Limitless

Metadata

• Author: Nick Powell
• Full Title: Limitless
• Category: #books

Highlights

• Most of the energy your body produces is made by mitochondria, so if you want to increase your energy levels dramatically, then you need to understand how to protect your mitochondria and make them highly efficient. (Location 283)
• Mitochondria are tiny organelles (more on organelles later) that sit inside most of the cells in your body, (Location 293)
• Molecules make up everything in nature from oxygen and amino acids to DNA and glucose. Stable molecules have electrons in pairs, and a molecule that doesn’t have a pair of electrons is unstable and reactive. These unstable molecules are called free radicals and they travel through the body and steal an electron from another molecule to make themselves stable. (Location 340)
• If you think about a situation where the number of free radicals outnumbers the antioxidants, this is what is referred to as oxidative stress. (Location 360)
• excess free radicals = oxidative stress = inflammation in the body (Location 368)
• miracle molecules are sulforaphane and polyphenols. (Location 763)
• Polyphenols are amazing molecules and are a type of antioxidant. You will generally find that most foods that are high in polyphenols have a slightly bitter taste to them. The highest concentration of polyphenols is found in blackcurrants, blueberries, coffee, dark chocolate, dark green vegetables, fresh and dried herbs, green tea, olives, pomegranates, red cabbage, red onion and red wine. There are many benefits to consuming a wide range of polyphenols, and these are highlighted in a 2016 study24 that looked at the positive role that polyphenols play in reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. The study found that polyphenols have beneficial properties which reduce inflammation, protect against cancer, protect against neurodegenerative diseases and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. (Location 779)
• This is a metabolic state called ketosis where your body is using fat as its primary energy source and is producing ketone bodies, which fuel your mitochondria. (Location 1323)
• To put yourself into a state of ketosis, you need to fast for a period; usually, for at least fourteen hours. (Location 1337)
• Autophagy is the body’s system of cleaning out and recycling parts of dead, diseased or worn-out cells. Your body can clean out the inside of the cells and use the resulting molecules for energy or to make new parts of cells. (Location 1364)
• Many chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are linked to excess defective and abnormal proteins and organelles in the cells. Autophagy removes this debris, so your cells can function optimally. (Location 1367)
• Your maximum heart rate drops with age, and a good rule of thumb is to subtract your age from 220. I’m 41, so my maximum heart rate is 179. This maximum can change depending on any medications that you are taking or your general health. When performing HIIT you want to take your heart rate to 80–90% of its maximum, so for me, it would be 144–161 beats per minute. (Location 1527)
• The more that you can move the better, because it’s the only way that your lymphatic system shifts lymph around your body to remove waste. (Location 1564)
• Infrared energy is absorbed by photoreceptors in the cell, triggering a series of metabolic events, increasing blood flow and delivering oxygen and nutrients. Inflammation and pain are reduced, and rejuvenation is stimulated. (Location 1740)
• There are many infrared devices available on the market for purchase , and each of the infrared light frequencies has varying degrees of beneficial properties. I use a light at home with wavelengths of 650 nanometres and 850 nanometres in a single unit (Location 1759)
• At night you should: Switch to amber or red bulbs, which have no blue spectrum Wear blue-blocking glasses at night (Location 1782)
• Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a tasteless and odourless gas that is now known to be a potent antioxidant, neutralising free radicals that contribute to disease development, inflammation and ageing. (Location 1941)
• Hydrogen is the smallest of molecules, having just two atoms, making it an ideal antioxidant. It’s thought that H2 may be the only antioxidant that can make its way inside the mitochondria. (Location 1945)
• The easiest way to get H2 into your system is to drop molecular hydrogen tablets into water and then drink it. The hydrogen will enter your bloodstream and then be transported to all areas of your body. (Location 1948)
• Illness is the result of improper removal of toxins from the body. Oxygen is the vital factor which assists the body in removing toxins. (Location 2039)
• Control Pause timings are rated as follows: 40 seconds – very good 30 seconds – good 25 – room for improvement Less than 15 – is a sign of respiratory complaints, sleep disorders or anxiety (Location 2297)
• Your nasal passage is much smaller than your mouth, so this gives your lungs extra time to extract the oxygen. Breathing in through the mouth is inefficient, particularly when you exercise, because you need to obtain more oxygen from each breath. Your nose also has a filtration system that takes particles out of the air and kills bacteria and viruses. (Location 2304)
• HRV is the spacing between your heartbeats rather than how fast your heart beats. When you’re relaxed, your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system is in balance. When you are stressed, your heart rate is more rhythmic with little or no variability. For example, if your heart beats at 60 beats per minute and the intervals between your heart beats are: Regular – 1 beat per second, then this signifies a stressed state Variable – 1.02, 0.98, 0.96, 1.03, etc, then this signifies a relaxed state HRV is a crucial indicator of your emotional state, how well you cope with stressful situations, and if you’re in a state of peak performance. (Location 2333)
• Commit to having a cold shower at the end of your hot shower for one minute every day for thirty days (Location 2563)
• When taking a CoQ10/PQQ supplement, I feel a quiet surge of energy and my ability to concentrate and focus increases. (Location 2716)
• Studies on L-theanine have found that it reduces stress and anxiety4 and improves mental state, alertness and attention. (Location 2734)
• In the 1800s a Prussian physicist and meteorologist physicist named Heinrich Wilhelm Dove discovered that listening to two different tones of sound in each ear could change the state of mind. For example, if you heard a tone in your right ear of 300Hz and in your left ear of 295Hz, then your brain gets confused and makes up the 5Hz difference. This difference is called a binaural beat. (Location 2862)