Are you feeling drained and wondering how to get the energy levels women want over 35? You’re not alone. Fatigue is a widespread issue that many women face, but it’s not just a consequence of aging or hormonal shifts. It’s a complex interplay of nutrition, exercise, and emotional health that can be managed. In this episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I delve deep into the multifaceted reasons behind fatigue and share six foundational practices designed specifically to help women regain their energy levels.
Are you feeling drained and wondering how to get the energy levels women want over 35? You’re not alone. Fatigue is a widespread issue that many women face, but it’s not just a consequence of aging or hormonal shifts. It’s a complex interplay of nutrition, exercise, and emotional health that can be managed. In this episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I delve deep into the multifaceted reasons behind fatigue and share six foundational practices designed specifically to help women regain their energy levels.
From the importance of hydration to the power of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, I guide you through essential strategies that can transform your wellness journey. Quality sleep is paramount, and I’ll provide you with tips to ensure you’re getting the restful nights you deserve. We’ll also discuss how moderating alcohol, sugar, and caffeine intake can significantly impact the energy levels women want, allowing you to feel more vibrant and alive.
But that’s not all! I emphasize the critical role of nutrition for women, particularly the balance of macronutrients like carbohydrates and proteins. Stabilizing blood sugar levels is crucial for maintaining energy throughout the day, and I’ll share how to eat for muscle and optimize your meals for peak performance. Exercise is another key component; I advocate for consistent strength training and moderate-intensity cardio, while also cautioning against high-effort workouts that can lead to burnout and fatigue.
As midlife women, we have unique challenges, but we also have the power to reclaim our vitality. I encourage you to experiment with these practices and be patient with yourself as you work towards the energy levels women want. Remember, it’s about finding what works best for you and your body. Join me as we explore these vital topics, including weight loss, wellness strategies, and fitness motivation tailored for women over 35.
Let’s embark on this journey together towards a more energized, fulfilling life. Tune in and discover how taking small, actionable steps can lead to profound changes in your health and well-being. You deserve to feel your best, and I’m here to help you every step of the way!
Get FREE lifetime access to my 4-week Strength Without Stress program today! This unique program helps you build lean muscle and reduce inflammation—without the fatigue from long or intense workouts. All you need to do is post a review of my podcast, grab a screenshot, and upload it at: hollyperkins.com/review
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If fatigue is an ever-present companion and you find yourself saying, “I'm good, I'm tired”, every time a friend asks you how you are, you may be unaware of the factors that influence how you feel and your energy levels throughout the day. The good news is that energy levels in women aren't just about getting older, although that is a piece of the puzzle, and exhaustion and fatigue aren't something that you just have to live with. In fact, you might find that the very things that you've been told to feel better, like eating more protein or working out more, are actually making your energy worse. In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly how to eat and exercise to finally feel energized again in a way that actually works with your body. So keep listening. Hello, and thank you for being here. If you are new, welcome. I'm Holly Perkins, and I will help you to improve your body composition so that you are at least 70% lean mass, because that's the place where you reduce your risk of disease. feel great, you're strong, and you're able to stay in the game of life and out of the rocking chair in the years ahead. If you notice yourself feeling tired on the regular, you know that it is no way to live a big, full, abundant life. According to the Journal of General Internal Medicine, fatigue is one of the top five reasons why women seek medical care. Chronic fatigue and low energy are among the most common complaints in primary care, especially for women over 35. And I see this in my practice all the time. If you notice that your life is diminished because you often feel too tired for social gatherings or for family activities, or even honestly, just getting through the day, You've probably tried things to improve. your energy levels. And you've probably even rolled your eyes when someone says, oh, you just need more sleep, or you need to reduce your stress, or you need electrolytes, or meditation. Listen, I have been there. And I can't tell you how many doctors were like, how's your sleep? And part of me was like, oh my gosh, this goes so beyond sleep. So if you're anything like me and you struggle with deep exhaustion at times, you know that your fatigue is deeper than one simple thing like drinking more