Making Healthy Choices… Educational Series

Much about our modern way of living isn’t really about making healthy choices it’s about making decisions based on convenience and in the end we pay the price with our health! 

Years ago I made a conscience decision to take control of the reins to my family’s healthcare choices. We had a situation arise with my daughter health that prompted this. At the time, I didn’t have a clue as to what I was going to do… I just KNEW that there was a better way than what was being proposed. My maternal instinct, my gut reaction, was “NO WAY!” This is not NORMAL… there has to be a better way, so I started searching for solutions that were safe, natural and effective. So, the first thing I began doing was to talk with two friends who I knew were familiar with alternative therapies and I began there. Then I started EDUCATING MYSELF and began a process of incorporating what I learned whenever possible… I encourage you to do the same.

There are many choices each of us make, day after day, that slowly and silently over time affect our overall health. Some changes are easy to make while others are hard and will require dedication and tenacity… so let’s begin with the easy changes first.

For instance when I learned how important it was to stay well hydrated I decided to increase the daily amount of pure water I was drinking. This is something everyone can afford to do. Dr. Dave Carpenter, author of Change Your Water, Change Your Life, includes some of the following as some of the more common symptoms of chronic dehydration. Here are some facts about keeping our bodies well hydrated and I’ll bet you aren’t aware of most of them. Did you know that…

• The average human body is composed of 75% water.
• Our blood is composed of 92% water, our bones 22%, our muscles 75% water and our brain 75% water.
• When you feel thirsty you’re already dehydrated.
• On average everyone should be drinking 6-8 glasses of water (this does not include soft drinks, tea, coffee, etc.- these contain caffeine and can actually contribute to dehydration and increase our need).
• The average adult loses about 10 cups water every day, simply by breathing, sweating, urinating and eliminating waste, according to the Mayo Clinic.
• Exercise, pregnancy, breastfeeding, environment and illness are all factors that increase our water consumption needs.
• One of the most vital sources of energy in the body is WATER.
• Enzymatic activity decreases without a sufficient supply causing us to fill tired and fatigued.
• Dehydration impairs the body’s ability to eliminate toxins through the skin making us more susceptible to all types of skin problems- premature aging, wrinkling, dermatitis and psoriasis.
• Dehydration and a lack of alkaline minerals, such as magnesium and calcium, may lead to digestive disorders such as acid reflux, gastritis and ulcers.
• When fully hydrated our blood is approximately 92% water; when dehydrated our blood thickens and slows down our blood flow which may result in increased blood pressure.
• The body produces more cholesterol when dehydrated to protect cells from water loss.
• The body will restrict airways to conserve water when dehydrated and the rate at which histamine is released actually increases the more dehydrated we are.
• The accumulations of toxins and acid wastes increases with dehydration creating an environment where bacteria can thrive which may result in bladder and kidney inflammation, infection, and pain.
• Constipation may result from dehydration. When the body is low on water one of the primary places it will draw it from is the colon. Waste material moves much more slowly through the intestines causing constipation without a sufficient supply of water.
• Cartilage and joints suffer also from dehydration. Cartilage pads our joints and is made mostly of water, but when dehydrated joint repair is slow and cartilage is weakened resulting in pain and discomfort.

Hydrate to be Healthy

Whether you are an adult or a child, your main source of hydration should be water. As a nutrient, water is essential to life. You can survive for weeks without food, but you can only live for days without water. It helps replenish fluid loss, regulate temperature, protect organs, keep joints moving, transport other nutrients throughout your body, and eliminate waste. Check the color of your urine as a good indicator of your hydration status.

This handy urine color chart will help you determine whether or not you’re drinking enough water throughout the day. Please note though that looking at the color in the toilet is NOT an accurate measurement as it is diluted.

ADDING ESSENTIAL OILS TO YOUR WATER
Although something may be easy to do it may still take some time to break old habits. To encourage and remind myself to drink more water I like to have a couple glasses of water sitting on the kitchen counter and one at my desk… to which I add a couple drops of lemon essential oil but you may also like to try other oils like peppermint, orange, lime, grapefruit, or our Citrus Fresh blend. Adding YL’s essential oils to my water helps to give it a clean, fresh taste and is a great replacement for sugary soft drinks.

PLEASE NOTE: References to the use of essential oils refers SOLELY to Young Living THERAPEUTIC-GRADE Essential Oils and products.  Please DO NOT attempt with inferior brands as it could be harmful or even toxic! They have been grown in optimum conditions and without using any herbicides, pesticides or dangerous chemicals, harvested at peak times and distilled properly to protect their therapeutic value; and aren’t adulterated with synthetic components. Young Living essential oils are the ONLY oils I that I trust to be safe enough for me to take internally!

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Drink a glass of warm (not hot) water with the juice from half a lemon upon-rising… it helps kick start the digestive system.
• Keep a pitcher of room temperature water and 2-4 drops of Young Living’s citrus oils into it. Drink 6-8 glasses of this water each day.
• OR, add one  drop of Young Living’s citrus oils to your glass as you refill your glass throughout the day. Try lemon, lime, orange, or Citrus Fresh blend ( a blend that contains lemon, grapefruit, orange and spearmint). Citrus oils have very high levels of limonene which is one of the highest antioxidants there are.
• If using essential oils be sure to increase your water intake as the oils can accelerate the detoxification process in the body. If you don’t increase your fluid intake toxins could remain in the body, recirculating and cause headaches, nausea, etc.
• Always drink out of glass or stainless steel containers- avoid plastics, including BPA free containers, as they contain petrochemicals.
• Drink a glass before going to bed each night as a precaution against blood thickening.

There are many others things that everyone can do and I’ll be covering some of what I’ve learned over the years, and continue to learn, in this series of blog posts.

Let’s be real… it’s hard to make healthy choices 100% of the time. I have to admit that I don’t always make what I know to be healthy choices… sometimes because of convenience, sometimes because of stress, sometimes because of finances. It’s a work in progress and probably always will be but hopefully my healthy choices far outweigh my unhealthy choices. I doubt that I will ever reach 100% however I know that every time I make a healthy choice it’s one less time I make an unhealthy one.

 
Reference Sources:
http://www.webmd.cm/diet/news/20040105/drinking-water-may-speed-weight-loss
http://www.discovery.com/human/health/glass-water-weight-loss.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/diet-soda-weight-gain_n_886409.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight_loss_effects_of_water
http://www.wholebodycleansing.net/weight-gain-kidney–liver-congestion.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/13/constipation-foods_n_2867870.htmlhttp://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/symptoms-of-chronic-dehydration.html
http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/benefits-of-drinking-lemon-water.html
http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/limonene.php