Any woman can boost her energy levels by shifting what's going in and out of her mouth, eyes, heart, and sleeping environment.
I know there’s a lot of you out there that are waking up feeling tired, you’re having that afternoon crash and you don’t feel like you’ve got the energy to go through your day. I’ve got some quick, simple solutions, and some education, to hand your way so you can get better hours of sleep.
First though, I want to have it officially on the record that I’ve been there in my version of it. The good news is that I promise it can get better – as long as you are very intentional about the process of improving it.
Here’s some context: when I gave birth to baby number two, I was really, really, tired afterwards – for a long time. I remember that I was so tired one day when my husband came home from work to me sitting on the back step behind our house with our two year old and a newborn, and I looked up at him with the feeling like I was going to die.
I was just so very tired. My body ached, my head hurt, I was sad, had no desire, was having random strange rashes, and I didn’t know if I could do any physical activity, or how I was going to even make it through the day. I felt trapped.
Maybe you are a woman who feels like you need coffee to make it through the day because you’re not sleeping or you’re feeling just plain irritable. Perhaps you have big visions of relationships that you want to nurture, and work that you want to pour yourself into but your energy is getting in the way, then you are in need of some help to get you back on the right track.
To Get More Energy You Need To Shift What's Going In And Out Of Your Mouth, Your Eyes And Your Heart
Of course, everything you’re eating, water intake or drinking alcohol, whatever it might be – it is all designed to either deplete your energy, or to add to your energy. We can dive even further down by looking at blood sugar management, and I’m sorry to say, probably needing to let go of caffeine.
I know, I know, I know. I swear, I know. How dare I suggest that? I get it. I love my cup of coffee and tea just as much as the next gal – but if you really want to fix your energy level, you won’t click off this article, and run away from your computer as fast as humanly possible. Trust me, there are great replacements to caffeine that I promise are going to still give you great energy and stamina throughout the day. Though, in this case, they’re going to feed you rather than depleting your adrenals like caffeine does, and thereby make it so your body is not properly absorbing the nutrients from that amazing food that you’re eating.
The quickest step for better energy is to drink MORE water
As it relates to the notion of “in and out of your mouth”, hydration is a very, very simple step that you can start today. The majority of human beings on the planet just simply don’t drink enough water. If you’re so exhausted, and experiencing the symptoms of brain fog (like when you go into a room and you can’t remember why you went there in the first place, or if you’re in conversation and it feels like there’s a veil between you and clarity of thought) your absolute first step is is to drink more water.
If you’re already drinking a lot of water, let’s fine tune and finesse the type of water that you’re drinking. Something simple is to grab a tall glass of water before you go to bed, pop in a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, and leave it by your bedside overnight. When you wake up in the morning, just drink the whole glass as the first step of your day. Why do I recommend lemon juice or apple cider vinegar? It’s a lovely way to help your body better digest – especially if you’re someone who struggles with gut dysbiosis, bloating, heartburn, constipation, or an upset stomach.
Hydration is also going to impact clarity of thought because our brain is predominantly water and fat. Making sure that you’re properly hydrated is going to give you energy that’s consistent throughout the day. It’s also going to help improve your skin complexion, your bowel regularity, and joint lubrication. Believe it or not, the science shows that the quality of sleep is just the beginning of better well-being for people who drink a lot of water. In fact, a well hydrated person is going to have a more stabilized mood by keeping your nervous system in a place of calm, and actually increases the chance of you feeling safe. So when we think about what goes into your mouth, we’re going to start with proper hydration.
If you want to know some other things to add to your water, many people find great benefits from adding the likes of some sea salt, powdered greens, and making sure that water is filtered.
Another element we have to watch out for in our water are endocrine disruptors. Plastic water bottles are notorious for having BPA. The problem with BPA is that water soaks it up, and it actually mimics hormones in the body. That’s an issue because your body will assume it has the hormones it needs and won’t feel the need to produce them. So if you are having some hormonal imbalances, sometimes by just taking plastic out, and instead having your water in stainless steel or glass jars, that can make a big, profound shift.
You must address how your eyes are seeing the world and what you are taking from it
In addition to what goes into your mouth, we have to examine what goes into your eyes. In other words, through what lens are you choosing to see the world? Are you stressed out about paying bills, or are your friends putting you in a bad mindset? If you simply catch yourself, and try to shift to a place of appreciation, gratitude, and trust that more is coming and abundance is around the corner. As you shift through which lens you are choosing to see the world, watch how it impacts your energy, because you feel more hopeful. That feeling of hope can give you energy, and then you feel grateful because of that energy. Naturally that gratitude gives you more energy, and the circle goes around and around.
