HOW CAN I TELL IF I AM DRINKING ENOUGH WATER?

The best way to know if you are drinking enough water is by paying attention to when you head to the restroom. Your body’s main tool for maintaining water balance is through controlling how concentrated or how diluted your urine is. If you have too much water, your body will get rid of the excess through diluted urine and extra trips to the bathroom. If you are dehydrated, your body will conserve water through producing very concentrated urine and less frequent bathroom breaks. The color of your urine is one of the most accurate ways for you to gauge your level of hydration. Ideally, you should aim for a pale yellow color. If your urine is completely clear with no color at all, you are drinking too much water. If your urine is dark yellow or orange in color, that can indicate poor hydration. However, keep in mind that there are a few things that can make urine appear darker even if you are well hydrated, like some medications and foods. For example, vitamins like riboflavin may cause urine to appear bright yellow. In addition to color, the frequency of your trips to the bathroom can provide a good measure of how hydrated you are. You should be heading to the bathroom every four to six hours during the day. If you go less often than once in six hours, you need to drink more water. One of the benefits of using this method is that you can check on your hydration status several times a day and find out if you’re not getting enough water, getting too much water, or drinking just the right amount.

Hot or Cold water with Lemon is a great replenishing drink

Excerpt from Intermittent fasting and cleansing newsletter

Detox Your Living Space

It’s Spring and our thoughts turn to Spring Cleaning the house, garage and doing yard clean up. It’s a great time to Spring Clean your body with a full body cleanse, but go one step further and when you spring clean your house, start detoxifying it as well.

1. Choose furniture and carpet materials that are made of natural fibers. When this is not possible, use ferns and spider plants to absorb off-gassing fumes.
2. Reduce Electro Magnetic pollution by unplugging appliances when not in use, use filter screens on computers if needed, up-grade equipment if possible, do not use or severely reduce the use of cell phones, cordless phone and microwaves. Do not place alarm clocks near your head and try not to have the head of your bed positioned next to an electrical outlet. Do not live near overhead electrical wires if possible. Use hot water bottles and extra blankets instead of heating pads and electric blankets.
3. Drink filtered, remineralized water. Install carbon filters on all shower heads or if possible a filter at the entry point of the water into your home.
4. Allow as much natural light into your space as possible. Use full-spectrum light bulbs, especially in lights that are used for reading.
5. As you use up chemical cleaners in your home, begin replacing them with more environmentally friendly types.
6. Start replacing your cosmetics and body care products with ones that do not contain toxic ingredients.

Lavender is calming

7. Purchase a beginners guide to natural medicine and begin using natural products to treat common health issues, such as headaches, nausea, diarrhea, digestive complaints, etc.
8. Use stainless steel utensils and kitchenware; avoid using plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Get rid of any aluminum pots.
9. Start thinking about the things that you bring home that are overly packaged and purchase things in bulk.
10. Compost your food scraps and use the material in your garden.
11. Eat organic food whenever possible and avoid the use of lawn and garden pesticides.
12. Certain house plants, like spider plants, are great for filtering the air.  Treat houseplants with natural insecticide soaps.