What Does A Good Night Sleep Mean to You?

Here is what it really means, to not get a good night sleep....You may be surprised after reading on, how important  quality sleep is to our health and well being.  We tend to think 7- 8 hours is plenty of sleep!  Yes, it would appear to be plenty for the average adult.  In this case, quality of sleep is much greater than quantity of sleep. However, most wake up feeling as though they did not get a good nights rest. Our sleep quality is compromised, we then turn to energy drinks to make it through the work day. Does this sound familiar?

Sleep is very, very important to our over all health.  Short sleepers (Not reach REM) have an increased risk of:  infections, arthritis, diabetes, mood disorders, insulin resistance, cravings, over eating and high consumption of caffeine/stimulants.  Our society sees sleepiness as a need for fuel. NOT REST!
We are literally Rest-Less.  It is OK to be tired or feel as though you need to just rest. Your body is telling you to get rest and we have to listen to our bodies.  Instead, most go for that adrenal rush of caffeine or some kind of stimulant to keep going, which will later affect the quality of sleep.

A lot of factors play in the role of quality sleep. Eating to close to bedtime can raise core body temperature and metabolic rate, making it difficult to fall asleep. Eating certain foods before bed (fats, carbs, sugar) will affect the quality of sleep along with the amount of food eaten before bed as well.

 Studies done on short sleepers were also associated with higher risks of metabolic disruptions, including: impaired glucose intolerance, impaired insulin resistance, increase ghrelin (hunger hormone), decrease leptin (suppress appetite/speed up metabolism hormone) and last, increased BMI (Body Mass Index).  The reduced percentage of sleep time spent in "REM" sleep was associated with greater fat and carb intake. Although, people who slept 7-8 hours differ in their diets, compared to those who slept less or more because of greater sleep time spent in REM.

Here are a few supplements that are very helpful  and non habit forming...This first supplement is what I use for a great night sleep and waking  up feeling rested.

Natural Calm - Sleep, helps leg cramps, migraines, lowers blood pressure, anxiety, constipation and also helps reduce kidney stone formation.  Natural Calm is magnesium citrate.(high absorption)  Most people are very deficient in this supplement. Magnesium relaxes the muscles and will give you that great night sleep, along with all the other benefits listed.
Melatonin - tells the body and brain it is dark out, higher levels associated with REM
Valerian Root - promote better sleep quality/longer sleep periods, helps relax
Passion Flower - helps insomnia, anxiety, lowers blood pressure
Chamomile - helps sleep, stress, anxiety, soothes stomach ache
L-Theanine - helps calm racing mind, great for anxiety, calming, ADHD

Now, what does a good night sleep mean to you?😎

There's No One-Size-Fits-All Diet

We so often hear about the latest and greatest diet...For one, people have a difficult time trying to follow the so called "new diet".  Taking into consideration, we are bio-individuals, we are all different...So diets have to be personally tailored..Different foods affect people differently. There is no one size fits all diet. Diets that focus on calorie restriction don't guarantee better health/results. So when people decide to get on the latest and greatest diet, perhaps, it is not for their body type.  Someone can have great results, while others are struggling. This does not  mean you failed,  you have no will power?  It means there is a different biological response to the diet.


One persons food can  be another person's poison. This is absolutely a true statement..Bio-Individual diets lower the chance of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, among other widespread modern diseases. Individual dietary needs are linked to Gut Health.  People react differentlt to the same foods for the reason of microbiomes-unique collection of good and bad bacteria. (importance of probiotics)

There are many factors that affect the risk of obesity, metabolic disorder, blood sugar stability
and microbiome diversity. Improving gut health through basic food, lifestyle changes and a good probiotic is critical to overall health and how your body will metabolize foods for weigh loss.

SUGAR, THE LEGAL DRUG!

We hear  about blood sugar,  diabesity, diabetes,  type 1 type 2 and this has become a huge problem in  our society of all ages.  Blood sugar levels plays a huge roll in our daily performance. It affects hunger, mood, fatigue, cravings, building lean muscle, burning fat, and the list goes on.

The key to maintaining  healthy blood sugar levels is to cut back on high starchy carbs, processed foods, sugars and believe it or not, Fruits.... Fruit is sugar, yes, it is natural, but it still affects the pancreas from secreting insulin..INSULIN is a fat storage hormone. In order to loose body fat, we must maintain our blood sugar levels.  The roller coaster of spiking insulin up and down will cause the affects mentioned above.

If you want any type of fruit,  strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and apples are a better choice. When in doubt, remember this "The softer and juicier the fruit, the higher it will be in sugar''. Yes bananas are very high in sugar..

Consuming to many different kinds of sugars, whether it is from starch, processed foods, sweets and fruits, it will keep you craving more and more sugars..Did you know that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine?  Our brain on sugar looks exactly like a brain on cocaine. Sugar is a drug!

Here are a few supplements to help keep your blood sugar stable and help cravings, but we have to do our part in modifying what we are consuming.

Garcinia Cambogia - weight loss, lipid lowering serum levels, appetite control,
reduces intestinal glucose absorption
Chromium Picolinate - glucose utilization. lean muscle
Bitter Melon - blood sugar management
Gymnema Sylvestre - alters the taste of sweets
Cinnamon - lowers blood sugar
Mulberry Leaf  extract - High blood sugar control, rich in antioxadants
L-Glutamine - (amino acid) helps with sugar  cravings, also used for muscle soreness/gut health/immune function
White Kidney Bean extract - aids in storing fewer carb calories, reduces the enzymatic digestion of dietary starches. *This is  a must have ladies to keep in your purse  in case of a Bonefish outing.. A glass of red wine and that yummy bread with  the olive oil/spices...😉

Gut Health

Hello, I am Ann Marie  here to talk about gut health and how important it is to our health. 80% of our brain is in our gut.(I have a gut feeling) There is truth to that saying...

I have a teenage daugfhter who was getting acne..We decided to go see a dermatologist, big mistake!
He wanted to put her on antibiotics for three months. We all know what those do to our gut. Acne is the symptom,  the root cause is from gut bacteria.  We have to treat the symptom not put a Band-Aid on and say see you in 6 months.

 Having the nutrition and supplement background, I put her on a 25billion probiotic.  Skin disorders  are typically caused by the health of our gut. As soon as she began the probiotic her face began to clear up. Now to keep this real, when she deviates from her healthy eating, she begins to have a little breakout....Certain foods wreek havoc on our digestive track.
I tell my clients who complains of stomach issues or even joint pain/inflammation, it is due to certain foods, even a hidden ingredients. So I then tell them to keep a food journal, this way they will see day to day how they are feeling. Eventually, they will notice what is causing the digestive upset or inflammation.

Do you only take a probiotic when you have taken antibiotics? Absolutely not!  Many times, people wait till they begin with  stomach issues or a yeast infection.. A probiotic  can be taken when your on an antibiotic, but they must not be taken simultaneously.  The window is  4 hours away from each other or they will counteract one another.
I will leave you with that and if you have had any kind of experience, please share.