Maximize Your Energy Hormones: A Daily Routine for Peak Performance

As I walked to the gym early one morning, wishing I’d just stayed in bed for a few more hours, it hit me - I was so done with following my same old daily routine.  

That’s when I knew it was time for a vacation!  Sometimes my brain craves a break from following my same predictable path through life.  

But routine is the cornerstone of healthy energy hormones. This is why shift workers struggle with energy and focus - the constant changing of their schedule really can mess with their hormones!

Breaking from routine once in a while can be so rejuvenating. But, if you’re craving that “go up and go” revved up energy to get everything done quickly, then routine is your best friend.

Let’s get you started!  

This is a basic energy hormone regulating routine to set up to help rebalance and restore the strength & resiliency of your energy hormones, especially cortisol.

Ever wondered if you were burnt out?  The answer is probably YES and a routine will help you reclaim your energy faster.

Wake up between 6:00 and 8:30.  In the morning, that is.  Healthy cortisol flows in a cycle throughout the day and it’s supposed to be highest between 6:00 am and 9:00 am to get you up and moving.  You can retrain your adrenals to pump out morning energy by hopping out of bed and starting your day.

Drink water.  After 8+ hours, your body is going to be a wee bit dehydrated so replenish your water with at least 1 full liter first thing in the morning.

Sit or walk in the sunshine.  Notice that I said to wake up by 8:30 at the latest?  That’s because you can amplify your adrenal health by sitting or, even better, walking in direct sunlight for 30 minutes before 9:00 am.  This hit of natural light sends beautiful signals to your pituitary that say “Hey! This lady wants ENERGY - let’s start giving it to her!”

Enjoy breakfast. A big mistake exhausted women make is to skip breakfast OR to eat an energy draining one.  Your body needs fuel first thing in the morning to support that strong, elevated natural boost of cortisol.  The worst breakfast combo for high energy is complex carbs (oatmeal) + fructose (fruit) + simple sugars (honey).  Instead, fuel up with protein (eggs, turkey bacon) + healthy omega-3 fats (olives, avocado) + fibre from veggies (bell peppers, onions, spinach, kale, tomatoes, eggplant, etc).  

Get your most mental-intensive work done in the morning. Take stock of when YOU feel most focused and try to do as much mental work during that time as possible.  Most people find mornings to be best for this.  I know my mental energy is strong between 7 and 11 AM every day, so that’s when I create new marketing content, write blog articles, and develop new training.  But, if your best work happens in the afternoon, you do you!  I caution you about doing too much intense work right before bed as this can overstimulate your brain and nervous system, keeping you awake throughout that night.  And THAT’S not helpful for strong energy hormones, is it?

Eat a delicious lunch, with protein.  Another big mistake exhausted women make is not eating a proper lunch.  First, do NOT skip lunch!  Your body and brain have just mastered 4-5 hours of intense mental & hormonal performance - FEED them to keep them fuelled and optimized.  You can still enjoy a good salad for lunch - just make sure it is large, has a variety of colorful veggies, includes 2-3 servings of protein and finishes with at least 2 servings of healthy fat.  

Keep your afternoon energy high with something creative, fun and/or engaging.  As your natural cortisol release flows throughout the day, you’ll probably notice a drop in energy and focus in the afternoon.  That’s normal.  And you can harness this lull by focusing on creative, fun or engaging activities that energize you.  For me, this is when I love to record or present my training live - it invigorates me to connect with and support or coach women. 

Get ready for tomorrow at the end of the day.  I don’t know about you but I always find my days begin so much more smoothly when I’ve taken 10 minutes to day before to jot down my next day’s to-do list.  Set yourself up for success by spending a few minutes at the end of your busy day to reflect on how the day went, outstanding tasks to complete and project ideas to execute on for the following day. 

After work, take a short break.  It’s important to listen to your body and recharge your energy - if you need to, of course.  Sit & chat with your kids or spouse.  Go for a quiet walk alone.  Take a short nap.  Read a couple of chapters from  your favorite book.  Setting up a mini-routine to shift from “work mode” to “home mode” is a great way to regulate your nervous system each day. 

Time for dinner - whether you do it alone or you ask for help (I recommend this), have a super simple whole foods-based meal planned.  One-pan dinners with chicken and a few veggies can be quickly thrown together and tossed in the oven to bake.  Recipes that take 30-minutes are usually very easy, with minimal ingredients, and don’t require a lot of chopping and cutting.  Or, even better, can you use an InstaPot or a Slow Cooker to help get dinner on the table faster?  It doesn’t need to be elaborate or time-consuming, but dinner does need to be energizing!

Slow down after dinner.  Your body wants to take it easy in the evening.  It’s not designed to be go-go-go.  While a fun art or dance class is perfectly fine to hit up after dinner, if you’re able to let go of work or stressors, take time to just chill out.  Putter around cleaning up and putting things away.  Turn on a podcast while you do dishes, fold laundry, or organize your bookshelf.  Read a great book to your kids, turn down the lights and listen to music, or cuddle with a loved one.

Prepare for bed and a great night’s sleep. No more panicking that it’s 11 PM and you’re still cleaning up the house, tossing things aside and rushing into bed.  Instead, take your time to enjoy the pre-bedtime rituals. Start getting ready for bed 30-60 minutes before you want to be asleep (ideally by 10 PM).  Shut off electronics, take a soothing bath, meditate, read a great book, or do something relaxing.  This is a secret ingredient for maximum energy hormone health.

Breaking up my routine is a critical part of my overall health and well-being, but I always find my energy soars most when I stick to the same, predictable work and home-life activities.  

A most interesting thing happens when you follow a daily energy hormone supportive routine - suddenly it becomes just who you are and you get to enjoy more health, energy, focus and confidence.  

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