Health & Wellness

Here’s the Reason Why You Feel Weak and Tired All the Time (as Explored on ‘Dream Bigger’)

September 25, 2025

The Dream Bigger Podcast's Guide to Not Feeling Weak and Tired All the Time — Image: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

You’re drinking green juice, taking your vitamins, doing yoga twice a week, and getting eight hours of sleep. So why do you still feel like you’re dragging yourself through the day? Why does carrying groceries up one flight of stairs leave you winded? And why do you look in the mirror and feel soft, despite all your “healthy” habits? The answer might be simpler than you think—and it has nothing to do with your willpower.

On The Dream Bigger Podcast, host Siff Haider sits down with fitness expert Liz Plosser to uncover why so many women are doing everything “right” but still feeling weak, tired, and frustrated with their bodies. Whether your workout is reformer Pilates or hauling Trader Joe’s bags, this episode cuts through the noise and shows you how to finally feel strong and energized.

The protein problem most women don’t know they have

Chances are you’re eating way less protein than your body actually needs. Plosser figured this out when she audited her own diet. “I was eating about 40 to 50 grams of protein a day, and I was going to the gym five days a week, running around with my kids, commuting into work, working a long day in my forties…I needed like 130 grams a day if we look at that formula,” she admits.

That formula—roughly one gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight—isn’t just gym bro math. Research shows women, especially over 30, benefit from far more protein than the outdated daily guidelines suggest if they want to maintain energy and muscle.

The kicker? The older you get, the less efficient your body is at using the protein you eat. “When you’re in your twenties and you eat a lean cut of steak or some fish or eggs, your body is like a race car. It knows exactly what to do,” Plosser says. “As we women age and our hormones fluctuate, particularly our estrogen starts to decline, we just become less efficient at that.” In plain English, 40-year-old you needs more protein than 25-year-old you, even if nothing else has changed.

So, how do you know if you’re falling short?

The tricky thing about low protein is that it rarely shows up in one big obvious way. Instead, it sneaks in through little signals you might chalk up to “being tired,” PMS, or just the chaos of daily life. Doctors at UCLA Health say that when protein levels drop really low, your body can start sending stronger signals—like brittle hair and nails, frequent colds, or even stress fractures because your bones aren’t repairing properly. Mood changes and brain fog are also common since protein plays a role in the neurotransmitters that regulate how you feel.

Lifestyle experts see it too. Nutritionist Mariana Pérez-Trejo Soltwedel told Vogue that missed periods, swelling in the hands or feet, or wounds that heal at a snail’s pace can all be tied to low protein. Beauty signs are another giveaway—nails that keep breaking, skin that’s suddenly dry, or hair that seems to shed faster than usual. And if you’re constantly raiding the pantry between meals? That’s not just you being snacky. Protein is what helps you feel satisfied and keeps your hunger hormones in check.

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How to hit your protein goals

According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, women (especially those who exercise regularly or are over 30) benefit from 1.4 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That’s way more than the bare-minimum government guidelines. Of course, knowing the number and actually hitting it are two very different things. Plosser’s take? Aim for a “protein-forward diet,” but don’t drive yourself crazy trying to hit some magic number with chicken breasts alone: “Start there and whole foods are awesome.” Lean meat, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, beans, and lentils all get the job done—and bring bonus nutrients with them.

But life rarely looks like a perfect meal plan. “Even as somebody who lives and breathes this stuff and loves nutrition, some days that’s hard,” Plosser admits. That’s why she leans on essential amino acids (EAAs). They basically do what protein does, but faster. When you eat salmon and sweet potato, your body has to break everything down before it can pull the amino acids out. EAAs skip the line and get absorbed immediately. “The studies out there suggest that aminos are up to nine times more efficient at delivering amino acids into your system,” Plosser points out.

Just don’t confuse EAAs with BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine). Plosser thinks they’re “great,” but the catch is that your body needs all the essential amino acids to really do its thing. “It’s kind of like if you had a Lego set and you had most of the blocks and pieces, but not all of them—you couldn’t put it together, it wouldn’t be complete, it wouldn’t be a finished product,” she explains. Same deal with BCAAs. “They’re like having some of the Lego pieces. You can’t really complete the thing and have the full package deal done.”

As for timing, Plosser says not to overthink it. “The first thing I say to everybody is take it at the time of day you’ll remember to take it,” she explains. Consistency beats perfection every time. So if dinner ends up being boxed mac and cheese or you’re living off airport pretzels, your amino routine still keeps you covered.

Want the full conversation? Tune into The Dream Bigger Podcast, streaming now.