How much water are you drinking?

Experts say that for optimal health we should drink 8 - 8oz glasses of water per day. Now, many health gurus have revised that to be 1/2 oz of water for every pound of body weight. So a 200 lb person should drink 100 ounces of water each day. There's 128 ounces in a gallon of water. The fact is that the human body is 70% water and the brain is closer to 80%. If a person is even a little dehydrated, it can have profound effects on their health and mental ability. 

But the kind of water we drink is just as important as the quantity. Tap water and bottled water are technically dead or of little value to the body because they carry so many other chemicals, have an acidic pH and are lacking in the correct charge (a negative charge) to be used by the body. Even reverse osmosis water and filtered water is lacking in essential minerals, the electrolytes the body needs for proper hydration, muscle function and energy production. The molecule size of the water from these sources is also too large to penetrate the cells in the body and is not completely absorbed.

So what do we do? 
Find a source for water that is alkaline pH, has electrolyte minerals and micro-clustered molecules. This water exists in nature at the bottom of unpolluted waterfalls. It's also able to be made by countertop water filtration systems. People who drink this water daily for a month report getting profound health benefits, from weight loss to relief from pain to resolution of chronic illnesses (and I personally know people who have gotten these benefits including myself). It's not so much the water mind you, but giving the body the fuel it needs to self correct problems caused by lifestyle choices.

All content on this site including health and wellness related content is completely my opinion. As frequently as possible I will provide references for any information relevant to health and wellness statements. Be Well, Crystal

21 Day Detox - Final Results and weight loss

Well I made it! I admit I wanted to cheat a few times and really go off course but I stuck with it and I feel FANTASTIC.

I am down about 10 pounds and counting and now have the motivation to continue on this fitness journey.
Please read my other blog posts for the full story of the detox journey in the first and second weeks. 

Weight loss was not my primary goal. I've been on a mission for better health and wellness for a long time and I am serious when I tell u that a good cleanse or purification program is the Holy Grail for wellness and weight loss. The most remarkable changes...

• Mental clarity - now able to do calculations in my head when I always needed a calculator.
• Elevated mood - even with stressful situations, I find my mood consistently upbeat.
• More energy - what else can I say, working 8 hours on my feet and still able to hit the gym.

Of course I ate very clean for the whole 21 days. I also took my supplements.

Going forward I plan to stick primarily to a paleo diet
and workout doing Slow Motion resistance training along with interval cardio (Sprint 8). There are a few good articles on Dr. Mercola's website about this kind of exercise.

I will keep posting on my progress...until then,
Be Well,
C
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All content on this site including health and wellness related content is completely my opinion. As frequently as possible I will provide references for any information relevant to health and wellness statements. Be Well, Crystal

21 day Detox - Two weeks down!

Hard to believe I stuck with it this long but I did! I just have a few notes on my progress.

1. Tracy said I would feel great by day 15. It was sooner than that. I have had mental clarity, energy and a great mood for the last several days. I have also been really motivated in the gym and feel like I have more stamina.

2. The colonics are a MUST - for me its been tough to drink enough water, take enough magnesium or mild laxative herbs to really get my colon cleaned out. If you do this and you don't want to get backed up with all the fiber, I highly suggest colon hydrotherapy.

3. If you are not a vegetarian or a chef, finding ways to keep the food interesting may be a little tough as well. I found myself getting really bored with smoothies and stirfry. I found a great show on PBS Christina Cooks - and her website as well with really good looking recipes. And she explains the benefits of the food choices on the show too.

4. I have added some nuts to the menu and ate 3 tacos for dinner one night. Aside from that I've stuck fairly close to the foods prescribed by the program. I also had not mentioned previously the supplements I'm taking and I highly suggest. This may be part of the reason I'm feeling so good. I will add links to each specific product I'm using but you could choose your own.

Eleuthero

• Eleuthero root
• Omega 3
• Digestive enzyme
• Probiotic
• Zyflamend
• Chaga and Agarikon
• Ashwaghanda
• Triple Boost Caffiene free energy
• Trace minerals
• Tri-Iodine

 Also for pre and post workout, AAKG powder and L-Glutamine powder.

I know this may seem like a lot of supplements. Ok it is.  But there are specific reasons for each one . Interestingly I have not taken a regular multivitamin during this time. But I do use greens powders in my smoothies.
I'm not trying to lose 20 as some people can but I have lost some and will post the total on day 21.

21 day detox - Day 9

If you know anything about detoxing or purification, you know the beginning is hard. As the body begins to draw toxins from the tissues and organs, it really feels bad.

