The Energy Blueprint: How to Stop Feeling Drained and Start Thriving

 Tired of running on fumes? In this episode, discover your Energy Blueprint — the simple, DNA-informed steps to restore lasting energy and finally thrive without relying on caffeine or quick fixes.

In this episode, Dr. Tamar Lawful explores why fatigue is so common among high-achieving women and reveals how genetics play a key role in energy regulation. Through real client stories, listener challenges, and actionable steps, she unpacks the five elements of the Energy Blueprint: sleep, blood sugar, nutrient use, movement, and stress. You’ll also hear practical answers to common energy questions, and walk away knowing your body isn’t broken,  it just needs the right blueprint to thrive.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• Why fatigue is so common in women 35–65
• How your genes influence energy production and recovery
• Practical answers to common energy myths (coffee, sleep, diet)

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Energy Blueprint Concept
• 3:05 Lisa's Story: Genetics Behind Fatigue
• 4:59 Listener Challenge and Energy Blueprint Components
• 9:50 Q&A on Common Energy Questions
• 12:41 Success Story and Final Challenge

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Medications certainly have their place, but what if there was a way to support your body naturally by working with your genetics? We are a pill for an ill society. We take 18 pills per person, per American, per day. It was so hard to find somebody who took my insurance and for me to get well it took thousands of dollars and and I thought what do regular people do? This is not right. Despite my best efforts, I wasn't actually reversing disease and helping people to heal in the way that I thought I would.

Speaker 1: 0:32

We want to empower yourselves to take care of this root cause. We don't just want to cover it up. If you're ready to break free from outdated, one-size-fits-all health care, you're in the right place. Welcome to Raise the Script with Nutrigenomics brought to you by InHer Glow®, by LYFE Balance.. Here's a literature from.

Speaker 1: 0:54

We are all unique, right down to our DNA, so it's no wonder we respond differently to the same medications, foods and environments. How do you discover what your body needs? Which medications, foods, supplements? How do you discover what your body needs, which medications, foods, supplements or exercises are right for you? How can you manage chronic conditions without piling on more prescriptions? That's what we're here to explore. I'm your host, Dr. Tamar Lawful doctor of pharmacy, nutrigenomics specialist, and your partner in reimagining how we personalize care for better outcomes, whether you're a patient or a practitioner, let's raise the script and bring healthcare to higher levels together, because the future of health is personal. Welcome to Raise the Script with Nutrigenomics. I'm Dr Tamar Lawful Dr of Pharmacy, nutritional Genomics Specialist. Dr Tamar, lawful doctor of pharmacy, nutritional genomics specialist, and your partner in reimagining health so it actually works for your body.

Speaker 1: 1:51

Today we're talking about something every busy, high-achieving individual knows too well running on fumes, the coffee stops working, the 3 pm crash hits harder and even after a good night's sleep, you still wake up feeling tired. Right, and you're not imagining it. According to the National Safety Council, fatigue affects 43% of US workers, and women are even more likely than men to report feeling tired most days. Chronic fatigue doesn't just make you feel lousy. The CDC notes it's linked to a higher risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and depression. Here's the truth. Your energy isn't just about willpower or motivation. It's the result of a delicate equation involving your sleep quality, nutrition, movement, stress levels and, yes, even your genes. And today I'm going to walk you through what I call the energy blueprint a simple, step-by-step way to identify what's draining you and how to recharge in a way that's sustainable.

Speaker 1: 3:04

So let me first tell you about one of my clients. We'll call her Lisa. Lisa is a 48-year-old attorney running her own practice, juggling a team and managing a busy household. She told me, tamar, I feel like my body is betraying me. I'm eating healthy, I'm going to the gym, but I'm still exhausted. She was living in what I call survival mode energy Enough to get through the day, but nothing left for herself at the end of it. Sound familiar?

