Low energy doesn’t just steal motivation—it derails everything from workouts to daily tasks. It’s tough to reach physique goals, excel at work projects, or handle personal milestones when running on nearly empty. While it may not be realistic to have steady energy 24/7—or to avoid the occasional heavy-feeling day in the gym—needing a coffee IV drip around the clock is no way to live.
You deserve to have the mental clarity and pep in your step to accomplish all the big goals you have for yourself.
Getting to the Root Cause of Low Energy
There are many causes of chronic fatigue. We often find lifestyle factors like never leaving your computer screen or letting weekend drinks spill into Monday’s energy. We often work with individuals who neglect rest days from training and put themselves into a recovery hole. Addressing these habits starts with an honest look at what is within our control to change and what unhelpful routines we might be holding on to out of fear.
Aside from habits, we often see underlying health issues like nutrient deficiencies, dysregulated cortisol levels, blood sugar swings and hormone imbalances behind fatigue and low energy levels.
By taking inventory of lifestyle factors and digging deeper with labs- you can reclaim your energy and start making the changes you desire.
Key Steps to Better Energy
Step 1: Don’t Guess—Test
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, Testosterone, DHEAs
AM Cortisol
Fasting Insulin
Iron, Ferritin, TIBC
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.
Step 2: Map Out Lifestyle Changes
After gathering lab results, 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? Check out a free resource here if your sleep hygiene needs some TLC.
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 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.
Habits and Routines You May Not Have Thought Of
We have found that even small additions or tweaks can significantly impact how our clients feel day to day:
Hot or Cold Therapy: Sauna, cold showers and ice baths , all have a powerful energy boosting component. There’s some big endorphin rushes that come from staying a little past the uncomfortable point. The even bigger benefits may be teaching oneself to stay calm in a physically demanding environment. Energy can often be drained from chronic unmanaged stress, and hot or cold exposure can help foster stress resilience.
Check in on your breath - Not getting enough oxygen is a great way to physically and mentally drain yourself of any energy. Try it right now - big inhale through your nose, feel your rib cage expand 360 degree, big exhale through your mouth - felt good huh?
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 dissipates pretty fast when they get enough minerals .
Give your gut some love - What your eat affects our microbiome, which influences your brain. Mood, energy and staying sharp. Focus on a Mediterranean diet, a variety of fiber sources, pre and probiotics and consider supplements for gut lining integrity.
Mix it up - Especially if you’re super routine and regimented
Be a goof and dance in while you meal prep
Send that email tomorrow and go hang out with friends instead
Take a different route for your neighborhood walk
Mix up your training- maybe try a class switch up your cardio modality
Allowing “play time” is a great way to get some fresh creative juice flowing that translates to better physical energy and mental sharpness.
Stay moving An object in motion stays in motion. And it doesn’t have to be physically draining: 10 minute walks indoors or out , some lunch break mobility, vacuum on your lunch break instead of scrolling IG … mentally moving on from a “problem” and letting yourself figure it out later…
Test them out, see how you feel! We always stress that not everything needs to be an elaborate, 10-page-long protocol to improve health, performance, or physique.
If you still feel stuck, more in-depth testing or a referral might be the next step. If you are a coach, our functional health group mentorship offers a structured way to decode these patterns with confidence and design more targeted programming. Through one-on-one consultations, we can facilitate labs, review your current regimen, and craft a new plan together—supporting sustained, transformative energy that powers you toward your goals with clarity and momentum.