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Your Body of Water

Your Body of Water

Yesterday, I took the opportunity to clean up and organize my office a bit.  I ran across one of the very first books I read while starting out on my wellness journey back in the early ’90’s:  Your Body’s Many Cries For Water written by F. Batmanghelidj, MD.  It reminded me how such a simple thing like water can have such a profound effect on our health.

Sixty percent of the adult human body is made up of water and it is essential for the optimal function of every cell, tissue and system in the body.  Yet, despite knowing how critical water is for human health, statistics show that almost half of American adults do not drink enough water on a daily basis.  Chronic dehydration can affect the body in many ways…including hindering our immune system.

How water affects your body and your health:

1. Water is a natural immunity booster.  Your body’s immune system uses the lymphatic system to circulate immune cells around the body while also removing wastes and toxins.  Your body relies on water to produce lymph.  Interestingly, the word lymph is derived from the Latin word lympha, meaning “water.”  Without adequate lymph, your white blood cells and other immune cells would not be able to travel throughout the body to defend against foreign invaders.  It also helps to boost immune function by getting rid of toxins.

2.  55% of your blood volume is water.  Blood is your waterway in which oxygen, nutrients, and hormones travel around your body and get delivered to your cells.  Dehydration can result in a decrease in blood volume and impede the transport of these vital elements throughout the body.  Blood is also responsible for toxin removal as well.

3.  Your brain gets a boost from water.  It has been shown that even mild dehydration can lead to a significant impairment in cognitive functions like alertness, concentration and short-term memory.  It appears that brain tissue fluid decreases with dehydration, resulting in reduced brain volume and cell function.  Water is also necessary for the brain to produce hormones and neurotransmitters, including melatonin.  If you remember back to an earlier blog post, melatonin is not only important for sleep, but also for immune function.

4.  Water is a key component of digestion.  It is needed to produce the digestive enzymes required to break down our food and ensure proper absorption of nutrients. Water also keeps waste products moving through the intestines.  If you don’t have enough water in your body, water is reabsorbed from the colon leading to constipation.

5. Water is necessary to generate energy.  Water is the medium for most chemical reactions in the body, especially reactions required for normal metabolism.  Metabolism is the process by which food is converted to energy to run all cellular processes.  Without adequate water, metabolic functions slow down which can result in a loss of energy.

For all these reasons, plus many more, it is important to make sure you are drinking enough water!  Dehydration can quickly sneak up on you.  In fact, by the time you are thirsty, you are probably already dehydrated.

So how much water do you need to keep your body well hydrated?

My general recommendation is 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water a day.  So for a 130 lb person that would be 65 ounces of water a day.   If you exercise and sweat a lot, you may need even more.  Getting this much water every day can seem like a daunting task, so I have included some fun tips for getting more water into your day.

Click here to Add Some Excitement to Your Water!

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Getting your Greens during Quarantine

Getting your Greens during Quarantine

Nutrient packed greens are a must for our health.  They benefit everything from our brains to our bones.  That includes supporting our immune system and our gut health, two areas top of mind these days.  I recommend 3 servings of leafy greens and at least 1 serving of another type of green vegetable a day.

That is equivalent to 3 cups raw or 1 1/2 cups cooked greens along with 1/2 cup of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus or cabbage…just to name a few.  Many find this challenging under normal circumstances, but it can be even trickery during corona confinement.

When we are only venturing out to the food store once a week, or for some, once every 2 weeks, getting enough spinach, kale and collards to support this daily requirement can be difficult.  We have all experienced the defeat of buying a large bag or container of greens that wilt and become slimy within a few days.  So how the heck do we keep our greens fresh and viable now for a week or more?

Here are some tips that I use to keep my greens garden fresh:

  • Buy a large container or bag of greens and freeze half in a ziplock bag with the air squeezed out.  You can eat fresh for a few days and then have frozen greens for smoothies, stir frys or sautees. 
  • Layer greens with paper towels in an airtight container.  The paper towels absorb the moisture that leads to accelerated decay.  The sealed container keeps excess air from circulating in and out, slowing down the wilting process.
  • I like to place fresh herbs in a glass of water and cover in plastic wrap secured with a rubber band.  Green herbs such as parsley and cilantro will stay fresh for 7-10 days.  You can also place herbs in a airtight container layered with paper towels as well. 
  • I place hardy green vegetables such as Brussels sprouts and asparagus in GreenBags which keeps the produce fresh for a good 2 weeks.  Click here to purchase from Amazon.

So next time you get out to the grocery store, don’t hesitate to stock up on the greens.  These tips will help keep them tasty and full of life for many days.  Getting your daily greens is truly the one of the most important things you can do to support optimal health. 

Click here to see 9 Amazing Benefits of Greens

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Start a Garden without Leaving Home

Start a Garden without Leaving Home

I have something exciting to share with you today!  My friend and colleague, Debby Ward, is offering a FREE mini course on how to Start a Container Garden without Leaving Home.  Debby is offering this course for all those who want to try their hand at growing their own food.  She presents an easy 5 step process for starting your own container garden.  