water. And it's an indication of a bigger issue. Your internal navigation system, your gut will know something else is going on. And that's exactly why so many women seek out medical care. Because you know life shouldn't be this. exhausting. And now listen, of course, there are shades of gray when it comes to fatigue, energy levels in women, and this notion of pervasive exhaustion. And regardless of where you would rate your energy levels, I've got some tips that I have found really work for me and for my clients. So in this episode, you'll learn six basic foundational practices that you should be doing. especially if you're someone who suffers from mild fatigue each day. You'll learn my top three practices for how to eat so that you have more sustainable energy. And I'm also going to talk about specific things around exercise in terms of timing, the type of exercises that you should be doing and not doing, and also some detailed information around the type of cardio that actually boosts energy rather than draining you. I believe that poor energy levels are a bit complex and do reflect many aspects of your life, including your habits like nutrition, sleep, emotions, gut health, and physical activity. And often, improving energy levels in women really is a process that takes some implementation, some trial and error, some experimentation, and definitely some patience. And when you consistently apply the things that I will reveal today, you will absolutely see an increase each day and or each week. And it's kind of like you layer practices on top of each other. And before you know it, at some point down the line, you notice you're just not as wiped out each day. As someone who has spent many years deeply exhausted, I promise that it's something I know very well and I have spent decades troubleshooting. I would honestly say fatigue and energy issues and remedying them are one of the things that I'm really, really, really an expert at on top of nutrition and strength training. And I've found that these things help nearly every client that I've ever worked with because they address the most global. the most impactful aspects of your biology, and one of them being the actual foods that you eat each day. While I do consider myself an expert in helping women to improve energy levels, I will admit that there isn't one thing that you can do to eliminate fatigue and feel energized all day long. It's just not that simple, especially for women. It's often a few things getting addressed together, and then they add up over time. It's not as simple as drink more water or sleep more. It's usually drink more water and sleep more and strength train and stop skipping meals and working out fasted, right? So if you're looking for it to be the one thing like a greens powder or electrolytes or a supplement, I promise you women's physiology is way too complicated and sophisticated than that. It's usually, in my experience, five to seven practices each day. that all kind of add up. Now I will say what you're getting in this episode are the high level, most impactful things that I've seen in myself and my practice. And if you're ready to adopt these habits, I can nearly guarantee that soon you'll actually feel great again, or maybe even just for the first time ever. What I do know for sure is that most women think that low energy is just aging, and that's definitely a part of it, or they think it's hormones, or they think it's a busy life. And the truth is, it's just not that true. If you can imagine a day in your future where you actually feel awesome, and you have all of the energy that you need or want, I promise it's possible, even for the deepest fatigue. Stay with me because after this episode, you'll feel inspired. optimistic, and armed with tools that I promise actually work if you'll apply them. So up first under the how to eat column, I've got three broad areas for you to look at. But before I go there, it's important to know that there are just certain nutritional practices that are foundational, and they're assumed if you're someone who is trying to actually feel great. In some ways, I feel like I don't even need to point these things out, but I will because if I don't explicitly say them, someone's going to make an assumption that these six items are not important when they really, really are. Sometimes women come to me so deeply struggling from exhaustion and then they're just not even drinking water during the day. And so sometimes these things are very just basic, but you don't realize. how significantly they impact your experience. So in order to truly feel great, you must, six items, number one, drink plenty of plain, clean water throughout the day. I personally don't believe that hydrating beverages are the same as drinking plain, clean water. Even as little as a 3% dehydration marker in your body causes impairment of various organ systems. This is so silly because you wouldn't think it would be so impactful, but since I've gotten my body so dialed in, if my energy dips, it's almost one of two things always. I haven't had enough water or it's time to eat. Number two, eat fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables every day. The number of women that come to me. I do a diet audit and I see that they're living on protein and tortillas or Greek yogurt and flaxseed and things