Dr. Frank Lipman featured in three articles in Harper’s Bazaar:
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Get Non-Stop Energy
My List: Donna Karan in 24 Hours
Alcohol: How Much is Too Much?
It's 4 P.M. Your eyelids are drooping, your chin is propped
on your hand, and your mind is slowing down like a windup
toy on its last turn. You've entered the afternoon slump.
"Many women feel run-down on a daily basis and have no
idea why," says Steven Margolin, a holistic practitioner in
New York and a cofounder of Burn & Build Body. Here,
Margolin and other experts reveal how to rev yourself up
with easy natural remedies. The payoff: long-lasting energy
that doesn't fizzle.
1) POWER UP YOUR BODY. To elevate your baseline
energy, look for a supplement with adaptogens—energizing
herbs that support the body's ability to cope with fatigue and
aging, says Frank Lipman, an integrative physician and
founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York,
who favors rhodiola, ginseng, and ashwagandha (try Be
Well Adaptogens, $40). If you're over 40, consider taking
CoQ10; this enzyme, which the body produces, is essential
for energy and maintaining high antioxidant levels but
declines as we age, he says. Start with 200 to 400 milligrams
daily for four weeks, then 200 milligrams a day to keep up
healthy levels (try Be Well CoQ10, $33). "The benefits kick
in quickly, usually within two to three weeks," Lipman notes. "Some even report feeling more energized
in a matter of days."
2) GO FOR A NATURAL HIGH. "I advise patients who exercise regularly to take arginine, resveratrol,
and alpha-lipoic acid 30 minutes before a workout," says Margolin, who formulated his own Energy
Optimizer Packs ($199 for 60 packs). The medley of supplements promotes mitochondrial activity—the
natural energy production in our cells—and helps pump more blood to muscles. The net gain? Faster
toning and increased circulation for added stamina. Nongym types can get a lift as well. "It's like a
caffeine buzz but without the jittery side effects."
3) EXERCISE SMART. "There's a sweet spot for exercise that will leave you feeling revived versus
drained," Margolin says. "Twenty to 40 minutes is the ideal window to build muscle and endurance but
not deplete your system." Break down your time into the ideal routine of 10 to 20 minutes each of interval
and strength training a few times a week, suggests Lipman. "The key to increasing metabolism and
thereby energy is to power the mitochondria in the cells," he explains. "Interval-based cardio sessions
support the efficiency of the mitochondria, while core strength training increases the number of
mitochondria. It's a win-win for energy."
4) GET MOVING. Head bobbing at your desk? Taking a brisk 10-minute walk provides energy that lasts
for up to two hours, according to a study at California State University, Long Beach. Even better if you
can go outdoors, Lipman says. Exposure to sunlight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, so you stay
more alert.
5) USE CAFFEINE WISELY. Experts agree that caffeine will give you a quick energy surge that you
pay for later. The exception: green and black teas, which contain not only lower levels of caffeine than
coffee but also L-theanine, a known calming compound, says Lipman. The result is even-keeled, focused
energy rather than the peaks and valleys associated with coffee and espresso. If you crave variety, mix
powdered green tea with chilled water for an icy option, recommends New York nutritionist Stephanie
Middleberg.
6) KEEP MINTS HANDY. Peppermint—smelling it or tasting it—stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which
is connected to the part of the brain that induces wakefulness, reports Alan Hirsch, the founder and
neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Try diffusing
an invigorating mint-based scent in your work space or chewing mints or spearmint gum.
7) EAT CHOCOLATE. Yes, really. Eating small amounts of dark chocolate may boost physical
endurance, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. The optimal
daily dosage is found in a five-gram piece of dark chocolate, which is roughly the size of two postage
stamps. But there is a caveat: The benefits will likely disappear if you eat more, probably because the cell
receptors involved in energy production become overloaded. A good reason to buy that bag of Hershey's
minis.
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1:00 P.M. If I can squeeze it in, I'll go to Dr. Frank
Lipman for acupuncture or to get my vitamin shots: B 12,
B6, B-100. I fit it all in. A lot of it is me getting older;
you feel the time is getting smaller. And unless you
take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else.
God bless yoga and meditation and my spiritual
practice.
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I've had a drink every day, or at least more days than
not, for as long as I can remember. But I don't
remember noticing what a nightly ritual it had
become until my twins were about six months old. Of
course I quit when I was pregnant, without much
effort. But then, as they got older, the moment I knew
they were asleep I'd sneak out the back door to pick a
lemon and a lime from the trees in our yard, dart back
to the kitchen, grab the Luxardo cherries, a handful of
ice, a bottle of whiskey, and agave syrup to balance
the tart citrus (because, you know, sugar is bad for
you), and I'd transform from mommy to mixologist.
I'd juice and measure and stir, and then I'd drink that
cocktail in silence, an invisible DO NOT DISTURB
sign hanging from my neck, remembering what it felt
like to be a human being.
I love a Dark & Stormy in the summer, a crisp white
wine after the beach, a glass of Tempranillo when
there's a steak on the grill and, as the holidays
approach, a good whiskey on the rocks. I rarely drink
in daylight, unless the occasion calls for it, or it's
summer, or it's someone's birthday (and, hey, isn't
every day someone's birthday?). I only have one, most of the time, unless I'm out, or in with company, or
it's Christmas, or I just had an ass-kicking kind of day. I'm not going to sugarcoat it: A single drink before
dinner, while I'm making dinner, or after dinner makes me a happier person. And frankly, a reposado
tequila on the rocks with lime makes me a superhero—momentarily invincible, anxiety-free, and more
engaged with my husband, my friends, and, yes, my kids. I'm not an alcoholic. I've seen that up close, and
I know that what I'm doing bears little resemblance. But that doesn't keep me from wondering if I'm
drifting into some kind of undefined, gray area of casual dependency. Even my delightfully childless
friends who don't have to face a five-year-old at 6 A.M. are beginning to question if drinking is the best
idea: Is it compromising their performance at work, their future as a size 6, the youth of their skin? What
are the long-term effects of this indulgence?
"It's hard to say with any certainty how much is too much, because each individual metabolizes alcohol
differently," says New York internist Frank Lipman, a specialist in integrative medicine. Depending on
which research you read, moderate drinking may lower cholesterol levels, sink blood pressure, lower your
risk of stroke, and increase bone density post-menopause. For women, moderate means up to one drink
per day; low-risk drinking, meaning the person imbibing is less likely to develop alcohol dependency, can
be categorized by no more than three drinks in one day, and no more than seven in a week. The bad news:
Studies show that regular drinking is linked to breast cancer because alcohol can tinker, unfavorably, with
estrogen levels (except one: tequila). Alcohol can also inhibit your absorption of nutrients. One study
suggests that heavy drinking rewires brain circuitry, making people more sensitive to stress.
So are there ways to drink healthily and well? Hopeful rumors still circulate about an active ingredient in
milk thistle, though proof remains elusive. "We know that it supports liver function, and the liver
metabolizes alcohol. So it couldn't hurt," says Lipman, who also advises drinking water in between
cocktails and eating beforehand. And, anecdotally, I've found that evening primrose oil capsules help, both
to coat the stomach and to soothe the liver.
In defense of my drinking, it's my last remaining vice, or at least my last remaining regular vice, or my
last remaining regular vice suitable for print. For the moment, I don't see any reason to stop. I have a lot to
celebrate, a lot of people who want to celebrate with me, and the number of a reliable car service
programmed into my phone. And if my bones are denser when I'm a sassy old lady as a result of all of this
celebrating, I'll drink to that.
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