After receiving the ego punch a few years prior that I wasn’t as healthy as I thought, I quickly course corrected and got my health back under control. My hives cleared up within days, my left eye was no longer red, the gas and bloating after my meals subsided, my muscles and joints no longer constantly ached, and my hair was starting to grow out again.
But now I was dealing with a different problem… Major fatigue!
Like most all of my clients, I keep a very busy schedule, burning the candle at both ends, powering through every day regardless of how tired I felt, just to keep up with the demands of my career and home life. Even though I was sleeping 7-8 hours per night, feeling tired and burnt out had become my “new normal.” I didn’t slow down long enough to check in with my body and assess how I was feeling compared to just a few years ago. I mean, who has time to “slow down?!”
And that’s when I hit me!
I knew from all my training that MINERALS are the spark plugs of our metabolism. If they’re low or out of balance, our cells cannot make energy – full stop! There are dozens of minerals that are critical for our body to make energy, but the most recognized ones are sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
So, I decided to run another lab on myself called an HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis). This lab looks at mineral imbalances in the body as well as heavy metal toxicity.
I had yet another WTF? wakeup call
Low and behold, the HTMA results confirmed why I was so tired all the time. I had what is called a “4-Lows Pattern”. Come to find out, this pattern is quite common in career-driven, for high-performing females.
A “4 Lows Pattern” means those 4 important minerals mentioned above (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) are so low that your body cannot produce the energy needed to keep up with the demands your daily demands. It also signals that your adrenals might be tanked. (More on that in Part 3 of my story).
What did I do about it?
I started immediately consuming adrenal cocktails several times per day. No ladies, not THAT kind of cocktail with an umbrella or 3 olives. LOL! I swear to you, literally within about 30 minutes of drinking my first “cocktail” I felt like my brain and body came back online. I also started drinking a custom blended, mineral supplement formula designed specifically for a “4 Lows Pattern.” But that’s not all I did…
The missing link – Stress Management
No, I didn’t start meditating in a lotus position for hours on end. I just made myself “slow down” a bit – which is almost impossible for us Type-A, high-performing females!
It had to give my brain and body a break from the constant thinking and Go! Go! Go! I can’t even tell you how much stress (even the good stressors in life), can deplete your minerals and tank your energy.
I simply stopped burning the candle at both ends; I gave my brain little mental breaks throughout the day; I stopped working every single Saturday and Sunday; And I allowed myself time to do things I enjoy, things that bring me peace and joy. I took more walks; I spent more time just playing with my dogs; I went outside to just sit on the grass – without my phone; I would take a drive up to the mountains n the country etc…
I know exactly what you’re thinking: “I don’t have time to slow down!” Trust me, I get it. I’m not saying you should watch Netflix for hours on end, just take a few breaks throughout the day and the week. Taking some mental downtime will actually give you back more energy and more brain power to continue to crush your to-do list and perform at your highest level. Not only that, but if you don’t purposefully slow down a bit, your body will make you slow down when you get too sick to get out of bed or even wind up in the hospital.
The Result?
About a month into my new mineral supplement and stress reduction routine, I felt like a whole new person. I couldn’t even believe the difference! I no longer felt like I needed to mainline caffeine throughout the day just to keep up. And the best part, I finally started to feel more joy and peace in my life.
Today, I’m feeling a heck of a lot better than I did 2 years ago, and much more humbled. I now realize the importance of the HTMA lab test and dialing in the basics – the same basics I work with my clients on today. I call this the RED DRESS pathway.
The Red DRESS Pathway (RoxAnne Eli Designed – Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress, Supplements
- Optimize the DIET to give your body the fuel it requires to thrive.
- Let the body REST when it needs to and prioritize sleep.
- EXERCISE moderately (no more HIIT training 7 days/week)
- Manage STRESS levels – take some breaks and give yourself some downtime.
- Targeted SUPPLEMENTS designed for your specific biology, lifestyle and health needs based on lab results.
Want to know what YOUR RED DRESS plan should look like? Book a free 30-minute Health Strategy Call and find out exactly what your body needs to feel amazing again.