"The Seven Pillars of Health"

I've just finished reading the greatest book: "The Seven Pillars of Health" and I wanted to share some of the big ideas that I learned that are changing our lives right now. The book is broken into 7 sections, each focusing on a different aspect of health, here are the big points that I thought were important and how we're incorporating them. The author is a Doctor, just so you know....and this is really long. Feel free to read it in section, all at once might take a while. :)

WATER
My mom's been telling me to drink more water FOREVER, but now I understand why. Here are some things you may not know about water:

-Water helps you loose weight.
-Water is the main lubricant in joints and helps prevent arthritis and back pain
-Water increases the efficiency of the immune system
-Water helps to prevent the clogging of arteries because it opens up blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
-Water is directly related to brain function-it is needed to produce hormones like serotonin and melatonin
-Water helps prevent memory loss with age
-Water gives skin a smoother and sparkling luster
-Water provides your bronchial tubes with the hydration it needs to prevent constriction, which will help ease asthma symptoms.
-Water is a cheap cure to digestive problems
-When your body doesn't get enough water it goes into starvation mode and saves all the water for your most important organs, so things like your digestive system and skin get left to shrivel, wrinkles anyone?
-Don't drink a ton of water with or right after meals because it flushes out important enzymes from your stomach that help with digestion.
-DO drink a lot 15-30 minutes before meals to help curb your appetite.
-Perfectly purified water is the best, and all bottled water is NOT equal. Arrowhead is a good choice, especially because it is alkaline which helps keep your body's pH levels normal. Here and Here are a couple of websites that compare water.
-Divide your weight in half, that's how many ounces of water you need every day.

I could go on, the point is that drinking the right amount of water is THE most important thing you can do for your body.

SLEEP AND REST
There was lots on snoring, sleep aids, insomnia and other stuff, but this is just the stuff that applied to me:

-Your body is designed to sleep when it is dark, like they always say: "Early to bed, Early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Sleep when it's dark. Our new schedule is 9:30-5:30 and we're loving it!
-Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night
-A study done by NASA showed that a 10-40 min nap each afternoon improved performance 34% and alertness 100%. Wow.
-Some hormones are ONLY released when you're sleeping, LEPTIN is an important one.
-LEPTIN "directly influences appetite and weight control. It tells the body when it is 'full.' A person who doesn't have enough of this regulating hormone often has a runaway appetite."
-Sleep lowers cortisol levels. Too much cortisol can make you irritable, more prone to depression, and anxious which can lead to all sorts of disease. blah
-When you can't fall asleep try to list twenty things you're grateful for. It takes my mind off of my worries and allows me to relax. I LOVE this new technique!


TO BE CONTINUED (when Teagan remembers to nap for longer than 45 minutes)