Gut Health

How Gut Health Affects Your Whole Body

The gastrointestinal system is the main “portal” for taking in and processing nutrients, but it also serves a communication center and disease fighter. If the bad bacteria outweighs the good bacteria the immune system weakens. There are close links between poor gut health and anxiety, as well as poor gut health and depression. For those struggling with mental health issues, working to restore gut health may help.

Tip: Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% Workout

Ways To Improve Your Gut Health

Foods good for gut health include high-fiber foods like onions, artichokes, and pulses. The worst foods for gut health are processed foods with white flour and added sugar. A gut health diet could also include foods with probiotics for gut health, such as live yogurt and kefir. Replace sugary drinks with water and starve your sugar cravings. You might also try probiotic gut health supplements to improve your microbiome. (A microbiome protects us against germs, breaks down food to release energy, and produces vitamins)

6 Top Foods For Gut Health

• Oats

• Asparagus

• Greek Yogurt

• Kombucha

• Nuts

• Flaxseeds

Vitamins That Support Gut Health

• Vitamin C & D

• Probiotics

• Zinc

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is “that girl” honey! I had an amazing time in costa rica. As soon as we landed we went to eat eat where the locals eat and they did not disappoint. The food portions were so generous and taste was outstanding. The food in costa rica was a 10/10. At the villa that was a whole different story unfortunately but if someone would ask me if I would go back to Costa Rica then the answer is yes!

Where do I start, the flight was 4 hours and we had a layover in Miami. The flight went pretty quick in my opinion. When we landed we had already had our private driver waiting for us, who was amazing as well. He spoke very little English and we spoke very little Spanish so we went together well lol. From the airport to our villa was a 3 hour ride alone. We basically traveled the entire day. We did stop to eat at a local stop and headed up the mountains to our rainforest villa. The view was beautiful all throughout our drive.

The Villa we stayed at was Golden Pineapple Villas. Literally chef’s kiss! The villa was breath taking and we definitely enjoyed our stay. There were some interesting bugs that came to visit us daily (rolls eyes) and a whole bat family right out side our door. We might of even took a shower with a bat due to the shower being completely outside. Chile! But we definitely wanted those nature vibes just to feel more relaxed and free. 

More about the Villa:

The Villa was $580 a night 

The Villa was small and intimate 

The staff was great and very attentive 

The common area had the best pool view 

Room Service is free of charge 

iPads and WhatsApp were what staff and guest used to communicate

Massages take place inside of guests room

Overall everyone was very friendly and we took advantage of all the amenities. 

I highly recommend bug spray and sunscreen! The heat is crucial out there. We went in the dry season the ending of January.

Some Products I used out there:

Winter Skin Care

Cozy, Warm + Moisturized

First blog post of the year! It’s cold outside and we need to stay warm but not just warm but moisturized to the fullest. During the wintertime the cold can tend to dry out our skin.

Here are some of my faves that keep me moisturized all throughout the coldest days:

Laneige - (A Lip Sleeping Mask)

I don’t know about ya’ll but my lips are the first thing to get dry when it gets cold outside. I usually have on any type of lip balm throughout the day but overnight I do love the extra TLC for the lips. This is probably my first lip mask that I’ve tried and I would definitely rate it a generous 8/10. As soon as I wake up in the morning I can still feel the moisture on my lips from the night before which compliments the whole morning look. You know the look you first have when you wake and everyone can tell that you just woke up! That look! There are different flavors not a wide selection and I got mine in the berry flavor. So the real question is.. Is it worth the hype? And so far I believe so, It’s part of my night routine at the moment.

Fenty Beauty Butta Drop - (Shimmering Whipped Oil Body Cream)

Let’s talk about it! I got my hands on this particular body butter as soon as it dropped. The smell is like a Cinnamon pastry fresh out the oven and who wouldn’t want to smell like that for the holidays! I quickly got my hands on this body butter due to the orignal body butter (butta drop) smelling so good. This body is very moisturizing (thick/rich) as a body butter should be and the smell lasts a long time as well with amazing tropical oils. The only thing I could of done without is the shimmer that’s in the body butter itself. For the summer, yes, I’ll do shimmer, but not necessarily do I want to put on shimmer on in the winter. If you did get your hands on it, I know you loved it. This was a limited edition body butter, so basically first come first served. I would give this body a solid 9/10 I honestly love it.

Spain To Italy

Europe owes me absolutely nothing. I was in awe just by the aesthetic, Spain had a vintage but homey like aura to it and Italy had an historic yet luxurious feel.

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

 Where do I start… Europe has always been on my bucket list for some time now. So as you can imagine Spain was very much an highly anticipated trip minus the fact that the plane ride was an 8 hours. I did a straight flight and you can feel the pain when I say any flight longer than 5 hours should be in first class and only first class. Don’t get me wrong my comfort level was not  bad at all only when came down to to trying to sleep and I wanted to stretch out but could not. When I landed the jet lag kicked in right away but I was elated. I did take a nap at the Airbnb after eating and site seeing for a bit. The food out in Spain compare to the states is a lot more fresh and well prepared in my opinion. Certain fast food restaurants had more menu options and healthier types of food. I also felt like the lifestyle out there was more active because everyone seemed to be more on bikes and scooters starting their day pretty early.

Tips for Spain:

• Spring is a good time to travel to Spain

• Prepare to adapt to the time difference

• Try to experience at least one festival

• Food is better up north

• Use the local bus to save money

• Bring a plug adapter (the outlets are not the same as America)

The Airbnb:

I stayed in a downtown like area of Barcelona. Everything was pretty much close by like restaurants and small shops. When I tell you it was a dream, no exaggeration. The “flat” was very open with floor to ceiling windows which made Mornings so much more special. The master bedroom and bathroom was def my type of vibe. High end but comfy would be best describe the feeling just staying there.  

