"I'm sleeping fine, I'm just exhausted anyway"
Why your cells are taking a midlife shortcut.
For the past year, I’ve been waking up tired. Not “I need coffee” tired. More like “I was terrorized by Freddy Krueger in my dreams all night” tired.
I’m sleeping 7-8 hours. I’m not staying up late doomscrolling. My kids don’t wake me up at 3AM (my fur babies do though). I drink herbal tea instead of alcohol as a nightcap. Yet, most mornings feel like I’m dragging myself out of bed, bleary eyed and hungover.
At first, I blamed my hormonal night sweats, swamp sheets, and cats. I got new sheets. I locked my cats out. I tried a sound machine. When that didn’t help, I convinced myself it was the questioning of my life’s hopes and dreams, thinking that I wasn’t motivated enough to rise and shine. So, I started wearing a sleep tracker and overthinking my life’s purpose.
Turns out... I’m sleeping fine. I’m just exhausted anyway.
Desperate to figure it out, I went into research mode, diving into first principles of midlife bodies. That’s when I learned about mitochondria (rather, refreshed my memory from 6th grade biology). Mitochondria are tiny power plants inside your cells that convert food into usable energy. When they’re efficient, you feel energized. When they decline, you feel tired.
Here’s the problem: After 40, your mitochondria become less efficient and go into decline.
First, your cells burn more energy to do the same amount of work. Think of it like an old car that’s losing its fuel efficiency. It has to burn way more gas to go the same 50 miles than it did when it was brand new. Your body is doing the same thing; it's working harder but getting less "mileage" out of your food and rest.
Second, your body senses that your cells are working overtime, so it tries to conserve energy elsewhere.
It slows down muscle rebuilding: Muscle is metabolically "expensive" to keep, so your body stops investing in repair.
It shows up in your mirror: Mitochondrial stress hits your hair follicles too, which contributes to graying.
It traps you in a “fatigue loop”: Your brain makes you feel sluggish to force you to conserve energy. This creates a vicious cycle: less activity = fewer mitochondria = even less energy.
Scientists call this the “brain-body conservation model of aging.” Your body is trying to protect you by slowing everything down. But it backfires, because now you’re just... tired all the time.
The fix: Move more, not less.
The thing your body wants to avoid (activity) is the thing that signals it to make more mitochondria. Exercise—especially consistent, daily movement—is the only proven way to reverse this decline.
Last week, I renovated my wake-up routine, starting with low impact, ground-based flows and then stacking on other forms of movement throughout the morning. That was enough to tell my mitochondria: “Hey, we’re still doing stuff. Keep making energy.”
The result: I don’t feel like I need a nap by 11AM. Progress.
If you’re feeling the same way I felt, and getting more sleep, nicer sheets, or banning your pets hasn’t fixed the problem, you probably need to move more.
You need to give your body a reason to keep making energy.
To ask yourself this week
What if your fatigue isn’t a sign you need more rest, but a sign you need more movement? When’s the last time you moved first thing in the morning, before your body had a chance to talk you out of it?
To try this week
Do 10-15 minutes of movement within 30 minutes of waking up. Anything. Walk, stretch, dance, mobility flows, anything. Just move before your brain convinces you not to.
Let me know how it goes by commenting or shooting me a reply. I read every response.
Thanks for being here,
-Marek
P.S. For paid subscribers, this Friday's FIVE is a deep dive into my Power Plant protocol. I’m breaking down the movement and strength stacks that reverse mitochondrial atrophy, the meal timing trick that protects your cellular energy, the truth about mitochondrial supplements, and the mindset shift that stops your brain from "load shedding" your movement. See you Friday.
Oo, morning dance party? Sounds like a Kula Dance Party!