The answer is probably no. We live in a chronically dehydrated nation. Inadequate hydration can lead to anything from headaches and fatigue to chronic constipation and kidney failure.
Your body is 2/3 water. Every single cell in your body is made up of water. It’s pretty important stuff, people! Eating a typical American diet, you are constantly introducing toxins into that water. It is crucial that we are constantly hydrating to continually flush out these toxins and keep everything moving.
If you don’t hydrate properly (half your body weight in ounces daily), then these toxins will linger, wreaking havoc on your body. As Dr. Earl Mindell, professor of nutrition and master herbologist explains it, “If you don’t constantly flush toxins from the water that makes up much of your body, they build up and can cause chronic disease”.
Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day.
Properly hydrating will also help your skin to glow, help regulate your bowel movements, and aid in controlling your weight.
It’s time to go deep here. I want you to think hard about the image that is driving you when you make food and fitness choices every day. What does that person look like? Better yet, who is that person?
Who Do You Want To Look Like?
Let’s be honest. Most of us have an image of what we want to look like. Usually it is either someone we admire at the gym, someone we saw in a magazine, or even an actor or actress on T.V. But why are we putting so much time and energy into looking like someone other than ourselves?
Sometimes it’s for work. Sometimes it’s for play. Either way, traveling can take a real toll on our bodies. It is hectic, stressful and often unpredictable. Don’t let yourself be at the mercy of the airport or the rest stop when it comes to your food and drink. Here are my top ten tips to keep you healthy- and sane- while you are traveling.
SERVES: 2-4
PREP TIME: 1 hour, 15 minutes (includes marinade time, which can be done overnight)
COOK TIME: 20-30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp coconut milk (buttermilk or cream is okay if you do dairy)
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder (tapioca or potato starch is okay too)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 dash ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
Yup, you can actually increase the size of your brain throughout your entire lifespan- and learning isn’t the only way! While I am not trying to discourage anyone from reading and learning, I’ve got some other, supplemental ways to increase your brain size.
First things first, though. You’re probably wondering, “Why do I care how big my brain is?”. Well, as health and nutrition expert Dr. Pamela Peeke explained at a conference I attended, “big brain equals small waist”. Interested now?
A Bigger Brain Equals A Smaller Waist.
Weighing in at around 2-3 lbs, the liver is the body’s second largest organ. Often referred to as our main filtration system, it is responsible for many essential functions in the body.
Filtration
Perhaps its most well known attribute is the liver’s function as our filtration, or detoxification, system. Not only can the liver clear the blood of drugs and other harmful substances, it also removes harmful bacteria from the blood, helping to avoid frequent infections in the body.
Digestion
The liver excretes something called bile, which helps to break down fats during digestion, allowing for better absorption in the body.
Storage
The liver stores and releases glucose to maintain blood sugar balance. It also is where iron is stored.
The liver is our main filtration system, removing harmful bacteria, toxins and drugs from our bloodstream.
With the warm weather in full swing, what better time to bring awareness to sun safety? UV radiation is the main cause of skin cancer. UV rays can also damage your eyes. This time of year is especially important to spread awareness about the damage ultraviolet rays can cause and how to prevent it.
For most of us, it is inevitable that we are going to have many sun-soaked days throughout the summer months. The key is to minimize the effects of UV rays as best we can while we are outside.
SERVES: 1 as meal or 2 as snack
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 large sweet potato, cut in half
- 1/3 cup leftover roasted chicken (leftover beef stew meat works great too!)
- 1/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1. Placed halved sweet potato in 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes, until tender in center.
Essential oils can help boost your dog’s immune system, calm itchy, irritated skin, reduce anxiety and much, much more. It is a very safe, natural and simple way to keep your pet happy and healthy over the years.
Introducing Essential Oils to Your Dog
We’ve all likely smelled at least a couple different essential oils over time. You’ve probably enjoyed the fragrant, floral smell of lavender or the purifying and potent scent of peppermint. Dogs have a very keen sense of smell, so these sometimes strong scents can be overwhelming at first. It is very important to slowly and gently introduce essential oils to your dog at their comfort level.
Dogs can pick up a scent from a good distance, so there is no need to come barreling in towards their face with an entire bottle of essential oil. I remember the first time I came near my dog with lavender in hopes of reducing his anxiety. I just walked right up with the open bottle and headed straight for his nose. He immediately reacted, tucking his ears behind his head and getting very nervous.
“What was wrong? Who doesn’t love lavender?”, I thought. But the smell was simply too much for him. Then, I learned the right way to respectfully introduce the oils to my dogs and, over time, I slowly warmed him up to it until he was totally comfortable and now he loves it!