The Airbnb

Self care in Spain:

The weather in Spain around April is mid 60’s with a Mediterranean breeze which made the air out there a lot more soothing. 

I made my night skin routine a little longer with soap & glory face masks depending on how much makeup I wore throughout the day. I also used my Dior under eye patches due to being jet lagged.

Soap & Glory Face mask

Dior Under eye patches

24 hours in Rome, Italy:

I took an hour plane ride from Barcelona to Rome and I did not regret it. Let’s talk about pizza in Italy and how authentic the vibe was out there. After visiting  historic + touristy places like the coliseum, The Pantheon, etc. I went to get pizza because why would I go to Italy and not eat pizza?! I gave the pizza in Rome a 9/10 it was fresh and I could taste everything down to the basil. Italy seemed more fast paced to me than Spain and little bit more strict on covid regulations. I noticed in Rome they charged 1 euro to use the restroom which is kind of genius because that helps with keeping public restrooms clean but can also be annoying if you don’t have cash on you. From the original cobble stone roads to the pizza, Italy was perfection.

Tips for Italy:

• Do not buy any chargers or electronics from people on the street (might not be legit)

• Be aware of your surroundings

• Bring cash

• Book everything in advance

Have you heard of Shower Steamers?

How it works:

Shower steamers are activated by the steam of the shower. You don’t emerge shower steamer in water, you put it in an area in the shower where steam can activate it. You don’t need a tub just a shower to enjoy it.

Shower steamers come in different therapeutic scents to enhance your shower experience. Speaking from experience it’s a must have for me on those days when you want to indulge in an intense or just extra self care to unwind from the day. The scents are strong enough to enjoy but allows anyone to release that built up tension you may have. 

Recommendation:

I would recommend shower steamers to someone looking to enjoy their shower just a bit more.

It’s also great for a gift.

The brand I used is Cleverfy (you can find them on Instagram as well)

Don’t say I didn’t put you on! 

Finding Your Niche:

What Is A niche?

Niche- a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.

You can have multiple niches but it is best to finalize on one that can be beneficial to you and your goals.

It’s taking me forever but I’m slowly finding my niche. Something that should be very obvious isn’t for me. But apparently I’m not alone, a lot of people seem to be struggling with the same thing as me. I feel like I’m a jack of all trades, so I dabble in a bit of everything but In reality that’s not exactly profitable. I’ve been doing my research and I decided to write everything down. I wrote down my top interests and narrowed it down to one surprisingly. 

This video linked below helped me narrow down to one niche
https://youtu.be/ZhRdzomsWuw

If you’re struggling with the same thing, my advice would be is to ask yourself “can I be consistent with this niche?” Once you’ve answered that question it’s basically building off that. I know I like creating content so I went more towards that direction. Hope this helps!

Travel Like A Pro

As a frequent flyer here are some things I’ve learned along the way:

• For a less crowded travel day, try to book on a random weekday. An early in the morning or late flight would be ideal.

• For a domestic flight try to be 2 hours early to the airport.

• For a international flight try to be 3 hours early to the airport. You definitely want to give yourself enough time to get yourself situated.

• you’ll need your passport or state id when you go through security. Always have that available and at easy access to you.

• A passport holder is great thing to have.

• To save money try just bringing a bag pack and carry-on luggage. Your carry on must weigh less than 35 pounds. And any liquids must be 3 ounces or less (lotion, body wash and etc.)

• Go directly to your gate after getting through security even if you’re early. The gate may be further than you think. (Your girl has got lost just trying to find the gate.)

• Airport food is expensive, so I do recommend eating something prior to your trip to the airport.

• I would also recommend using the restroom before actually boarding the plane.

• Wear comfortable clothes.

Crucial Tips For Plane Rides:

• Don’t drink the water- airline tap water is bacteria prone. Most airlines don’t serve tap water but the ice cubes are from the tap water. You might also want to stay away from tea and coffee.

• Don’t wear contact lenses- the air on the plane can be very dry and may dry out your lens as well.

• Don’t eat the wrong type of foods- you may feel uncomfortable and the bathroom on the airplane isn’t the biggest or most sanitary.

• Don’t turn off the air vents over the seat- the cold air from the vents can blow away airborne gems.

• Don’t sleep during takeoff or landing- the air pressure around you changes faster than the air inside your ears. To keep down the pressure try yawning or chewing on something.

Birthday Dinner

I decided to have my birthday dinner at Robert Restaurant. Its located at 2 Columbus circle in New York, New York.

The Pros

A lot of different restaurants were at the top of my list but this restaurant stuck out the most to me because of the decor and beautiful view of the city. The decor colors are super vibrant and the aura itself was my type of vibe. This restaturant exerted five star dinning and great wine! Definitely enjoyed my experience at Robert.

Honest Review:

• Location 10/10

• Decor 10/10

• Service 8/10

• Food 7/10

• Drinks 10/10

• Atmosphere 10/10

Robert Restaurant

I would recommend the Emma Rose Cocktail and for Appetizers the Yucca Fries.

Emma Rose Cocktail

The Cons

This restaurant is pricey and there is not a lot of food options on the menu. In my opinion this is more of an occasion type of restaurant and there is an elevator for wheelchair access. Other than that I don’t have any complaints about my meal or experience at Robert.