TWM, September 2024

Do you struggle with low energy throughout the day?

Hey mama friend,

It's been beautiful spring weather recently and my energy peaks this time of year, as I am a huge fan of warmer days.

Being pregnant means I struggle with my energy levels some days, so I am trying to be super intentional with 'listening' to my body.

The other night we splurged and bought burgers and fries for dinner (yep, sometimes the Wholesome Mama eats fast food ;))

The next day, I had a really low day energy-wise. I couldn't pinpoint it at first until I realised it was most likely attributed to what I ate the night before.

Sometimes when we struggle with energy, we might blame it on low iron or lack of coffee intake. But for many women, low energy might actually be the cause of what we eat.

Let me paint a picture for you...

Scenario one: You're out at a friend's birthday lunch eating a delicious, but hearty and carb-loaded meal.

The rest of the afternoon you feel tired and sluggish.

Scenario two: It's lunch time and you can either pick ordering your favourite fast food from Uber Eats or make a meal from home. You decide you want to get creative in the kitchen and make a meal. It's baked garlic salmon with a salad and vegetables on the side.

The rest of the afternoon you've got energy and stamina to do what you need to do before the day ends.

This can be the difference between how you feel throughout the day based on one single meal (trust me, I know!)

Three ways to up your energy

You might not be eating enough during the day. Try to focus on eating three balanced meals a day and see if that makes a difference to your energy.
Balance your meals: make sure your meals are full of protein, good fats and carbs (the unprocessed kind).
Drink more! Do you know that dehydration can lead to fatigue? Many of us don't drink enough water. Aim for at least 7-8 cups a day.

How to make eating balanced possible without being in the kitchen all day?

Meal prep
Make the same meals for your whole family
Don't overcomplicate your meals; make them simple
Look for healthier eating out alternatives

Don't stress. Start with improving one thing and work your way up from there!

I hope you are able to get some more of your energy back just by doing the above.

Whole Foods Mama Challenge

I'm running my free email challenge in the first week of October.

What's the challenge?

It's a 5 day email challenge where I will be sending you an email a day for 5 days with encouraging tips and tricks on how to eat less processed foods and more whole foods without the overwhelm.

Here's what Bella has to say about the challenge:

'I loved getting involved in the week-long 'The Whole Foods Mama Challenge.' One of my favourite things about it was all of the 'challenges' were super simple and achievable, but so informative. It was such a good reminder to utilise ingredients in the household you already have not hold onto things you haven't used in a long time. I also love that Jess is all about balance - she doesn't promote unhealthy standards of eating but also reminds us the importance of nourishing our bodies with high quality ingredients.'

If you want to join the challenge starting on 30th September, then click here.