Awe of Mitochondria — and the Gift of Living in a Human Body
The more I learn about mitochondria, the more amazed I become—not just by these tiny organelles themselves, but by the entire human body they serve. What started as curiosity has turned into something deeper: awe, gratitude, and a genuine sense of privilege at getting to live inside a body that knows how to repair, adapt, and respond when it’s supported well.
Mitochondria are often introduced as the powerhouses of the cell, but that description barely scratches the surface. They are better understood as energy translators and communicators—turning food, oxygen, movement, stress, rest, and even mindset into the energy that allows us to think, move, heal, and feel alive.
When you really sit with that idea, it changes how you see the body. It reframes health away from quick fixes and toward foundational support, a theme that runs through many of the articles on this site.
Energy Is Life
Mitochondria sit at the center of that motion. They don’t just make ATP. They decide how energy is transformed, where it’s sent, and what it’s used for. They help determine whether energy goes toward repair or inflammation, clarity or brain fog, resilience or breakdown.
Seen this way, we are not static objects. We are processes. We are energy being transformed moment by moment. This perspective echoes ideas explored in earlier pieces on stillness, nervous system regulation, and the vagus nerve—where small inputs can shift the entire system.
Aging Is Not as Simple as We Were Told
Research showing that stress can accelerate hair graying—and that reducing stress can partially reverse it—shatters the idea that aging is purely linear. If something as visible and symbolic as hair color can change based on energy and stress, what else might be more flexible than we once believed?
This aligns with something I’ve seen personally and in others: when foundational health is supported, the body often does far more than we expect. It’s why I’ve consistently emphasized basics over hacks, and why many chronic issues begin to soften when the body’s internal communication improves. It doesn’t need to be forced—it needs the right conditions.
The Body Is Organized Wisdom
Even though mitochondria share the same genetic blueprint, they adapt to the demands of the tissue they serve. Brain mitochondria behave differently than muscle mitochondria. Heart mitochondria are different again. This adaptability reflects something profound: the body distributes energy based on need and priority.
When energy is limited, the body makes intelligent trade-offs. During illness, energy is diverted to the immune system. During intense training, energy is routed to muscles. When stress is chronic, repair systems may be dialed down.
These aren’t failures. They’re survival strategies.
We Become What We Repeatedly Do
Use a muscle, and mitochondrial capacity increases. Challenge the brain, and energy systems in those circuits adapt. Neglect an area, and energy flow diminishes.
This helps explain why movement improves mood, why learning keeps the brain sharp, and why purpose seems to energize people at a deep level. In fact, research has shown that people who experience a strong sense of meaning and connection often have more robust mitochondrial function in key brain regions.
In other words, how we live shapes how our energy systems function. This connects directly to earlier discussions on movement, light exposure, reading, and even how modern environments can quietly drain or support our energy.
Caring for the Body Is an Act of Respect
The body isn’t something to dominate or override. It’s something to support.
Simple, unglamorous habits matter deeply—many of which have been explored in depth across other articles here:
- Consistent movement that challenges the body without breaking it
- Sleep that allows repair and energy redistribution
- Real food that provides clean inputs for energy transformation
- Stress management, not because stress is bad, but because chronic stress distorts energy flow
- Periods of stillness, where the noise quiets and energy can rebalance
None of this requires perfection. It requires attentiveness—learning to notice how the body responds, and adjusting with humility rather than force.
Awe Changes Everything
That realization shifts something fundamental. Instead of fear about aging, there’s curiosity. Instead of frustration with limitations, there’s respect. Instead of taking the body for granted, there’s gratitude.
We don’t live in our bodies like passengers in a vehicle. We are the flow of energy moving through them.
And that is nothing short of amazing.
If there’s a single message I hope comes through in this and other writings on johnesling.com, it’s this: your body is not broken—it’s intelligent, responsive, and worthy of care. When we support it well, it often reveals just how remarkable it truly is.
If you’re curious how this perspective shows up in my own life, I wrote a companion piece here…
