Why Healthy People Still Feel Worn Out

Episode 113

You eat well, you’re generally fit, you try to sleep, you do your best and yet you’re the one who catches every bug and takes the longest to recover. That frustration is real, and it can make you wonder if something is quietly “wrong” with you. We go straight at the question a listener asked: why do I feel so run down when I’m healthy?

I share the first non-negotiable step: recognising red flags and knowing when to book in with your GP, especially with persistent or unusual symptoms. Once that’s ruled out, we do a calm but honest audit of the foundations that drive energy and immune resilience: running on empty, sleep that’s slipped, food ruts, skipped meals, low protein, dehydration, and the subtle creep of caffeine or alcohol when life gets full-on. We also talk about stress as more than feelings, including the body load of doing things that clash with your values and the power of better boundaries.

From there we zoom out to hormones and midlife health. Oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol shifts can change how resilient you feel, how well you sleep, and how long inflammation hangs around after illness. If you’ve genuinely got the basics in place but you still aren’t bouncing back, we discuss practical next steps like blood work for key nutrients and markers, plus deeper options such as mineral testing and gut health support, because your immune system and your microbiome are tightly linked.

If this lands for you, subscribe, share this with a friend who always says “but I’m the healthy one”, and leave us a review so more women can find the podcast. What’s the first foundation you’re going to audit this week?

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Welcome to Far Too Fabulous. I'm just got Julie and Catherine. Join us on a mission to embrace your fabulousness and redefine wellness. Get ready for some feistiness, inspiration, candy chat, and humour as we journey together towards empowered well-being. Let's dive in!