that aren't nutritious in terms of including all of those beautiful fruits and vegetables that the earth provides. I know there's a lot of rhetoric out there and there are even some experts that have fear-mongered fruits and vegetables and And... You know, if you're really fine-tuning, let's say, a significant autoimmune disorder, I think that it could be worthy to look at eating broccoli versus Swiss chard. But for the most part, now that I've been in this game as long as I have, and I have tried out every diet trend possible, I will always come back to fruits and vegetables are your best friends. And you have to be including at least some of them each day. This doesn't mean that every single meal has to be loaded up with spinach and all of those super colored, super high nutrition vegetables, but you do have to be eating some. every single day. And I do think fruits are equally beneficial. Number three, address sleep so that you're getting deep quality sleep every night. That matters more than the actual number of hours that you get. People often say get more sleep. And that's a bit mysterious. But I would argue it's really about the quality because if you're getting seven hours of really deep, high quality sleep. That can be as beneficial as getting the 8 to 10 hours of poor quality sleep. Now, I know this is a loaded suggestion and we could spend an entire podcast episode on it because it's complicated. But please do your own research and look at all of the factors that are impacting the quality of sleep that you get at night because it does matter. Once I mastered this, everything changed. Number four, don't hate the messenger. reduce or eliminate alcohol, sugar, and caffeine, especially if you're over 40. Now listen, I am someone who definitely abuses caffeine from time to time, definitely includes sugar many days, and drinks alcohol anywhere from one to two times per week. And I can tell you, when those things get out of control, there is a big shift in my energy. I don't care what anyone says. You are going to feel better, be healthier, and have more energy if you were to take them out completely. Now listen, I've never won that battle with caffeine and I've kind of given up hope that I will ever give up my caffeine addiction, but I will say you need to keep tabs on it. Caffeine is an interesting molecule. The half-life is six hours. This means that if you're having a cup of coffee at one o'clock in the afternoon, Half of the caffeine is metabolically active at 7 o'clock at night. If you're going to bed at 9 o'clock at night, some of that caffeine is still metabolically active for you. This is one reason why a lot of experts say cut caffeine after 12 o'clock noon. And I know from personal experience, I'll sometimes push my afternoon green tea to 3 o'clock and it always bites me in the but when I hit the sack at 10 o'clock at night. Number five, practice some form of mindfulness, meditation, or prayer every single day. This is so powerful. The thoughts you have each day cause feelings, and many of those thoughts are out of your awareness. And you've got to stand guard at the gates of your mind to protect your thoughts. Otherwise, the negative voices will influence you. We are wired. to have negative thoughts. And if you are not keeping tabs on that, it will absolutely influence your mood, your energy, and your spirit every day. This one took me a long time to master, but when I did, it was really powerful for me. And I think this addresses the mind, body, spirit, emotions aspect of fatigue. And I would argue that's a big piece of the puzzle for a lot of women. Number six, avoid low quality foods like fast food, fried food, heavily processed or packaged foods. Also, choose food items that have as few ingredients as possible. As I said, these things are assumed. And if these are news to you, please start with just these six items because they alone could cause big shifts in your energy levels and then you won't even need. to address the other things I'm going to talk about next. And if you said, yep, check to each of those things that you're already doing them, you've already mastered them. The next topics are where I see the big, big shifts happen next. There are three key concepts that I have found make the most difference for my clients. Number one, as simple as this sounds, I am always amazed who isn't doing this. Eat a meal or a snack. Every four to five hours, max, during your waking hours, whether you are hungry or not. The more fit you are, the sooner you need to eat. If you work out every day, if you consider yourself fit, you need to eat more regularly. The leaner you are, the sooner you need to eat. If you have a larger meal, you could probably go as long as about five hours to your next meal or snack. But a light snack is only going to last you about two to three hours max. And so if you're someone like me who's very active or have a lot of muscle or low body fat, you might need to eat every three or four hours. The reason this is so powerful for improving energy levels in women is because it keeps your blood glucose stable and it prevents low blood sugar episodes. low blood sugar. causes so many symptoms. And many women miss this because they don't feel hungry. Keep in mind, your need for fuel is very different from hunger and appetite cues. I am rarely