Well with Arielle Lorre - 450: The Glow Up Formula: Body Composition, Blood Sugar & Better Skin by Summer with Ariana Medizade

Episode Date: April 8, 2026

Ariana Medizade is a wellness expert focused on metabolic health, body composition, and sustainable strategies for looking and feeling your best. She joins the show to break down the actual order of operations for a summer glow-up—what matters, what doesn’t, and where to start if you want real results.This episode cuts through the noise. Instead of stacking a million habits, Ariana explains how to prioritize the fundamentals—sleep, nutrition, muscle, and blood sugar—so everything else (energy, skin, cravings, even “cortisol face”) falls into place. We get into the biggest mistakes women make when trying to lean out, what’s driving modern fatigue and weight gain, and the supplements and habits that are actually worth it.If you want to feel tighter, more energized, and genuinely glowy by summer—without overcomplicating it—this is your blueprint.We cover:        •    The order of operations for a real glow-up        •    The #1 sleep mistake keeping you exhausted (and how to fix it)        •    How modern life is disrupting hormones, metabolism, and energy        •    Body composition vs. weight loss (and why muscle changes everything)        •    How to get lean, toned, and defined—without overtraining        •    Why building muscle stabilizes blood sugar (and reduces cravings)        •    Creatine for women: benefits for body, brain, and longevity        •    Supplements for carb cravings + blood sugar regulation        •    How to naturally support GLP-1 and appetite control        •    Cortisol myths vs. reality (and what “cortisol face” actually is)        •    How to reduce water retention and look less inflamed        •    Best electrolytes, collagen, and what’s actually worth buying        •    Peptides, black seed oil, and trending wellness tools        •    The biggest wellness scams to avoidYou can find Ariana on Instagram at @wellness.pharm and on TikTok at @thewellnesspharm.This episode is brought to you by:Head to armra.com/WELL or enter WELL to get 30% off your first subscription order.Go to CLEARSTEM.com/WELL and use code WELL at checkout to get 15% off your first order.Get $25 off your first purchase when you go to TheRealReal.com/well.Go to fatty15.com/WELL and use code WELL at checkout for an additional 15% off their Starter Kit.Go to ro.co/blonde to see if you’re eligible for the new GLP-1 pill on ro.Visit livemomentous.com and use promo code well for up to 35% off your first order.Get 30% off and free shipping at drinkspark.com with code WELL.This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following podcast is a dear media production. This is Well, a podcast about wellness in all its forms. I'm Ariel Laurie, and each week I'm sharing unfiltered conversations with people shaping how we feel, live, and look. Come for the substance, stay for the honesty, and leave with the tools to be well, inside and out. I've been talking a lot about glowing up for summer and the things that I am doing this spring to kind of lock in.

And I don't mean crash diets and crazy unsustainable fitness routines. I just feel like spring is kind of a time for rebirth. And it's when I usually tend to lean into all of the habits that I know are going to make me look and feel my best. And of course, we all want to look and feel our best for summer, which is why I wanted to have today's guest on. She was one of your favorites from last year. I'm talking to Ariana Medazade. She is also known as Wellness Farm on Instagram and TikTok. And she joins me today for a conversation that it's kind of like your full reset before summer, the kind of reset that actually works.

So if you have been overwhelmed by where to start with a glow up, she is going to break it down into a clear, realistic order of operations so that you're not wasting your time or your money on things that don't move the needle. We get into everything from skin and treatments to fitness, nutrition. We talk about peptides, those small daily habits that quietly make the biggest difference. And why I wanted to have her on is because she has a background in pharmacy and neuroscience, but she knows the functional and holistic world so, so well. And she has the absolute best hacks.

She shares them on her social media as well for everything from helping your body composition, elevating your mood, improving your sleep, lowering your anxiety, helping to get your hormones functioning in a better way. So this episode is really about simplifying that process and focusing on what actually is going to give you that confident, effortless glow and have you looking and feeling your best without overcomplicating it. So please enjoy Ariana Medazade. Hi. Hi. Nice to see you. You too. Really excited to have you back. I think it's been almost exactly a year. I know. I think we did early 2025. Time flies. Time flies. You're now a New York girl. I love it. I'm a City girl. Yeah. I love that for you. Different energy. I feel like you need that at different times in your life too. So I do want to ask you, I guess we'll get to this later on, like how you deal with managing the cortisol. It's so different. The different pace of life. Yeah. Yeah. But we can start with a

lightning round. I love setting the tone with a good guess or that. Oh, one more question. I keep forgetting I'm doing this this year. What is making you well right now? Time alone. Time alone. Time. alone from social media, from friends, from going out. I think having alone time just like really allows me to reset and I can really just like lower my cortisol, meditate, take my Ashwaganda, drink my teas, and that makes me recharge so I can like show up better. Do you feel like we're starting to get disillusioned with social media? 1,000 percent. I'm like I don't ever want to be on it, ever. I don't, so we both create content. I don't consume a lot of content though. If I have creator friends, I always comment on their things just to support them. But I can't just keep scrolling

on social media because it almost makes me like, it gives me like a dopamine flat. Like I just become so immune to like what I'm seeing and I don't have any reactions. It stresses me out. So I try to put my phone away. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I tend not to scroll either. But sometimes like if I have zero inspiration, we were talking about how we optimize our cycles for creating. Sometimes I have to like get inspiration for certain types of videos, things like that. But I tend not to scroll either, but I'm just like, I don't ever want to be on it lately. I think that's why, like, everyone is obsessed with love story right now, the Carolyn Beset and John F. Kennedy show. I think it's because it was a time before, like, for phone. Yes. It seems so, like, quaint,

you know, even though, like, at the time, it didn't feel that way. But anyway, we digress. Okay. So, this or that. Morning supplement stack or nighttime. supplement stack. Morning supplement stack. Okay. And we'll circle back on some of these. Collagen in your coffee or macha or protein shake. Oh, I love collagen and my matcha,

but I know that protein does like a little bit more for me. Okay. I want to circle back on that one, bookmarking that. Magnesium for sleep or melatonin for sleep? Magnesium for sleep. 100%. What form? Magnesium glycinate. Or magnesium L3.

