Book Notes - I'm So Effing Tired by Amy Shah, MD
We have a serious problem. Too many women in midlife are absolutely not feeling their best. I guide my private clients to find the missing pieces of their health puzzle so they can reclaim their energy and their lives.
Two years ago, my family received a gift of a digital photo frame, and my husband uploaded photos from our lives. One photo particularly struck me. It was from a trip to Hawaii for our 5th wedding anniversary - we were in our 20s and pre-kids. We were hiking and I was leaping into the air with a joyful smile. I thought, I can't imagine doing that. And wondered, when was the last time I had that kind of energy. I couldn't remember when - maybe 10 years ago or longer? If this sounds familiar, read on.
Per the title of this article, here are some Bite-Sized Insights from my read of Dr. Amy Shah's brilliantly titled book, I'm So Effing Tired. I read this when I was near my lowest energy levels and researching to find out why. Dr. Shah has deduced that "It all comes down to hormones, inflammation, and the gut." She goes on to say, "our hormones, immune system, and gut are closely linked, and it’s very common for them to tip out of balance. The key to boosting your energy (and solving other health issues, to boot) is bringing these three systems back into balance." She further states, "these three systems work so closely together and are so key to our health that I call them the “energy trifecta” — if one is out of balance, it creates an overall imbalance that steals the energy you need to get through your busy day. And when you fix one system, the other two will improve. Once things are in balance, your energy levels will shoot up." Aha! Clues to why we're feeling the way we're feeling.
Yet, these culprits that Dr. Shah has identified are still the results of upstream problems. By the time you're looking for solutions and reading books like I'm So Effing Tired, you've been dragging yourself through your days for a long time. You may be self-medicating with things like sugar, caffeine, alcohol, or other substances. And, you've tried everything you can think of to dig yourself out of the hole you're in, but the things that used to work for you just aren't working anymore. The reason is that a constellation of causal factors has been depleting your reserves at a rate greater than your body can adapt to. And as we age, our resilience to stress, deficient sleep, over- or under-exercising, or poor eating and drinking habits is diminished. Without intentional self-care habits to counteract these daily stressors, this cycle will continue until the imbalances result in more persistent symptoms and possibly disease.
I talk to so many women in midlife who are heroically balancing careers and personal obligations, while their health and wellness are tanking. They feel stuck and don’t know how to turn it around. They're caught in the cycle of trial and error. This is where FDN comes in. As a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition(R) Practitioner, I’m here to help you find the hidden causes of your health challenges and to support you as you make simple, powerful lifestyle upgrades to rebuild your health so that you can go from surviving to thriving.
I do this with a 4-step opt-in model of self-care to guide you through detecting the missing pieces of your health puzzle through 1) lab testing, 2) relief-care, 3) corrective-care, and 4) maintenance. Or, as I like to think of it, living your best life.
I'm taking names for my waiting list. Email me if you'd like to explore working together at marie@marieruzek.com.
