Here I am again, about 6 months after implementing the RED DRESS Pathway – discussed in Parts 1 and 2 of My Health Journey. I am definitely feeling a thousand times better than 2 years ago, but something still felt off. I still didn’t feel the energy levels I wanted or the sex drive and motivation to GSD like I used to. I had my hormones balanced, My gut functioning normally again, was managing my stress levels etc.., so why did I still feel kinda flat lined, both energetically and emotionally?
The Car Analogy
As we discussed in Parts 1 and 2 of my Journey, hormones, including thyroid hormones, tell your body to speed up the pace. Your hormones are like the gas pedal telling your adrenal glands to pump out the gas so you can go faster. Your adrenal glands need minerals to keep gas in their tank. If your minerals are low or out of balance, you can step on the gas pedal all day but still go nowhere. But as I talked about in Part 2 of my Journey, I was consuming minerals every single day. So, WTF?!
The next puzzle piece: Neurotransmitters
Even though I’d been replenishing my minerals for the past 3 months, my adrenal glands were still low on fuel. So, I decided to run yet another lab to figure out what was going on – a Neurotransmitter test called Neuro Focus 2
Quick biology lesson – Hang in there, I’ll make this quick!
Your main “energy and feel good” neurotransmitters and the role they play in the body are:
- Serotonin: Sleep cycles, depression, anxiety, carbohydrate cravings
- Dopamine: Focus, attention, memory, motivation and drive
- Norepinephrine: Energy, drive, focus
- Epinephrine: Energy, metabolism, depression, cognitive function
My Results – I had ZERO gas in the tank!
- Serotonin: 18.2 – reference range is 63-105
- Dopamine: 88.5 – reference range is 137-306
- Norepinephrine: 9.4 – reference range 18-41
- Epinephrine: 0.4 – reference range 1.5-4
NO WONDER I still felt low energy and lack of motivation!
But why were these so low?
The first reason is, I had just started to replenish my minerals and manage my stress level only about 3 months prior. It takes the body a good 6-12 months to replenish its energy stores. So, I had to give it more time.
The second reason is I wasn’t giving my body the specific nutrients it needed to make more neurotransmitters. There are several raw building blocks needed to replenish neurotransmitters including specific amino acids. But yet again, it was made evident that I needed to stop depleting my stores with constant stress and long hours or working.
What did I do about it?
It was important that I keep focus on the health protocols from Parts 1 and Parts 2 of my Journey. But in addition, I started consuming more protein in my diet, added in amino acid supplements and started taking a few targeted supplements specifically designed to boost my neurotransmitter production and give me more gas in the tank.
This is too much!
I know all of this can seem like A LOT to take in. How do you know if there’s even anything “wrong”? What labs should you start with and do? What supplements should you be taking? Where do you even begin?
Here’s the good news. You don’t have to figure all this out on your own. I’ve personally been through this mid-life, career-focused, high-performing journey myself so I know how overwhelming it can be. But I’ve figured it out along the way. That’s why I know exactly how to guide my clients, step by step, without overwhelm, to feeling amazing again.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and basically throwing darts at a wall wondering what’s going to stick, I got you! Book a free, 30-minute Health Strategy call and together we’ll figure out a plan designed specifically for you, your body and your life.