It just depends on what you're really struggling with, which we can circle back on. Yeah, I have a whole section for that. Burberine or metformin? For me, berberine, for people who really need blood sugar control, metformin. Metformin or GLPs? GLPs. Adaptogens or caffeine. Oh, my gosh.

Caffeine. Really? Yes, I love caffeine. But you changed my life, by the way. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. Don't you feel so much better? Yeah, I didn't do it this morning.

So what I'm referring to is the eating and drinking before caffeine thing. Game changer. I couldn't believe, like, there was a little bit of friction in the beginning, you know, the first week or so, I would say, where like I wanted to reach for caffeine first thing. And there's, of course, mornings that I do. Like, this is no hard rule. It hits the blood. Oh, my God. It's so good when it hits the blood.

of blood. But I can tell, usually it's like in the two to three hours after. That's where I noticed the big difference. And when I stopped having caffeine first thing, I realized that like, I actually didn't need caffeine first thing. And when I eat something and drink my water before, I get to a point where I actually don't even need it that much. I just want it. And then it hits like totally different. Whereas when I reach for the macho first thing like today, it's like I get the spike in energy. But then I'm just a little like. little jittery and uneasy. Yeah. Okay.

Sun exposure in the morning or blackout curtains at night? Sun exposure in the morning. Cycle sinking your workouts or same routine all week? I mean all month. Cycle sinking your workouts. Really great. Food first, supplement second. Supplements first, food second.

It depends on the supplement because some supplements work so well when you take it on an empty stomach like a B complex before food works really well. But then, you know, if you're taking something like omega-3 for that beautiful, glowy skin and to lock in moisture, you want to have it with food. Gut health first or hormone health first? Gut health first because then you will have the hormone health. It's like a downstream. Exactly. I got to ask you what's on your skin or what is your skin routine.

Everyone's going to want to know. Oh, yes. Okay. So I'm using the Shawnee Darden. What's, oh, Azeleic acid. The rescue. Yes. Yeah.

So, good. And then I use Claren's double serum. So good. So good. I use Claren's under eye cream. Literally tightens my under eyes. I love it so much. And for moisturizer, I'm using La Roche Pose. And then I do an SBF. And then I actually stopped using foundation and baby creams. Now I just use concealer all over my face. But I only do like little dabs because I feel like my skin looks worse when I put more product on it. So I just put like little dabs with concealer. I blend it. And I blend it. But I only do like little dabs with concealer. I blend it. And I'm. I just put like little dabs with concealer. I it, a little bit of concealer under my eyes. And I remember a long time ago, I saw Haley Bieber doing her makeup and she was putting like a tiny bit of concealer. And I was like, oh my God, like, she has perfect skin. She's so beautiful. Only she can do that. But no, ladies, like, we should do that. We should all do that because less is more for sure. Do you know Kellyanne Sewell? She's a makeup artist. She's here in New York. I love her content. And she has such a great way

of teaching makeup. She has an app as well. Oh. But her video. videos are so good and she was on yesterday and she was saying the same thing. She was like, biggest mistake women make is one, using too much product and two, like having too heavy of a hand like with the brushes and the sponges and everything. And she was like less is always more. And you always look better. Your skin looks healthier and you look more like yourself because everyone has their own natural beauty. Yeah. I think we're moving away from like the Instagram face, heavy contouring, heavy makeup. I think that's another reason why, again, that show is such like a phenomenon right now.

I don't know if it's just like my feed and like my friends who are watching it. But I know like so many people are obsessed with it. And like you go to the West Village and everyone's like dressed like them now. But there was so much more individuality back then. You know, still beauty standards. People were still tweaking things, doing things. It's not like, you know, we're not talking 100 years ago. We're talking in the 90s.

But everyone was unique. Yeah. Yeah. And people like, there's just more individualism. Like people look like themselves and they seem to embrace that. So, okay, we're a few months out from summer. Yes. Everyone is like in crunch mode, right? They're like trying to get the summer body, trying to get the summer glow. There's so many things that go into looking your best and feeling your best, right? So I thought that today it would be fun to do a getting ready for summer glow up episode. So I guess I'll start by asking like, where does one start? Like what is the order of operations? If somebody is like generally healthy,

but you know, maybe has areas that they want to tweak, maybe it's hormones, maybe it's gut health, maybe it's sleep, maybe it's mood, body composition, whatever. Like they're starting at like an okay place, but they want to like be their best version of themselves in three months where to even begin. The biggest mistake I see is that people who want to glow up, they work on the external and then they completely neglect the internal or they put that secondary, whereas it should actually be reversed. You should work on the internal and that's going to show on your external. And I mean, you probably know this too. You can get all the lasers, you can get Botox, you can do all the skin peels. And that will take you a little bit, you know, but to really get the whole way to a glow up,

you need to focus on the internal because whatever you do externally will last longer, will have better payoff. So I think, first of all, is fixing your sleep. And I know that probably sounds a little boring. But when you sleep, you regulate your cortisol. In turn, you regulate your blood sugar. You won't crave any like carb heavy or sugary foods. And so that's also going to affect your hormone and your gut health. So sleep is like the foundation of everything. And then we get into your kitchen. And as a pharmacist, I always say, like, you know, people, people think it's funny when I say this, but it's like, you need to look at your kitchen as a pharmacy. Instead of looking at medications as the pharmacy, look at your kitchen as the pharmacy. So, eating foods that are high in omega-3s,

like sardines, which is why the sardine trend is so popular right now. Eating foods like seaweed, which will support your thyroid, fermented foods like kimchi, that actually helps simulate GLP 1 in your intestinal cells, so you eat less. So really using food as medicine and focusing on sleep, I think, is like the foundation of any type of glow up. I love that. If somebody is having trouble with sleep, what are the things that we can do to optimize? Like, is there a certain temperature? Is there a certain time?

