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The Best Morning Habit Ever and its FREE!

If I told you all it takes is one small morning habit to fire up your metabolism, rehydrate, flush toxins, clean your colon (as in poop right away), and increase your level of alertness, what would you say?  Sign me up right?!  Well all it takes is starting your morning with a big ol glass of H2O. Yup water!  I wanted to write a blog about this, because I am super passionate about it!

After waking up, brushing my teeth, and of course taking my dogs out, I immediately fill a large mason jar with cold filtered water and add a lemon slice.  Sometimes I mix it up with lime or cucumber slices, you can get fancy with it if you want.  Then I pretty much guzzle it, but you can take your time it doesn’t really matter, as long as your starting your day with at least 22oz of water (I drink a 32oz mason jar).

Check out these 5 ways it’s changed my life!

  • Pooping first thing!  I had to start off with this one, because it’s helped me so much!  Growing up I struggled with constipation  (I know, i’m sorry TMI).   My diet was definitely to blame (typical American diet of hot dogs and candy, ugh), but as I got older and changed my diet the pooping got better.  However, its never been as good as it is now, after starting my day with 32oz of water! I literally drink my water and within 10 minutes head to the bathroom.  Yay for pooping stories!
  • Increases your level of alertness!  Did you know your brain is 75% water? WOW (I just learned this after a google search, haha).  It makes sense then that when your not properly hydrated your brain wont function right, you will feel tired, moody and sluggish.
  • Fire up your metabolism!  Drinking a cold glass of water after you wake up gets your metabolism firing.  One study showed it increases your metabolism by 24% within the first 90 minutes!  Which is great when you do a morning workout like me, you fire that metabolism for your workout.
  • Flush those toxins!  It’s the kidneys job to rid your body of toxins, but it cant do its job if your not drinking enough water. Getting fluids into your body first thing in the morning will help your kidneys flush those toxins.
  • Rehydrate!  Ok this one is obvious right?!  But really after sleeping 7-8 hours all night, you might not feel thirsty, but your body needs fluids!  You’ve probably heard it before, but when you actually become thirsty, your probably already dehydrated!

I hope these 5 facts will help you in starting your day right with some H2O!  Along the lines of water, check out my blog on: The Best Purchase I’ve Made in a Long Time! 

I love to hear from my readers, if you have any questions or comments, please do so below!

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The Real Reason Your So Tired All The Time!

Do you feel tired all the time?  You just don’t feel so great, your body aches, your minds foggy, and you have low energy?  Trust me I’ve been there!  Many people just accept the fact that not feeling so great is part of life and getting older, but that’s simply not the case!  Yet studies have shown that 15% of women, and 10% of men are regularly exhausted.  If it’s not just aging, whats making us so tired?  Check out these 4 reasons why you could be feeling so drained and what you can do to feel re-energized!

Sedentary Lifestyle 

Studies have shown that exercise acts on your central nervous system to increase energy and reduce fatigue.  However, when your extremely tired, getting up to exercise is the absolute last thing you wanna do, I get it!  But speaking from experience,  when I’m tired and force myself to workout, It’s crazy how much energy it gives me!  I leave my workout feeling so energized, alert and de-stressed!

However, don’t let all this talk of exercise freak you out, because you don’t have to do an intense workout to boost your energy!  Even just moderate exercise for 20 minutes can help fight that fatigue.   Start slowly by taking a short walk, swim, or bike, and feel the difference in your energy levels!

Poor Diet

The absolute best way to prevent fatigue is by eating a healthy balanced diet! We’ve all been there, we eat a big greasy meal, and we finish feeling stuffed, and exhausted right? The saying goes, “eat good, feel good”.  To get adequate nutrition and eliminate fatigue, it’s important to eat a balanced mix of food that includes: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and protein.  Eating a plant-based, whole foods diet is the best way to do this!  For more information on this check out, Why you should eat a plant-based diet! 

You can also make positive changes in your diet my making some of these small changes:

  • Eat regularly.  Don’t go for long periods without eating!  Eat 3 meals a day, and have a healthy snack in between, such as fruits, vegi’s, or a handful of nuts.
  • Drink lots of water.  Dehydration makes you tired, constipated, and moody!  Drink at least 2 liters of water per day.
  • Don’t skip breaky.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (we’ve all heard that before)!  Seriously though, a healthy breaky gives you energy for the day, don’t skip it!
  • Eat less meat.  Instead of having your meal centered around the protein, fill your plate with vegetables and fruits, with a side of protein.
  • Eat less dairy.  There are a ton of dairy-free options out there, try switching the dairy in your morning coffee to coconut/almond milk, and skip the extra cheese!