Why Healthy People Feel Run Down

Red Flags And When To See GP

Foundation Check Run On Empty

Sleep Food Supplements Hydration

Stress Load Values And Boundaries

Hormones And Midlife Resilience

Ageing Nutrients Meds And Thyroid

Blood Tests Hair Test Gut Testing

Body Feedback Next Steps And Support

Questions Community And Closing

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Far Too Fabulous podcast. And again this week, I am on my own, me and Catherine struggling to get together, especially when she goes off trekking around the Sahara. It's uh quite a tough episode to follow from last week, I think, because Catherine, if you haven't listened to last week's episode, please go back and do that. She was talking about her trek for meningitis now, and of course, how relevant that is with regards to what's going on with meningitis in our local area. So it was a really good episode, actually made me cry when I was I was listening to him driving my car, and yeah, it was very emotional, but also very, very important and relevant. I thought, how am I going to follow that one? So actually, I had a a question from a listener, and I thought, what an excellent topic to discuss. The topic for today is why am I so run down even though I'm healthy? So one of our listeners messaged me and said, What do you do when something fills off when you seem to pick up all the things going around and they take ages to go and you're slow to recover, and you're thinking to yourself, What the hell is happening? Because I'm a healthy person, and believe me, I've had this question asked of myself quite a lot. In January this year, I actually had a terrible flu type illness which actually lasted a couple of weeks, and again, I just I I get really cross with it. I think the audacity of an illness to come and invade me. Don't they know who I am? This is this is the sort of conversation I have in my head when I'm ill, and one of the reasons is because I am a healthy person, and so it's an interesting one to look at, and also I wanted to share with you what I actually did after I was ill, because these things do happen even to healthy people, and it's not a failure, it's actually a feedback. So your body is always communicating with you, and sometimes we just have to be listening, it's really important. So I think the first thing that we ought to cover is any red flags. If you're listening and you are thinking, why am I so run down even though I'm healthy? If you've got persistent symptoms, if you've got severe fatigue, if there is a change in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, anything unusual, then obviously go to see your GP. And then then we can start to look at other things. If that's not the case, if if we've ruled out that we've been to the GP or we just know that it's not a GP-related issue, I think we do have a tendency to know these things, then we've got to look at the foundations and have a little check-in with ourselves. Before we start looking at going down the road of doom, something seriously has gone wrong here, we've got to look at the foundations. I think it's really, really important, and sometimes, even when we're healthy, sometimes things can slip and we don't even even realize. So, the first thing that I would always ask myself is have I been running on empty? Quite often when I'm ill, I've spoken about this on the podcast before, it's often my body saying, You're not listening, you're not listening, you need to rest up, you need to do less, and and then it flaws me. And it's almost like a bit of a like, I told you so. And that could be the case for you. So look at your life and just see, are you constantly in the fast lane without enough fuel? Are you overcommitted? Do you have a super busy lifestyle? Are you like the swan where you're you seem all calm on top, but underneath your your legs are going like crazy? I think we need to really look at if when we become ill, what has been going on in the previous weeks or even a couple of months leading up to that point? Has it been a bit full on? And then you've got to be really honest with yourself, haven't you? Then we've got to look at sleep. What is going on with sleep? Has sleep slipped? Has it been an issue? Have we been waking up at 3 a.m.? Have has our bedtime routine slipped? Have we been late having later nights? Is there a series on Netflix that we got really obsessed with and we're just staying up a bit later than we would normally do? So I think when we're looking at something like sleep, we know the importance of it with regards to recovery. It's very difficult to recover from an illness if we're not getting enough rest. And all of those little bits and pieces of repair that we're looking for our body to do happens when we're asleep. Now we'll talk about hormones and the impact on sleep in a bit, but just a little sleep audit to see if anything that you can control has played a part here because it often does happen. With regards to food, we've got to check if we are actually eating enough. Sometimes it helps to do a food diary, or a lot of the time it helps to do a food diary. Have we got a bit stuck in a rut? Are we eating the same things? Our body likes variety. Have we been skipping the odd meal here and there? Have we been turning towards more convenience foods or sugar? Check our protein intake because we know it's really important at this age. And have we actually been nourishing our body or are we just kind of stuck in a rut getting through the day, just relying on the same things? And then the other thing that I would normally do is just review supplements. Have we been on the same supplements for a long time? Maybe they're not actually meeting our needs now, and I'll talk about that a bit more later. So the other thing that we ought to look at is have we been relying a bit too much on things like alcohol or stimulants? A bit more wine than usual, especially if we've been doing a lot and we've got we're into that overcommitment side of things, then it can you can be a