Movement is perhaps the most powerful stimulus to build and strengthen our mitochondria.  Mitochondria are the energy factories of our bodies and brains. Mitochondria break down the food that we eat to create ATP. Remember that ATP are the energy of our cells.

When we are stressed, anxious and afraid, our breathing gets shallow and fast, almost like rapid panting. This breathing pattern can spark and modulate our “fight, flight or freeze” stress response. While critical to our survival in dangerous situations, this response can be crippling in our modern world. Extreme stress, fighting, running away, hyperventilating, or feeling paralyzed rarely serve us.

Leadership is at a pivotal point in time—balancing the demands of high performance while navigating the complexities of the AI era. The Work Innovation Lab by Asana, in collaboration with Greg Wells, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Wells Performance, embarked on a comprehensive study of 6,000 high-performing executives and leaders from the world’s top companies. What we discovered is a science-backed approach to leadership that goes beyond innate talent or working harder—it’s about working smarter.

Mitophagy is the process whereby old and damaged mitochondria are broken down and removed so that your brain and body can function properly and maintain health. It’s an ongoing process that you can influence through proper rest, moving your body, eating well, taking care of your spiritual and emotional needs, and so on—all the positive practices we’ve been exploring.

Energy practice is where the rubber hits the road—where you learn how to transform your understanding of scientific concepts like mitohormesis into real-life action.

Do you find yourself forgetting things more and more? Or feeling fuzzy minded when you need to be clear and sharp? You may be losing your edge if you’re not moving your body.

 Breathing moves oxygen into our lungs and blood and removes carbon dioxide from our bodies. Oxygen gets transported in our blood—bonded to the hemoglobin in our red blood cells—to the working tissues of our body, like our muscle cells or neurone cells in our brain.

Four-time bestselling author Dr. Greg Wells has the answer in his new book, Powerhouse: Protect Your Energy, Optimize Your Health, and Supercharge Your Performance. It shows readers how to boost energy, fight inflammation, and optimize their health cell by cell by focusing on the mitochondria — the “energy factories” that power each and every one of our cells.

In highly stressful situations, or even under the pressures of daily life, some of us crumble or merely survive while others thrive. These pressures can be occupational, familial, financial, social, or health-related, and they can have damaging consequences on our overall health and wellbeing.

I have a simple but powerful idea for you that in physiology is known as hormesis. This idea can help us cut through a lot of the noise in health and wellness content so that you know what you can do to improve your performance and wellbeing in a healthy way.

Mindful movement is a form of physical activity that involves being present and aware of one's body and movements while exercising or performing physical activities. It involves paying attention to the sensations in the body, the breath, and the environment, and practicing moving in a way that is mindful and intentional.

Breathwork is a holistic practice that involves using conscious, controlled breathing as a means of promoting physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. It can be done alone or in a group setting and may involve a variety of techniques and approaches.

Saunas and other forms of heat therapy have been used for centuries, and have been a big part of many cultures. But saunas are more than just an enjoyable, therapeutic, and often social activity. Research suggests that sauna use has many physical and mental health benefits.

One of the topics we're often asked about is fruit. Since fruit is high in sugar, is it okay to eat?

While fruit is high in sugar, it’s also high in fibre which helps to slow down digestion and stabilize blood sugar. You just have to make sure you’re eating the entire fruit, including the skin or peel to get all of the benefits!

Every few months we like to dedicate a week to answering some of our most frequently asked questions. We received a number of amazing questions from our community in our recent fall survey so we thought we’d share a few of them this week. Read below to learn more!