What if feeling tired all the time is not simply something you have to accept as you get older?
For many women in their 40s and 50s, exhaustion becomes so familiar that they stop questioning it. They reorganise their lives around their limited energy, say no to things they would like to do and learn to function despite feeling depleted.
In this episode of The Health Edit, naturopath, author and speaker Susan Hunter explores the Stamina Edit and why dependable energy is about much more than productivity. She explains how stamina affects our ability to participate fully in our lives, and why your energy is part of your freedom.
Susan explores the different patterns that can sit behind persistent fatigue, from being under-stimulated or under-recovered to having an underlying health issue that needs proper investigation. She also explains why the same advice cannot be given to every tired woman, and why telling someone to simply exercise more or rest more may miss the real cause.
This episode is an invitation to stop treating exhaustion as something you simply have to work around and start paying attention to what your fatigue may be telling you.
In this episode, Susan explores:
Why persistent fatigue should not automatically be accepted as normal
Why stamina is about more than energy — and how it affects your freedom and quality of life
The three broad patterns behind low stamina: being under-stimulated, under-recovered or needing further investigation
Why more exercise is not always the answer when you are exhausted
How caffeine, sugar and alcohol can become part of a “borrowed energy economy”
The relationship between demand, recovery and stamina
How perimenopause and changing hormones can affect energy, sleep and recovery
Why heavier or more frequent periods can contribute to iron deficiency
How career pressure, caring responsibilities and other demands can add to the total load on the body
The warning signs that persistent fatigue may need proper medical investigation
What we can learn from Mel’s experience of unexplained exhaustion
Why fatigue can affect confidence, identity and your ability to participate in life
How to use the Health Edit method to Locate, Focus, Explore and Navigate your stamina
Why recovery is about more than a bath, a scented candle or a weekend away
How small, focused changes can help you understand what your body needs
Why your energy is part of your freedom
Your energy is not just about how much you can get done.
It determines what you can say yes to, how fully you can participate in your life and how much of you remains after you have done everything that was required of you.
The question is not simply: “Why am I so tired?”
It is: am I under-stimulated, under-recovered, or is there something here that needs proper investigation?
And what is my exhaustion currently making unavailable to me?