Like, what are all of the things like the sleep hack? I don't know. Totally. So for women especially, if we sleep any time past 1030 p.m., mostly 11 p.m. by say 1030 be conservative, it really affects our hormones. We don't make enough progesterone. It increases our cortisol and it's harder to actually fall asleep. So our bodies actually replace our hormones and upkeeps our hormones while we're sleeping, especially for women. And that happens around 11 p.m. typically. And so you want to make sure you're getting in bed at a

consistent time every night, preferably before 11 p.m. You also want to make sure that you have stable blood sugar. So I actually made a video about this recently, but the reason why so many people do wake up in the middle of the night and they can't get back to sleep is because they have a blood sugar dip while they're sleeping. And they wake up, they're sweating. They're like, oh my gosh, I can't go back to sleep. It's because of their blood sugar. So a hack that I like to tell people to do is to have a spoon of peanut butter right before bed or any nut butter, anything with healthy fats, even avocado or cottage cheese. And that's going to stabilize your blood sugar. so you sleep all through the night.

And then there's also supplements. So some people are deficient in melatonin, right? It's not like melatonin's bad for you. It's just that some people abuse it. And so you want to make sure you're using around 0.5 to 1 milligram of melatonin. More is not better here. You get a plateau effect. And then also magnesium.

Magnesium glycinate, a lot of people are very deficient in magnesium. And so that's going to help relax your body and drift off into sleep. Okay. There's a lot that I want to unpack there. Let's see. Where to begin? Well, the melatonin thing I think is interesting because I think with anything, there's a misconception that more is more. More is better, right? Yeah, always with everything. And I'm like such this person probably because I'm a former addict, but I'm like, oh, one is good, two is better. And especially if somebody is dealing with insomnia or waking up throughout the night or not being able to fall asleep or whatever kind of sleep issue they're having. I think the tendency is to always like up the dosage of whatever it is that they're doing. I know like I did that with melatonin. I haven't taken melatonin in years.

But I would get a little bit of a hangover. Me too. Morning. Morning sun can help with melatonin production. Is that correct? Yes. It regulates your circadian rhythm. So when you are regularly exposing yourself to sunlight, you just go outside.

Even if it's for five minutes, it not only makes your brain want to release more serotonin so you feel better, but it also regulates your circadian rhythm. So you're going to feel more awake and then it's more likely that at nighttime, you're going to fall asleep at a more consistent time. It's one of those things that I feel like is so saturated in the wellness space. It's like the morning sunlight and the eyes thing, you know, and like all the biohacking bros and everything. Yeah. And I think that sometimes these really simple, impactful things get skipped over because people just assume that that it's some trend, right? But I mean, it's like how we're designed. It's like biology. It's human design. And it's really funny because when I went to Costa Rica last year, oh my gosh,

I got the best sleep of my life. I wasn't taking any supplements. I wasn't doing anything crazy. I was just off my phone. Yeah. I looked at sun first thing in the morning. I was naturally waking up at 6.30 a.m. And at nighttime, I couldn't really go on my phone or my laptop because all the bugs would attack me because they would see all the light, you know, because the Airbnbs I stayed in, they were very, like, indoor, outdoor style. And so I would just, like, lay there and go to sleep. And I've never felt so well rested in my life. This is human design, you know? I think, like, so many of our issues that we're facing today are just a result of our environments and our lifestyles now. And I think we may have talked about this last time, like, how much is lifestyle, how much is true deficiency?

But I think that people would be surprised at how their body like achieves homeostasis by just going back to how we were supposed to live. Like all of these things that you're saying, you know, like getting that light in the morning, waking up when the sun rises, going to bed, you know, eating like maybe before it gets dark or right when it gets dark, hours before you go to sleep, not being on screens, like all of these things. And obviously it's not realistic in our modern world. But I think that people are kind of getting overwhelmed and like kind of at the end of their rope with all the technology all of the time and all of the things. You know, and I think that there is kind of hopefully like this move towards embracing these more. Just like natural things. And that's why I stopped wearing. I used to wear something that would track like everything, like my sleep, my steps, my HR,

be everything. And I think it's like really nice data to have. But I got to a point where I was like so fatigued from all the data I was getting. And I would wake up feeling fine. But then my app would tell me, oh, Ariana, you actually slept really bad. You should take it easy today. And I wouldn't work as hard. I wouldn't do certain things at the gym I would normally do. And I just think that taking all of that off, like resetting. I do track my cycle, but just resetting and really being in tune with my body. And again, having time alone and just doing things that make me feel good, that's when I feel my best. Yeah, I had to go through the same process with my wearables. Yeah.

I think they're an amazing tool. And I've shared about this before. Like, the aura ring specifically was so amazing for me as somebody with an irregular period who usually has no idea when it's coming. I was like shocked. I remember I think it was in beta like when I first started using it. Wow. And it was like your period is coming tomorrow. And I was like, no, it's not.

