Why You're Always Tired: The Lab Work and Lifestyle Audit Your Energy Actually Needs

Written by Sarah Bishop, MS Exercise Science, Functional Health Coach

Struggling to reduce your caffeine? Maybe it’s not a discipline thing

Fatigue can stem from digestive dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, cortisol dysregulation , hormone imbalances ….Just to name a few things.

It can also be the toxic doom scrolls or chaotic work schedule you have to navigate … either way , I would never ever want someone to just “power through” and run up the Starbucks bill until “life calms down.”

Appropriate* lab work can help you get more answers as to the root cause (s) , as you refine nutrition habits, considering training and daily routines.

Blood Work and Lab Testing  

We recommend using serum lab work to identify which areas of the body may need extra support and pinpoint underlying conditions that could be contributing to fatigue. For example, one sign of low thyroid hormone levels is  fatigue. A CBC and iron panel may reveal nutrient inadequacies. B12 and iron are two common micronutrients that someone with low energy levels may need more of in their diet … or dig deeper into why they are deficient. 

Useful Labs to Consider

• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• A full thyroid panel (TSH, Free and Total T4 & T3, Reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies)
• Estrogen
•  Free and total Testosterone
• DHEAs
• AM Cortisol
• Fasting Insulin
• Iron, Ferritin, TIBC
• Vitamin D
• RBC Magnesium 
• B12/Folate 

More testing definitely could be warranted—for example, dysregulated cortisol is better identified in a DUTCH urine test. We like the GI map to assess gut health. Any testing recommendations should be made by assessing current biofeedback and health history. Serum labs however are a fantastic place to start and can give a lot of clues and information that you can use to start making improvements to energy. 

Chronic low energy often comes from lifestyle habits—like skipping meals or never leaving your computer screen—but it can also be linked to underlying issues such as cortisol dysregulation, blood sugar swings, or nutrient deficiencies. And sometimes (okay   always), there’s more than one root cause at play. 

Step 2:  After gathering lab results

Appropriate* lab work can help you get more answers as to the root cause (s) , as you refine nutrition habits, considering training and daily routines.

Our approach involves using those insights to make targeted adjustments to diet, lifestyle, and training so you can start not only improving energy and focus, but positively impacting all areas of health.  Even before receiving lab results, we encourage focusing on these key areas:

• Morning and Evening Routines: Are you giving yourself a calm start or are you rushing into stress? Do you have an evening routine to wind down and support quality deep sleep? Or is it doom-scrolling social media until midnight? 
• Balanced Meals: Are you fasting too long between meals, or building meals that don’t have a protein, healthy fat and fiber source? Both habits can lead to low energy and mood. Listen to this episode for more ways nutrition and vitamins and minerals can help mood and energy.
• Salt your meals 
Eating 90% whole foods, drinking your gallon of water and still feeling blah? Check your sodium! Many need more salt than they’re giving themselves.  And that feeling of sluggish disappears pretty fast when they get enough minerals . imbalanced blood sugar which can wreak havoc on both physical mental energy.
• Alcohol and coffee: Both can alter hormones and sleep and hurt the goal of sustained energy. 
• Enough Calories: Not eating enough calories for your energy demands is a sure way to feel like you’re running on empty. It can also quickly lead to hormonal downregulation as the body conserves energy to get through whatever famine it thinks you’re facing. 
• Stress Load: What can you realistically control or reduce in your life? Stress and taking on challenges help us grow… but chronic unmanaged stress leads you to lose your mojo fast.

Essentially we’re mapping out what changes or areas of focus will pack the biggest punch downstream your you, your body and your energy. 

I’m a firm believer of starting with blood work and a review of what you’re doing, what you aren’t doing what you’ve been doing and creating clear, targeting programming from there.

Because nothing is more draining than guessing or spinning your wheels trying to figure it out without a road map

You deserve to have the mental clarity and pep in your step to accomplish all the big goals you have for yourself. And so often, our own habits and routine can be the one thing standing in our way. 

Awareness is step one- that includes a habit audit, taking care of your body by checking under the hood with labs, and regular (perhaps monthly ) check ins about what your body needs. And finally, there’s no shame in asking for guidance or support - i know i’m glad i called myself out here this week, and that I have a new plan and accountability buddy for next Wednesday 

That’s the whole purpose of a strategy session.

Not more optimization. To understand:  what actually deserves your attention and what doesn’t need your energy anymore.