Hydration
7. Use a Water Filter
With the Tap water quality being sub standard and riddled with unwanted chemicals, bacteria, pathogens & heavy metals it is a worth while investment to purchase a good quality water filter. The top of the range would be a reverse osmosis filter with a good quality model setting you back around $900 AUD. An entry level water filter will be enough to get your started. RRP is around $150AUD and it will filter out all the unwanted extras except fluoride. Don’t forget about the shower & bath water too. A filter for the shower or bath will be around $90 AUD. Keep in mind that bathing in tap water & especially breathing in the steam of unfiltered water is not part of a healthy lifestyle. Chlorine will be absorbed through the skin & the steam vapor will go straight into the lungs. www.watershop.com.au. This is also why we recommend swimming in the ocean or fresh water instead of chlorinated pools.
8. Use a re-usable water bottle
Worldwide we currently consume over 200 billion bottles of water per annum with the majority of this ending up in land fills. Recycling is an unnecessary energy & resource expense when a simpler option available is to get a high quality re-usable bottle like the www.kleankanteen.com These are made of a food grade stainless steal so minimal to zero nickel is transfered into the water. Plastic Bottles leach unwanted chemicals into your drinking water which have been shown to disturb your bodies hormonal balance.
9. Drink 3.3% of your BW in H2O daily
Even mild dehydration decreases performance and places unnecessary stress on your body. Drinking 3.3% of your body weight in H2O (60kg person 2ltrs) is a simple modification that will have great long & short term benefits on your health. Adding a small pinch of unrefined sea salt to filtered water will add back in the minerals needed for effective osmotic transfer- getting water into the cell. Adding minerals to your water & spreading water intake throughout the whole day will avoid excessive urination. Having water no less than 30mins before and after meals will allow for better digestion. The easiest way we have found to get clients to remember to drink enough water is to buy a 1.2ltr or 2ltr Klean Kanteen to fill up each morning. Then even if you start the day with a glass of water, finish the bottles content and have one more glass of water when you get home, you will have easily met your daily quota for hydration. Keep in mind that processed fruit juices, soft drinks, alcohol* and caffeinated* beverages will further dehydrate you. So on the days you do consume these little extras, you will need to further increase your daily quota for water.
*should always be consumed on a full stomach
caffeine of any sort should be limited to 1 per day before 1pm
10.Have an epsom salt bath 1-3x per week
Having a bath in filtered water with 300-500g of epsom salts is a great way to release tension in the body. You need to be in the bath for 20mins for the magnesium sulphate (epsom salts) to really have the optimal muscle relaxation effect. Using your bath time to do a breathing meditation is a great way of further enhancing the therapeutic effects of the epsom salt bath. Following up the bath with your foam roller releasing work and corrective stretching program is also very beneficial. Having the bath in the evening is a great way of helping the body and mind relax and get into a good place for a great sleep.
11. Brush & Floss your teeth 2x per day
The build up of bad bacteria in the mouth can cause the accumulation of plague, calculus, gingivitis, bad breath & tooth decay. Brushing & Flossing 2 x per day is a great way to maintain not just oral health but also whole body health. If you suffer from any form of dental challenges it’s best to see a good dentist. Here is the contact detail of the dentist we work with http://www.shdc.com.au/