Just this thing talking about, you know, and then sure enough. And it's like based on body temperature and all these other metrics. So I think that's really useful. And they are useful for so many reasons. But I had that same experience where I was like, it would dictate my day, you know. Whereas even if I slept like shit and it was like, you're going to take on the day today. And like, run two miles. It would be amazing.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I would be like, okay, do you feel good, you know? Yeah. So, yeah, I think that that's like a true. tricky space for some people because I think the data is really useful and then I think it also like can get into your head. Totally. I am currently in spring lock in. I have my habits and

routines down and I've been really focused on having more consistent energy throughout the day, especially around my workouts. When it comes to my workouts, I am not just getting through them. I actually want to feel strong, focused and present while I'm doing them. And that is where Spark comes in. So spark energy and focus has become something I will reach for before a workout when I want that extra push. But without the jittery, overstimulated feeling you can get from a lot of traditional energy drinks. It has 120 milligrams of caffeine. So enough to feel alert and locked in. But it's balanced with amino acids and ingredients like taurine and chlorine, which help support mental clarity and focus.

So it's not just physical energy. It's really that dialed in clear-headed feeling. It also has zero sugar, which I love because you're not getting that spike and crash. It's much more steady, sustained energy, which makes a big difference whether I am doing Pilates, I'm doing my lifting, going for a long walk, or doing something more low impact, but still intentional. And beyond that, it has B vitamins and L carnitine to support energy metabolism plus vitamins C, A, and E for overall wellness. So it's so much more than just an energy drink.

Spark has been around for over 30 years, and it's one of those products that just fits really seamlessly into a routine. So Spark Energy and Focus is offering 30% off and free shipping when you go to DrinkSpark.com and use the code well at checkout. That's code well at drinkspark.com. Since we are talking about glowing up for summer, I want to talk not just about looking good for a second, but actually feeling better in your body, having real energy, better digestion, clear skin. This is one of those foundational things that I think often gets overlooked because the reality is we are living in a pretty intense environment. We have constant stress, processed foods, microplastics, all of it. And over time, that can really start to impact your gut, your immune

system, your energy, basically everything and everything that we're covering in this episode. So this is where Armoura colostrum comes in. It works more at the cellular level to support your gut lining, strengthen your immune system, and help your body actually absorb nutrients properly. It is packed with over 400 bioactive nutrients. So it's not just another supplement. It's more like giving your body the building blocks that it needs to function better overall. And for me, especially going into summer, I'm thinking about things like feeling lighter, less bloated, having better recovery, better skin, like that from the inside. From the inside, out glow that you actually can't really fake. So if you're trying to streamline your routine, but still get real results, this is one of those easy add-ons that supports a lot of different things at once. And I have worked out a special offer just for you guys. You can go to armor.com slash well or use the code well to get 30% off your first subscription order. That's a rmr.com slash well. If you're like me and you're in your 30s or 40s and still dealing with acne, you know how frustrating it is because most acne products dry you out and make you look older and most anti-aging

products break you out. I have personally dealt with adult acne in the past. So finding something that actually balances both is not easy. And that is why I love clear stem. What I love is that it's really designed to support your skin from both angles. So you're not choosing between clear skin and healthy glowing skin. Two products that I absolutely love are their bounce back serum and the skin spray. The bounce back serum is just one of those products that makes your skin look healthier almost immediately. It's super hydrating. It helps with fine lines. It doesn't clog your pores, which is huge. And their skin spray is amazing throughout the day, especially if your skin gets reactive or dry. It just resets everything and gives you that fresh, calm, dewy look. It's also

great for travel. And overall, what stands out to me with clear stands. is that everything is formulated without poor clogging ingredients, so you're actually supporting your skin long term instead of constantly triggering new breakouts. So discover the clear stem difference because clear skin changes everything. Go to clearstem.com slash well and use the code well at checkout for 15% off your first order. That's C-L-E-A-R-S-T-E-M dot com slash well code well for 15% off. That's clearstem.com slash well. And use the code well at checkout for 15% off your first order. Okay, so did we talk about temperature of the room?

Is that something? Yeah, so cooler temperatures are better. So around like 65 degrees is the best because it releases more melatonin and the brain. And so you're able to actually drift into sleep and stay asleep. I don't, I sleep with a heating pad every night just because it makes me feel so just comfortable and warm. So it's not like you have to do this, but, you know, scientifically speaking, sleeping in warmer rooms does cause issues with sleep. And then what about like a shower or a bath before bed? I've seen some people do that because it helps your body thermoregulate.

Yeah. And it also helps your parasympathetic nervous system. It tells your body that you're safe. It's time to unwind. So your mind is not racing about work or about what you need to be doing. You're able to just relax. So I think it is great for regulating your internal. body temperature, but also your parasympathetic nervous system, which right now I think in wellness,

nervous system regulations only getting bigger and more people are realizing that without a healthy nervous system, it's really hard to do basically anything else. Yeah, and I think, you know, the sleep and the nighttime stuff is so important. I always say it's like the foundation of my wellness because, I mean, this week I've been traveling. My schedule has been crazy. My sleep has been horrible. Admittedly, I've been like not doing all of the things, you know. I'm like watching. watching Hulu till like 1130 at night, which like I never do. Usually I read a book and I drift off to sleep and like I'm really good about those practices. But I'm just out of my routine right now. And like my appetite is all over the place. My energy is all over the place. My mood is all over

that place. So I think that like to your point of what you said earlier, like a lot of people look at whatever the main issue is that they're experiencing and they don't look at what could be upstream from that, you know? Totally. So if somebody is sleeping like shit all the time, that's going to affect everything, right? It's going to affect their appetite. If somebody is like wanting to get in shape and have the best body composition for summer and they're getting five hours of sleep and that's not enough for them, you know, and they're stressed, like, there's only so much that you can do, right? The truth is you could be eating the healthiest foods in the world and you could have all the wellness gadgets and all the wellness things. But if you're not

