Why Sleep Is Important For Weight Loss

...On my personal journey to health, I have come to realize how important sleep is for my digestion, thyroid, adrenals, and stable weight. So I now ALWAYS prioritize my 8-9 hours of sleep. I aim to go to sleep by a certain hour each day, but if I don’t, I’m no longer waking up at the crack of dawn to exercise before work.

We need sleep for MANY key functions, such as keeping a strong immune system, feeling strong, awake and focused the next day, avoiding hormonal imbalances, and restoring all our bodily functions. But ALSO, regular sleep is a key factor for obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight. Sustainable weight loss is that much harder (I’d argue almost impossible) without proper sleep!

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Healthy Chocolate Desserts for Valentines

Dark Chocolate has awesome HEALTH BENEFITS, as it contains polyphenols - a powerful antioxidant (like that found in green tea, berries and red wine) that helps defend against free radicals and diseases like heart disease, cancer and chronic inflammation. Dark chocolate is also high in minerals (including copper, iron & magnesium), has anti-inflammatory properties, can improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and is even good for your mood! 

BUT because large amounts of SUGAR is most definitely harmful (for everyone!), I make sure to enjoy chocolate without all the sugar (nor milk nor additives) that comes in regular commercial chocolate. I buy organic 70%+ dark chocolate, or I make my own desserts using raw cacao.

My “go-to” is a chocolate chia pudding (email me for this recipe!), but for special occasions, I like playing with different recipes, ones that are maybe a bit sweeter and delicious for just about anyone!

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I got inspired to try new chocolate recipes. I’m not someone that tends to make a big deal about this holiday, but I love It as an excuse to indulge in some rich chocolate (and some roses are much appreciated as well!).

After some experimenting, I found 2 recipes that I love (without being too sweet), and think you will, too!

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Why Diets Don't Work & What Does

I know this is a controversial topic as many people LOVE diets. It's a great excuse to pig-out today because you're starting a diet tomorrow. If that's you, I get it, you want a quick solution to lose a few pounds, and want to indulge in everything else when you’re not dieting. But let me tell you why I firmly believe that is the wrong approach, and what you can do instead.

I myself tried what seemed like every single diet in my 20’s, and can personally attest to the fact that these fad diets don’t work. They’re short-term solutions, and usually based on too much restriction. Not to mention, you have to keep doing them, or trying new ones, because the results never last! I can't begin to tell you how much time and money I wasted over the years!

Very often the diets provide the foods for you, or they make you count calories (or “points”), but don’t really teach you sustainable healthy habits to continue post-diet. Or they might have you focus on eating specific foods that they claim “help you to burn fat”, but then you end up ignoring a lot of other delicious and healthy foods. And after a while, you naturally give up – you get tired of the small portions or bland food, and lose the energy to keep tracking every food/ingredient/calorie. As a result, you go back to your old ways and the weight that was lost is re-gained. 

Even worse, all this yo-yo dieting can do damage to your gut and overall health, especially if you’re not getting enough healthy fats, veggies and fruits on a regular basis.

To lose weight sustainably you need to learn how to adapt healthier habits into your day-to-day. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

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A Healthier New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR. I hope you were able to read through my last few emails of 2015 and take some of my advice for having a healthy, balanced holiday.

I personally took advantage of my long vacation to relax, spend time with family, eat delicious, local, healthy food, enjoy good wines, and of course, I always made time for some long walks, quick jogs, and/or yoga in the morning.

Even though I really nourished myself, I still feel the accumulation of a bit too much sugar (yes I allowed myself to indulge in delicious Freddo ice cream) and a bit too much wine and champagne (during my vacation, there was no notion of weekends vs. weekdays, every day was like a Saturday!). And I know this is the case for many of you. Which is totally OK on occasion, especially if you enjoyed it in a guilt-free way as I did.

But now the new year has started and the vacation is coming to an end (or has ended for most of you). So it’s time to get back on track and give our bodies a break from the toxic sugar (and alcohol) that we enjoyed over the holidays. Because even small amounts of sugar can quickly become addictive, and start messing with our hormones and our body’s metabolism and digestion. The best thing to do is to keep sugar (especially the processed kind) to a minimum in our day-to-day, and once a season, do a good 7-14 day detox where we have NO processed sugar (nor processed anything that turns into sugar or contains sugar). Same applies to other substances that can cause inflammation and irritation in our bodies, such as caffeine, gluten, dairy, processed meats, and GMO-foods such as soy and corn. It is HUGELY beneficial to give our bodies a short break from these foods a few times a year (or minimum once a year) to allow your body to “reset” and focus on getting rid of accumulated toxins.

Which is why I have created a seasonal 10-day detox, which I change up a bit depending on the season. Starting Tuesday January 19th (day after Martin Luther King holiday), I will be doing a small group coaching for a Winter Detox. I will give you all the tools you need in order to make this detox easy and successful, so you can feel all the amazing benefits from a proper detoxification without much effort. You will even enjoy it! I will provide you with a detailed guide for your detox, including suggestions for a 3 day “pre-cleanse” to do over the weekend prior to starting the detox, as well as suggestions for coming off of the detox. So it’s a 10-day detox but I’ll give you over 2 weeks of support. The best thing is that its completely doable for anyone. More details can be found on my website, and if you have any questions, shoot me a message to ms@balancewithmariana.com.

