6 Small Health Shifts That Support Energy, Hormones, and Real Life

If you’ve ever described your current state as “running on coffee, adrenaline, and whatever my toddler didn’t finish for breakfast,” this one’s for you. Because here’s something that might explain why you feel like a shell of yourself half the time: women’s bodies literally weren’t studied in clinical trials until the mid-2000s in any meaningful way. Which means most of the health advice we’ve been given was based on research done on men. 

On After Bedtime with Big Little Feelings, host Deena Margolin sits down with Victoria Thain Gioia, co-founder and CEO of Perelel—a doctor-backed women’s health brand she built after her daughter was born with a condition linked to nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy. Together they get into the unsexy but genuinely life-changing small shifts that help women actually feel like functioning humans again. No wellness overhaul required. Just six things you can start doing that take basically zero extra bandwidth.

You’re probably dehydrated and calling it burnout

Before anything fancy, Thain Gioia says the most impactful shift is embarrassingly basic. “A really rudimentary shift is [to] drink water every day,” she says. “I feel like we forget about our basic needs as women.” That’s it. That’s the shift. You are potentially walking around depleted and foggy because you’ve had three iced coffees and zero actual water and your body is like hello???

• Put a water bottle everywhere you already are—nightstand, car, couch spot—so hydration stops being a decision.
• Drink actual H2O before your first coffee so your nervous system isn’t waking up already fighting for its life.
• If plain water gives you the ick, add electrolytes, lemon, or whatever makes you drink it.

Your body isn’t the same body it was five years ago

“Women’s bodies are complicated and their hormones change,” Thain Gioia says. “Your needs change during different phases of life.” She points out that we tend to find one routine and just…keep doing it forever, even as our bodies shift underneath us. What worked for you at 25 is probably not what your body needs at 32. 

And there’s a reason nobody told us this. “From the seventies to the early nineties, women weren’t included in clinical trials,” she explains. “Women are not small men. We have hormones. We have changing bodies.” And the research is just now catching up.

• Get baseline bloodwork once a year so you’re not guessing why you feel off or crowdsourcing your symptoms on TikTok.
• Revisit your supplements and routines every 6–12 months instead of assuming what worked before still fits.
• If you keep saying “idk I just feel off,” that’s your sign to reassess.

Protein matters, but it’s not the full picture

Yes, you need protein. “We start to lose muscle mass when we hit 30, like every year,” Thain Gioia says. “Energy and blood sugar metabolism and just feeling sane every day is connected to protein.” 

But she also calls out the overcorrection happening right now. “There’s protein water, protein chips, protein gum. Everything is just loading you with protein, which yes, it’s a good thing, but maybe we’ve swung too far.” Her doctor co-founder says the real magic combo is protein plus fiber plus creatine together—not just protein dumped into every product on the shelf.

• Pair protein with fiber at meals so your gut can actually process it
• Look into creatine for women if muscle, energy, and brain fog are things you care about (which…they probably are).
• Prioritize real food protein (think eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, tofu, beans, cottage cheese) most of the time so you’re not living off protein snacks and vibes.

If babies are even on your radar, start prepping now

Thain Gioia says the “thinking about thinking about it” phase is a real and important stage. “You don’t really just want to be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to start taking a vitamin routine because I found out I was pregnant today,'” she explains. “A year in advance is really going to set you up for optimal success.” A year. That’s how long it takes to build up your nutrient stores properly.

• If pregnancy is even a “maybe someday” thought, start supporting your body now instead of waiting for a positive test to panic-Google vitamins.
• Get bloodwork before you need answers so you’re not trying to solve everything at once later.
• Build iron and folate early because these are slow to replenish and nobody tells you that until you’re stressed.

Pick one tiny daily thing that’s just for you, protect it

Thain Gioia has severe anxiety and four kids under eight. Her non-negotiable is strength training at 6 a.m. every morning. But the shift isn’t about becoming a 6 a.m. workout person. It’s about picking one small habit that’s yours and not overthinking it. “I don’t have time to debate six different summer camps,” she says. “This one looks great. It checks the boxes. We’re signing up. And then I’m done and I move on.” Same energy applies to your health routine. Pick one thing. Do it. Stop researching twelve alternatives.

• Stack a new habit onto something you already do (morning coffee = take your vitamins).
• Don’t research ten options, pick one good one and commit.
• It doesn’t have to be fitness, it can be five minutes of silence, a walk, literally anything that’s yours.

Good enough is the goal…seriously

Thain Gioia’s mom had a phrase she lived by: “good enough parenting.” And at first Thain Gioia was like, cool, great to know that’s how you thought of us. But now with four kids, she gets it. “I’ve had to really let go of some of the comparison,” she says. “If you look on Instagram and the lunch packing and the outfits and the put together, I don’t have the bandwidth for that.” 

Then she shares that her seven-year-old’s school project asked what gift she’d give someone, and her daughter wrote, “I’d want to give my mom a hug because she’s so stressed all the time.” Cue the full body emotional crash. But she talked to her about it, repaired, and moved forward. 

“If we’re just parenting from our hearts and we’re showing up, we’re making them feel safe and seen and loved, that’s enough, man,” Margolin says.

• Mute the accounts that make your normal life feel like you’re failing some invisible test.
• Showing up exhausted still counts—your kids don’t need a performance, they need you.
• Saying “I was stressed, that wasn’t your fault” after a hard day teaches more than pretending you’re calm.

Listen to the full episode on After Bedtime with Big Little Feelings, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

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