sleeping, a lot of it's not going to have that pay off that you think it will. Let's talk about the body composition, training, eating part of it, because I'm sure that everyone's like, okay, tell us what to do. Yeah, time to lock in. What actually moves the needle from like a functional health perspective? Like, how much of it is training? Obviously, you're not a trainer, but like, we know that, you know, training is a piece of it, but nutrition is so important. And then like we're saying, like stress and hormones and gut issues and all these things can completely wreak havoc on any kind of progress that somebody can make. Definitely. So you're right when you say that strength training is very important. And I only start off with that because when you have more muscle,

your blood sugar becomes more staple. Your muscle is like a sponge for sugar. So it takes all the sugar out of your blood and it stores it there. And that's really great because then your body won't have to release so much insulin all the time to regulate your blood sugar. And when we release a ton of insulin at once very often, it will actually increase fat storage in the body. So building muscles a really great way to get fit for summer. And it's not like I'm saying that we need to become bodybuilders or anything, but really focusing on strength training, you know, including it at least three times a week is going to be so great to make you look sexy and lean and toned. And another thing that we can do to actually support this is see like what we're putting in our bodies,

right? Protein is going to help us feel satiated. It's going to support our muscle health. Fiber is going to help us be more regular and regulate our blood sugar. And also creatine. So creatine is a very interesting supplement these days because, especially among women, women say, well, I don't want to take creatine because it bloats me and I'm going to get like really big and bulky. And everyone's body responds to create.

I will say that. But don't be scared of creatine, you know, drink your creatine because it's going to help give you energy. It's going to move water into your muscle cells. It's going to allow you to achieve that goal that you have in the gym much faster than if you weren't taking creatine. Yeah, I've been liking it as well. I love it. And it has other benefits, right? Like it could potentially be like neuroprotective. Yeah. So it has a lot of application. It helps. your brain, it gives you energy, it helps with bone health, which is very important for women, especially as we age and we go through menopause. And it just provides your body with a really great energy source. And it's true energy, too. It's not fake energy like you would get from an

energy drink. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's the key. No crash. No crash. Let's talk a little bit about berberine. I can't remember if we talked about it last time, but I think there's been a lot of confusion. Definitely on social media where people are like, burbering is like, nature's glp and it's like completely different things right yes okay berberine is nature's metformin it's not nature's glp one if it was nature's glp one then we wouldn't all be using jlp ones right berberine is really great at helping your body respond to insulin better so it improves your insulin sensitivity and this is really great for anyone who tends to have a lot of blood sugar fluctuations, especially throughout the day. Because again, the more blood sugar fluctuations we have,

the more insulin we have to release, and that's going to increase fat storage. So if we can regulate our blood sugar, it's going to help us with decreasing the amount of fat storage we have, but also it's going to help with our appetite control. We're not going to reach for carb-heavy, sugary snacks and foods all the time. Would you say that it's the most effective supplement when it comes to that or are there other things that people aren't necessarily aware of? I think that berberine is really great. I love chromium too. Chromium is another great supplement that you can use to help regulate your blood sugar. And I think that chromium is specifically useful for anyone who tends to have a lot of carb-heavy cravings. It's like you're always cravings. You always want something

sugary and you just can't get that, I guess, like that thought. out of your head, basically, like you always want it with a meal. Then chromium is going to be really helpful for that. How long does somebody need to take these to notice a difference? Is it like immediate or? Chromium, I would say at least three to four weeks. Chromium works pretty quickly. With berberine, it's a little bit slower. I would say about maybe like a month and a half, two months of regularly using it. And then you want to make sure you cycle it. So berberine, it does affect your gut bacteria, not in a bad way, but it does have some antimicroids. properties. And so because of that, if you want to take something long term and you just don't

want to discontinue it, chromium is better. But if you're able to cycle the supplement, which means you discontinue it for some time, berberine could be a good option for you. So you take it for about, you know, two months or so, and then you give yourself a one month break. Take it for two months, give yourself a one month break. Got it. And then is there something comparable to GLPs in nature? Actually, so this is like, this is like, such a boring response, but it's very interesting because GLP, it's not just like this random thing that we made in a lab and we're telling people to inject themselves with. GLP is naturally found in our intestinal cells, and it's naturally released in our bodies.

So are there certain foods that we can eat to release that and increase the release of that to curb our appetite and lower the food noise? Absolutely. Acetic acid, which is like found in apple cider vinegar, there's science behind that. pickle juice even, right? I made a video, I want to say like a year ago about pickle juice and how it helps curb your appetite. And it was so mind-blowing, but it's because it stimulates the GLP1 cells. And then also protein and fiber. Protein and fiber is going to help with that a lot and fermented foods like kimchi. That makes sense because I feel like apple cider vinegar really had a moment

prior to, yeah, prior to like the GLP's, you know, becoming so widely used and popular. And and talked about. But I remember a few years ago, like, it was so many people were doing it to lower blood sugar and blood sugar spikes before they ate. And I remember my boyfriend was talking about one of his friends and he's like, he lost so much weight. He looks so good. He didn't change anything. All he does is take apple cider vinegar before all of his meals. And I was like, really? I'm like, are you sure? He wasn't like, I mean, who knows? He could have been working out harder and eating differently than he was. But it was something that he incorporated. and then things started to seem to fall into place.