Another step to take is to assess what films or shows you are choosing to watch, the social media channels you are tuning into, and the people with whom you are associating. All of these factors are either serving you, or they are not.
You must fill your heart to have better relationships and the best version of yourself
Now, let’s discuss the heart. So when you are going through your day, when you are choosing your relationships, when you’re looking at your work, does it feel like it fills your heart? This is important because we exist in our zone of genius, when we are doing what we love and when we’re surrounding ourselves with people that want us to be the best version of ourselves. That, in and of itself, gives us more energy.
We do not receive energy if we allow ourselves to be around people, and work, which pulls us down. In fact, having conversations surrounding complaints and lack of hope for the future depletes the small energy stores to which we are desperately trying to hang.
You are what you eat and you need to be much more aware of what goes into your mouth
Our energy stores are also dependent on what we’re taking into our mouths – and more specifically, our blood sugar management.
When you wake up within 30 to 60 minutes of waking I am going to ask you to make sure you eat something that has protein and healthy fat. Trust me, your adrenals and your circadian rhythm will thank you for it. Your adrenals need some of these vital nutrients so that it can prepare for the day. We want to start stabilizing your blood sugar levels from the beginning, and most blood sugar stabilization is going to come from protein, fat and fiber.
What are examples of protein? Collagen, avocados, nuts, chia seeds, and eggs. Good examples of fat include the likes of coconut oil, or some CBD oil in your adaptogen elixir. Most people like the quick protein option of eggs in the morning, so no matter what, please make sure you cook your eggs with a little bit of quality oil. Though, if you do this, my preference is that you’re eating not just the egg whites, but also the yolk because now you’ve got a balance of both protein and fat.
In addition to getting the right protein in your body in the mornings, I’m also a big fan of adaptogen elixirs to start out your day because the adaptogens support your adrenals. Plus, you’re putting in the protein source and the fat source in one space.
No more skipping meals, my friend, it’s really important that every two to four hours, you’re getting some type of quality, caloric intake once again, protein, fat fiber, so fruits, vegetables, and berries are always a good idea. Ideally, half of your plate should come from produce with a minimum of three colors in every meal.
What is coming OUT of your mouth?
The most prescribed medication for an American woman is a synthetic thyroid hormone called levothyroxine. Now, isn’t it fascinating that the thyroid exists in our throat right behind what you think of as your Adam’s apple? From an energetic perspective, a lot of that relates to this one massive factor:are you speaking your truth?
Are you allowing what comes out of your mouth to be your truth? Or are you swallowing your greatness? Are you swallowing, speaking up for yourself? Are you swallowing, having those tough conversations or applying for the job that you really want to get or launching that business that your heart desires? Having those tough conversations with friends and family? The more we swallow those down, I think it energetically blocks our thyroid. For women, it’s one of the reasons why so many of us have Hypothyroidism, which then causes low energy. So if you’re exhausted, we really need to look at your thyroid, and most of the time, you’re gonna go to your mainstream provider and they order what’s called a TSH with a reflex T4.
Your thyroid labs are one of the most important tests you can take and you need to advocate for yourself. Not just TSH, but also freeT4, free T3 and your thyroid antibodies.
TSH stands for thyroid stimulating hormone and here’s what normally happens with your TSH test – you go get your blood drawn, and your provider sees the results. The lab is looking at results that are way too broad and maybe showing a number between .4 to 4.5. While my ideal number for your TSH is to be between one and two, your TSH may come back at something like 3.9. Many times, a lab will say 4.0 is normal which means that your test is normal. Your provider receives these results and confirms that all is well. In this scenario, your actual thyroid hormones are not even tested (TSH comes from the pituitary not the thyroid).
Even though they say that everything is copacetic, I know, despite your PCP’s conclusion, you’re still exhausted, putting on weight, constipated, and worst of all, you’re sad. Perhaps you’re having random rashes, your nails are feeling brittle and you’re losing your hair – but, by all accounts, your thyroid is normal. So that is when you get to advocate for yourself and say no, these symptoms are real, I feel tired.
Instead, when you work with someone like me, or a functional medicine provider, they’re going to actually look at the right tests. We can look at how your T4 is being converted by your liver and your gut to the usable form, T3. This ALONE will drastically impact your energy. So if you don’t take anything else from this, just go ask for more tests, grab your lab tests yourself, go find another provider who’s open to looking at a different version of what’s considered normal.