Speaker 1: 3:35

When we dug into her genetics, lifestyle and habits, we found three big things. One, an MTHFR gene variation affecting her ability to convert folate and B12 into their active forms, which meant her mitochondria the powerhouses of her cells weren't producing energy efficiently. Office, compounded by a clock gene variant that's right, a CLOCK gene variant that made her more sensitive to light at night and slower to adjust her sleep-wake cycle. And last, a COMP gene, a COMT gene variation that slowed her breakdown of stress hormones, keeping her cortisol high into the night and preventing deep, restorative sleep. Once we addressed those areas targeted supplementation for her B vitamin metabolism, morning light exposure to reset her body, clock strategic meal timing to stabilize her blood sugar and stress recovery routines tailored to her CMT profile. Her energy started coming back Within two months, she said. I finally feel like myself again. That's the power of understanding your unique energy blueprint.

Speaker 1: 4:57

So I have a listener challenge for you this week. This is something new that I'm trying out on the podcast. I have two challenges for this episode. So challenge one for listeners is I want you to grab a notebook or your phone and go into your notes app and write down the top three times in your day you feel the most tired Is it mid-morning, right after lunch, evening, before bed? This simple exercise will help you spot patterns that point to the real root cause of your fatigue and if you've done genetic testing, you can start matching those patterns to known traits in your DNA.

Speaker 1: 5:37

So let's break down the energy blueprint into its core components and where nutrigenomics fits in. So one is sleep quality. That's the first component. You can be in bed for eight hours and still not get quality sleep. The American Sleep Association reports that 35% of US adults get less than seven hours of sleep a night, and women are 40% more likely to report insomnia symptoms. Genes like the clock gene we talked about before and PER3 influence your natural sleep-wake rhythm and how easily you adapt to schedule changes. Variant hair can make you more of a night owl or cause you to feel jet lagged after even minor disruptions. Understanding this means you can tailor your bedtime, light exposure and even exercise timing to your DNA, instead of fighting against it.

Speaker 1: 6:31

Second is the blood sugar balance. This is a component of the energy blueprint. The American Diabetes Association notes that one in three US adults has prediabetes. Genes like TCF7L2, which I've talked about in past episodes, and SLC2A2 influence how efficiently you process carbohydrates, while FTO affects satiety and hunger signals. If your genetics make you more prone to post-meal blood sugar spikes, you can use this insight to choose foods and meal timing that keep your energy steady instead of crashing. The third component of our energy blueprint is nutrient utilization, so you could be eating nutrient-rich foods but still not absorb or activate them efficiently. We have variants like the MTHFR variant that affects folate metabolism, slc23a1 impacts vitamin C transport, and NDUFS genes affect mitochondrial function, since mitochondria produce 90% of your body's energy. Knowing your genetic strengths and weaknesses here can guide targeted supplementation and diet tweaks to keep your energy production optimized.

Speaker 1: 7:50

The fourth component of our energy blueprint is movement. Genes like ACTN3 and PPARGC1A influence whether your body responds better to endurance exercise or short bursts of high-intensity activity. The wrong exercise type for your genetic profile can actually drain your energy and increase injury risk. Matching your workouts to your DNA can make exercise energizing instead of exhausting. And then the last component of the energy blueprint is stress and recovery.

Speaker 1: 8:26

Now here we're looking at cortisol. High cortisol depletes energy over time, so genes like COMT and FKBP5 influence how quickly you clear stress hormones from your system. Slow clearance can leave you feeling wired at night and sluggish in the morning. Okay, if you know you have these variants, you can prioritize more frequent micro breaks, calming breath work or aptogenetic support to bring cortisol down sooner. Recapping our challenge number one, which is to write down the top three times in a day you feel the most tired and we just went over the components of the energy blueprint that might contribute to how you feel during the day. Now challenge number two is for the next three days rate your energy on a scale of one to 10 at breakfast, lunch, mid-morning and bedtime. So one to 10, what's your energy at breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon and bedtime? If you've done nutrigenomic testing, note whether your energy dips align with any of your genetic traits, like poor caffeine clearance or carbohydrate sensitivity.

Speaker 1: 9:45

Now let's go into a quick Q&A, because I know some of you are already thinking these questions. Okay, I have four questions that might pop up for you. Question one I drink coffee all day. Is that bad? Well, it depends on your CYP1A2 gene. That's your CYP1A2 gene. That's your CYP1A2 gene. Friend.