There's so much that goes into it, but at the end of the day, I think the most important things, if you really want to focus on improving how you look, especially for summer, is to number one, increase your protein intake because that's going to support your muscles and muscle health and also make you feel satiated. Number two, strength training and walking. It's going to take you so far. And then number three, really like including those fun. little things like apple cider vinegar or fermented foods, just little things from your kitchen

that can help regulate your blood sugar. If you can do these three things, you will look and feel better. Amazing. Having had this show for seven years, I've had a lot of conversations around longevity, and it's something that I think about a lot, not in an abstract way, but in terms of how I actually want to feel as I get older, energy, sleep, how my body holds up over time, all of that. And something that's been really interesting to me is fatty 15. It's based on C15, which is the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years, and it plays a key role in supporting our long-term health at the cellular level. So what I think is so compelling is that when we don't have enough C-15, our cells actually become more fragile and age faster. And since our cells are

the foundation of everything, our metabolism, our brain, our skin, our joints, that's kind of where aging really starts. There have now been over 100 studies on C-15 showing that it helps strengthen cells. It supports metabolic, liver, and heart health. It even helps regulate things like sleep and mood. In fact, as many as one in three people may be deficient in C-15, which is wild. So Faddy 15 is a pure science-backed vegan C-15 supplement. There's no fillers, no preservatives, and it's designed specifically to help repair and protect your cells over time. It's also been shown to raise C-15 levels, and improve key markers of health in as little as a few weeks. It's just a very different way of thinking about health.

It's more foundational and more long term. And Faddy15 is really on a mission to optimize your C15 levels to help you live healthier longer. You can get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription starter kit by going to Fatty15.com slash well and using the code well at checkout. If you are trying to tighten things up for summer, if you're trying to lean out, feel more consistent with your energy, actually see results from your workouts. There is one thing that most people skip over and it's not sexy. It is fiber. Everybody wants to jump to protein, supplements, training splits, but if your gut is not dialed in, your body isn't really using any of that

efficiently, so you can be doing everything right and still feel off. This is why I've been using Momentus Fiber Plus. It's not just about digestion. It actually supports things like blood sugar balance, energy, stability, recovery, and yes, even focus. And what makes this one different is it's not just one type of fiber. It's a full three-in-one with soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, and a prebiotic resistant starch. So it's supporting your gut from multiple angles. And when that foundation is there, everything else starts working better like we are talking about in this episode. You feel less up and down. You feel less bloated. Workouts feel more productive. It's very subtle, but it's one of those things that really compounds over time. So if you're trying to

be more consistent and actually get results going into summer, this is one of those foundational things that's definitely worth adding in. And right now, Momentus is offering my listeners up to 35% off your first order with the code well. Just go to live momentus.com and use the code well for up to 35% off. We all know that GLP1s have become a huge topic in health lately. And what is interesting is how much the conversation has evolved beyond just weight loss. These medications are being studied and used not just for helping people lose weight, but also for things like improving metabolic health, reducing cravings, supporting better energy, and even improving key health markers overall. What's new is that there's now a more accessible way to explore

this space. Roe offers the first FDA-approved GLP-1 pill for weight loss, which uses the same active ingredient as the injectable options and delivers comparable results. In clinical studies, patients using GLP-1s have been able to lose an average of around 14% of their body weight over the course of a year. But beyond that, many people report feeling fuller, having fewer cravings, and finding it easier to stay consistent with their habits. It's also designed to be more convenient, just one daily pill. So for people who may have been hesitant about injections, this is a much more approachable option. Roe provides 100% online care, including access to FDA-approved medications, insurance checks, ongoing support, and guidance throughout the entire process. So go to row.com slash blonde

to see if you're eligible for the new GLP1 pill on Roe. That's RO.co slash blonde to get started. For safety information, go to row.com slash safety. I'm in that very specific spring mindset where I want to clean everything out, edit down my closet, and get really intentional about what I'm wearing going into summer. And for me, that always means spending time scouring the real real. It is my favorite place to look when I want those elevated pieces that make my wardrobe feel instantly more pulled together, whether it's an amazing blazer, a bag that you'll use every day, great shoes, or those special pieces for summer travel and events. They have incredible selections from brands like Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and so much.

many more and it's all authenticated luxury resale, which is huge. What I also like is that if you're doing a real closet clean out, you can sell on the real real too. They make it very easy. They handle the photography, pricing, shipping, customer service, all of it. So it's a really smart option if you have beautiful pieces just sitting there unworn. It just feels like a smarter way to shop luxury and a smarter way to refresh your wardrobe. I definitely check it daily now and I even follow some social media accounts that specifically show what is dropping on the Real Real, that is new. So the Real Real is the most trusted name and authenticated luxury resale with over 10,000 new arrivals daily. And right now you can get $25 off your first purchase when you go to the realreel.com slash well.

Again, that's the realreel.com slash well. I want to talk about cortisol because cortisol, I think, it's also like so it's one of those buzzwords on social media and it's like cortisol face, cortisol belly. We do know that, you know, cortisol that's out of control can wreak havoc on your body and have these downstream effects. But what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to the conversation around that? The biggest lie on TikTok is that cortisol face is a thing. Cortisol face is a thing, but it's a result from Cushing syndrome, which is a real, you know, syndrome that people deal with when they have extremely elevated cortisol for prolonged periods of time. But what people are really noticing when they are stressed and their face is a little bit more

puffy than usual or bigger than usual, it's just water retention. And so that's why I like to recommend, especially for women, try to incorporate hibiscus tea, brew hibiscus tea at home and drink it three times a week. It's a very natural and gentle diuretic. It's going to help you get rid of any excess water retention or sodium that your body is just holding onto and also is full of antioxidants so it gives you a beautiful, beautiful skin glow. I love hibiscus tea. But what is true about the cortisol is cortisol belly. That's a very common thing. When you're chronically stressed out, it is going to affect your blood sugar. So you're going to reach for more sugary and salty foods. And it's going to increase fat storage, especially around the midsection. That's so interesting about

the hibiscus tea. Oh, it's the best. You would love it. Yeah. Well, because I am like waterweight central. We've talked about this. I think like I just end my face. This morning, I'm like looking at the video from yesterday and I'm like, what is wrong with my face? It's for me, I know it's water retention from all the anhystamines that I take for MCAS and the medications that I take for that. And then throw travel in there and then throw, you know, a bunch of other factors. And the MCAS itself like causes me to retain water. Yeah, or like focusing, like, you know, if you travel, get like a lymphatic drainage massage, if you can, guasha, which I think that you do. And then if you can, I mean, my gym has a vibration plate. I don't own one, so I just go, I just go there and I like, I start shaking.