You need to start letting go of your old thinking habits and start telling yourself stories that serve your health
Speaking of normal, we’ve all normalized how we think so critical of ourselves. We keep telling those old stories to ourselves that kind of get in the way of our mental/physical health. We’re often stuck in the mode of “I’m not good enough. I’m not beautiful, I’m not worthy.” Here’s the issue that eventually shows up as “I don’t belong, I feel ashamed, I feel guilty.” We need to start catching ourselves when we’re in those old thinking loops.
Our thoughts create our emotions, our emotions dictate our behavior, choices and our steps, which then dictate our lifestyle and how we create our life. What if we start out simply by shifting the way in which we think of the stories that we’re telling ourselves because it’s ultimately just a story?
If I’m walking down the street and I see someone looking at me, one version of my reaction could be, “they’re looking at me, because my butt looks bigger, and this shirt doesn’t fit. And yes, I’m getting old and frumpy.” Does that story serve me? Hell no. The other version, though, is simply just telling myself a story.
If I’m going to tell myself the story, I might as well pick the story of “yeah, he’s checking me out, he knows I’m hot. I can be a Cougar. I’ve got a cute booty. He knows I’ve still got it.” We don’t know, we’re not going to go talk to the person across the street that’s looking at us. But we can choose to start shifting our stories. The beauty of shifting what’s coming in or out of our eyes, mouth, and our heart is that we can start changing the radio stations that we’re tuning into.
We don’t have to be stuck on the same station with all of the old people whom we’re surrounding ourselves with, or the social media pages that we’re following. Instead, we start surrounding ourselves with people that support these same new patterns of thinking. Once all of these suggestions come into effect, you will see an immediate impact on your sleep.
Not all sleep schedules are equal or applicable for everyone so you must find your chronotype
Sleep studies have found genetic links to having a chronotype for sleep. Some people have a predisposition towards being at their best, most creative, and energized between 10pm to two o’clock in the morning. Whereas others know that they fall asleep by eight o’clock, but that 5am to 8am timeframe is when they are most engaged. Just know that there’s actually some genetic predisposition there, and allow yourself to fully stand in who you are by not judging yourself for it. Plan your day around your peak times and allow that to fully express itself.
If you’re waking often, or between that 1am to 4am period, it’s either because your adrenals are exhausted, or it’s a byproduct of your blood sugars not being stable for the 24 hours leading up to that sleep. Caffeine, sugar, and all the processed foods will send your adrenals into a frenzy – which then sets the stage for a buzzing wake up in the middle of the night.
Yes, taking out caffeine is hard – but you can do it by making sure that you’re hydrating and adding lots of produce into your body during those first four days. Then the next piece is we’re going to eat within 30 to 60 minutes of waking and we’re also going to stop eating within four hours of going to bed.
REM sleep is vital to mental health, learning, and to get more energy
This kind of eating schedule can help you get into quality REM sleep – where our brains actually get to rest and rejuvenate. That is the time where our brains actually assimilate and file the experiences of the day before. So if you finish your last caloric intake within four hours of going to bed, meaning no snacking in the evening ( ideally no late dinners) now your digestion gets to pause and the blood flows to your brain as opposed to your gut. Thus resulting in quality sleep.
When you’re having that quality sleep, and are able to get into the REM space, the brain can resolve any issues you have rather quickly. The brain can then take the experience of the day, your learning, and file it in the proper place. The proper “filing system” is important because for the rest of your life, when it’s time to access the learning, the learning is more accessible. It’s a simulated plus, now you’re going to wake up in the morning actually feeling rested so that you can have energy throughout the day to accomplish your goals and do all the things that you’re wanting to do.
You ARE Worthy Of Feeling Like Your Most Energized Self – Starting Today
If you are exhausted, keep trying. There’s so many things that we can shift in regard to what’s going in and out of your mouth, your eyes, your heart, we can add on skin. Okay, we can add on ears. It’s all relevant. It’s all important. It’s either serving you or it’s not. There are great supplements out there that can be personalized and specific for your specific needs, whether it’s coming from your gut, or your adrenals, or your thyroid. Maybe It’s your hormones, maybe it’s the stress level that you’re under in your life.
When your adrenals are no longer exhausted and in adrenal fatigue, I promise you, your energy is going to come back. Then you get to show up as that zest filled, vibrant, potent, powerful woman that you’re destined to be. You CAN show up as an example to your friends, and your children. You’re going to know that food is medicine, and medicine is good to fill up your own cup. When you shift what you put in your mouth that makes a difference, and everyone in your life will get to have that amazing version of you.
