Colder Weather - Staying Healthy During the Seasons

Brrrrr....It's sure getting colder in PA today.  I am not a winter person and this weather reminds me of that.  As the seasons change, so do our bodies.  Did you know that dehydration rises during the winter months for most people?

While many think that we need more water in the summer, truth is, we actually need just as much if not more in the winter. Dry heat blowing at home, in the car and at work along with the winter chill can cause dehydration so don't forget the water! Also, drinking water alone (ie. not with meals) means it can go directly where it needs to without being mixed with food so it's best to drink water between means instead to get full benefits.

Full benefits of hydrating yourself include - feeling less stressed, mood elevation, enhanced digestion and the energy to play 'chase' with those little ones (ok, maybe that is just me, I do have three adorable nephews with a lot of energy!).

Too Much Supplementation

How many of you take supplements? Did you know that you could actually be ingesting too much of a nutrient by taking it every day? When people come to my office with a bag of what they are taking, on average, 70% of the nutrients they are taking they test negative for. That means 70% of what they are taking they either don't need or is causing them harm.

Example: A gentleman came in with arthritic problems and a bag of supplements. One of the supplements was a so called neuro-enhancer. It contained what it termed nutrition for the nervous system. Part of what this nutrition was was an herb called ma huang - better known in the western world as an ephedra derivative (technically, ephedra sinica). I tested him and AS I WAS TESTING HIM, he started having the pain he came in to get help for. He stopped taking it and I gave him a homeopathic to balance his system and walla - no more arthritic problems.

My point is, it's not always that you are missing something, just as often, you need to let something go.

A favorite quote - Herman Hesse

From the book, Reflections, by Herman Hesse

"Spirit and soul, intellect and feeling are inseparable and interdependent; anyone who overestimates and overcultivates one at the expense of the other, or worse, in conflict with the other, is aiming at the half rather than the whole.

It is amusing to note that the pure intellectual, for all the aptness and acuteness of his judgments, soon grows tiresome. And the lofty enthusiasts of feeling, the poetic specialists of the heart soon grow equally tiresome. A nobel intellect that relies on itself alone and feeling reduced to its own resources both lack a dimension. We see this in daily life and in politics; in art it is still more evident."

What is good for humans is not always good for animals

We need to realize that what is healthy for us is not always healthy for our animals. Case in point, a 'healthy' sweetener - xylitol - is so toxic for your dog that you might not even get him to the vet before it's too late if he ingests it.

Click here for a full article on the subject.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/
2007-03-18-xylitol-sweetener_N.htm

Let's take care of our animals the way we would our children - recognizing that their bodies don't necessarily process foods like we do and we need to be gentle with them.

Big hug

Sometimes all anyone needs is a hug through the phone. Loving words and a loving heart. Not reasons or judgments - just the feeling that someone is there to hold them regardless of why or what for. Here's a big hug today...just because.

The Reason

Someone asked me today why I do so many things. Why I offer a newsletter, a blog, and various other things that are free. Why not charge people for these things or stop doing them altogether. I felt sad for my friend. You see, I do these things because I enjoy them. I love to share what I have learned with others. I love to do the newsletter every month and offer thoughts people might find useful on my blog. I love meeting new people through this work and learning from all of you as well. I do this in the present moment...and if at some point this is no longer fun, I will find something else that is. That to me, is life.

Wishing you the successful exploration of your own fun.

Blessings, Jenifer