But vibration plates are really great because they stimulate them lymphatics. And if you're doing that and you want to add on like a really nice herbal tea or something to consume to help assist with getting rid of excess water retention, then hibiscus tea is very. really great. Dandelion tea is a little bit stronger. I only recommend that like once a week. And then also just making sure you support your body with electrolytes and water. So your body's actually using the water that you're drinking instead of holding onto it. What electrolytes do you like? So I really like the Promix ones, but I only use half of it because I believe that one has a thousand milligrams of sodium, which for me I feel like it's like a little bit too much. And it tends to,

Now that it bloats me, but on the days where I'm not physically very active and I'm just at home, I don't need that much sodium. So I just like to cut it in half, but I think they taste really great. And I also love the parallel collagen plus hyluronic acid plus electrolytes. And those ones are very gentle. It's really great for everyday use. And so I like to start my mornings with that one more. Yeah. And electrolytes first thing in the morning?

Yes, always. Yeah. Because you wake up dehydrated. wake up dehydrated. It helps regulate your stress response. It's very nourishing to your adrenal glands, which make a lot of your hormones, especially your stress hormones. So it just makes you feel more awake and better. Yeah. Can people just do regular salt? Not like table salt, but like. Yeah, like Celtic Celtic Sea Salt, Himalayan salt. You can do water with Celtic salt and add some lemon or lime and ice and mix it together. You can add in some hibiscus tea, ice hibiscus. You can get really

creative with it. But as long as you have a salt source, that's really what's going to nourish your adrenal glands. Yeah. Okay. So we have protein strength training. What was the third one? We did, so we did sleep, protein, strength training. We talked about creatine, water with electrolytes. And I think that's a really good stable foundation. And then you can get into the supplements for skin, the biohacking, the red light. Because now you have a good right? Yeah. And I made a video about this. I want to say a couple months ago, I called it like Ari's Health Pyramid. And it literally had like sleep, like protein, you know, because it's the truth. If you don't have a good foundation, why spend your money on all the extra things if it's not going to take you that far? Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about the skin piece. Yeah, totally. Because there are things that you can do from the inside out when you do have that foundation. Yeah. You mentioned collagen earlier. I love it. What kind of collagen are we looking for? What are we looking for in a collagen supplement? So you want to make sure that they are hydrolyzed collagen peptides. That just means that it's broken down. Your body can absorb

them. As far as dosing goes, you want to aim for 10 to 15 grams at least of collagen every day. That's what was found in studies to help with wrinkle depth, with skin hydration, with joint support even. So that's a pretty good starting point. And then there's different types of collagen. Usually marine collagen is the most, I want to say, like, popular when it comes to beauty because it has more type 1 collagen. Type 1 is really great for skin health. Anything skin related, elasticity, firmness, wrinkles, you want type 1. Type 2 is better for your joints, for cartilage, and then type 3 is also good for skin and lexicity. So I would say if you're, you know, shopping around for a collagen, make sure you're looking for marine collagen.

and then looking at the type it has and that it's hydrolyzed. Peptides are huge right now. Huge. I would be remiss to not ask you about your position on peptides. I hear conflicting things. And I was actually talking to someone about this the other day. Like I've had doctors on who have said that they are not fans of them. I've had some doctors on who have said that they are fans of them.

I've had just regular people who use them come on who are like, you know, evangelists about them and pretty much everyone that I know now that I think of it, and I'm not talking about GLPs, but I'm talking about other peptides. Yeah, like GHKQQU, BPC 150. Yeah, like all the popular ones. People that I know who take them anecdotally seem to love them. So curious where you stand on this. So I'm using a peptide right now myself. Okay. And what I will say is that peptides right now are what supplements were in 2020. In 2020, everyone wanted to get healthier if they wanted to protect their immune system. So they turned to supplements. And a lot of doctors were against it because they were saying supplements aren't FDA approved. There's no studies on them.

It's just expensive pee, right? And so right now we're going through a time with peptides where a lot of doctors are against it because it's not FDA approved. And honestly, it's important to note that not only are they not FDA approved, but a lot of them are coming from outside of the country. You don't know how sterile it is, you don't know how safe it is, and you're injecting this in your body. And so my only advice is whether you're for it or against it. Listen, none of my business, but if you're going to use it, get it from a compounding pharmacy in the United States and make sure that you're working with a doctor who can oversee your progress and answer any questions that you have because everyone's medical background is so different. I have heard

of peptides, you know, triggering growth hormone. And if you have cancer, you, you know, you don't know you have cancer, it could potentially feed the cancer, right? And so you just want to make sure that you get medically cleared before you start any peptides. I don't think that they're inherently bad for you. I am using a beauty peptide myself. Do you like it? I love it. Really? What have you noticed? You don't have to say which one it is. Okay. So I've noticed with my skin, something that I always struggled with was hormonal acne. And now I don't get it so much, but if I do, I get one very cystic hormonal acne and it scars my skin. Like even if I do all the right things and it goes down, it still leaves like a discolored reddish mark on my skin.

