February 23

An Unsung Hero


How well does a small Band-Aid work when you are gushing blood from a deep gash? 

Not well at all!

Yet that’s how I approached solving my own personal energy crisis at one time.

What 17 year-old needs to take a four hour nap in the middle of the day just to have a prayer of finishing her homework?

What 23 year-old falls asleep in the break room at work because her body simply won’t stand up any more?

What 26 year-old has trouble making it to the mailbox and back or up the stairs without feeling winded?

This one did!

I wanted to LIVE. I wanted to WORK. I wanted to have FUN.

I didn’t want to accept always living that low in the water.

I have a history of drug-induced nutrient depletion from medications I was on as a child.

I also had the joy of discovering what the Epstein-Barr virus and chronic fatigue were all about at the age of fourteen.

I never even had a shot at “normal.” LOL!

Amid the constant crushing fatigue, brain fog and utterly exhausted, achy state of my body, I sank into a survival-based lifestyle just hoping to make it to the end of the day.

The only catch is, a brand-new day inevitably grows from the end of a tough one.

And a series of tough, tired days roll into one another with no end in sight. No amount of caffeine, stimulants, or “Band-Aids” in the world can indefinitely maintain what isn’t working.

I had to get cellular.  

Disclaimer: This post is written out of my personal life experiences. I do not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness on this blog or with my health-style and product recommendations. I share things I learn from my experiences and what works or doesn’t work for me. Some things I share may resonant with you. Some may not. And that’s okay! We never know what information might ripple on the water of our lives. I am glad you are here!

Because it’s worth saying again, I am glad, blessed and excited you are here.

You are a blessing!

Today’s Big Question:

Who is the unsung hero in my battle with fatigue and stamina?

Ingredient Spotlight: CoenzymeQ10!  

Have you heard the comment, "You are only as healthy as your cells?"

As complete humans, with loads of life happening in our outer worlds, it can be difficult to shift our focus to the cellular level within our bodies, especially when we are EXHAUSTED or wrestling with a myriad of health or life challenges.

Nourishing my cells and learning what they need to function effectively has made a massive difference in my health! Instead of treating my symptoms with quick fixes from the surface down, I learned a little bit about foundational nutrition.

Foundational nutrition is what the body requires to function at optimal levels.

Dr. Ray Strand in his book, What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine, states,

“I have examined more than thirteen hundred peer-reviewed medical studies involving nutritional supplements and how they affect chronic degenerative diseases….the overwhelming majority of these studies show a significant health benefit to those patients who take nutrients at optimal levels, which are significantly higher than the RDA (recommended daily allowance) levels.”

CoQ10 is a massive cornerstone in my essential foundational nutrition lineup and one of the first places I began in my learning curve on cellular health. ⁠

CoenzymeQ10 is essential for the body's natural production of cellular energy and is also a powerful antioxidant.

It is often compared to a spark plug that ignites the body's engine by boosting energy production within cells.

This cellular energy is what provides fundamental support for our body's vital biological processes. ⁠

However, when it comes to supplements, it is not what you take in that counts, but what you absorb.

If I'm not absorbing the nutrition, I'm not receiving the benefits it has to offer my cells. It might go in one end and out the other and my supplements end up as expensive waste products.

If my body can’t use what is in a nutritional supplement, it might simply do nothing for me or it might slightly raise my white blood cell count and inflammation level if it contains synthetic, inflammatory or ingredients foreign to the body.

My unique body personally struggles with breaking certain nutrients down and converting them to usable forms. I’ve been learning a lot about nutritional genetics from my Mom lately and this is a huge factor in understanding how to give our unique bodies what they need in forms they can recognize, process and most importantly USE.

In order to produce CoQ10 naturally, the body must go through a complex process for production. A deficiency which interferes with the steps of this process can hinder CoQ10 production. (Ex: I have some DNA risk alleles which make some biochemical processes in my body less effective.)

Aging is another factor contributing to our bodies making less than optimal levels of CoQ10.

Consuming a quality supplement in an absorbable, ready to use form is a positive work-around option for maintaining a desired level of CoQ10 within the body.