little bit more reliant on things like a glass of wine here and there, and it might not be a lot, but it might be more than normal, and then we've got to look at caffeine as well. It's very easy to increase our intake intake of caffeine without necessarily really realizing and hydration. I know I go on about this one a lot, but it really makes a massive difference. If any of my children are saying, Oh, I think I might be coming down with a cold or something, I just make sure that they drink loads of water, it helps to filter out, it is really really powerful. If we are ill and we're dehydrated, it's going to take longer to recover, and that is just a fact. It also impacts our energy, and you will really notice the difference if your water intake has dropped off, and that often happens in the winter. We've got to be a bit more mindful about water intake because we're not as thirsty, are we? Or we tend to like hotter drinks, and then the hot drinks tend to be the caffeinated ones. So just have a look at that, and these sort of things can come out in a food diary. If we look at our stress and emotional load, we got to look at what else might be going on here. So it might be that we've got a busy lifestyle, a lot going on, we're maybe caring for others, we've got a full-on job, whatever it is. What we want to check is are we doing things against our values? And this is really, really powerful. And this is where that saying no can come into play. So again, when you look at what's been going on, leading up to the point where something feels off, or you've or you've been under the weather, have you taken on things where you should have said no? When we've got that internal tension, when we're doing something that that doesn't feel right, your body feels that, and then that is a load. I've spoken in the past on this podcast about stress, dehydration is a stress to the body, having insufficient nutrients is a stress to the body, having low protein is a stress to the body, it's not just the emotional stress, financial stress, relationship stress, and of course, that is significant as well. So those are the main foundations, but we've also got to think about hormones here because hormones can make you feel off, and this can happen at any age, really. But if we're looking at women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s and beyond, we've got to look at the fact that the body is changing, and that does impact how resilient you are. So if we look at the key hormones, we've done quite a lot of deep dive on this in the past, but estrogen is your resilience hormone, it is anti-inflammatory, it does support the immune system and it helps you to recover faster. So as oestrogen fluctuates or declines, it is normal to get ill more easily. Recovery does take longer, and then we've got to look at the fact that inflammation can linger. So estrogen is incredibly protective. So when it starts to fluctuate, or if you're in that lower level age bracket, your postmenopausal, then you may notice that you don't bounce back in the same way. It's not all negative though, so I'll come on to that. With regards to progesterone, that calms the nervous system and supports deep sleep. So if we've got lower progesterone, that can impact our sleep quality, which means that we've got less recovery overnight, and it does make us more stress sensitive. So if your sleep isn't as good as it was before, it could be your body just simply not having the same amount of time and opportunity to repair, and we're likely to need more repair as we get older as well. Then we've got a look at cortisol, the stress hormone. So chronic stress, long-term ongoing stress, that stress that we've normalized will push or tend to push cortisol up or it gets dysregulated, and that will suppress the immune system as well. And then that can lead to getting ill more often, taking longer to recover. We can feel tired, uh wired, but tired. That is when you're just really tired, but you just can't switch off and settle. Your body's always keeping score. When we're looking at the hormones around blood sugars, blood sugar swings will happen when we've got stress on the body. It does impact that cortisol and energy and the immune system. So we've got to be especially careful with making sure that we're not skipping meals, we're not constantly snacking. We need to make sure that we're eating our proteins. So if our protein intake is low, that's going to have an impact on blood sugars. If we've got caffeine, that high caffeine intake is going to have an impact as well. So, what we've got to think about as well is that in the age bracket, once we get over into over 60, we've got less buffer. So in our 20s and 30s, we can really get away with things. Our body is quite resilient at that age, most people. In our 40s and 50s, the body will kind of nudge you, but in your 60s, that's when you've got to listen. Now, in that particular age bracket, we've got to consider things like low stomach acid, it's really common, especially if there's stress, especially if we're using medications, and we tend to have a reduced absorption of some key nutrients for energy and for the immune system. So, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. So, this is where we may need to review our supplements because the supplements that we're taking now might not be actually relevant for the age or stage that we're at. We can't just keep taking the same levels of things and expect that to be working as our body changes. Protein is particularly important because we need muscles in order to have an impact on all of these things. We're more likely to have higher levels of inflammation as we get older, and then also we do need to factor in medications. You might be on medications as you get older, like statins, and that knocks out some of some key nutrients. So we've got to make allowance for that. If we look at things like the thyroid, obviously, if you've got symptoms that suggest that thyroid might be an issue, then go and see your GP. But