031- From Burnout to Balance: Micro-Pivots to fight fatigue

Ever wake up already exhausted, wondering where your energy went? If you’ve been surviving on caffeine and sugar but still hitting that afternoon slump, it’s time for a reset. 

In this episode of Smash the Crash, we’re tackling midlife energy crashes—what’s causing them and how to pivot in just five minutes a day (without relying on another cup of coffee!).

🔹 Why midlife energy dips happen – Hormone fluctuations, stress, and blood sugar roller coasters
🔹 The power of protein – How adding just one protein source to your meal can stabilize energy
🔹 Mindset shifts – Overthinking and decision fatigue are real—here’s how to break the cycle
🔹 Simple movement strategies – Why just five minutes of intentional movement can change everything
🔹 The long-term impact of inaction – Brain fog, exhaustion, and cravings don’t have to be your norm

Challenge of the Week: Pick one small tweak—protein at breakfast, a deep-breathing break, or five minutes of movement—and start today!  tag me on IG @itsMelissaHinman

I would love for you to share this episode with a friend. 

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Disclaimer:  I am not a medical doctor. The information and recommendations provided during our coaching sessions are intended to support your overall health and wellness and are not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your physician before making any changes to your medication, treatment plan, or if you have any concerns about your health. 

Transcript

Introduction to Energy Crashes

Speaker 1 2:28

You know that feeling when you wake up and you're already exhausted, you're already dreading the day like you slept, but somehow you're just still running on fumes. And if you've ever said I used to have so much more energy, what happened to me? Or, in my case, sleep is overrated. Me or in my case, sleep is overrated. Stick around. Today we're diving into some real reasons behind the energy crashes and what could help. And hint, it's not another cup of coffee. Welcome to the Smash, the Crash podcast. And we're heading into the spring and a whole new, a whole new world.

Top Energy Drains in Midlife

Speaker 1 3:15

At the time of this recording, we're getting ready to spring ahead. The clocks are bouncing forward one hour and while we are losing an hour and that may take a couple of days to kind of like readjust and get used to, there are some major positives happening here. How about longer sunlight, for starters? Here in Southeast PA, my tulips are already starting to bud through the dirt and you can walk outside and just smell the spring. I can't describe in words how it smells. I'm sensing you might know what I mean, but like the onset of renewed, rejuvenated earth and some sneezing. But today I'm calling out the biggest energy drains, a quick pivot and what may happen if inaction continues. So why are you experiencing energy crashes?

Speaker 1 4:12

Now, this is not the end-all, be-all list, but here are the top ones that come to mind. Here we are. We're in this midlife journey and again, midlife could really be like 35 to 50, right, we're in that stage of hormone fluctuation. Maybe your menstrual cycle is starting to get a little wonky. Your estrogen and the progesterone really is fluctuating and it's strapping. And your body, I want to say it, feels like a struggle to regulate your energy. Not only that, but in this midlife where we're working a full-time job or raising a family full-time or doing both, and then you have afterschool activities and maybe community happenings, friends, family, aging parents, pets, like all the things we have to do, all the things, and that is like stress overload. So the stress hormone cortisol is it's like revving up. It's like you're driving a stick shift car and you're revving on that gas right and not quite letting off the clutch fast enough and it's leading to what feels like chronic fatigue.

Speaker 1 5:31

And then you know what? How are we fueling our body during the day? How is this? How is the food that we're putting into our system helping or hindering us? And in a time when we're feeling really stressed and we're always in a rush and everything's go, go, go. You know, all those tabs in the brain are open. What are we grabbing for to eat? Go, you know, all those tabs in the brain are open. What are we grabbing for to eat?

Three Biggest Energy Drains

Speaker 1 5:56

And so we've created this blood sugar roller coaster. We're drinking a lot of caffeine, maybe not adding in enough protein. Maybe we're grabbing for, like the unhealthy, easy quick snacks, maybe we're skipping meals, and that's all leading to energy crashes. And then, on top of that, even if we go to sleep at a reasonable time, our sleep quality is affected, waking up in the middle of the night with hot flashes. Or maybe we're having some anxiety about what's going to happen tomorrow at work or all the things I have to remember to do in the next couple of days. Those appointments do. I have reminders on my calendar and just the stress that steals the deep sleep cycles away.

Protein and Pause Strategy

Speaker 1 6:41

So today I'm calling out three of the biggest energy drains and how to pivot from those drains in about five minutes a day. Now I'm talking about small, micro changes. I'm all about small. Start small because all or nothing, what happens? It leads to failure. So all or nothing mindset to me equals automatic failure, failure. So what are a few tiny little things that maybe we can start to incorporate into our day or our week to help combat these energy crashes? All right, so these are the three things I'm thinking about.

