Weight Loss Secrets: Not all VAMPIRES vanish with Halloween.

I love me some Renee Ross.**

Ahhh people.

It seems we all be TIRED TIRED this time of year.

We’re coming off the Thanksgiving-high. Gearing up for more holidays-to-come. And the lament I most frequently hear is how *exhausted* we all feel.

A National Sleep Foundation survey found over 63% percent of Americans aren’t getting the slumber they need and are leading groggy, tired lives.

While I can’t help you find that elusive extra hour of slumber, I do have a few ideas how we can fight the energy-vampires around us and win.

I need to pack.

I want to PLAY.

There are weights which need hoisting.

I have trashy television to watch.

I can’t afford to be drained of energy.

As a result, Im committing to the five healthy habits below in an effort to beat back the vampires and AMP UP MY ENERGY thru 2013.

Join me?

Make your coven eat breakfast! We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies reveal many of us still don’t put this theory into practice. Research also indicates breakfast does more than spark our metabolism—it’s *also* linked with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Stress is definitely an energy vampire (and heart attack trigger)! Make it fast. Make it simple. Make breakfast part of your morning routine & set your day up for energy-success.Hydrate (insert awkward NOT with blood joke, here) It’s easy to forget about hydration when the weather grows cool, however, the majority of our blood is made up of water and becoming dehydrated causes blood to thicken. The result is the heart works harder to pump blood through the body we feel fatigued. There’s continuous debate as to HOW MUCH water we need daily. I tend to go with the fact *most of us* need more than we’re getting. Misfit tip: If you dont rock the water try adding in water-containing foods too such as yogurt, watermelon, oranges, cucumbers and broccoli.Cut back on (afternoon) caffeine While it may cause you to weep openly feel counter-intuitive to *skip* the afternoon pick-me-up theres science behind my suggestion. An afternoon latte provides energy for a few hours. The vampire, however, arrives at night. Caffeine remains in the body for three to five hours after ingesting and, if you’re sensitive, for up to twelve. Even if you don’t experience difficulty falling asleep the quality of your rest can be Vampired impacted by late day caffeine. MizFit tip: Almost all decaffeinated coffee contains a measure of caffeine. Perhaps make this the holiday season you swap even decaf. for a hydrating glass of sparking water with lime?BREATHE!!! Ive noticed lately —as I pack and as I work at my desk—I take tiny, shallow baby breaths. My lungs dont fully inflate (which causes me to yawn & only feel worse) so my poor overworked cranium never gets the oxygen it needs to feel awake and alive. In an effort to keep away the energy snatchers with The Dark Gift Ive begun setting reminders to BREATHE. Once an hour I pause & take ten slow, deep, FULL breaths. My breathing breaks are fast—but the impact on my energy level is lingering. Try it. I was a skeptic, too.Drive a STAKE through sugar (just in case youre NOT YET on my low processed no sugar bandwagon) Sugar, and I speak from experience, is one of the biggest energy vampires in town. If you’re not ready to surrender the sweets perhaps include fiber with your sugary snacks. It sounds odd but fiber slows the rate of sugar’s entry into the bloodstream. Something as simple as whole grain crackers with your chocolate can mitigate the energy dip & is like SILVER to energy-vampires. Really feeling like a misfit? ROLL THAT FUN SIZED SNICKERS IN SOME CHIA. It’s far tastier than it sounds…

What do you say?

Are you in to EAT (breakfast) DRINK (lottsa H20) BREATHE and be LOW-SUGAR merry with me?

Have you already succeeded in beating away the blood energy suckers & forcing em into the Veil of the Shadows?

Am I the last person on earth who has neither read nor watched a vampire-ANYTHING in her life?