The One Car Theory in Health

I am married to the most amazing man. I mean, like seriously, he is my rock and without him I would have probably derailed long ago. The things that pop into his head are crazy, and amazing.

The other night we were having dinner and he said to our boys, “what would happen if you only got one car in your entire lifetime? The car you buy today is the only car you could ever, or would ever have. What would you do with it? How would you treat it?”

We have 5 boys, 2 are grown and the youngest 3 who still live with us are 9, 6 and 4. All 3 of them stopped eating and started to think about it. As did I. Matt is in the auto industry so his analogy was a perfect demonstration of something that anyone, even our 3 young children could understand. I told him I was going to steal it.

Are you going to wash the car, have routine maintenance performed, let the air in the tires get low, spill food all over in it or let it run out of gas? No, probably not. Why is that? Most likely because that vehicle was expensive and you are going to end up paying for it over time. Without that vehicle, it is hard to get to your job, bring your kids to school, go to the grocery store and take care of other basic needs. Right!?

Now, think about your body. How are you going to, or do you treat your body? It’s like the car theory discussed above, it will be the ONLY one you will ever have. Food is one of the most important factors when it comes to our physical health, beaten only by air and water. You can survive for about 4 minutes without air (please do not try this). I am not sure about you but I could go for about one of those 4 minutes. You cal also survive 4 days without water, and about 40 days without food. Sleep is also extremely important and often overlooked.

Food

Are you going to eat fast food every day or feed it whole, high quality organic, enzyme rich, nutrient dense, non-GMO, low glycemic nutrition? Food is not considered anything we can shove into our mouths, chew and swallow. If it doesn't benefit the body, why are we eating it? Of course there are going to be things we cheat with, however, is that something we should be doing often? No. Our bodies need all the nutrients we can get, and that means whole foods, not convenience meals. Many substances in the world have little to no nutritional value and should never be ingested.

Choose Quality Over Quantity

The quality of the food you choose to eat matters more than the quantity of it. Let's talk about juicing. Juicing is a great way to get some of the nutrients you need, but in small amounts. If you were to take the raw ingredients you are going to juice and eat it whole, would it fill you up? Try it sometime. Start eating the whole food amounts juice and stop when you are full. Make note of that amount. Now, juice the same amount. Compare that to the amount you would normally juice. That whole ingredient portion is the amount your body can effectively process at one time. Think of all the fruits and veggies you are wasting by juicing that big glass of lovely nutrients. Your body cannot use it all. If you were to juice 12 heads of lettuce, you would maybe fill a 16.9 ounce bottle. Who could ever eat 12 heads of lettuce in one sitting?!

Water

How much water do you drink on a daily basis? I admit I am NOT a water drinker. However, since I started to cut out all carbonated beverages, soda, or sweetened drinks I crave water. Now that my body has been getting an adequate amount of water over the last few months, I feel so much better. I am not snacking between meals, I sleep better and my skin is glowing!

Dehydration plagues millions of people around the globe every day. We have access to clean, and safe drinking water, there is no reason why we are not getting what our body needs daily. There are over 15 billion cells in the body and they need water to function. According to my studies......

Percentage of water in various body parts:

* Teeth 55%

* Bones 13%

* Cartilage 55%

* Liver 71.5%

* Muscle Tissue 75%

* Spleen 75.5%

* Lungs 80%

* Brain 80.5%

* Plasma 90%

* Saliva 95.5%

Look at all the organs and tissues that NEED water to function and how much water they are made of. Improper consumption of water may lead to dehydration. If you are dehydrated you may experience:

* Fatigue

* Migraines

* Constipation

* Brain Fog

* Dry Skin

* Dry Mouth

* Tooth Decay

* Dandruff

* Dizziness

* Urinary Tract Infections

* Varicose Veins

* Gout

* Kidney Stones

* Wrinkles

* Death

The next time your stomach growls, reach for a glass of water instead of something to eat. We often mistake hunger for thirst. We need water for equilibrium, regulate body temperature, pH balancing, lubrication of the joints, bones, muscles and much more. Just think, if you suffer a 5% water loss in your body, you are likely to get a headache, will be unable to concentrate and probably be impatient.

Most people need to drink at least 1/2 of their body weight in water each day. Some need more if they are active or sweating a lot. Caffeinated drinks dehydrate the body so if you are drinking caffeine, drink the same amount in water. Having a 12 ounce cup of coffee or soda means drink 12 ounces of water to combat dehydration.

Sleep

I hear all the time, "I will sleep when I am dead". Well, if you aren't getting enough good sleep each day, you may get there faster than you wanted. Sleep is so very important. If it takes longer than 10-15 minutes to fall asleep, you are considered sleep deprived. The body cannot heal properly without sleep. Lack of sleep can cause issues with the reproductive and other systems in the body. Sleep is so important that you can go for about 11 days without sleeping before death occurs.

Sleep deficiency increases the risk of obesity, has been linked with depression, suicide and risk-taking behavior, it also affects how our bodies react to insulin. We need sleep to heal and repair our heart and blood vessels and keep our immune system strong and us healthy.

Sleep issues affect about 70 million Americans. If you are sleep deprived, you are in good company. That is not a good thing. About 100,000 auto accidents each year are caused by sleepiness, with about 1,500 people dying each year because of it. Here is a staggering statistic, about 500,000 deaths occur each year from sleeping pills! A prescription drug you received from your doctor may cause you harm. Here is a list of side effects associated with prescription and over the counter sleep aids:

* Premature death

* Amnesia

* Sleep-eating

* Sleep apnea

* Insomnia

* Obesity

* High blood pressure

* Increased risk of stroke

* Increased risk of heart disease

* Depression

* And much, much more!

After being pregnant with our 2nd to last child, breastfeeding, then getting pregnant with out last child and breastfeeding him too, my sleep rhythm was so disrupted. I am like many people who want to try something and feel better NOW! Unfortunately the issue didn't happen over night, expecting it to be better over night is not reality. I started out using essential oils and after about 6 months they started helping. Now I have switched to CBD oil and it has helped TREMENDOUSLY!

Please start thinking of ways to keep the wonderful body you have, healthy and functioning properly. If you would like to discuss healthier options and choices you have in your health management, please send me a message at melissa@sweetwillowspirit.com to get an appointment scheduled. I would love to work with you, you do have options! Have a wonderful day!

Love and light,

Melissa

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