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5 Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday

The last 2 weeks of December are an EXTREMELY BUSY time for everyone – with all the traveling, last minute Christmas shopping and not to mention holiday lunches and dinners with friends, coworkers and family. I know for me it’s been NON-STOP and a bit hectic to say the least.

But the holidays are such an important time of the year to enjoy, be happy, and de-stress, because then the New Year starts, work picks up, and we’ll be regretting that we didn’t take the time to relax during our few days off.

So here are my top 5 tips to stay stress-free and enjoy these last 10 days of the year:

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Craving Pasta? Try These Healthy, Guilt-Free Alternatives

Everyone loves pasta, but sadly, it's not so good for our bodies.  While a small portion of pasta is OK to have on occasion, it's one of those foods that unfortunately should be eliminated from your regular diet if you're aiming for sustained weight loss.

Why?  Because pasta is made from wheat flour that scores very high in the glycemic-index, meaning it causes a spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, which ultimately leads to weigh gain.  Also, wheat flour contains gluten, and it’s now well known that many people do better with no or limited amounts of gluten in their diet, myself being one of them.  Gluten causes inflammation in the gut, which can lead to a whole host of more serious issues.  

Therefore, I’ve discovered other pasta-like options that are not only gluten-free, but also higher in nutrition.  

Here are some amazing and healthy alternatives to your regular wheat flour pasta, all of which are gluten-free:

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Traveling? An Easy Recipe For Your Next Long Haul Flight + 4 Key Supplements

The month of August has been non-stop traveling for me, from California, to Spain, to Nicaragua.  As fun as it has been, all the traveling poses a big challenge to my healthy lifestyle.  My body is very sensitive to changes in setting, time zone, air pressure, and of course, changes in routine.  My body KNOWS when its not at home. 

Luckily I've learned a few tricks over the past year (as traveling overseas has become a monthly occurrence) that really work well for me.  I’ve made it my mission to find ways to have my body adjust as much as possible, and avoid the bloating and fatigue that often comes with these long flights. 

It all starts with the flight itself, which is always one of the most challenging things for me.  For starters, I’m someone who has a big appetite, and cannot go more than a few hours without eating.  And, similar to many of you I'm sure, I have a hard time sleeping more than two consecutive hours on a flight.  So if it’s an overnight flight, I’m tired, restless, and my body naturally craves food.  Therefore, I would usually end up eating eat plane food (even though the food isn’t great, and of course, it’s highly processed!) just because I was bored and couldn’t sleep.  And since the meals are quite small, I would eat almost everything, including the sugar-loaded dessert.

So what have I done to improve my long flights and disruptive travels? 

First and most importantly, I’ve come up with a go-to recipe for healthy food that I can take with me on the flight, through security with no problem, and that tastes delicious even at room temperature.  It’s my Sweet Vegetable Bake.  I make a large batch, and take that with me, together with some raw nuts and fruit, and I’m set for the entire plane ride.  This way I fill up on healthy homemade food, and can avoid the airplane food filled with chemicals and preservatives, and most importantly, I am able to resist the unnecessary desserts.

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A Key Ingredient to a Healthy Life: HYDRATION

Happy July everyone!  

From where I'm sitting, it is HOT, and I have just finished an entire batch of my homemade lemonade (well, lime-ade) in under one hour!  Clearly my body was in need of extra liquid given the heat I just walked through on my way back from yoga. 

So today I thought it would be relevant to address a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle, especially during this time of the year: Hydration.

We need to be drinking LOTS AND LOTS of water.  I literally can't say it enough to my clients.  Most people are not drinking enough, and it really is a key ingredient to optimal health.

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will make a huge difference in your digestion and energy, as it flushes your intestines and helps eliminate toxins.

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My Favorite Breakfast Smoothie Recipes

By popular demand and as a follow-up to my Beginners Smoothie Guide from last month, today I'm sharing some easy and super healthy smoothie recipes that I make almost every morning.  These smoothies make a filling and delicious breakfast that will keep your blood sugar stable, rev up your metabolism, and serve as a great tool for weight loss.  Plus, they're quick to make and easy to take on the go!

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Tips for Traveling and Staying Healthy Abroad

As it's Holy Week and Spring Break is around the corner, I thought it would be relevant to touch upon Healthy Traveling!  No - its not an oxymoron, and it actually is possible!  Of course it’s hard for all of us (myself included) to stay super healthy and focused when traveling, but I have found little ways to make it better, to keep it pretty healthy while still enjoying my vacation.  

Here are my top 5 tips for traveling:

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My Top 10 Health Tips

We've begun 2015, and we've all thought about our resolutions for the new year.  Everyone has at least one goal in mind related to getting healthier, fitter, or reaching a target weight.  But it's this time of the year when I see many people determined to try the latest diet, instead of focusing on longer term lifestyle changes.

Too many people are focused on calories in- calories out, and missing out on the true toxic, weight-gain triggers.  Here are some tips that many people don't realize are KEY to losing those extra pounds, and more importantly, to getting your health on the right track in order to keep those pounds off for good...

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