Speaker 1: 10:06

Fast metabolizers clear caffeine quickly and can tolerate multiple cups without major sleep disruption. But if you are a slow metabolizer like me, you will process caffeine more slowly, meaning caffeine lingers in your system and can raise your cortisol levels for hours. Okay, so know your genetic profile. That will help you determine how bad it may be for you. And if you're a slow metabolizer, there are actually some complications that may be associated with having the gene that makes you a slow metabolizer. So you definitely would want to know and find out.

Speaker 1: 10:45

Question number two I sleep eight hours but still wake up tired. Why? Well, it could be your genetics influencing sleep architecture. Variants in the ADORA2A gene, the A-D-O-R-A-2 2A, can make you more sensitive to caffeine sleep-disrupting effects. And then this is where the clock gene comes in again. Clock gene variants can keep your circadian rhythm slightly off, even if you spend enough hours in bed. So that might be why I'm looking at your genetics, find out.

Speaker 1: 11:19

The third question I eat healthy, but I'm still tired. What gives what gives? You are eating healthy right, so you might have a nutrient activation or transport issue. For example, mthfr variants can reduce your ability to use folate, and SLC46A1 impacts folate absorption in the gut. Without enough active B vitamins, your mitochondria can't produce adequate ATP, which you need for energy, so this is why you may feel drained. So you would definitely want to see what your genetic profile says when it comes to those two genes. And the last question can I fix my energy without supplements? You certainly can, but knowing your genetics lets you be strategic, so you're not just, you know, shooting blindly. For example, if you have an FTO variant that drives hunger and snacking, you can focus on higher protein meals to stabilize appetite and energy. If you have a clock variant, you might need morning light and a set bedtime to keep your rhythm in check. So knowing your genetics can really help you tailor your regimen instead of guessing. No more guessing is needed when you test. Guys.

Speaker 1: 12:39

Before we wrap up, I want to leave you with this. A few months ago, I had a client. She was a 52-year-old marketing executive who told me Tamar, I've made peace with being tired. You know, she was just going to accept it. She also said I just don't think my body is capable of more. So she was actually going to just accept that this is just how it is. I'm just going to be tired all the time. That's just how it is it is. I'm just going to be tired all the time. That's just how it is.

Speaker 1: 13:05

So, you know, we started her on an energy blueprint process, step-by-step. At first it felt too simple to her. You know track your tired times, adjust your breakfast, set a bedtime reminder, add five minutes of morning light. It just seemed too simple for her. But here's the thing Big changes rarely come from massive overhauls. They come from small shifts done consistently. Three weeks in, she sent me a text. It's 8 pm and I'm not counting down the minutes until bed. I even cooked dinner instead of ordering out. Six weeks in, she said her brain fog had lifted, she wasn't hitting that 3 pm wall anymore and she was actually looking forward to her workouts. She realized something important Her body wasn't broken, it was just running on the wrong settings. Once we aligned her habits with her genetics. Her body finally started to work with her instead of against her. And that's my challenge to you Stop assuming your low energy is permanent.

Speaker 1: 14:06

Start experimenting, start tracking, start believing that your body is capable of more, because, friend, it is. Your energy blueprint isn't adding more to your plate, it's about removing the hidden drains, so your body has the freedom to perform at its best. So here's my question for you what's one small change you can make today that your future self will thank you for? That's all I have for you today. Friends, if this episode gave you ideas for boosting your energy in a way that actually lasts, make sure to hit follow so you don't miss future conversations like this.

Speaker 1: 14:47

And if you're ready to uncover your energy blueprint, you can connect with me at www. thelyfebalancecom. That's www. thelyfebalancecom to learn how we use your genetics to create a personalized plan that fuels you for the life you want. Coming up next week on the show, we're talking about the stress weight connection, how cortisol could be blocking your results, so you can finally break the cycle of stubborn weight gain and constant exhaustion, without crash diets or endless cardio. Talk to you next Friday. Until then, always remember to raise the script on health, because together we can bring healthcare to a higher level. Raise the Script with Nutrigenomics is a production of