In my early thirties, I started noticing that my energy wasn’t the same. Despite sleeping well, I’d wake up exhausted. My moods swung like a pendulum, and I had more “off” days than I cared to admit. At first, I brushed it off as stress or maybe just getting older. But when a friend nudged me toward learning about hormonal health, it was like finally finding missing puzzle pieces.

If you’ve ever woken up after a “good” night of sleep only to feel like you barely slept at all, you’re not alone. Chronic fatigue is a frustrating, complex condition that leaves millions of people chasing answers. I know firsthand how exhausting it is to feel like your body has run out of fuel, even when you’ve done everything “right.”

Intermittent fasting (IF) isn’t just another nutrition buzzword—it’s a lifestyle approach that’s steadily moved from trend status to legitimate health practice. Whether you’ve seen it on your social feed, overheard it at the gym, or maybe even tried it yourself, there’s no denying IF sparks curiosity.

I’ll be honest—my first real run-in with inflammation wasn’t pretty. After spraining my ankle on a trail run, I watched it balloon to twice its size. Later, I discovered that the same body process responsible for protecting me during an injury was also behind my random flare-ups from stress, late-night fast food binges, and even a poor night’s sleep.

Stress is like that unwelcome guest who overstays their welcome. While occasional stress is part of life, chronic stress can wear you down. Whether it's work pressures, family obligations, or social commitments, chronic stress is unrelenting and can take a toll on our well-being.

When I first heard about intermittent fasting (IF), it sounded like one of those things influencers pitch between green juice ads and gratitude journal spreads. But I was curious—and a little fed up with rigid diets that treated eating like a math equation. So I tried it. A few methods flopped. A couple clicked. And one transformed how I relate to food, energy, and honestly, myself.

I didn’t think much of it at first. Just a tightness in my shoulders. A little neck ache after a long workday. But a few months into remote life, I found myself rotating my neck like an old hinge and Googling “why does my spine feel 90 years old at 35?” That’s when I learned I was smack in the middle of a very modern dilemma: tech neck.

Let me be real with you—my screen time was out of control. Between work, Netflix, doomscrolling, and the occasional TikTok rabbit hole, I was clocking in more hours with my devices than I care to admit. And I felt it. My eyes were constantly tired, my sleep was wrecked, and my brain? Total mush by 9 p.m.

Let me be honest with you: I used to dread working out in the summer. The sticky air, the sun turning every sidewalk into a stovetop, and that instant regret you feel the moment you step outside in workout gear. But once I cracked the code on how to train smart in the heat, everything changed.