Getting an adequate night’s sleep is one of the most overlooked components of our overall health & well being. However it is vital that your body is regularly in a parasympathetic state, where it can rest & repair.

Melatonin is our sleep hormone that is produced largely in the gut as a downline product of serotonin, & is essential for restorative sleep. So how do we help melatonin?

As someone who tossed & turned for years the best sleep tips I’ve found to help when my head hits the pillow are:
-Set & keep a sleep schedule, go to bed & wake up within the same hour window every day (yes weekends too)
-Sleep with the sun, our sleep schedules work best when synced with our natural diurnal rhythm set to the sun, ideally in bed from 10pm-6am which also go along with natural cortisol spikes
-Stop eating 2-3 hours before bed, due to your body producing energy for digestion
-No napping, ok so I love naps so keep it short & sweet if you must (20 min or less)
...

I’ve recently been leaning about the difference in store bought vitamins and REAL quality vitamins.
Make sure your vitamins are:
-GMP certified (good manufacturing practice)
-Third party tested
-Free of pesticides, heavy metals and microbes (mold, yeast etc)
-Dairy free, gluten free, dye free and soy free
-Fresh (a five year shelf life probably doesn’t equal fresh...)
-Fish oils/omegas should not taste fishy or make you burp fishy-yes putting them in the freezer helps but the fishy taste means they’re rancid (oxidized, like you anti-oxidants we talk about for anti-aging..) and doing more harm than good

Moral of the story:
Stop buying your vitamins where you buy your tissues and toilet paper!! (As I throw away my vitamins from Costco...)

Quote of the day: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” - Ghandi

Jump Around! 90s style!

Benefits of Rebounding
1. Lymphatic drainage:
Aids in venous blood flow allowing our lymphatic system (where our toxins are stored) to flow better, therefore detoxifies better which improves the immune system.
2. Stress reduction:
Light bouncing can help increase blood flow to underused muscles and loosen and release overused ones, plus it helps the body release endorphins which are your brain’s natural calming, feel good aid.
3.Improve balance:
Improves proprioception (ability to sense the orientation and position of your body) which aids in fall/injury reduction. It also stimulates the vestibule in the middle ear to improve balance.
4. Strengthen pelvic floor muscles:
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that effectively form a hammock across the base of your pelvis and support the internal organs above it. Having strong and flexible pelvic floor muscles helps control the bladder, stabilize the hip joints, and connect to the deep core.
5. Improve bone...

New year, new you; new years resolutions; most resolutions are broken by February; and here we are. We’ve all heard the same thing every single January but why should you actually stick to your goal’s of “getting healthy, looking better, and feeling better” this time around? 
 
Exercise releases positive endorphins, and positive endorphins make you feel better about yourself as well as increases energy.
 
Exercise itself increases energy, stamina as well as mental alertness.
 
Exercise makes you want to eat better in order to “perform” better, which in turn increases your overall health.
 
Exercise, whether it is indoors at a local gym/group classes, or outdoors at a park/ trail is a great way to engage with new people with positive life goals.
 
Exercise has been proven time and time again to decrease and even alleviate depression, anxiety, stress, negative self-esteem and cognitive function.
 
Exercise is a great way to...

Love going out in my backyard and picking all of my garden goodies!
But not all “gardens” are created equal...
Why go organic?
One word: toxins
Where do toxins come from?
-GMO‘s (genetically modified organisms)
-Preservatives
-Chemical Fertilizers
-Pesticides/DDT
-Herbicides
-Fungicides
-Insecticides
-Rodenticides
-Hormones in animal products
What’s so bad about toxins anyways?
Well they just don’t go away. A study done by the Center for Disease Control showed 99% of people tested had byproducts of DDT(DDE), banned 40 years ago, in their blood.
Long term damage from what’s been sprayed on our “healthy” food includes: birth defects, ADD/ADHD, reproductive issues, male infertility, nervous system damage, autoimmune issues, brain deterioration, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and even cancer. It also allows chemicals to become free radicals which poison our cells and wipes out our good gut bacteria needed for digestion as well as immunity!
All...

Did you know your gut is also called your second brain!?
In order to break down all of the important nutrients from our food, you know, the ones we need to keep our bodies in balance to better protect ourselves from the common cold, the flu, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and even cancer (yes even cancer!), we have got to get our guts right!

Want a little more energy? 1/3 of our daily energy goes towards digestion! Get that gut right!

My morning love your gut routine looks like this (yes before my ):
- 1 organic lemon (juiced)
-1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
-1 Scoop of an organic greens powder
-1 probiotic
-8oz warm water
-1 drop lemon essential oil
-pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt (beneficial for adrenals!)

Don’t believe me? Try it for 30 days and let’s talk ;)

Quote of the day:
”The man who earns a million but destroys his health in the process is not really a success.“ -Zig Ziglar

True story: I’m laying in bed at 1 AM wide awake.

True story I wrote the same story years ago…

2020 has been a tough year for us all, for me personally it started with losing a pageant I had poured my heart and soul into literally, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Per usual I bounced right back And through my efforts into taking my business online developing this new website and my brand even deeper. And then Covid hit. So I threw myself into another pageant to distract me/numb the pain (I have realllly weird way of coping, well avoiding coping). Here in North Carolina gyms were shut down for six months after six months of trying to stay afloat I finally gave up. I meanwhile found out I was pregnant after years of trying (also knowing I can’t keep it going pregnant/as a new mom)
Fast forward to my 10 week ultrasound, all alone with the ultrasound tech (thanks Covid) in a cold, empty, sterile room hearing the words “ I’m sorry there is no...

Zinc supplementation has been a game changer for me specifically in improving gut health, boosting my immune system and helping to regulate hormones.

SIGNS OF ZINC DEFICIENCY
Lowered immune system
Loss of taste and/or smell
Digestive problems
Hair loss
Chronic fatigue
Poor concentration
Nervous system dysfunction
Hormonal imbalances
Low testosterone (in Men)
Change of appetite (increase or decrease)
Worsening memory
Infertility
Change in weight gain or loss
Slowed ability to heal
Aging skin
Poor muscle tone

BENEFITS OF ZINC:
Improved immune function
Boosted metabolism
Balancing health inflammation
Hair growth
Antioxidant benefits
Balances hormones
Helps regulate healthy blood sugar levels
Assists in digestion and gut function
Decreases loose stool (diarrhea)
Improves fertility
Increases testosterone & sperm count
Supports liver health
Boosts muscle tone

Ok, lets see if we can get through this as this blog has deleted more than once.... bah.... but as promised here are my “Keto conclusions” after thirty days on the ketogenic diet (high fat, very low carb, moderate protein) and around thirty days back on the carbs (lowered fat, higher protein compared to keto). Am I a fan? Well yes and no. For me no, not at all, however I have seen wonderful success from a ketogenic diet and if I or another loved one was diagnosed with cancer or epilepsy I sure as heck would give it a shot again.
I decided to give keto to fight off inflammation, increase energy and improve my mental clarity. No such luck for any of the above. Weight loss was not my main goal but I was looking forward to loosing the 2-3 pounds I put on over the holidays, no such luck there either. In fact I feel like I put on 2-3lbs (nothing major, not complaining, but still interesting). My first conclusion is the reason I didn’t seem to feel any better could be...