I did a whole episode about the thyroid and how the thyroid blood test that you get at the doctors doesn't necessarily give you the whole picture. So a sluggish thyroid might mean that you can't convert your T4 into T3 and use it in the cell. So we might be looking at an issue with thyroids because we haven't got the cofactors, because we can't utilize the cell properly, and then we can do things about that if we know that's the case. One of the best methods I've got for looking at the thyroid is actually the hair test, but I'll come back to that. So I think it's really important to recognize that hormones they don't exist in isolation and they are influenced by those foundational things as well. So the hormones are going to be impacted by all of those things I went through. Hydration and movement as well is another one, making sure that we're not on screens late at night. The general foundations, it goes back to those four legs of a chair that we spoke about right at the start of the podcast. If you haven't listened to that, then go back. But what's really important to understand is the hormones don't suddenly go wrong, they respond to your lifestyle, your stress levels, your nutrition, your sleep. So hormones can be a picture if you've been ill and you're not bouncing back, but we don't fix the hormones in isolation, we want to support the whole system, and it's really important to take a holistic look at things. So if we've done a little bit of a check and we've looked at our foundations and they do look fine, which might be the case, and this is something that I did for myself because, like I said, I'd got this uh horrible flu thing in in January, it hit me really hard, and then I've got to look at okay, why is my body telling me that I need to be in bed for a few days, which is what happened. But then coming out of that illness, I want to make sure that my blood work is fine. I want to check my minerals, I did a gut test, but let's start with the bloods. So, the first thing that I want to understand is what's going on with my iron level because it's really key for the immune system. What's my vitamin D level? Absolutely crucial. B12, thyroid markers. I usually will check, inflammation markers, just a general what's going on with my red and white blood cells, just to know if there's anything out of range. So I usually run a blood test on myself once a year, and I did do my bloods after I was ill. It's usually uh it's quite useful sometimes that it coincides with when I use medi checks for my blood tests that they actually do a discount around that time of year. So it gives me, and I usually do it roughly the same time of year, so that I've got a comparison and I can look back and see. But I think that in order to make sure that things are working in the body, you need to understand what is going on inside your body. So, of course, all of those other foundational pieces are really, really key, but we want to find out have we got the nutrients available, are they being utilized properly? And it's so easy to be low in some of these key nutrients. Vitamin D is something that is vulnerable during the winter period, and it is a key immune regulator, so we want to make sure that we're also at optimal levels. The doctor's range on something like vitamin D, and on most things, it's just looking at the absolute basic you need to avoid a medical illness. So, with vitamin D, we might look at an optimal level being around 75, even 100, and again, it depends on your genetics. You could have a genetic issue where you don't absorb vitamin D very well, so you might need a higher level. But we can look at those on a test like Medi-Checks because those ranges will tend to be more health-driven rather than illness avoidance. So, iron is a is a key one because when we're going through perimenopause, of course, sometimes we get more frequent periods, sometimes we get heavier periods. So, we've got to look at iron. If we're older, we've got to look at are we absorbing iron? Are we actually eating iron? And B12 is absorbed through an intrinsic factor in the gut, so we've got to look at gut health. So, I do always like to look at a blood test to see what is going on, and then it gives me a good idea. So, when I had my bloods done, everything actually was fine, so that's good. Then I would always do the hair test, and the reason for that is that the bloods are going to give you a snapshot. So the bloods are like what is in my ingredient cupboard that's available for me to make whatever I need to make in the body. So, for iron, for example, we need to get iron into the cell, but have we got enough in the store cupboard in the first place? That's why we'd run a blood test to make sure that we've got enough. Then the hair test can tell us: are we utilising that iron? Is it getting into the cell? Are there other things that are causing the iron to be low? Copper could be high, and then you've got a competition for transport into the cell. So iron and copper and zinc levels on a hair test can really go way deeper than a blood test. A lot of people will say to me, I'm not stressed, I've just got a busy lifestyle. But when we look at the hair test, we can see that there is stress. The body is saying I'm under stress, and it might be that it's coping quite well, or it might not be. And then we've got to look at some of the key mineral ratios to see what we can do. There's normally a mineral imbalance underneath when I see someone who keeps getting ill or isn't bouncing back. So for myself, my blood levels were fine. When I look at the hair test, I've got high copper. Now, copper will rise because it's connected with estrogen. There's definitely a pattern there and something that I can do about it. So if I keep getting ill, but everything else I've got in place, it could just be that that I need to work on. But it gives me that information. If we were looking in more detail at things, then gut health is somewhere where I would go. And I did on this occasion, I did run a gut test on