“It depends”.
Keep reading to discover why this seemingly annoying answer is actually liberating for both your well-being and overall health.
Ah, those nostalgic summer holidays!
Picture this: we’d squeeze into our trusty Renault, stuff the roof rack with suitcases, and fill those old-school flasks with tea and chicken soup (not in the same flask though as that would be weird). And, of course, I’d always bring along my yellow radio cassette player. I loved that thing.
Those were the days of epic two-week road trips across Scotland, I remember not being able to step onto the beach in Gairloch as it was COVERED with jellyfish. Then there was a night of eating and dancing in an Oban restaurant. I was wearing my favourite peachy coloured corset waist skirt, my sister wore the same one in white.
But you know what? There was one question that echoed through every journey (and I know you know is the soundtrack to every parent’s car journey with small humans…….)
“Are we nearly there yet?”
Arriving at destinations is exciting, somewhere new, lots of exploring to be done, you get to pee, stretch and see who you become in this new place.
One question I get asked a lot (after should I be taking magnesium) is, How long will it take to go from feeling exhausted to energised when you start making changes to your eating habits?
Here’s the honest truth: It depends.
I get it. Time matters, whether you’re planning a family road trip, deciding what’s on the breakfast menu or getting your small human to sleep. We all want to know the ETA.
Navigating Your Energy Transformation
In the good ol’ days of the 80s and 90s you had paper roadmap and maybe an [un]reliable co-pilot to navigate you to your destination.
In 2023 you can stick your destination into your GPS; it’ll show you the quickest way there, speed cameras on the route, traffic, places you can go for a pee stop and your estimated time of arrival.
I’m not reviving the 80’s and 90’s (shoulder pads yes, 90’s outfits and skinny brows; a hard no) and I’m not a GPS system either.
Instead I’m going to start by asking you a few questions…..
Assessing Your Starting Point
To even begin to figure how long it might take, let’s see how long you’ve been feeling drained for.
How long have you been feeling knackered for?
How long have you skipped breakfast for?
How long has it been since you pooped every day?
How long has it been since you had a period that didn’t turn you into a hormonal caricature of yourself?
The longer that timescale, the longer it’s likely to take for you to wake up feeling refreshed, revitalised and ready to rock the day (even if you’ve had interrupted sleep – it’s possible.)
But worry not my friend, where there’s a Wilma there’s a way. Positive change is within your exhausted reach.
Managing Expectations
I won’t make grand promises or guarantee quick fixes because, I can’t move in with you or chew your food for you (not that you’d want that!). But here’s what I can tell you: revitalising your energy requires input from you, consistently (ah that annoying word).
What I can and will say is, you will reach your destination. It might take longer that you want, you might have to re-route, replan, ditch the shortcut, play eye spy, turn Beyoncé up and enjoy the ride.
And I also know it’s really annoying when you get told “it’s about the journey, not the destination”; yes, I am eye rolling so hard my rugby shaped right eye is about to pop out.
Its about the journey AND the destination.
You got to have some fun and pleasure on the way to a place that you’re going to want to stay forever.
Embracing Sustainable Steps
To reach your destination of va va voom, I am awesome energy, it’s all about taking small, sustainable steps.
One of the biggest blockers I hear from busy women is “I don’t have time and I don’t have the energy to figure out how I can make it work” and I agree you don’t have the time or the capacity to make big massive, sweeping changes. They’re usually a huge deviation from your regular routine, make you miserable and aren’t steeped in ‘should’s and rules. Not into that.
Small is doable.
Small is mighty.
Once you see the impact of making one small change, you realise “well damn, that wasn’t too difficult and scary after all; what else can I layer in on top of this?!”
It’s about making small changes that fit into the life you have now to create the life you want.
It’s making an investment that gives you a return now and when you’re 85.
Taking The First Step
Ready to embark on this transformative adventure – yellow cassette player not included? It starts with a single, teeny tiny step
Drink a glass of water.
Go for a walk.
Add some nutrient dense, fibre fuelled, gut loving chickpeas to your plate.
Add some zing and flavour to your broccoli with a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil.
Eat before you caffeinate.
One thing I can guarantee is that you’re never going to reach your destination if you don’t start.
One small step for you, is one giant leap for your energy levels.