A Day in the Life: Why You're Exhausted (And How to Fix It)

Let's walk through your average day.

You think you're doing fine. You're busy, you're keeping up, you're "getting by."

But you're exhausted. Brain-fogged. Running on fumes.

And you can't figure out why.

Here's why: Your daily routine is working against you.

Let me show you what a typical day looks like for most people and exactly where it's all going wrong.

7:00 AM: You Wake Up Exhausted

You got 7-8 hours of sleep. Or less.

Regardless, you wake up feeling like you got hit by a truck.

What's happening:

Your body didn't actually rest. You went to bed too late, scrolled on your phone before sleep, and your cortisol never dropped. Your blood sugar crashed overnight because you didn't eat enough yesterday (or you ate too much sugar and your insulin is all over the place).

Your body is already in a deficit before your day even starts.

The fix:

• Get sunlight within 30 minutes of waking up (regulates cortisol and circadian rhythm)

• Eat a protein-rich breakfast within an hour of waking (stabilizes blood sugar, prevents afternoon crash)

• Skip the phone scroll before bed (blue light destroys melatonin production)

But you don't do any of that. You hit snooze three times, scroll Instagram in bed, and rush to get ready.

7:30 AM: You Skip Breakfast (Or Grab Something Terrible)

You don't have time to eat. Or you're "not hungry in the morning."

So you skip breakfast. Or you grab what's convenient.

Option 1: You skip breakfast entirely (without fasting properly).

Your body is already running on empty. No fuel. Your blood sugar crashes. Your cortisol spikes to compensate. You're irritable, unfocused, and craving sugar by 10 AM.

Option 2: You grab a mocha iced coffee and a breakfast sandwich.

Let's break this down.

The Mocha Iced Coffee:

• 30-40g of sugar (depending on size)

• Artificial flavoring and syrups

• Minimal protein or fat to slow absorption

What this does to your body:

Massive blood sugar spike → Insulin surge → Energy crash within 2 hours → Brain fog, irritability, and cravings.

You just set yourself up to fail for the rest of the day.

The Breakfast Sandwich:

• Processed meat (nitrates, preservatives, inflammatory seed oils)

• Refined white bread or English muffin (spikes blood sugar, zero nutrients)

• Processed cheese (not real cheese—it's cheese product with fillers)

• Maybe 10-15g of protein if you're lucky

The macros:

• 40-50g carbs (mostly refined)

• 10-15g protein (not nearly enough)

• 15-20g fat (mostly inflammatory seed oils)

What this does to your body:

Another blood sugar spike. Minimal protein means no satiety. Inflammatory oils stress your gut and liver. You'll be hungry again in 90 minutes.

The fix:

Eat a real breakfast with 30-40g of protein, healthy fats, and minimal refined carbs.

If you like cooking:

• Veggie-loaded omelet (3-4 eggs, spinach, mushrooms, peppers) cooked in butter or ghee with avocado on the side

• Sweet potato hash with ground beef or turkey, topped with fried eggs

• Smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, sautéed greens, and roasted tomatoes

• Breakfast skillet: diced potatoes, sausage (check ingredients), peppers, onions, topped with eggs

If you need something quick:

• 3-4 scrambled eggs with a handful of berries and some cheese

• Full-fat Greek yogurt (plain, not flavored) with chia seeds, walnuts, and a drizzle of raw honey

• Protein smoothie: protein powder or collagen, banana, spinach, nut butter, unsweetened almond milk

• Leftovers from dinner (yes, you can eat chicken and vegetables for breakfast)

If you need grab-and-go:

• Hard-boiled eggs (prep 6-12 on Sunday) + avocado + berries

• Turkey or chicken breakfast sausages (check ingredients) + apple slices with almond butter

• Cottage cheese with berries, hemp seeds, and cinnamon

• Protein muffins (made with almond flour, eggs, protein powder - meal prep on Sunday)

This stabilizes your blood sugar, fuels your brain, and prevents the mid-morning crash.

But you don't do that. You grabbed the coffee and sandwich. Now you're riding a blood sugar rollercoaster.

10:30 AM: The Mid-Morning Crash

You're exhausted. You can't focus. You're craving sugar.

So you grab a snack.

What you reach for:

• A granola bar (sugar disguised as health food)

• A muffin or pastry from the break room

• Another coffee (with more sugar)

• A handful of candy from someone's desk

What this does to your body:

Another blood sugar spike. Another insulin surge. Another crash coming in 60-90 minutes.

You're not "broken." You're just stuck in a blood sugar rollercoaster that you created at 7:30 AM.

The fix:

If you ate a proper breakfast, you wouldn't need a mid-morning snack. But if you do need one, make it protein and fat-based:

Simple snack options:

• Hard-boiled eggs (2-3)

• Cheese cubes (real cheese) + apple slices

• Beef jerky or meat sticks (check ingredients—most are loaded with sugar)

• Carrot with peanut butter (check the ingredients) or cashew butter

• Handful of berries

• Turkey or chicken roll-ups with avocado

But you didn't. You grabbed the granola bar. Now you're heading into lunch already depleted.