hungry, but if I don't eat every four hours, my energy plummets so fast. I can eat, my energy returns almost immediately. The second eating concept is to aim for 40% of each meal or snack from healthy, high quality carbohydrates. And this is where some people moan and groan, especially if you are following a more low carbohydrate lifestyle. But I'm going to put the mirror up to you. If you are trying to eat low carb or high protein because you want to get lean or lose weight, and you're simultaneously complaining about your energy levels, this is one of the best places to look first. Carbohydrates are not the devil. Carbohydrates do not lead to weight loss or weight gain. Calories do. Getting leaner is a function of a calorie deficit or calorie surplus. It has nothing to do with carbohydrates. You've got to be getting a minimum of 40%. of the calories of each meal or snack or total calories in a day coming from carbohydrates. This means that every meal has protein alongside of good carbs. And yes, I'm actually giving you a target because in this protein preoccupation that we're currently in, women are eating more protein as a solution to all of their problems. as if that's going to make you lose weight or slow muscle loss or improve your energy. And while protein is absolutely important, it's very easy to overemphasize it and therefore underemphasize carbohydrates. The reason this is so powerful is because carbohydrates and protein together work together in tandem to keep your blood sugar stable. You need them both to keep blood glucose regulated. Eating protein by itself in the absence of carbohydrates or vice versa can destabilize, or I should say will destabilize blood glucose levels. Another reason this is so powerful is because carbs are literally your energy source. And if you're just not getting enough carbs in general throughout the day, you'll suffer. Forget the low carb, the no carb, the keto, and the carnivore era. It's coming to an end, thank goodness, and I personally think that it was really ridiculous in the first place. It's causing insulin sensitivity issues in women, and it is often the whole problem. The third concept to eat to feel great and improve energy levels is a bit under the radar. But I believe it's operating under the surface for many, many women. Get your notebook out. Listen closely. Turn up the volume. If you're someone who, like me, followed everything that I've said so far, and you feel like you've done everything to improve your energy, this is worth looking at. This is powerful. And there are so few experts talking about this. And that is the science of food. sensitivities. A food sensitivity is very different from a food allergy. Food sensitivities refer to symptoms triggered by certain foods. that generally tend to be less severe. So these aren't life-threatening symptoms, and they include common complaints such as headaches, digestive upset, bloating, gas, skin rashes, low energy, mood disorders, and fatigue. While these aren't life-threatening, the IgG-mediated food sensitivities have been associated Thank you. with several chronic health conditions. And the way this works in the simplest form is that if you eat a food that your body is sensitive to internally, there's going to be what's called an IgG reaction on the inside of your body in your digestive system that causes inflammation, very low level irritation or inflammation in your digestive tract. That inflammation then gets into your blood and it causes symptoms. So an IgG food sensitivity reaction isn't like when you knew the kid in sixth grade who if he or she ate chocolate, she would get hives or a rash or go into, let's say, anaphylactic shock and not be able to breathe. That is not an IgG reaction. IgG reaction is happening very subtly. The symptoms show up six to 24 hours later. And there's a whole collection of different symptoms. This was massive for me. And I didn't figure it out until I was in my mid-40s. This caused a lot of my deep fatigue and some of my depression and anxiety symptoms. The proposed mechanism for developing food sensitivities relates to an impaired GI barrier. So it goes back to your gut, as we've been hearing a lot in the media. In short, your body may be responding to certain foods in a way that causes blood level inflammation and then causes mild but noticeable health symptoms. For example, when I was really struggling, a food sensitivity test revealed I was highly responsive to egg whites and dairy. They were off the charts. Who knew? I see this a lot with my clients as well, that eggs and egg whites really tend to cause a negative reaction for a lot of people. And I was having a significant IgG reaction. When I took those foods out, I noticed a huge shift in my symptoms and my energy in general. Still to this day, if I eat too much dairy, which I generally avoid, I will notice that my energy kind of down shifts into low power mode. And I feel like I'm just heavy and weighed down. I believe this is a consideration for many women, especially if you've tried everything else. When a client comes to me struggling and can honestly and truly prove to me that she's following the things that I've said thus far and the things that I'll go over next, the first thing I do is run a food sensitivity IgG test so that I can look and see, is she responding to grains or oats