Table of Contents
- Which Breathing Techniques and Morning Habits Best Optimize Oxygen Absorption?
- Energy Enhancing Method #1: Morning Curiosity
- Energy Enhancing Method #2: 5.5 Breathing
- Energy Enhancing Method #3: Become a Fat Burning Machine
- Energy Enhancing Method #4: Memento Mori
- Energy Enhancing Method #5: A Regular Shutdown Routine
Which Breathing Techniques and Morning Habits Best Optimize Oxygen Absorption?
Implement five science-backed strategies to enhance your vitality. Learn to optimize mitochondrial function through intermittent fasting, apply the 5.5-second breathing technique for maximum oxygen uptake, and establish a shutdown routine that restores metabolic health.
Ready to stop relying on caffeine and start generating real cellular power? Continue reading to learn the specific Zone 2 training protocols and breathing rhythms that will transition your body into a highly efficient fat-burning state.
Energy Enhancing Method #1: Morning Curiosity
What could you get excited about today? Each morning, I pretend I’m a kid on Christmas morning, stoking my curiosity about what awaits me outside my bedroom door. I do this by lying in bed for an extra minute after my alarm sounds, pondering the 3 I’s: Insights, Interactions, and Improvements.
First, I think of “Insights” by wondering: “What might I learn today?” I think of the podcast interviews I have saved on my phone or the book I’m about to read. Next, I consider “Interactions” and ask: “Who might I connect with today?” I wonder what my wife and I will laugh about today or what surprising thing my 5-year-old will say. Lastly, I’ll spend the final 20 seconds of my curiosity minute considering “Improvements” and wonder: “What can I make better?” I’ll reflect on the skills I’m building (such as AI prompting for accelerated learning) and my current work projects.
Energy Enhancing Method #2: 5.5 Breathing
Carbon dioxide helps oxygen molecules move from the blood to cells. By slowing down your breathing, you increase carbon dioxide levels in the body, which enhances oxygen absorption and boosts energy.
In the book “Breath,” James Nestor reviews centuries of breathing practices and extensive scientific research on breathing. He concludes that a 5.5-second inhale followed by an immediate 5.5-second exhale (repeated for several minutes) is the ideal rhythm for maximizing cellular energy. You can optimize your 5.5-second breaths by breathing in through your nose. Nasal breathing purifies, heats, moistens, and pressurizes the air, increasing oxygen absorption by 10 to 15%. Nasal breathing also boosts nitric oxide production by six times, which improves blood circulation and further increases your energy.
Energy Enhancing Method #3: Become a Fat Burning Machine
Your body contains about 30 trillion cells, and nearly every one has mitochondria, often called the “powerhouses” of cells. Mitochondria take in glucose from carbs, amino acids from proteins, and fatty acids from fats—and turn them into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is fuel for the body. The more ATP your mitochondria produce, the more energy you’ll have throughout the day. When mitochondria burn fatty acids, they generate about 105 ATP, compared to just 30 ATP from glucose. If you’re not diabetic, it takes about 10 to 12 hours without food for your body to shift from burning glucose to burning fatty acids. Getting to this transition point is initially uncomfortable. That’s why many people reach for a snack before noon. But if you push through your hunger for a few hours and delay your first meal, you’ll be rewarded with more energy. Research shows that an eight-hour eating window is the sweet spot—it offers benefits like reduced insulin resistance, weight loss, and metabolic flexibility without being too restrictive.
Accelerate the transition into a fat-burning state and more easily achieve a 16-hour daily fast by doing Zone 2 Training in the morning. Zone 2 Training is aerobic exercise—like cycling, running, or rowing—that you can sustain while barely holding a conversation. You need to sustain the point where it feels almost hard but without muscle burn. Consistent Zone 2 Training will teach your mitochondria to get hyper- efficient at burning fat.
Energy Enhancing Method #4: Memento Mori
Picture yourself lying on your deathbed, surrounded by medical devices and surgical tubes. Now see your future self sit up just before their final moment, look you in the eyes, and say forcefully, “Don’t waste today!!!”
A deadline with real consequences—like a college paper that will determine 100% of your grade and is due in 24 hours—is incredibly motivating. When a deadline looms, you find hidden energy reserves, like the willpower to stay up all night to finish that paper. Death is the ultimate deadline. Remind yourself of your ultimate deadline by creating a 4,000-week grid (the average lifespan) in an Excel spreadsheet, print it out, and let it serve as a powerful reminder that your time is limited. Watch how it sharpens your focus and fuels your drive to make every week count.
Energy Enhancing Method #5: A Regular Shutdown Routine
Sleep is the foundation of energy. When sleep suffers, so does everything else: cell function declines, cognitive performance drops, and metabolic health takes a hit. Poor sleep makes you insulin resistant during the day, making it harder for your body to turn food into energy. After a decade of experimenting with sleep hacks, I’ve found that consistency is the single most important factor: going to bed at the same time every night even on weekends. When your sleep schedule fluctuates, it disrupts your circadian rhythm, which screws up your energy production.
Therefore, treat the 30 minutes before your target sleep time—the time that ensures you get at least eight hours of rest before needing to start your day—as a non-negotiable meeting.