Movement remains essential for metabolic health, regardless of advances in medications and weight-loss peptides. Even as powerful tools like GLP-1 medications curb appetite or tirzepatide supports weight loss, the role of regular physical activity cannot be replaced. If you are thinking, “Do I still need to exercise?” the answer is always yes.

No matter how advanced the medication, there is one thing it will never replace:

The unique, irreplaceable benefits that happen when your muscles are contracting regularly.

In this article, we’ll outline how mitochondrial dysfunction can present as real-life symptoms. We’ll then discuss practical ways to address it with nutrition, sleep, movement, and select tools (including peptides) that may support repair and improve metabolic function.

Used thoughtfully, they can sometimes tilt the odds in your favor. Used recklessly, they can introduce risk without clear benefit. The purpose of this article is to give you a plain-English framework for understanding what peptides are, how a few of the more commonly discussed ones work, and where they might fit, if at all, after the basics of nutrition, sleep, and training are firmly in place.

Medications like Ozempic® (semaglutide), Wegovy® (higher-dose semaglutide), and tirzepatide (Zepbound®/Mounjaro®) are powerful tools for the right person, in the right context, with the right supervision. They’re also not for everyone—and they’re definitely not a replacement for doing the foundational work on sleep, nutrition, movement, and mental health.

This article walks through:

• What these medications actually do (in human language)

• Who is and isn’t a good candidate

• The quiet risks no one tells you about on TikTok

• What an obesity-medicine specialist typically requires before starting someone

• How to think about long-term use, muscle preservation, and coming off these meds