The Secret That Helped Me Regain My Energy (And It Wasn’t More Coffee)

by Natalie Golba 

As a fashion model and a private chef working with top athletes and celebrities, I thought I knew exactly how to keep my energy high. But despite all my expertise, I found myself waking up tired. Every. Single. Day.

And not just the “I didn’t sleep enough” kind of tired. This was deep, bone-level fatigue. The kind that lingers even after a full night’s rest, three cups of coffee, and what I thought was a healthy diet - lots of protein and zero carbs.  

I tried keto, fasting. Working out. Meditating. Doing everything ‘right.’ Yet I still felt heavy, bloated, foggy - trapped in a bigger body that wasn’t responding the way it used to. 

And when I looked into a mirror I saw an aging woman. Not me. 

 I’d wake up tired, as if I hadn’t slept at all. No matter how clean I was eating, the weight wouldn’t go away. My metabolism changed, and I went from looking like a model to looking years older almost overnight. I gained over 35 pounds in less than a year.

I canceled dates last minute, meeting up with friends, or even going out in public. Because I didn’t want people to see me like that. I just wanted to get my energy and my body back. Instead I’d head to the grocery store and eat my feelings. Which only made things worse.

The foggy mornings. Post-meal bloating. Tremendous weight gain. 

The mental fatigue that crept in no matter how much I slept. My body felt heavier, slower, and less and less “mine” each month. 

But I blamed the usual suspects: long hours, stress, or just getting older: I just moved to a new country, I was building a business, mentoring clients, and showing up fully. Fatigue felt like a badge of honor. Something high-performers just live with."This was me. Tired all the time, even with 8 hours of sleep.”

So I pushed through. I doubled down on self-care, stayed on a strict diet, and hired a personal trainer. From the outside, it looked like balance.

But internally, something wasn’t syncing. I went from being on covers of magazines as a fashion model into an older heavier woman within a year. And for the next 3 years no matter what I did, how hard I worked out - I couldn't get my body back. 

And I knew myself well enough to know: this wasn’t normal. Something deeper was going on.

I’ve always cared about my health. I wasn’t living on junk food or skipping sleep. I ate what I thought was healthy food, cooking my own high-protein carb-free meals, meditating, manifesting, working out twice a day, limiting alcohol, all of it. I was the typical “clean living ” LA girl.

But no matter how hard I tried, the fog didn’t lift. I kept thinking, 'Why isn’t my body responding?' Why would I not lose weight? Keep feeling puffy, tired, and mentally cloudy when my habits were supposedly perfect? And looking perfect was supposed to be a part of my job. And I was failing. 

Finding the right path.

No matter how many times I failed I didn't give up. I knew I had to solve this. For myself, for my clients, for my future kids. That’s when I first heard of environmental toxins.

This research opened my eyes were to the invisible things that were silently poisoning me: preservatives in packaged food, toxic chemicals in fresh produce, hormone disruptors in skincare, air pollution, micro plastics, artificial additives, heavy metals...

The more I read, the more I started to realize how much all of it was slowly but steadily building up inside me, messing with my hormones, clogging my detox pathways, sabotaging my weightloss, and stealing my energy and my mood from the inside out.

It finally felt like I was getting somewhere. Could that be the missing piece?

I read every study I could find. I started tracking not just everything I was eating, but also everything I was touching, breathing, and applying to my skin. 

I started learning about things no one had ever warned me about - chemicals I had unknowingly let into my body for years. I wish I knew then what I know now and save myself years of frustration and struggle. 

 Endocrine disruptors hiding in my favorite skincare products. Cookware and kitchen utensils that had been releasing toxins into my food for ages. Ingredients in my deodorants and toothpaste that were slowly adding to my inflammation.

Really? Even this? 

It felt like everything I was touching was toxic. 

Traces of pesticides and herbicides that don't wash off easily and have been linked to gut issues, hormone disruption, and even metabolic slowdowns.

What else…

Heavy metals (yes, actual mercury, lead and aluminum) leaching from my cookware and seafood that I thought were healthy. I felt like I was being poisoned everywhere. I even threw out a $1,600 cooking set, that was labeled as non-toxic but turned out to have a toxic non-stick coating.

Even the water I drank turned out not to be safe. I've learned that common tap water can contain trace pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and chlorine byproducts. And that the water filter that I had was useless. These are all the things that built up in my body over time and made me feel miserable.

It was overwhelming. And I was scared to get deeper into this rabbit hole. I felt powerless. I realized I had been exposed to dozens, maybe hundreds, of synthetic chemicals every single day.Each one, on its own, might pass safety tests. But together, day after day, layer after layer? My body was overwhelmed, and what it needed was support rather than restriction.

 Once I realized my body was holding onto more than just stress, I couldn’t unsee it. I truly understood the weight of toxic exposure – and I knew I had to act. I wanted to figure out how to detoxify my body.

I approached this process like I approach everything in my life: with curiosity, research, and respect for science. 