12:30 PM: Lunch (Takeout or Thrown Together)

You're busy. You didn't plan ahead. So you either:

Option 1: Order takeout.

Most takeout is loaded with:

• Refined carbs (white rice, pasta, bread)

• Inflammatory seed oils (soybean, canola, vegetable oil)

• Excess sodium (not the good kind—the processed kind)

• Hidden sugars in sauces and dressings

• Minimal vegetables or fiber

What this does to your body:

Blood sugar spike. Inflammatory response. Gut irritation. You'll be bloated, sluggish, and crashing by 2 PM.

Option 2: You throw together a sandwich or a salad.

The sandwich:

• Deli meat (processed, nitrates, preservatives)

• White or wheat bread (refined carbs, minimal fiber)

• Mayo or mustard (seed oils, sugar, additives)

• Maybe a slice of cheese and lettuce

The macros:

• 50-60g carbs (mostly refined)

• 15-20g protein (processed and inflammatory)

• 10-15g fat (seed oils)

The "healthy" salad:

• Iceberg lettuce (zero nutrients)

• A few vegetables (not enough)

• Grilled chicken (if you're lucky—usually breaded and fried)

• Store-bought dressing (sugar, seed oils, preservatives)

• Croutons (refined carbs)

The macros:

• 30-40g carbs (from dressing and croutons)

• 15-20g protein (not enough)

• 15-20g fat (seed oils from dressing)

You think you're eating "healthy." You're not.

The fix:

Plan your lunch. Pack it the night before.

A proper lunch looks like:

• 30-40g of protein (chicken, beef, fish, eggs)

• Healthy fats (avocado, olive oil)

• Fiber-rich vegetables (not just lettuce)

• Minimal refined carbs

If you like cooking (meal prep these on Sunday):

• Grilled chicken thighs with roasted broccoli and sweet potato

• Ground beef taco bowls: seasoned beef, rice, avocado, salsa, cheese, sour cream

• Baked salmon with carrots and quinoa

• Slow cooker pot roast with carrots, celery, and potatoes

• Sheet pan chicken and vegetables (bell peppers, zucchini, onions)

If you need something quick to assemble:

• Rotisserie chicken (shred it Sunday), mixed greens, avocado, olive oil + lemon

• Canned wild-caught salmon or tuna (check ingredients) on a bed of greens with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and olive oil

• Leftover dinner protein + raw veggies + hummus or guacamole

• Ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning, served over greens with salsa and avocado

Charcuterie-style "adult lunchable" (no cooking required):

• Sliced turkey or chicken (clean ingredients)

• Cheese cubes or slices (real cheese)

• Hard-boiled eggs (2-3)

• Raw veggies: cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, bell pepper strips, baby carrots

• Olives or pickles

• Apple slices or berries

• Hummus or guacamole for dipping

Pack this in a divided container. It takes 5 minutes to assemble. No reheating required.

Simple salad (not sad desk salad):

• Base: Mixed greens or spinach (not iceberg)

• Protein: Grilled chicken, hard-boiled eggs, canned salmon, leftover steak

• Healthy fats: Avocado, olives, cheese

• Veggies: Cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, shredded carrots, red onion

• Dressing: Olive oil + balsamic vinegar or lemon juice + salt and pepper (skip the bottled dressing)

This keeps your blood sugar stable, fuels your brain, and prevents the afternoon crash.

But you didn't do that. You grabbed takeout or threw together whatever was convenient.

1:00 PM: Minimal Water (Or Flavored Water)

You've been running around all day. You're dehydrated.

So you either:

• Barely drink any water

• Drink flavored water (which is just water + artificial sweeteners, dyes, and "natural flavors"—aka more undisclosed chemicals)

What this does to your body:

Dehydration slows everything down. Your brain fog gets worse. Your energy crashes. Your digestion slows. Your detox pathways can't function.

And if you're drinking flavored water? You're adding artificial sweeteners that disrupt your gut microbiome and insulin response.

The fix:

Drink plain water. Add lemon, lime, or cucumber if you need flavor. Use trace minerals or a pinch of sea salt to support hydration.

Your body needs water. Not chemicals disguised as hydration.

3:00 PM: The Afternoon Slump

You're crashing. Hard.

You can barely keep your eyes open. You can't focus. You're irritable.

So you reach for:

• Another coffee (more caffeine to mask the problem)

• A sugary snack (granola bar, chips, cookies)

• Energy drink (sugar + caffeine + chemicals)

What this does to your body:

Another blood sugar spike. Another cortisol spike. Another crash coming in 60-90 minutes.

You're not fixing the problem. You're making it worse.

The fix:

If you ate properly all day, you wouldn't have an afternoon slump.

But if you do hit a slump, eat protein and fat—not sugar and caffeine.

Quick afternoon snack options:

• Hard-boiled eggs (1-2)

• Peanut butter with carrots or apple slices

• Cheese stick + berries

• Olives + salami or prosciutto

• Avocado with sea salt and lime

• A small piece of dark chocolate (85%+ cacao)

• Beef jerky or biltong (check ingredients)

• Leftover protein from lunch

But you didn't. You grabbed the snack and the coffee. Now you're wired and tired at the same time.