myself to see what is going on there because most of your immune system is in your gut, and again, as we get older, things start to change, and we may need to help our gut microbiome. Maybe we've got too many daffodils and we need to put some tulips in, maybe we've got too many weeds and they're causing some problems. But because there is such a link between the gut and hormones and the immune system and how we feel, I would always want to look at the gut from a naturopathic standpoint. We always always would look at the gut because everything goes back to goes back to that system, even things like the gut brain connection, how we feel, the neurotransmitters. So I think if we're looking at what's going on, why do I feel off? Then there's lots that we can do. I think we need to start by looking at the foundations and being honest with ourselves, asking people around us, writing a food diary, checking what supplements we're taking, looking at our exercise levels, and just seeing am I asking a lot from my body, but I'm not giving it the rest, the nourishment, the boundaries. We know that's really, really key. And am I listening to my body when it actually says it needs a rest? And I do personally find that really difficult, and I know Catherine does as well, because we are people that like to do a lot, and we are great at doing a lot of things, but sometimes our body just says we want a break, and the importance of sitting with yourself by yourself without any distractions is really really important as well. So I think if you've ruled out anything sinister, and please do go see your doctor if there are persistent symptoms and things that you're not sure about. But if you are someone that has looked at the foundations and you still feel like you need to go deeper, then that's where someone like myself can come and help. So do get in touch if that's what you need. I think when I was ill, I I Don't just I mean as I get really cross about it, but that doesn't help, does it? I just accept that I've got to have a break, but I don't just think about what bug have I picked up. I'm asking myself what in my body might have made me more vulnerable right now, and that's the difference. If something feels off, we don't want to ignore it, but we don't want to jump straight to thinking something is wrong with us. We want to find out what is our body actually asking for? What support does it actually need? And I always like that saying your body whispers before it shouts, and feeling off is is often the whisper. And if we listen and we start putting the basics, making sure the basics are there, then that can make a huge difference to how how we're going to recover as well. So, yes, hormones can be part of the picture, but the foundations feed into those hormones as well. What we don't want to end up thinking is that midlife is where our body starts failing. It's not that it's failing, it starts asking you to work with it in a different way, and I think this is half of the problem. We just think, well, I used to recover fine from these things, or this used to happen. We need to think and come at it from a different way. I hope that's been helpful. There's quite a lot in there, but always go back to the foundations. But know that you can dig a little bit deeper, and there's so many opportunities now to do that. We've got such a lot of testing that we can do for ourselves now, and we don't necessarily have to get everything through the doctor. Although, again, you can start there if something doesn't feel quite right and you want to discuss that further, then please do that. But most people that are listening are healthy and have got healthy habits in place, and it is the most frustrating thing when you pick something up and you do think, you know, I am the healthy one. You might be the one in your household that's that's got ill, and you're the healthy one, and someone else has got ill in the house, but they've recovered quickly. We got a look at why. What is my body trying to tell me? And then be proactive and do something about it. And I think that's what the question was from the the listener that messaged and said, What do I do when I'm basically I'm healthy, but I feel run down and something just feels off. What do I actually do? Where do I start? And so I would start with that, and then please do get help if you need to, because there are people, lots of people like me. This is what we do all the time, and this is what I do on myself because it's important to remember that illness and feeling off happens to the healthy people as well, and it's not a failure, you've got to think it's feedback. What is my body looking for? That's where you start, and then you can start to help it. And it might be that some things need to change, like being stuck in a rut with the diet, or maybe the supplements need to be changed, or you need to look at where your nutrient levels are, and then you can improve your resilience that way. If you've got any questions about this subject, please go to the far too fabulous Facebook group, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have in there. So I hope that's been helpful, and we will see you on the next episode.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

Thank you so much for joining us today. We love creating this for you. We'll be back next week with another great episode. Until then, we'd be beyond grateful if you'd subscribe to the podcast and leave us a glowing review. If you've already done this, thank you so much. Please do share the podcast with friends and family. You never know which tiny piece of information could be life-changing for someone you care about. We absolutely love hearing from you. So connect, comment, or message us on our social media channels. You'll find all the links in the show notes and if you haven't already, come and join us in our free Facebook group where we continue the conversation and you get to connect with like minded women. We'd love to welcome you in. Until next time, stay fabulous!