If you’ve hit a wall most afternoons lately — foggy, flat, reaching for a third coffee just to get through to 5pm — you’re not imagining it, and you’re not doing anything wrong. Energy dips are one of the most common things I hear about from women in their 40s and beyond, and they’re rarely solved by “just sleeping more.”
What I’ve learned, both from my scientific background and from coaching women through this exact stage, is that steady energy is less about any single fix and more about three things working together: how you fuel and strengthen your body, what’s happening in your gut (which shows up on your skin), and how you think about food and rest. Let’s break down each one.
Strong Body: Protein Is Your Energy Insurance
As oestrogen declines through perimenopause and into menopause, our muscles become less efficient at using the protein we eat — a phenomenon researchers sometimes call anabolic resistance. In practical terms, that means most of us need more protein than we did in our 20s and 30s to maintain the same muscle mass and strength, not less.
Current research on postmenopausal women generally supports a daily protein intake somewhere in the range of 1.0–1.6g per kilogram of bodyweight — higher within that range if you’re strength training regularly — spread fairly evenly across meals rather than loaded into one. This matters for energy in a very direct way: protein slows the digestion of carbohydrates, which helps stabilise blood sugar and reduces the sharp spikes and crashes that often show up as that 3pm wall.
Pairing adequate protein with resistance training is where the real payoff happens — protein alone, without the mechanical stimulus of strength work, has a much smaller effect on muscle maintenance. The two work as a team.
A simple starting point: aim for a palm-sized source of protein at each meal, and notice how your energy through the afternoon responds over a couple of weeks.
Glowing Skin: The Gut-Skin-Energy Triangle
Skin is often the first place that low energy and poor gut health show up — dullness, breakouts, or that “tired” look that no amount of concealer quite fixes. The gut microbiome plays a meaningful role in regulating inflammation throughout the body, and inflammation is one of the more consistent drivers of reactive, lacklustre skin.
The same habits that support a healthy gut — enough fibre, a varied and colourful plate, adequate hydration, and consistent sleep — tend to show up as better energy and better skin, because they’re addressing the same underlying systems rather than treating them separately.
It’s a good reminder that “glow” was never really about a longer skincare routine. It starts from the inside, with how consistently you’re fuelling and hydrating your whole body.
Healthy Mind: Ditch the Restriction Mindset
One of the fastest ways to guarantee an energy crash — and the irritability or low mood that often comes with it — is under-eating. Skipping meals to “save calories” doesn’t create discipline; it creates a blood sugar rollercoaster that your mood and focus are along for the ride on.
Consistent, protein-forward meals throughout the day keep blood sugar steadier, which in turn keeps energy and mood steadier. This is worth sitting with if you’ve spent years treating hunger as something to override rather than respond to: eating enough, consistently, is one of the most effective and underrated energy strategies available to midlife women.
Bringing It Together
Strong body, glowing skin and a healthy mind aren’t three separate projects — they’re downstream of a small number of shared daily inputs: enough protein, a well-supported gut, steady blood sugar, and enough rest. Small, consistent habits in each of these areas compound far more than any single dramatic change.
A few habits I personally rely on to keep my own energy steady through busy weeks: protein at breakfast without exception, a daily greens habit (GreenSynergy Elixir is my easy way to fit this in without adding another step to my morning), and treating hunger as useful information rather than something to push through.
As always, this is general information rather than individual medical advice — if you’re managing a health condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take medication, check in with your GP or a dietitian before making changes to your diet or supplement routine.
What does strong, healthy and glowing energy look like for you this week? I’d love to hear — reply to this week’s Wellness Edit or find me on Instagram
