew I had to give a try!
I’m always training for something, whether it's a marathon, triathlon or just to stay fit. This requires a lot of discipline, energy, time and hard work. Naturally, the body will start to fatigue if you don’t maintain a good balance of diet, recovery, and supplementation. One of the questions most debated amongst trainers, bloggers, physicians, and athletes, is are you overtrained or under-recovered? I’m guilty of both but have made some changes to my routine this year to better optimize my body, health, fitness level and performance. I was struggling with poor sleep which made me tired the next day which made my workouts even harder to complete. I knew I had to work on my sleep first then go from there. Next, I wanted more energy throughout the day and during my workouts.
As an endurance athlete, my body needs an increased production of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate. What is (ATP) you ask? The ATP molecule is the nucleotide known in biochemistry as the "molecular currency" of intracellular energy transfer; that is, ATP is able to store and transport chemical energy within cells. You can increase production of ATP with foods and supplements like beets, mushrooms, and oysters. All great to eat but I was looking for something a little simpler. Then Onnit came out with Total Mitochondria. Mitochondria, affectionately known as the powerhouse of the cells, are responsible for generating ATP, which runs the rest of the body. Think of mitochondria like turbines—they are one of the primary producers of energy that every cell in our bodies needs to function—and therefore are critical for brain, muscle, and heart health. When our cells are healthy, the mitochondria inside them function optimally.
Ok, sounds cool right? I’m an experiment in process. So I took Total Mitochondria for 30 days and here is what happen. But first, let me back up a few weeks. I had just finished a triathlon in San Diego followed by the LA Marathon one week later. I then drove to Las Vegas for a few days, back to LA and then I flew back home to NYC. Two days later I flew to Miami for a quick meeting and then back to NYC again. Needless to stay I was a little tired. I also continued to workout during this time. When I got back to NYC my Total Mitochondria arrived and I started it right away and these are my personal results.
My Full Ironman training had just started so now my training output was about to increase significantly and by that I mean I’m averaging 12-15hrs of training a week. That’s two workouts every day and sometimes 3. Right away I noticed that even tho my work output had increased my energy levels felt better throughout the day. Next, my sleep started to improve and I was getting a lot more deep sleep (tracked via sleep app). This led to better recovery and allowed me to continue at this new pace without sacrificing form or intensity. An interesting side effect I notice was a lot of my itchy skin issues went away. I can’t yet directly contribute this to the supplement but my skin issues have improved after I started taking it.
After all my hard training, I was expecting to be tired all the time. I have to get up earlier to get in all these workouts and figured I’d be sore and dragging throughout the day, this is what happen to me last year when I was training for a few Half Ironmans. However, that did not happen this time. I feel great!
For reference below are some of my workouts increased by percentage since starting:
-Biking output increased by 33%
-Swimming output increased by 424%
-Weekly training hrs increased by 20%
I recently competed in the St. George Half Ironman in Utah. I finished with a new personal record! Completing this beast of a race in sub 6 hrs for the first time (see my blog here). To top it off, this was one of the worlds most difficult and challenging Ironman courses, yet I did better than on easier courses in the past. I only took one day off and felt good enough to go right back to training!
The bottom line for me is this, It works! I now have my monthly subscription activated! I highly recommend anyone who wants’s their energy back to try it. You don’t have to be an athlete to take this, it can be for anyone in any profession, fitness level or walk of life. It kept me sharp and focused at work during the day and provided the energy needed to push through harder days. It short, I’m optimized! Thanks, Onnit. Stay Hard!
Greg Pawlisa