Cold-Pressed Juicing (And the Juicer That Turned Things Around)

My research kept pointing me to slow juicing as the technology that could help nourish my body with the right nutrients. But I couldn't help being skeptical. Wouldn't juices cause sugar spikes and make me gain even more weight?

But when I realized cold-pressed slow juicing isn’t about replacing food or starving yourself, and instead about enhancing nutrient density. That it floods your body with powerful phytonutrients, antioxidants, and enzymes that support your natural detoxification systems. 

Your skin, liver, kidney, lymphatic system - they are your natural detox pathways. Your body is constantly detoxing. Every single day. But when we unconsciously add those toxic environmental chemicals - your organs can’t function properly. Your body needs support. And plants with medicinal properties can help you do that.

Think about vegetables like celery, beets, and carrots – you wouldn’t be able to eat them in the same abundance raw, but juicing makes it easy to consume their vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds in one go.Getting the right juicer was crucial. The Hurom H70 was my pick. Its Slow Squeeze Technology preserves those delicate compounds other juicers destroy. The intensity of flavor and the vibrancy of color I got was unlike any juice I've had before. 

For someone like me, dealing with long-term fatigue and inflammation, that difference really mattered. I wasn’t just trying to feel “better.” I wanted to support my body at a cellular level.

I came across clinical reviews showing how cold-press methods preserve more vitamin C, carotenoids, and enzymatic activity than traditional juicers.

But I knew that for this to become a true part of my life, not just another experiment, it had to be sustainable.

Slow Squeeze Technology mimics the motion of hand-squeezing and preserves the healing compounds and flavor..“That shift opened the door to something I hadn’t explored before: cold-pressed juicing.” 

I started by adding just one juice per day to my detox. Then it became two, later three juices. I would prepare them all at once every three days, making it easy to stay consistent. This single habit shifted everything for me.

Within the first week, my bloating disappeared. My skin began to glow. My energy returned.

I was sleeping better, thinking clearer, and honestly, laughing more. For the first time in years, I finally felt like “me” again.

But maybe the biggest shift was emotional.

For the first time in years, I felt like my body and I were finally on the same side.

And it all started with these decisions:

• To nourish instead of deprive.
• To support instead of control.
• To slow down, juice with intention, and to choose tools I could trust.

How I Started (And How You Can Too)

When I started juicing, I wanted real, sustainable habits that fit into my day-to-day routine.

So I kept it simple: One green juice a day. That’s it.

I didn’t replace meals with juice. Instead, I added it to flood my body with nutrients and support gentle detox in addition to my new lifestyle. Beyond juicing, I began making small but powerful swaps:

• I stored my juices in glass mason jars to avoid microplastics that can leach from plastic bottles into acidic foods.
• I swapped out my cutting board, plastic utensils, and food containers to safer alternatives.
• I replaced my old non-stick cookware with stainless steel and glass.
• I started meal prepping every meal so I had full control over what was going into my body
• I switched to cleaner skin care products.
• Finally, I upgraded my laundry detergent, deodorant, and cleaning supplies.

Little by little, these changes stacked up.  And the results?:

• Lost stubborn fat
• Bloating - gone
• Skin glowing
• No brain fog
• Real, sustained energy without caffeine crashes

As a chef and nutrition educator working with elite athletes, I’ve seen firsthand how these small daily choices create outsized results – in energy, resilience, and longevity.

If you’re ready to feel that shift, just start with one juice. You don’t need to be an athlete to thrive like one. You just need to begin.

Take the Next Steps With Me. 

Step 1: Get Non-Toxic Living Guide and Watch Masterclass (Free Access Below). 

Discover the hidden toxic chemicals you get exposed to on a daily basis and how to negate its toll on your health.  

Step #2: Check out the Ultimate Body Reset. 

Do you have brain fog and have trouble waking up in the morning or feel heavy after meals? Brushing chronic inflammation off as "normal" can lead you into the trap of causing systematic & irreversible damage to your body. Chronic diseases like cancer start ~10 years earlier than they get diagnosed. 

It takes only a week to become your most energetic self again. Learn more about my signature 7-day detox. Special offer below - 80% off. 

P.S.: So, should you do juicing?

When it comes to juicing, technology matters. If you want your juices to truly detoxify and nourish, you need a juicer that preserves the delicate enzymes and nutrients your body craves. Hurom’s Slow Squeeze Technology is the reason I trust Hurom H70 as my go-to juicer. 

It’s the juicer I use every week in my meal prep and the one I recommend to all my private chef clients.

One small step. Even one juice a day.

That’s all it takes to start feeling younger, lighter, and more energized from the inside out. 

 

 

 

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Try it for a week. And let me know how you feel. Did you notice any improvement? How does your skin feel and look? What about your digestion? Don't be shy to reach out. I actually want to know. (IG:@nataliegolba).

And one more thing! Until the end of 2025, you can use promo code NATALIEFALL2025 to receive $95 off your H70 purchase only at hurom.com. I heard that prices might go up next year, so I'm happy to share this with you.

With care,

Natalie Golba.

Private Chef & Nutrition Educator | Helping High Performers Eat Younger.