or broccoli or egg whites or dairy. And even within the dairy category, we often see people are having a negative reaction to cheese, but they're fine with cottage cheese, or they can't do whey protein, isolate protein powder, but they're fine on Greek yogurt. So even within food categories, sometimes my clients are off the charts for corn, but they're totally fine for quinoa. So... To summarize this section, remember, I'm suggesting that you first address the six foundational habits, check those off your list, and then add the next layer by eating every four to five hours. Give that a few weeks, see how you feel, and then layer on getting your carb intake right and wait a couple of weeks. And then, if you're still struggling after all of these practices, you really should consider getting a food sensitivity test done. And up next, I'm going to shift gears to reveal how exercise can really help you to feel great again, too, because that is a huge piece of the puzzle. It's the other half of the puzzle. But first, I'd love to share with you a product that has made a big impact in my own energy levels, and that is creatine. Here's some welcome news for frustrated dieters to help you stop letting your bathroom scale Dictate your mood each day. Creatone is a special creatine formula designed just for women. Doctors designed creatone to reshape and tone your body without extra or added diet and exercise. Case in point, two women can be the same exact height and weight, but the woman taking creatone will look more fit, in shape, and more toned. Imagine if your jeans are loose and you look leaner and toned and in shape again without having to add more diet and exercise. Stop getting stuck in the same exhausting cycle where you lose five pounds and then you gain six. You lose 10 and then you gain 12. Stop weighing yourself and change your body shape and energy with creatine. Creatine's foundation is the purest form of creatine in the world, sourced from Germany. It's designed to help reshape and tone your body even before you start losing weight. And it works by targeting your body's fat to muscle composition. It targets your overall fitness and firmness. so that your tummy and your thighs and your glutes and your arms look tighter, firmer, smoother, and more defined. Creatone also supports weight loss by helping convert extra body fat into usable energy, so that you burn more calories efficiently, especially during your workouts. The bottom line, creatone helps to reshape your body without additional diet and exercise. Let me get you started with 20% off your first order. Visit tonetoday.com and enter the promo code HOLLYP. That's promo code HOLLYP at tonetoday.com. Moving on to how to exercise to actually feel great and improve your energy levels, because how you exercise is the other half of the equation. Sometimes it's more about the exercise part. Because if you don't have these habits down, it will drain you. And again, there are three considerations under this exercise column that I have found super impactful for improving energy levels in women, both for myself and my clients. So the first consideration, to no one's surprise, is to be strength training consistently three times each week.And after a ton of trial and error and looking at the research, I've really landed on three sessions per week to be the sweet spot for women, especially for struggling with energy fallout. Twice per week is too few to really get meaningful volume that actually makes a difference. Now, you probably wouldn't be listening to this episode if you didn't struggle with energy and fatigue. So for someone who's very high energy and can go into the gym and like crush a workout for 35 minutes, she might be able to get away with two strength training sessions per week. And that's not the majority of women that I know and I work with. And that's why I feel like three sessions per week is really the sweet spot. But then there's the overachievers that say four times per week is the sweet spot for strength training. And to that I say. That can work if those workouts are shorter so that you're getting the same volume per week as three sessions per week, but you're splitting out that same volume more frequently so that those four sessions are shorter. But in my experience, what happens is women think four sessions per week is better. So they go in for four strength training sessions you that are all as long or intense or have as much volume as if they did three sessions per week. And in that situation, it's just fatiguing because most of the time, you would be doing too much volume in a given week. Now, here's the thing. It isn't as simple as just showing up to lift some weights each week. What I found is that women are like, I'm strength training three times per week. Great, we can check that box. But when I dig a little deeper to look at the quality, the effort, the intention, the nature of those three strength training sessions per week, they're not really hitting the mark. Those three sessions really need to be well-designed and intentional where you are working at the right intensity to moderately tax your muscles without overtaxing while also ensuring that you're working hard. enough. It is a delicate balance. What I find is some women are going in and they are just pushing themselves too hard, or they're