Extreme Stress

In this world we live in, it seems really difficult to avoid stress!  We encounter stressful situations at work, school, in our relationships, even driving in traffic.  Some stress can actually be healthy and can help us to perform a task, and be more alert.  However, extreme prolonged stress can cause us physical and emotional exhaustion, that can eventually lead to illness.

If you’re experiencing extreme stress, try these tips:

  • Exercise regularly.  Physical activity is a huge stress reliever and gives you those feel good endorphins.
  • Identify the source of your stress.  Find out whats causing you stress so that you can control it.
  • Learn to say no.  This is a big one, often times we bring stress on ourselves by taking on too much.  It’s ok to say no!
  • Avoid association with people who stress you out.  If there is someone in your life that causes you a lot of stress, try to spend less time with them.
  • View stressful situations in a different way.  Look at stressful situations more positively, sometimes its all in our attitude.
  • Accept the things you can’t change.  Some things are unavoidable, we can avoid stress by accepting things the way they are.

If you feel you may have a medical condition causing your fatigue, please consult your healthcare provider.  Has any of these suggestions helped your energy levels?  I love to hear from you, please comment below.

Did you know having a dog also reduces stress?  Check out 5 Reasons Having a Dog is Good for your Health!

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8 Signs You Need a Gut Reboot!

Centuries ago the Greek Physician Hippocrates once said “all disease begins in the gut”, what a wise man he was.  Of course, not ALL disease begins in the gut, however, there is a ton of evidence that many chronic diseases do in fact begin in the gut!  Many scientists, doctors and researchers are now seeing how important gut health is to your overall health.

Now i’m definitely no expert, but I completely believe in the old saying “if you eat good, you feel good”.  Because the gut is so connected to other parts of your body, including; your brain, immune system, and other organs, there are distinguishing symptoms implying that your gut needs a reboot.  Here is what to look for:

  • You cant seem to lose weight.  

Do you workout and eat healthy but still seem to struggle with your weight especially around the midline?  Your gut bacteria can influence your metabolism, food cravings and how many calories your body absorbs from the food you eat, making it harder to lose weight and keep it off.

  • You get sick all the time.

You have probably heard this before, but most of your immune system is in your gut.  So if your gut is off balance, you’re going to be more susceptible to getting sick.  Instead of reaching for medications to fight off a cold, you want to boost your immunity by working on your gut health.

  • You’re constantly tired and have a lack of focus.

This is a pretty complex issue, but the short explanation is: it’s your guts job to digest the food and break it down for energy.  So if your gut is imbalanced, you may not be getting the energy you need from  the food you’re eating, causing you to feel tired all the time.  The Real Reason your so Tired all the Time explains the top 3 reasons for being exhausted 24/7.

  • Break outs, skin rashes or eczema.

The skin is the largest organ in the body, so if your skin is going crazy, thats usually a sign of whats happening in your gut.  You may have noticed that when you eat well, your skin is glowing.  Yet when you eat junk food, it shows all over your face.  This is a clear sign your skin is affected by your gut health.

  • You feel anxious, moody, or depressed.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that sends signals from one part of the brain to the other, and it’s important in regulating your mood.  However, did you know serotonin is actually located in your gut?  No wonder the gut is known as “the second brain”.  Whether you’re feeling anxious, depressed, moody, or just straight up meh, your gut is to blame!

  • You’re bloated, constipated or gassy.

Ok this one is pretty obvious, digestion issues like bloating, constipation and gas is definitely linked to gut heath.  But instead of just treating these issues with medications, get to the root of the problem and heal your gut!

  • You have arthritis or joint pain.

This one came as a surprise to me, but it makes sense that arthritis: a painful inflammation and stiffness in the joints, would be caused by “the not so good gut bacteria”.  In fact just in the last couple years there has been a ton of research on this subject.  Functional medicine pioneer Dr. Susan Blum said about healing from arthritis, “taking time to dig deeper for systemic imbalances that could potentially contribute to a patient’s pain symptoms — and for many, the gut is the best place to start”.  Check out her research  “To treat arthritis, first heal the gut” to learn more about it.

I think it’s safe to say, if you’re having any of these issues your gut may be to blame!  I would love to hear from you, please comment below with any questions or comments.