For  me, the first four days were a little rough, not so bad I couldn't function but I felt pretty lousy. Headaches and nausea mostly along with watery eyes and fatigue. It almost felt like the "hangover" I get from eating gluten. Or like the beginning of my seasonal allergy symptoms. By day 5 I was feeling much better and by day 7 had no "detox" symptoms at all.

Today is day 9. I'm getting tired of only eating veggies. I use some fruit in my smoothies as well. Ive had brown rice a couple of times and yams or sweet potatoes as a "dessert" a few nights. Although I feel better, I'm having a hard time being satisfied by the food I'm eating and seem to be hungry a lot. In fact I'm hungry right now. I'm not calorie counting - the protocol is that you can eat unlimited amounts of vegetables. It's just that I get full but am hungry again a short time later when it's not convenient to eat. I have not figured out how to get past this issue. I've lost about 5lb which is a bit surprising even though the program boasts a 20 lb potential in 21 days. I've also been working out at the gym a few days a week.

I was craving chocolate today so for lunch I made my smoothie with cacao nibs, Chocolate Raw Perfect Food (Garden of Life) and dutch cocoa along with frozen berries and spinach. I don't know if that was legal but....It was goooood!

I'm also craving meat but I'm holding out till day 11 - just need to make it thru one more day.

One thing I noticed was that I felt much, much better after getting a colonic or colon hydrotherapy.I guess flushing all the toxins out of the colon is a good idea so they don't circulate back into the blood stream and get re-deposited in the fat tissue and organs.
Also, making the SP Complete shake with fiber in the vitamix is not good. Its better to make it in a blender bottle or in the blender on a very slow speed. I'm also not sure if I like adding it to a smoothie or just adding it to water and drinking it plain and just getting it over with. I think just getting it over with is a little better.

I'm almost halfway there...stay tuned for final results!

My 21 day detox - Day 1

I decided to do a 21 day detox after talking to my friend Tracy about it. Tracy owns Alive colon hydrotherapy and after getting a few colonics, I decided to really see what a detox will do for me.

Standard Process has supplements that aid and support the detox process. The program seems simple enough.
Week 1 - Unlimited vegetables (from a long list) and some fruit, Tracy suggested one or two servings a day of low glycemic fruit to maximize weight loss, but the program allows for more as long as it's only half the quantity of veggies.
4-7 teaspoons of high quality oils per day such as coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, fish oil, flax oil or grape seed oil.

The program does not mention seasonings so I'm sticking with what I already know to be healthy choices -garlic,  herbs, sea salt, pepper, organic apple cider vinegar, liquid aminos (or gluten free soy sauce)

2-3 SP Complete shakes per day (you can blend these up with fruit and veggies and they have some recipes on their website)
7 SP Cleanse capsules 3 times per day
3 Gastro-Fiber capsules 3 times per day OR 1 tablespoon of Whole food fiber per SP Complete shake.

Week 2 & 3
On the 11th day you can add lean meat, wild caught deep sea fish is suggested at least once a day. Other meat should be organic, free range if possible. Total servings of meats is 2-4 per day.

In addition to the SP supplements in the first week, add 5 SP Green Food capsules 2 times per day starting on day 8.

A minimum of 64 oz of water is recommended, but my rule of thumb is 1/2 body weight in ounces. 

You're probably wondering if there's anything you have to avoid while detoxing...Yes, yes there is. All the stuff you like but you know is kinda bad for you.
No processed food of ANY kind. Including sugar.
No coffee, alcohol, tobacco or other stimulants
No nuts or seeds
No Dairy
No grains except wild or brown rice

So....
My first day I started with a shake made with SP Complete, Whole food fiber, MCT oil, frozen mango, frozen cauliflower and spinach. It didn't taste too bad since I'm used to drinking vegan protein shakes. It had a mild flavor. I did notice what I think was an immediate detox effect. I was a bit queasy about 15 minutes after drinking. Took 7 SP Cleanse capsules.

I was very busy till about 3:30 and didn't eat anything till then but wasn't hungry either. The queasy feeling had long passed. I  made another shake this time with frozen raspberries and the veggies as before. Took 7 SP cleanse capsules. Once again the detox feeling came over me. But I went to the bathroom ....lets just say the detox seems to be working.

For dinner I made a veggie stir fry with garlic, onion, mushrooms, and spinach. I also had butternut squash and apples cooked in coconut oil with pumpkin pie spices.

At the moment, I have a slight headache and my eyes were watering like when allergy season hits. I don't know if its allergies or a detox symptom.

Well, that's all for day 1....stay tuned.