Then I have to get like a laser to remove it. It's like this whole thing. And so I noticed ever since I've been using this peptide, it doesn't leave that dramatic of a mark. And I've also noticed a little bit more skin firmness. So I'm 30 years old. So I'm still like pretty new to the whole. skin laxicity tightening, plumping, firming game. But, you know, it's like I'm always recording. I'm always like looking at my skin. And I noticed my like lower half was losing a little bit more

laxicity. And then I started using this peptide. And now when I film, I don't notice like certain shadows that I once saw. So I didn't change anything else. I just introduced the peptide. I really like it. But then again, I work with a doctor. I am getting it from a compounding pharmacy in the United States. I'm not getting it from some cheap online sketchy website. So it's just use your discernment, but I think that peptides can be very useful, especially because peptides are actually naturally found in your body. It's just that when we inject peptides, they're using the same pathways that are normal peptides use to do certain things. Tighten your skin, heal your tissues, give you energy, increase libido. You know, there's a pet site for everything. Yeah. Yeah. And it's

interesting because universally, like, I can't think of anyone who's taken them who's been like, no. Pretty much everyone is like, yes. But then I did have a doctor on who said like, well, these are healthy people who are living healthy lifestyles to begin with. So how much is, you know, you never know. But yeah, I think it depends on person. Listen, I think if someone is doing, again, they have a staple foundation. And they're like, I just like want something extra. But I don't know what else I can do. Like, for me, I use tritone. Yeah.

I get the lasers. Yeah. I do it all. And I'm just like, you know, there's just a missing piece. What can I do? And I introduce the peptide and it helped me. But for someone who is like a little bit, they need to work on the foundation and they just think that using a peptide is going to give them these crazy results.

Yeah. That's not accurate. You need to have a good foundation in anything you do. Yeah. Is there anything right now that's being marketed to women, maybe specifically. for summer. That's a waste of money. I think, well, I've always said detox cheese are a complete waste of money. Anything that is making you use the bathroom more, you're just getting rid of water weight and stuff. It's not true weight loss. I have a bone to pick with gummy supplements,

though. I've seen a lot of people release gummy supplements that are targeted towards curbing your appetite or eating less or whatever. But then I look at the ingredients and it has like, corn syrup and sugar and tapioca starch and all these crazy things. And I'm just like, wow, this is something that we're voluntarily putting in our bodies and it's spiking our blood sugar every time we use it. So in the end, it is dysregulating your blood sugar and affecting your cravings. And then they don't even put the correct amount of active ingredient in it that they need to be. But then it's like it's a gummy supplement. So people love them. It's easier to take. So just be on to look out for that. Like if you see a gummy supplement that claims it's going to make you

look beautiful and it's going to curb your appetite, look at the ingredient list and see what ingredients it has because if it's filled with crap, it's going to affect your body. I've always wondered that too. Like I've seen so many of like the appetite curbing gummies and I'm like, but then you're eating this like sugary thing. It's like dessert. It's going to make you want. Yeah. That's your sweet treat. Yeah. And that's full disclosure. If I were to take a gummy, that's why. just want something like sweet. Me too. I take one gummy that doesn't have any added anything and it's like a longevity gummy.

I like it though because it doesn't have sugar and the little sugar granules. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Is there one supplement every woman should be taking regardless of anything else? Regardless magnesium glycinate because most people are deficient in it. I have a trifecta that I recommend for most women. For anyone who wants to get started in their supplement journey, magnesium glycinate at night, take an omega-3 with your food during the day and be complex in the morning.

That's going to convert your food into energy, give you stable energy through the day. Omega-3 reduces inflammation in the body. You're going to have the most beautiful skin if you eat a lot of omega-3 rich foods or take omega-3. And then magnesium glycinate is really great for your skin, energy levels, sleep, really everything because there's so many processes in the body that rely on magnesium. Okay, we'll do a little rapid fire to close. What is the most overrated wellness trend of the summer? Oral NAD. Give me a break. We cannot absorb NAD orally. And I've seen a couple supplement brands come out with, they're saying like this is a new groundbreaking way of doing it.

And so many people have done it. There's so many studies proving otherwise, you know, so. Yeah. Most underrated thing a woman can do for free to look and feel better. Walking. Love that. A supplement that you wish had more research behind it because you think that it's either so effective or it's going to be huge. Ooh, more research behind it? Probably maca root. Hmm. Yeah. For energy? Mocker root for libido and energy.

Okay. Mm-hmm. If you had to build a woman's entire supplement protocol, for summer in 60 seconds. Yes. Go. Magnesium glyc today at night. Be complex in the morning. Omega 3 during the day.

Chromium with meals. And black seed oil. Black seed oil is the beauty supplement. Ladies, look it up. Has been used for hundreds and hundreds of years. What does it do? It's antimicrobial. It has an antioxidant called thymokinone.

And it reduces inflammation in the skin. So you're going to have less redness. It locks in moisture. and it helps with acne. Amazing. Yeah. What do you want women to feel by summertime? I want them to feel at peace.

And like I only say that because I think women, we need to protect our peace more. I think that we do a lot. We wear a lot of hats and we don't want to let other people down. I think it really is like this feminine instinct that we have. But put yourself first this summer, you know, focus on yourself. get in the gym, be very careful with what you're consuming, look at your kitchen as a pharmacy, and give yourself more alone time, especially at nighttime, to just do the things that make you feel good. I don't care if it's watching Netflix. I don't care if it's a meditation. Just do things that

give yourself time to be present with yourself. Love it. Amazing. Well, tell everybody where they can find you. Yeah, definitely. So my Instagram was wellness.com. TikTok is at the wellness farm. And then also I am working on a T brand, which is at Take Cinas on Instagram. Amazing. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed that episode.

If you liked the episode and if you like the show in general, please take a second to rate, review, and subscribe. It goes such a long way in supporting the show. Follow the show over on Instagram at well.pod. You can also follow my personal Instagram at Ariel Lorry. I'm always sharing great clips from the episodes. and we also have full episodes on YouTube as well if you want to watch in entirety. Thanks for listening.

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode. Auto-hure with Sunny Cars feels as if the children not with me say.

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