Pro Tip: I encourage you to learn about the various forms vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. come in. Personally, I have benefited BIG TIME from using methylated and bio-available forms of nutrition in my health warrior journey. ⁠Not all supplements are created equal. Not all forms of ingredients are recognized and used by the body. And not all human bodies are capable of breaking down and using the same nutrition in the same way.

Now let’s look at two forms of Co-enzymeQ10 and which one I find is the most effective for my body.

Ubiquinol and ubiquinone are both forms of CoQ10.

Ubiquinone is the oxidized form and is what most people are familiar with. But,

new research is finding ubiquinol to be the more effective supplement. 

In the body, CoQ10 must be converted to the usable form, ubiquinol, to provide antioxidant protection and generate cellular energy (psst... If our cells have energy, WE have energy!)

Because ubiquinol is the converted form, it is ready for immediate use by the body, allowing the body to utilize higher levels of CoQ10 and bringing more stability to a person’s health picture.

Ubiquinol is the active form of CoenzymeQ10 found in cells throughout the body.

Clinical studies suggest consuming ubiquinol may boost the body's supply of CoQ10, including in areas that possess HIGH ENERGY NEEDS like the HEART and BRAIN.

You know I'm all about the brain ALL THE TIME. I am passionate about cognitive health to my core. Because I’m all about the brain, I almost missed another critical organ in my body that needed support.

Recently I began to learn about the effects my various health challenges had on my heart. Due to my history of Lyme disease (and the deep impact Lyme has on the body’s muscles), chronic fatigue (and the low exercise tolerance that accompanies that), and my childhood CoQ10 drug-induced nutrient depletion,

I am now aware of the pressing need to support my heart.

I am proud to say, I am able to build stamina today! It is a recent focus of mine and I’m excited to see my body do things I never thought it was capable of!

I may build slowly, but with the ubiquinol form of CoQ10 on my supplement starting lineup, I maintain greater amounts of my progress built slowly with consistent effort over time.

This is a HUGE win for me coming from the days when the mailbox and the stairs to my room got the better of me on a regular basis!

Three things to consider:

One: Medication

Nutritional deficiencies accompany some medications and might lower the body's CoQ10 levels necessitating supplementation for optimal energy production. Here is an interesting article for you to explore. I encourage you to explore the concept of drug-induced nutrient depletion so you are able to supplement your body’s needs in a more specific way. Explore your unique situation with your doctor or healthcare practitioner.

Two: Age

CoQ10 is similar to collagen production in our bodies, the natural aging process works against the body when it comes to natural CoQ10 production over time. I’m a proponent of cultivating anti-aging best practices in a preventative manner. I encourage you to consider this supplement if you find your energy levels decreasing as you age.  Regardless of your situation, age or activity level, it’s a quality foundational nutrient to include in your daily lineup!

Three: The Immune System

There’s one last quality about this awesome nutrient I’d like to share with you:

its effect on our IMMUNE SYSTEMS! 

Things that boost our immune systems are a huge topic of conversation currently. CoQ10 is an antioxidant that helps protect our cells from oxidative stress and free radicals. It plays a positive role for our immune functionality! Some scientific studies have suggested that CoQ10 ubiquinol supplementation may enhance the functionality of vital cells that support the immune system.

I take mine daily to support my athletic performance, energy levels, brain, heart, immune system, and overall vitality and real health! Absorbable products made with integrity make a world of difference.  

In conclusion:

Let me be clear. I LOVE naps. And I still run with a high energy soul which lives in a lower energy body.

But I’ve built enough of a healthy energy buffer that I am able to do intense physical exercise three days a week and make it through 90% of days without needing to nap to survive!

I notice my edges and am building a health-style around my most effective times of day.

I will never be a “5am-every-day” kind of girl, but I have something now I’ve never had in my adult life… the ability to LIVE LIFE, WORK, and have FUN!

It may look different than how my neighbor does life, work and fun, but that’s not relevant.

What is relevant is: I’m not where I was.

Progress IS POSSIBLE friend.

A healthy, vibrant, effective life that works for you can be built.

To your health!

PS. This is the supplement I'm loving right now! Questions? Want to connect? Contact me here! Or check out this page of my website and click on the picture of the product to view a PDF of product specs.


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