Feeling Exhausted All the Time? That's Not Normal
Let's talk real life for a second.
Feeling exhausted all the time? Bloated? Foggy? Unmotivated to do anything beyond the bare minimum?
That's not normal.
I know, I know. You might be thinking: "But I work full time, have three kids, barely sleep, and am constantly on the go."
Still not normal.
I was talking to a client recently who said she'd spent most of her 30s feeling like a shell of herself. Tired, inflamed, and dragging through every single day.
And she just figured... this is what getting older feels like.
But since when did we decide that hating how we feel in our bodies is just "part of the deal"?
Since when did it become normal to accept:
Being constantly bloated
Waking up feeling unrested even after 8 hours of sleep
Snapping at the people we love over little things
Avoiding mirrors and photos
Relying on caffeine just to get through the day
Feeling disconnected from our own bodies
The Wake-Up Call
The turning point for this client? She made one small change based on her assessment review, and couldn't believe how much better she felt within just one week.
Now she's rebuilding her body and life from the inside out, and she frequently tells me, "I can't believe I thought feeling terrible was just normal."
Here's what I want you to know: Yes, your schedule might be crazy. Yes, you've got people to take care of and a million tabs open in your brain. Yes, you might feel like you're barely keeping up with life.
But feeling like garbage all the time still isn't normal.
The Real Culprit: Stress (All Kinds of It)
What you're feeling almost always comes back to one thing: Stress.
Not just mental or emotional stress, but physical, metabolic, and even nutritional stress.
Stuff like:
Skipping meals because you're "too busy" to eat
Over-exercising while under-eating (trying to burn off stress and calories)
Running on cortisol, caffeine, and sheer willpower
Beating yourself up every time the scale goes up
Not prioritizing sleep because there's "too much to do"
Not properly fueling your body for your actual energy demands
Never slowing down or giving your nervous system a break
According to research from Harvard Medical School, chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which directly impacts sleep quality, metabolism, immune function, and mood regulation. When you're constantly in fight-or-flight mode, your body can't perform basic functions like digestion, recovery, and fat burning effectively.
The Bucket Analogy: Why You Feel Drained
Here's how I explain it to my clients:
Imagine your body as a bucket. Every stressor pokes a hole in the bottom.
Mental stress (work deadlines, relationship issues) Physical stress (intense workouts, poor sleep) Nutritional stress (skipping meals, restrictive dieting) Environmental stress (toxins, poor air quality) Emotional stress (perfectionism, comparison, overwhelm)
Eventually, no matter how much you try to fill the bucket with caffeine, willpower, or motivation, it empties faster than you can refill it.
And you're left feeling:
Cranky and craving sugar constantly
Tired no matter how much you sleep
Bloated, puffy, and inflamed
Disconnected from yourself and your body
Like nothing you try actually works
Even something like eating too little can be a massive drain. Your body doesn't know you're "dieting for your health." It just knows it's not getting what it needs to function properly.
The Cascade Effect
When that bucket gets too empty, here's what happens in your body:
Hormones get thrown off: Cortisol stays elevated, disrupting thyroid function, insulin sensitivity, and reproductive hormones. This makes fat loss nearly impossible and energy crashes inevitable.
Sleep gets wrecked: High cortisol interferes with melatonin production, making it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Poor sleep then worsens everything else.
Cravings spike: Your body desperately seeks quick energy, leading to intense cravings for sugar and refined carbs. You're not lacking willpower; you're experiencing a biological survival response.
Motivation disappears: When your nervous system is constantly activated, decision fatigue sets in. Simple choices feel overwhelming, and healthy habits feel impossible to maintain.
Fat loss stalls: Chronic stress promotes fat storage, especially around the midsection. Your body prioritizes survival over aesthetics, holding onto every calorie it can.
Everything feels harder: Recovery slows down, workouts feel terrible, and you feel like you're fighting an uphill battle with your own body.
Research from the University of California, San Francisco shows that women experiencing chronic stress have significantly slower metabolisms and higher levels of inflammation markers, making weight management and energy regulation much more difficult.
The Good News: You Can Fill Your Bucket Back Up
But here's the part most people miss: You can restore your body and energy levels. It's not about adding more to your plate; it's about strategic recovery and working with your physiology instead of against it.
Here's how:
1. Eat Enough Real Food
Stop under-eating. Your body needs adequate fuel to function properly. Focus on protein at every meal, complex carbohydrates for energy, and healthy fats for hormone production. Precision Nutrition research shows that women who eat adequately for their energy needs have better metabolic flexibility and stress resilience.
2. Walk More, Grind Less
Replace some of your intense workouts with walking, yoga, or other gentle movement. High-intensity exercise is another stressor when your bucket is already empty. Walking helps regulate cortisol and supports recovery without adding stress.
3. Prioritize 7-8 Hours of Sleep
This isn't negotiable if you want to feel human again. Create a consistent bedtime routine, limit screens before bed, and make your bedroom a sanctuary for rest.
4. Hydrate Properly
Dehydration is a physical stressor that affects every system in your body. Aim for half your body weight in ounces of water daily, plus more if you're active or stressed.
5. Learn to Regulate Your Nervous System
Practice deep breathing, meditation, journaling, or other stress-reduction techniques. Even 5 minutes of intentional breathing can shift your body out of fight-or-flight mode.
6. Give Your Body a Plan It Actually Feels Safe Following
Stop yo-yo dieting and extreme approaches. Your body needs consistency and adequacy to trust that it's safe to let go of stored fat and operate efficiently.
Why This Approach Works
When you start filling your bucket instead of constantly draining it, everything changes:
Energy stabilizes: No more 3 PM crashes or relying on caffeine to function.
Sleep improves: You fall asleep easier and wake up feeling actually rested.
Cravings normalize: You stop feeling out of control around food because your body is getting what it needs.
Mood balances: Less irritability, anxiety, and overwhelm. You feel more like yourself again.
Body composition improves: When stress decreases, your body can finally focus on building muscle and releasing excess fat.
Life feels manageable: You have the energy and mental clarity to handle your responsibilities without feeling constantly overwhelmed.
The Real Work: Comprehensive Recovery
This is exactly what we focus on in my coaching programs. We don't just hand you another meal plan or macro target and say "good luck."
We look at:
Where your body is drained and what's causing the biggest stress load
What it actually needs to restore and rebuild energy systems
How to create a sustainable plan that fits your real life constraints
How to stop repeating the same start-over cycles that keep you stuck
My clients regularly go from stressed, bloated, and barely hanging on to strong, energized, and clear, often within just a few months of consistent, strategic support.
It Doesn't Have to Be Your Reality
If you've been telling yourself that feeling exhausted, bloated, and disconnected from your body is just "how life is now," I want to challenge that belief.
You don't have to choose between taking care of everyone else and feeling good in your own body. You don't have to accept fatigue and frustration as your normal.
Your body is designed to feel good, have energy, and function optimally even during busy seasons of life. The key is giving it what it needs instead of constantly asking it to do more with less.
Ready to Fill Your Bucket?
If you're tired of feeling tired and ready to restore your energy and vitality, I can help. My Metabolic Assessment identifies exactly where your bucket is being drained and what your body needs to start feeling like yourself again.
Take the Metabolic Assessment here to discover your personalized plan for getting your energy and confidence back.
Because this whole "barely hanging on" thing? It's not normal. And it doesn't have to be your reality.
Megann is a fitness coach who specializes in helping overwhelmed women restore their energy and transform their bodies through sustainable, stress-reducing approaches. Through her coaching programs and Metabolic Assessment, she's helped hundreds of women go from exhausted to energized without adding more stress to their lives.
