The Energy Equation – What Fuels (or Fries) Your Energy, Focus and Resilience!
Energy is everything. It fuels our lives helping us stay focused, productive, and resilient. But for many, low energy feels like the default, leaving us struggling to keep up with daily demands. This challenge hits midlife women especially hard, as hormonal shifts, work and family pressures, and increasing responsibilities take their toll.
Think of your mind and body like a car. To run efficiently, it needs the right fuel, electrical circuity, routine maintenance and upgrades, and proper care. Putting the wrong fuel in or neglecting the engine or GPS upgrades leads to sputtering, breakdowns, going off course and less fuel efficency. In this article, we’ll explore how to fuel your energy better, understand what fries it, and provide some easy fixes to reclaim your vitality.
Find What Powers You
We’ve been socialised through the media to think of food and energy as calories in and calories out; that’s an outdated formula that’s oversimplified and certainly doesn’t work for midlife women. Our food is more than calories, it’s the building block for your body’s energy systems, fuelling your mitochondria, the “engines” in every cell. It’s essential to get the right quality, quantity and balance of nutrients.
Carbohydrates provide quick energy, broken down into glucose to power cellular activities. Proteins repair and maintain tissues, supporting muscle strength and recovery. Fats fuel hormonal health and offer long-lasting energy, especially critical during midlife transitions.
Examples of Energy-Boosting Foods:
Magnesium-Rich Foods: Think spinach, avocado, pumpkin seeds, and dark chocolate. Magnesium is vital for energy production. Add avocado to a salad base of baby spinach leaves or enjoy a square of dark chocolate for a nourishing boost. Look to have one serve of leafy green vegetables every day (as a minimum).
B Vitamins: B12 supports energy metabolism and red blood cell production, but vegans and vegetarians may struggle to meet their needs without supplements. Include foods like mushrooms, nuts and seeds, beef liver, eggs, dairy, or fortified cereals for B vitamins; vegans can explore options like nutritional yeast or B12 supplements.
High-Quality Proteins: Choose lean meats, legumes and beans, or tofu. A palm-sized portion (approx. 100g) at meals ensures you get enough. We need a portion of protein at every meal for better absorption. For instance, add grilled salmon to breakfast, some hummus with lunch or some chicken or tofu with quinoa and steamed broccoli at dinner.
Slow-Burn Carbs: Opt for sweet potatoes, brown rice, and basic rolled oats (not the sachets) to stabilise blood sugar levels. Combine oats with almond or other nut butter or soy milk for a sustaining breakfast.
The Calorie Misconception:
Restricting calories can force your body to break down muscle for energy, especially as estrogen declines. Calorie restriction can also lead to nutrient deficiencies resulting in thinning hair or hair loss, saggy skin and wrinkles, or brain fog due to energy deficiencies. Nourishment, not restriction, is key to thriving.
What Fries Your Energy?
Energy drains come in various forms, many of which we’re unaware of until the fatigue sets in. Here are a few examples but I recommend that if you are struggling with low energy, you seek help from a knowledgeable (qualified) practitioner.
Nutrient Deficiencies: Iron deficiency is a leading cause of fatigue, particularly for women of reproductive age. And if you’re menstrual cycle is going haywire and you’re losing more blood as part of the menopause transition, then this is worth investigating. Iron is used for transport oxygen so a deficiency can lead to low energy, brain fog and poor concentration, or anaemia. A deficiency in B12 can also lead to brain fog, muscle weakness, and neurological symptoms like numbness or tingling in the hands and feet. Add iron-rich foods like lentils and beef and consider B12 supplementation if you follow a vegan diet.
Sugar's Sticky Impact on Mitochondria: Glucose is a critical energy source, but excess amounts can backfire, acting like “sticky glue” within your mitochondria, the engines of your cells. This sticky buildup hampers the efficiency of energy production, leaving you feeling sluggish and fatigued. Over time, elevated sugar levels can even lead to inflammation and oxidative stress, further straining your mitochondria and overall health. To avoid this, look at eating complex carbohydrates, like vegetables, whole grains, and legumes as they provide a steady source of energy. Pairing these with proteins and healthy fats slows their digestion, preventing blood sugar spikes and crashes. For example, enjoy berries with unsweetened Greek yoghurt or ricotta or have cooked and cooled brown rice salad with salmon and vegetables.
Lifestyle Stressors: Many women overextend themselves, taking on tasks beyond what’s sustainable. If we go back to the car metaphor and look at an electric car. We know that it needs a full charge to be able to go a certain distance. You wouldn’t dream of not recharging it and driving it further than you know it will go. But every day we try to squeeze in more mileage, and we aren’t recharging the car! Managing your time and learning to “deprioritise all the things” is essential to managing your energy. We simply try to do too much with the time, fuel and energy we have.
Energy Vampires: Certain relationships or situations can leave you drained. We all know this dynamic exists, but we often push those feelings down or keep going back to those situations. Recognition of this dynamic is an essential first step. Identify them by closing your eyes and “feeling” into your gut or heart; does this energise you or fill you with dread? Establishing boundaries or minimising exposure will go a long way to protecting you and your energy.
Topping Up and Maintaining Your Energy
Maintenance is key to preventing burnout and ensuring your “engine” runs smoothly over time. Here are some ideas on where to focus first.
Nutrient Deficiencies: There are too many nutrient deficiencies to list in this article but a good place to start is with iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) and folate (a B vitamin vital for red blood cell production and DNA synthesis).
Poor Detoxification: Toxins slow down your mitochondria and leave you feeling sluggish. Support your liver, your body’s natural detox organ with cruciferous vegetables, green tea, and plenty of water.
Balanced Blood Sugar: Stabilising your blood sugar prevents energy rollercoasters, which can cause headaches, poor sleep, and weight gain. Combine protein, fats, and slow-burn carbs at every meal to avoid these crashes.
Mindset and Rest: Restorative practices, like sleep, journaling, meditation or mindfulness, allow your nervous system to reset and recharge. When you focus on rest, your body balances stress hormones and improves resilience. If you were an e-car we’d plug you in, but you’re not, you’re human, so the key is to “unplug” to recharge.
Movement: If we could put the benefits of movement and exercise into a pill doctors would be dishing them out like candy! Regular exercise, like yoga or walking, keeps energy circulating. Even gentle morning stretches can work wonders, but find a way to move your body throughout the day, every day.
Fuel Better Energy and Beat Fatigue
Want to learn more about optimising your energy? Follow me on social media for tips and energy hacks and join my RenewHer Vitality group on Facebook for exclusive resources, including the Your Guide To Energy Booklet and a video series where I expand on these energy topics and more.