6:00 PM: Dinner (Too Tired to Cook)

You're exhausted. You don't want to cook.

So you either:

• Order takeout again (see lunch—same problems)

• Make something quick and easy (frozen meal, pasta, cereal)

• Skip dinner because you're "not hungry" (you are—you're just too depleted to feel it)

What this does to your body:

If you order takeout or eat processed food: more blood sugar spikes, more inflammation, more gut irritation.

If you skip dinner: your body goes into survival mode, your metabolism slows, your sleep suffers, and you wake up depleted again tomorrow.

The fix:

Plan your dinners. Meal prep on weekends. Keep it simple.

A proper dinner looks like:

• 30-40g of protein

• Healthy fats

• Fiber-rich vegetables

• Minimal refined carbs

If you like cooking:

• Pan-seared steak with roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes

• Baked salmon with lemon butter, asparagus, and wild rice

• Slow cooker beef stew with carrots, celery, potatoes, and bone broth

• Grilled chicken with roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potato

• Sheet pan shrimp with bell peppers, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes

• Ground beef stuffed bell peppers with rice and cheese

• Lamb chops with roasted root vegetables and herbed ghee

• Chicken thighs with sautéed kale and roasted butternut squash

If you need something quick (20 minutes or less):

• Ground beef or turkey cooked with seasoning, served with avocado, salsa, cheese, and lettuce wraps

• Rotisserie chicken (shred it), sautéed vegetables, side of quinoa or rice

• Stir-fry: pre-cooked protein (chicken, shrimp, beef), frozen stir-fry veggies, coconut aminos or tamari

• Breakfast for dinner: scrambled eggs with sautéed spinach and avocado

• Canned wild-caught salmon mixed with avocado mayo, served over greens with cucumber and tomato

Charcuterie-style dinner (no cooking required):

• Grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken

• Variety of real cheeses

• Raw veggies: bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, snap peas

• Olives, pickles, pepperoncini

• Hummus or guacamole

• Hard-boiled eggs

• Fresh berries or apple slices

This is a legitimate dinner. It's nutrient-dense, protein-rich, and requires zero cooking.

One-pot/one-pan meals for minimal cleanup:

• Sheet pan chicken thighs with whatever vegetables you have

• Slow cooker chili (ground beef, beans, tomatoes, peppers—set it and forget it)

• One-pot chicken and rice with vegetables

• Skillet ground beef with zucchini, bell peppers, and marinara

This supports recovery, sleep, and hormone production overnight.

But you didn't do that. You grabbed whatever was easiest.

7:00 PM: Too Tired to Work Out (Or You Work Out on Empty)

You know you should work out. But you're exhausted.

Option 1: You skip the workout.

Your body needed movement. It needed to burn off stress. It needed to regulate cortisol and insulin.

But you skipped it. So your stress stays high, your energy stays low, and your metabolism stays sluggish.

Option 2: You work out, but you ate like shit all day.

You didn't eat enough protein. You didn't eat enough calories. You didn't fuel your body properly.

So your workout just depletes you further. You're breaking down muscle without giving your body the nutrients to rebuild.

The fix:

If you eat properly all day, you'll have the energy to work out.

And if you work out, eat enough protein and calories to support recovery. Otherwise, you're just digging yourself deeper into a hole.

9:00 PM: You Stay Up Watching TV

You're wired from all the caffeine and sugar. Your cortisol is still high. Your mind is racing.

So you stay up scrolling, watching TV, or doing anything but sleeping.

What this does to your body:

Blue light suppresses melatonin. Your circadian rhythm gets disrupted. Your body can't repair itself overnight.

You finally fall asleep at midnight. Then you wake up exhausted at 7 AM.

And the cycle starts all over again.

Solution: Set a “shortcut” in your phone to automatically turn on night shift, white point and set color filters to eliminate blue light.

The Bottom Line

This is why you're exhausted.

Not because you're broken. Not because you need more willpower.

Because your daily routine is destroying your energy, one bad decision at a time.

The crashes, the cravings, the brain fog, the irritability, it's all connected.

And it's all fixable.

Here's what needs to change:

✅ Eat a protein-rich breakfast within an hour of waking
✅ Drink plain water (not flavored chemicals)
✅ Plan your meals (stop grabbing whatever's convenient)
✅ Stabilize your blood sugar (stop riding the sugar rollercoaster)
✅ Move your body (even if it's just a walk)
✅ Get off screens before bed (let your body actually rest)

You don't need to overhaul everything overnight.

Start with one thing. Then another. Then another.

Your body will respond faster than you think.

And if you need help figuring out where to start, what to eat, and how to optimize your energy without feeling overwhelmed—that's exactly what I do.

Book a free clarity call. Let's fix this.

Ancient Wisdom. Modern Optimization.

The Astarte Company
theastartecompany@gmail.com

Medical Disclaimer:
The Astarte Company and Kaitlyn Auger are not licensed medical providers and do not diagnose, treat, prescribe, or provide medical advice. All information provided is for educational purposes only. Always consult with a qualified, licensed healthcare professional before making changes to your health regimen.