5 things you Can do to improve your health TODAy
I know health can be overwhelming for so many. We often need an event (wedding/ birthday), a change in season (new year, summer), or a diagnosis to drive us toward healthier choices. I think health would be less overwhelming if we approached it one small step at a time. Here are 5 things you can do to improve your health, starting today.
Start Adding salt to your water
Hydration is a key component of health, yet so many people are walking around dehydrated. The important concept to understand with hydration is not necessarily how much water you are drinking, but how much water you are absorbing. If you’ve tried increasing your water but that only leads you to more trips to the bathroom, you probably aren’t absorbing well. An easy solution for this is to add a pinch of good-quality sea salt to your water. If you think back to your high school chemistry class, you will remember the basic concept of ‘ water chases salt’. If we apply this concept to our cells, we need salt inside the cell to drive water into the cell which allow for proper cellular hydration. If we don’t have enough minerals in our cells, we will have issues absorbing the water we drink.
Basic solution, add salt to your water. If you want to get fancy you could consider adding in an Electrolyte support. I usually recommend Body Bio Elyte, LMNT packets or Redmonds Re-Lyte powder. All are great solutions to help hydrate properly and none of them contain added sugars like many electrolyte supports on the market.
When you are probably hydrated it will help support:
Bowel movements
Good adrenal function,
Blood sugar response
Clearer thinking
Bodies Electricity system
Do a castor oil pack
One of the best things we can do to support our entire bodies is support the liver. Most health issues that arise can tie back to the liver and the stress that our lives put on this organ. Our liver is responsible for processing everything we ingest, everything we put on our skin, and all of the things that we breathe in on a daily basis. Our liver plays vital roles in digestion, hormone production and conversion, and blood sugar response, and it is also the storage site for many vitamins and minerals (iron, Vit A). This being said, we can support so many parts of our body by supporting our liver. There are lots of good supplements out there that will greatly support the liver/hepatic system, (I have a EZ Kit saved in my dispensary with some good options Registration Code: MB2555:). However, one of the best ways to support the liver outside of supplementation is with the use of castor oil packs.
Castor oil packs have been used for centuries as a tool to improve health. In practice, I recommend the use of castor oil over the liver to anyone dealing with liver backup symptoms. There are many good YouTube videos on how to perform a castor oil pack but the most basic use is to get a roll-on castor oil and rub it to the right of your belly button. Queen of Thrones has a great pack if you want to avoid the mess, but ultimately just get that castor oil on the liver and let it sit for 30 minutes- or overnight.
Castor oil packs are supportive for people who deal with:
Constipation
Headaches/ Migraines
Elevated liver Enzymes
No gallbladder
Poor digestion or pain in the liver area
**Avoid castor oil if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Some advise you to avoid use during menstruation but others encourage use over the uterus to help ease menstrual cramps.
Get in a Detox bath
One of the best ways to drive nutrients into the skin is by transdermal application of supplements. If someone is deficient in magnesium I will often recommend Epson salt (or magnesium flake) baths daily to increase magnesium stores. One way to level up your Epson salt baths is to add additional supplementation like Binders (bentonite clay or charcoal powder). Binders will help drive waste out of the skin and also attach to anything that might be in your water. This will ensrure you aren’t absorbing toxins from your tap water while sitting in a hot bath. If you want to ramp up the heat and get your sweat on (kind of like a sauna session) add 1-3 tsp of fresh ground ginger into the bath as well. This is a great way for you to help replenish nutrients and encourage the body’s natural detox.
DETOX BATH RECIPE
1-2 Cups of Epson salts
1/4 cup of bentonite clay
1-3 tsp of ground ginger
*optional, 1-2 drops of food-grade essential oil (peppermint will help cool you down, lavender to help with sleep)
Increase you Protein
One of the first foundational steps to eating a healthier diet is to make sure you are getting adequate amounts of protein. The RDA for protein intake is .8g for every kg of body weight. For my clients, I recommend 1g for every lb of ideal body weight, meaning if you are 130 lbs you should be aiming for 130g of protein daily. I suggest downloading the free app My Fitness Pal and typing in an average day of eating. About how much protein are you getting in? For most people, it’s an around of 60-70g and that is severely undernourished. Protein is the macronutrient that helps you feel full, so if you find yourself constantly hungry I would consider your protein intake.
Signs of protein deficiency:
Muscle Loss
Weakened immune system
Decreased bone density or development
Hungery all the time
Brittle hair
Poor wound healing
Tooth decay
Tired all the time
GO Get a bloodwork panel
When is the last time you went in for a basic bloodwork panel? This is something I suggest to healthy individuals on an annual basis, and those dealing with health issues 2-3x/year. I offer a basic bloodwork panel that includes CBC, CMP, a Full thyroid panel, and some specialty markers for $180.00. For anyone who has a LabCorp in their area, it’s an easy process. Make your order here, we will send you a requisition form to take into LabCorp. Once you get samples sent off results will be emailed to you in 4-10 business days.
If you have recent results but don’t know what to do with them, I have a lab review option on my website where you can get a basic review or book an appointment to become a client. Either way, get some labs done! This is a great first step in understanding your health.