Speaker 1 7:23

Right, we're going to talk about, you know, maybe, what, what we're doing now. How can we pivot from that and what happens if we don't? What happens if we don't pivot? So you know, we have those afternoon slumps or blood sugar fluctuations and then crashes, and I want to pivot that to protein and pause. Now, what does that mean? So, like, either we're skipping meals or just surviving on coffee, cup after cup after cup. You know, missing that, missing taking the lunch break, you're grabbing a sugary snack. You know, by 3 pm you're like, ready to pass out in front of your computer or wherever it is that you are. How can we pivot that? Well, we want to add in protein and some healthy fats at breakfast and at lunch. So let's think eggs, avocados, seaweed, nuts, greek yogurt, chicken, turkey, white meat, if you're into that and if not, you can do some soy. But we want to stabilize the blood sugar and the great thing about protein is it makes the body feel fuller, longer is it makes the body feel fuller longer. Protein's also kind of like the gasoline on a fire when you're wanting to work on losing some weight, when you're adding in walking steps or exercise.

Speaker 1 8:47

So what's one five-minute action that we can take to help with the afternoon slumps or sugar crashes? So one, just one micro change is add one protein source to your next meal. And so what would be the consequence if we just continue down this road of not focusing on protein, not really paying attention to what we're eating and really just surviving off of caffeine and the next quick food grab? Well, our sugars are gonna continue to be fluctuating and you could expect brain fog If you're already experiencing brain fog, more brain fog, more exhaustion and then more cravings on the things that make you crash.

Speaker 1 9:35

I will admit and if you listen to this podcast, if you've been here with me, I do have I have a real issue with chocolate. Chocolate and I. We have a love-hate relationship and that usually is my quick sugary snack that ends up making me feel like crap afterwards. You know, within 15, 20 minutes afterwards you feel like just crap. So I'm in this with you, and adding one protein source to your next meal is. It's huge and I'll share with you, too, an extra tip.

Mindset and Box Breathing

Speaker 1 10:08

Here's bonus my go-to lunch these days is a couple strips of already cooked but frozen rotisserie chicken. I get it at Costco and I put that, I warm it up and I put that over top of a spring, like a spring green mix, kale and romaine and I can't think of the other green that's in that at this moment and so, like that's my extra protein that I'm adding. And then, if I'm still hungry after that, I have either cottage cheese or some Greek yogurt with some grapes or a cut up apple. Okay, all right, we've delved on that for a while. So what's another energy crash? Okay, so let's get away from.

Movement: Overcoming Exercise Excuses

Speaker 1 10:54

You know how we're inputting our physical like food into our body, but how is our mind? How is our mindset? Are we overthinking everything, overanalyzing? Are we like on overdrive, making decisions for everyone and everything and ultimately putting yourself last? So here's a quick pivot Set a two-minute timer, do some box breathing and then repeat, repeat that a few times. This will bring your stress levels down. It'll open up your mind for a little bit of a reset. This will help bring that feeling of overwhelm to more of a calm and an extra bonus if you do this while walking outside and now that the sun is going to be out more, it's a little bit warmer out, at least in the part of the continent that I am in, and just getting some sunlight, fresh air and movement. Now what happens? If we just keep overthinking things, we're going to be in chronic stress, and chronic stress leads to chronic fatigue, more sleep, mental burnout, and that's going to trickle into your relationships with those around you at home, maybe at work, maybe with friends. Right now, set a two-minute timer and just do some deep breathing to clear your head. Okay, all right.

Speaker 1 12:36

And then the last big energy drain is not making time, not having time, saying I don't have time for any exercise. So let's pivot that and just start with like five minutes. Move just for five minutes. You can stretch, you can dance in place, you can walk in place, you can do a couple squats, but by just moving intentionally for a small amount of time builds momentum, and then the next time you do it you can add another minute, just a minute. So you pick one move, pick one move and do it today.

Speaker 1 13:17

The consequence of inaction is a continued sedentary life, which slows the metabolism. You feel more aches and pains, your mood is like not the greatest, and sometimes it can feel like it's in like the dumps right and that ho-hum feeling. It's in like the dumps right and that ho-hum feeling. So just take five minutes to go outside for that walk in the sun and take some deep breaths, or stand up and walk away from your desk if you're at work. Now, one thing I like to do so. My office for my day job is on one side of the house and we have four bathrooms, but I make it a point, when I have to go to the bathroom, to get up and walk all the way upstairs and go to the bathroom that's in my bedroom. So it's the longest distance. It gets me up the stairs, it gets me away from my desk and even if I'm not going outside, I'm getting some steps in. So that is my intentional movement inside the house while I'm getting some steps in. So that is my intentional movement inside the house while I'm working, all right.

Energy Tune-up Tracker

Speaker 1 14:23

So if you're feeling stuck, if any of these big crashes are resonating with you, I really, truly encourage you to grab my free energy tune-up tracker. It's your cheat sheet to pinpoint what's draining your energy and what to do about it. Yes, it focuses on five key elements that will help increase your energy, but please know that there are other things. If there are things that fill your soul, like sitting down and taking time to maybe just read a chapter in a book, or going outside and closing your eyes on an anti-gravity chair and just listening to the birds chirp outside, for five, 10 minutes, there are spaces on this tracker that you can add in your own energy tracking items that fill your soul so you can implement these.

Speaker 1 15:17

Download it today and get tracking and share this episode with a friend, because I know that you're not the only one in this boat. I'm not the only one in this boat. We are all in this together. We are all midlife women just living this one life that we have and we're gonna make it the best that we can, whatever that best is for us. For each person that may look different, but together we are a collaborative and PS. You got this.