Debby is a master at organic gardening and is often referred to as “Garden Coach Deb.”
I had the privilege of interviewing Debby on the topic of organic gardening for my upcoming Healthy Aging Summit.  She truly knows the secrets of organic gardening…even how to keep those pesky pests away!

Debby is offering this course for FREE because “we all need to help each other right now.”

Here’s what you will get in Debby’s Free Course:

  • Three Sessions plus Bonus material
  • Three 10 min-ish videos
  • Proven 5 Step Process to Start Your Container Garden
  • Resource Links
  • Professional Instruction

PLUS: One 20 Minute Organic Gardening Coaching & Discovery Call included to answer all your questions.

So, if you are looking for something new and fun to do or just want to jump start your summer gardening, this is a great opportunity to learn from the best!

Click here to learn more! 

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Hope isn’t Cancelled

Hope isn’t Cancelled

The weeks of being confined in my home have started to get to me!  Up until now, I haven’t felt like my life has been severely impacted.  Other than not being able to run out to my favorite store on a whim, I am still able to consult with my clients virtually, take care of their testing and supplement needs, and write my blog posts!  I am able to hug my husband and daughter every day and cuddle with my adorable dog, Ellie.

I am also lucky to have exercise equipment in my home and beautiful woods a mile down the road where I can take my daily hikes.  However, with Easter approaching, I am beginning to feel home isolation wearing on me.  Today, what I am missing most is the rest of my family….my son, my moms, my sisters, my brothers, my nieces, my nephew and, the newest addition to our family, my great niece.

Holidays are family time, and there is nothing I cherish more in life than family.  Yes, we can call, face-time and Zoom, but it does put a damper on the holiday knowing that we can’t hug our loved ones during this special time of Easter and Passover celebrations. 

However, Easter is a symbol of hope, renewal and new life.  For Christians, the hope we have been given by the rise of our Savior, Jesus Christ, doesn’t waver or weaken in the midst of the pandemic.  Yes, many of us are frightened and worried, feel helpless and confused, but Easter brings hope and comfort that we will get through this crisis. 

A wonderful quote from Rev. Debra Haffner really sums up this Easter spirit: “ We need Easter more than ever this year. We are living in the darkness of Holy Saturday.  We, too, need rebirth and resurrection.”

We might not be able to celebrate with our loved ones this year, but the message of this season is one of hope.  I find solace in hope.  Hope that we will overcome this crisis together and be resurrected, revitalized and more resilient than ever.

Here are some things I am doing to lift and revitalize my spirit this weekend and help me center my heart on being grateful and hopeful.  

1. Listen to the 2018 Handel’s Messiah concert by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra that will be streamed over the internet on April 10 at 7 pm MDT. You can find out more information here.
2. Stroll through the woods and take in the beauty and glory of nature.
3. Stream my church service on Sunday morning to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and remember that the hope his resurrection brings is with us EVERY day.
4. Take joy in remembering Easter’s past and our family’s traditional egg wars.
5. Connect with family and friends and make plans to see each other in the NEAR future!
6. Loving on the family I am blessed to have physically with me during this time.

Happy Easter and Happy Passover to you and your family.

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Sugar Weakens the System

Sugar Weakens the System

Yesterday, I recommended starting the day out with a well-balanced meal to keep you full, fueled and feeling good in your healthy home haven.  By avoiding refined carbohydrates and sugary foods, you prevent the sugar coaster that leads to cravings for and over indulgence in unhealthful foods.  You also dodge the substance that can actually weaken your immune system: sugar. 

Eating or drinking too much sugar suppresses the immune system cells that attack invaders. When you eat a candy bar or down a bottle of soda, your white blood cells literally become paralyzed and unable to do their job of gobbling up any invading bacteria.  This suppression in activity of the white blood cells can last up to 5 hours after consuming a sugary sweet treat.   The research shows that consuming 75-100 grams of sugar a day has a negative impact on the immune system.  That is equivalent to 2 cans of soda.  I know that seems like a lot of sugar and many of you rarely drink soda, but there are hidden sugars everywhere, and they do add up.

Let’s use our breakfast example from yesterday. Grams of sugar in the following foods:
1 cup of Cheerios = 12 grams
½ cup of skim milk = 6 grams
8 oz glass of orange juice = 22 grams

And if you top it off with a cup of coffee sweetened with 2 tsp of sugar, you have just added another 8 grams.

So in this seemingly innocent meal you have already consumed 48 grams of sugar!

2 hours later, when you are hungry again, you reach for a granola bar and add another 15 grams of sugar to the count. Or maybe you think you are making a healthier choice by grabbing a low-fat yogurt containing as many as 30 grams of sugar.

You can see how the grams of sugar begin to add up!

We are all striving to stay healthy right now and doing all we can to maintain a strong immune system.  Curbing that sweet tooth should be part of the overall plan.

I know that reducing your sugar intake can be tough.  Sugar is a very addictive substance and it is hidden everywhere.  So I put together a couple Sugar Hacks to help you kick the sugar habit.

Sugar Hacks to Kick the Sugar Habit

Looking for a good book to read, any recommendations? 

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!