How to Build Real Energy: A Holistic Guide for Tired Women Ready to Reclaim Their Power

Photo by Nuta Sorokina

For most of my life, I thought I was just someone who was tired all the time. I thought that was my baseline. That everything - work, socializing, getting grocreries, going on a walk and even the things I truly loved, would always feel like a heavy lift. I assumed that was just “how I was built.”

Until I realized it wasn’t.

I didn’t need more motivation. I didn’t need more energy drinks and quick carbs.

I needed energy. Real, sustainable, primal energy - built from the inside out.

Energy Is More Than a Feeling: It's Built from the Inside Out

When I talk about energy, I don’t just mean the bounce-in-your-step kind (although that’s definitely part of it). I mean cellular energy, mitochondrial energy. The kind your body produces from the food you eat, the air you breathe, the way you move, rest, and even think.

Everything you do either creates or drains energy. And everything is energy.

Literally. If you zoom in far enough, we’re all just vibrating fields of energy. Matter is energy. Thought is energy. The way you sit in your chair is energy. Your breath. Your posture. Your words. Your beliefs. It’s all energy in motion (or energy stuck).

And the good news? You can shape it.

“Everything is energy. And everything you do either creates or drains it.”

The Physical Foundations of Energy: Mitochondria, Food, Movement,

and Sleep

Mitochondria: How Your Cells Make Energy (and Why You Feel So Tired)

Every cell in your body (minus red blood cells) contains tiny powerhouses called mitochondria. Their job? Convert nutrients into usable energy (ATP). The better you feed them and treat them, the more alive you feel.

Prototypical human cell. Photo courses.lumenlearning.com

• Real food = more raw materials for mitochondria.

• Movement = mitochondrial biogenesis (aka, building more of them).

• Sleep = repair and reset.

  
  

Quick Tip: Mitochondria love movement, real food, and sleep. Starve them of those, and you’ll feel it.

Tired all the time? Start here.

Eat for Energy: What to Eat (and Avoid) to Boost Cellular Power

Eat whole foods from plants and animals: photo by Team Picsfast

My energy transformation started with food. When I ditched processed junk and started eating nutrient-dense, real food - things changed fast. Suddenly, I wasn’t crashing mid-afternoon. My brain fog lifted. I felt human again.

Food doesn’t just give us calories. It gives us instructions.

The right food tells your body: “Make energy.” The wrong food tells it: “Inflame, store fat, feel heavy.”

Move to Create Energy: Why Exercise Isn’t Optional

It’s ironic - when you’re tired, the last thing you want to do is move. But movement is a generator.

It signals your body to wake up.

It increases circulation, oxygen delivery, and hormone balance.

It builds mitochondria and helps you feel alive again.

Still, starting can feel impossible, especially if your body hasn’t been moving for a while. When your mitochondria haven’t had much stimulation, your energy can feel stagnant, like it’s stuck in mud.

My advice? Start small. It will take effort at first, but even a little movement can begin to shift your state. Bit by bit, you’ll feel energy return. Then you can build on it - slowly and kindly.

Many of us fail because we think we have to go all in. But perfection is not the goal. After a long season of stillness, don’t treat yourself like an army sergeant would. Slow progress is still progress.

You don’t want to create resistance toward movement. You want to fall in love with it.

The Sleep-Energy Connection: Why Deep Rest Is Non-Negotiable

You can eat perfectly, train smart, meditate, but if your sleep sucks, your energy will too.

Sleep is when the brain detoxes, the body repairs, and mitochondria recover. It’s where tomorrow’s energy is built. Deep, uninterrupted sleep is one of the most powerful energy tools we have. And most people are walking around in chronic sleep debt.

 A cool, dark room, an eye mask and ear plugs (photo by Polina)

Start with your environment.

A cool, dark room, an eye mask and ear plugs (like the one in this photo), can make a huge difference. Block out light, lower the temperature, and keep your bedroom clutter-free to signal safety and rest to your nervous system. Small shifts, big impact.

“Tomorrow’s energy is built tonight.”

Energy and the Female Cycle: Tuning In to Your Unique Rhythm

For women, energy isn’t just about lifestyle habits, it’s deeply connected to your hormonal cycle. Throughout the month, your energy naturally fluctuates in tune with hormonal shifts, influencing how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Understanding these patterns can help you work with your body, not against it. Instead of pushing through low-energy days, you can honor your cycle by adjusting your activity, nutrition, and self-care accordingly.

For example:

• Follicular phase (start of cycle): Energy tends to rise. Great time for high-focus work and movement.

• Ovulation: Peak energy and social vitality. Use this for connection and big projects.

• Luteal phase (pre-menstruation): Energy dips. Prioritize rest and gentle activities.

• Menstruation: Time for deep rest and self-nurture.

Listening to your cycle can unlock another powerful layer of sustainable energy. It’s not about forcing more, it’s about aligning with your body’s natural flow.

Energetic Alignment: How Posture, Thoughts, and Words Influence Your Vitality

Let’s go beyond the physical now, because energy isn’t just built in the body. It’s influenced by how you carry yourself, what you think, and what you say.

We often drain our energy by living in the past or stressing about the future.  Image by Joe Dispenza

Fix Your Posture, Fix Your Energy

Think about this: when you’re slouched, head forward, shoulders collapsed, hips out of alignment - you’re compressing your lungs, restricting your diaphragm, and literally limiting how much oxygen you can take in.

Less breath = less oxygen = less energy.

But when you straighten up, stack your spine, open your chest - you breathe differently. You send a new signal to your nervous system: “We are safe. We are strong. We are present.” That shift alone can increase your energy in seconds.

Shift Your Thoughts, Shift Your Frequency

Your thoughts are electrical signals. Repetitive negative thoughts keep you in a low frequency, sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state. High-energy states like gratitude, purpose, joy - they elevate you.

Ever notice how just thinking about something exciting can energize your whole body?

“Everything you do either creates or drains energy.”

It’s real. Energy is felt. Mindset matters.

Cultivate postive energy and let it charge you. Photo by Tara Winstead

Words Are Energy: How Language Shapes Your Body and Mind

“I’m so tired.” “I can’t do this.” “I’m just not a morning person.”

These aren’t neutral statements. They are energetic blueprints. Every word you speak reinforces a state, whether it’s vitality or depletion.

I used to say, “I’m always tired.” And guess what? I was.

Now I say, “I have energy, and I choose how to use it. I listen to my body - I spend or create accordingly. I have energy.”

And now, I really am.

“I’m so tired.” → “I listen to my body, because it knows how to create energy.”

You’re Not Broken: You’re Energy in Need of Alignment

This one of my favorite quoetes by Albert Einstein, because it means you’re never out of energy. You’re never broken. You’re not too far gone.

You might have blocked energy. Stagnant energy. Leaky energy. But it’s still there. Waiting to be reshaped, reignited, and set in motion again.

And that’s what I do as a health coach. I help people tap back into that. Into themselves.

Want to Reclaim Your Energy? Start Here.

If you’re always tired, it doesn’t mean you’re lazy. It doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means your energy systems (physical and energetic) are out of balance.

Start with food. Start with movement. Prioritize sleep. But also look at your posture, your thoughts, your language, your breath.

You’re not low energy - you’re just out of alignment.

Energy isn’t found. It’s built. And once you have it… you’ll never want to lose it again.

Start where you are. Build from there.