going in and they're not pushing themselves hard enough. The art and the science is in really finding this delicate balance. And that's so hard to do by me teaching you over a podcast episode. This is one of the things that people experience inside of my coaching programs. We really help you find that delicate balance. There are three key reasons why proper strength training improves energy levels for women. Number one is that it literally makes your body more efficient at producing energy. At the most basic level, muscle is metabolically active tissue. This means that the more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body produces and uses what's called ATP, adenosine triphosphate. It's the fuel. for your muscles. It's how your muscles keep you active and moving during a workout, but also right now while you're sitting here listening to this episode. You could be sitting still or laying in bed and your muscles are still contracting. This makes daily tasks feel easier because you use less effort to do the same things, leaving you less drained at the end of the day. Building up strong muscles to carry you through every activity is key. The second reason why strength training is so powerful is because it improves blood sugar regulation. Is that starting to sound redundant? Like I mentioned earlier, stable blood glucose is critical for stable energy. It's everything. Muscle acts like a storage tank for glucose. And when you strength train... your body handles carbohydrates better, which reduces any blood sugar spikes and crashes. You'll notice more consistent energy throughout the day and therefore rely on sugar and caffeine less when your muscles are better able to regulate blood sugar. The third reason why strength training improves energy levels is that it's directly impacting sleep quality. You'll sleep better without you trying harder to sleep better. Strength training has been shown to increase deep sleep, which is the most important kind for restoration, and it helps you to fall asleep faster. And to no one's surprise, better sleep equals better energy. When you strength train consistently, you'll notice that you just feel better and you have more energy reserves in general. Your stamina is better. Even things like going up and down stairs is easier. Working out will feel easier and more energized. Or simply carrying your body around all day long is less taxing. And the thing is, those moments add up at the end of the day. When you're strategizing ways to feel better, put strength training at the very top of the exercise column. And I will say, I am my best student. I walk the walk and talk the talk. Everything that I talk about on my podcast, I do myself. And I credit everything that I talk about here to really helping improve my health, despite having a history of Lyme disease and an autoimmune disorder and thyroid issues. And I will say, now that I've mastered everything that I've talked about here today, if I get inconsistent with my strength training, I will find myself three, four, five days later with that deep fatigue. And it's become a new barometer for me and a telltale sign. If all of a sudden I get this certain kind of fatigue, I now know to immediately look at my workout log and say, hey, Have I skipped a strength training workout? And it always is the case. As soon as I get back into the gym and I have a high quality strength workout at the right intensity, it recharges my battery. I'm like the Energizer Bunny and I sit up straight, I light up and my energy comes back. The second thing under the exercise column is to avoid high effort cardio, unless you know for sure it makes you feel better. So some women sometimes do get a boost of energy after a higher heart rate cardio session. I've got a couple of colleagues and friends who swear that it's the high intensity cardio sessions help to reduce anxiety, relieve depression symptoms, and just boost their energy. But in my experience and with my clients, that's only some women and you'll know if that's you. Because High intensity heart rate or high effort cardio sessions can very quickly tip over into the fatiguing territory. In fact, for me, cardio is by far the biggest factor that either makes or breaks my energy levels during the week. I only need about three dedicated cardio sessions each week, each only about 30 minutes or less. I can handle some higher effort interval training each week. And I do think that it boosts both my mood and my energy, but it is a slippery slope. So if I'm having a week where I'm more tired than usual for other reasons, the cardio is the first thing that I scale back. Higher heart rate cardio is very demanding on your nervous system because it pushes your body into a stress response. And this increases cortisol. And it activates the sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight reaction. And that's not a bad thing in small doses, but too much or too frequently puts you in that tired but wired state. Also, higher heart rate cardio burns a lot of fuel very quickly. So therefore, it usually taps into stored glycogen in your muscles and your liver. And if your nutrition isn't right. This causes a drop in blood sugar, leaving you depleted either immediately after or three, four, six hours after the workout. High effort cardio means high heart rate and your body only