Starting the New Year: Is Your Body Running Fast or Slow?

A gentle way to understand your energy, stress, hormones & digestion in 2026

Many women begin the new year feeling exhausted, anxious, bloated or hormonally out of balance — without really understanding why. In this blog, I explore how your body may be operating in either a fast (stress-driven) or slow (recovery-focused) metabolic pattern, and how this can influence your energy levels, nervous system, immune health, digestion and hormones.

In clinic, I commonly see two patterns emerge after the holiday period:

• a body that has been running on adrenaline (fast metabolism / high output), and

• a body that feels like it’s been crawling to the finish line (slow metabolism / low output).

Neither pattern is good or bad. They are simply different ways the body adapts to stress over time. Once we understand which pattern you’re in, we can support your body in a way that’s aligned — rather than forcing it to do something it’s not ready for.

This is where Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) can be incredibly helpful. HTMA helps uncover longer-term mineral patterns linked to fatigue, anxiety, digestive symptoms and poor stress tolerance, and provides a clearer starting point for personalised naturopathic care. This approach supports both women and children to restore balance, calm and long-term wellbeing as we move through 2026.

If your body is running fast…

When your system is in a fast metabolic pattern, it can feel like you’re always “on”.
You may look like you’re coping on the outside, but underneath, your nervous system is working overtime.

Common signs include:

• feeling wired but tired

• trouble switching off at night

• anxiety, racing thoughts or heart flutters

• digestive flare-ups during stress

• energy crashes after busy days or intense exercise

With fast patterns, the body often burns through minerals quickly. Without the right support, this can eventually tip into burnout.

The focus: grounding, mineral support, steady meals, improved sleep rhythms, and calming the nervous system.

If your body is running slow…

A slow metabolic pattern is often the body’s way of conserving energy so it can repair and recover.
This can follow long-term stress, illness, overworking, under-eating, or pushing through depletion for too long.

Common signs include:

• ongoing fatigue and brain fog

• sluggish digestion, bloating or IBS-type symptoms

• feeling cold, flat or unmotivated

• weight gain or difficulty shifting weight

• low stress tolerance and slow recovery

The focus: rebuilding the foundations — mineral balance, adrenal and thyroid support, gut healing, and gentle consistency.

How do you know which pattern you’re in?

This is where Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) can be incredibly helpful.

HTMA shows longer-term mineral patterns and how your body has been coping with stress — including adrenal and thyroid influence, inflammation patterns, and whether your system is currently in a fast or slow metabolic state.

It’s a beautiful place to begin the year because it removes the guesswork. Instead of forcing yourself into routines, diets or supplements that don’t suit your body, we build a plan based on your physiology.

Start 2026 with clarity (not pressure)

The most sustainable health changes aren’t the most intense — they’re the most aligned.

If you’re feeling tired, bloated, anxious, foggy, hormone-imbalanced, or just not quite yourself, this may be your sign to begin with understanding.

Book your Naturopathy Consultation and let’s uncover whether your body is running fast or slow — and what it needs to move back into balance, energy and calm.

Yours in health and wellness,

Katrina