tolerates a very small amount of that. So if you're someone who struggles with energy, this is something that can backfire very quickly and easily. This is one reason why I do not program any true HIIT. workouts, high intensity interval training. I do teach moderate intensity interval training because it can be very helpful, but I've just found because of the fueling requirements of higher effort, higher cardio workouts, it's a slippery slope. It's a tricky proposition, and the majority of women don't get it right because it's dependent on so many other factors that we have and haven't talked about here today. Now, related to that... is the third consideration here, which is the kind of cardio that you should include in your exercise planning to help improve energy levels. And that is moderate intensity, steady state cardio. This is the kind of cardio where you can stay within a relatively narrow heart rate range so that you keep it from going too high, but it's also high enough to produce a stimulus so that there is a training effect. on the cardiovascular system. And this kind of cardio is actually very energy producing if you keep the sessions to 35 to 40 minutes at the most. People often ask me if walking and getting steps in each day counts for moderate steady state cardio. And my answer is it always depends. If your heart rate rises enough so that it reaches your heart rate zone for moderate cardio, which is about 70 to 75 percent of your maximal heart rate, then yes, walking or getting your steps in can count as a moderate steady state cardio session. But it is important for this type of cardio to be both a little easy and a little effortful. So for me, walking and getting my steps in really doesn't increase my heart rate enough to get me into my zone of 70 to 75% of maximal heart rate, unless I'm on a treadmill with an incline, because the incline will boost my heart rate. Walking is a wonderful activity, and it can be really great for boosting energy levels in general, regardless of your intensity. But it's also important that you're doing these sessions where your heart rate does get up enough to provide enough of a stimulus for cardiovascular benefit. See, your heart is like a muscle just like any other muscle. It's a different kind of muscle, but it's still a muscle. And in order for it to become better and stronger and more efficient, it needs a stimulus beyond its current comfort zone. When you challenge your heart rate moderately, you get two big benefits. Number one, the first is cardiovascular. health and endurance improvement. So you're improving the health of your cardiovascular system, not just your heart, but your heart rate does have to get up above that familiar territory that it's in most days. The second big benefit is that you promote a state of what's called beta oxidation, which feels really good and it improves your body's ability Thank you. to burn fat as a fuel. It's a training state. And it's the intensity level where you're burning the highest amount of calories from fat and the fewest calories from carbohydrates. This is opposite to the high intensity cardio that I talked about a moment ago, where it burns more calories, but the vast majority, if not all, of those calories are coming from carbohydrates, and that is a problem. We want your exercise to be fueled predominantly from fats. The benefit of moderate steady-state cardio is that it's both restorative and slightly taxing without leading to excessive fatigue, but it also improves how your body fuels your activities. So to summarize this section on exercise, each week you want to be number one, most importantly, strength training consistently. Number two, avoiding high effort cardio unless you know without a doubt that it helps you. And number three, focusing on moderate steady state cardio sessions three to four times per week. Now, if you're ready to apply what you learned today, and you want more tips to support energy. There are few things better than building muscle. It is a powerful way to permanently eradicate fatigue. Because when you have more muscle, it does so much of the heavy lifting, pun intended, in your daily life. Your muscles move you around because they are strong and you have more muscle. So right now, go listen to episode 92, How to Eat for Muscle and Strength, where you'll learn. why eating for weight loss is sabotaging your muscle gains and probably making you more tired, and how under-fueling, even when you think you're eating enough, prevents strength progress. Just search How to Eat for Muscle wherever you're listening to this podcast right now, or come over to my website blog where all of my episodes live. If you're someone who really struggles with fatigue, you might be tempted to think that it's just a never-ending battle and that you will never conquer it. But please, hear my message. I came from the dregs of exhaustion, the depths of despair, and deep, deep, deep, soulful fatigue. I promise you, if you're willing to Go through a bit of trial and error experimentation and apply all of these things that we've talked about today and give it some time and stay consistent. I promise you, you will be on the road to feeling incredible soon. I hope you enjoyed this episode and please stay tuned for another brand new one on Tuesday of next week. Stay strong, my friend.