 My dear friend Allison Hopkins who has spent her career in the biotech industry, shared with us the past two weeks week information on the gut microbiome, alkalization and the benefits associated with the morning mojo. Her findings have been eye opening and inspiring. Pretty incredible that a simple little drink that we can make at home for pennies is so incredibly impactful to our health. If you missed last two week’s blog post, you can catch up real quick here: Part 1: Mircrobiome // Part 2: Alkalization. This week is going to be focused on hydration. She makes it fun, promise! Here’s Allison: Hydration is perhaps the single most important attention you can provide to your body. Our bodies are made up of 3/4 water. Three quarters of that water is contained within our cells and the rest make up various fluids such as blood, gastric juices, bile, mucus, and the fluid surrounding our brain and spinal cord. Water is critical to transportation of nutrients, hormones, and chemical messages throughout our bodies. Our bodies utilize two main processes, called hydrolysis and osmosis, to support life. Hydrolysis is the chemical breakdown of a compound due to a chemical reaction with water. Water is involved in not only helping move food from our mouths through our digestive system, but also, through the process of hydrolysis, breaks down the nutrients from our food so that they are available for our bodies to use, and then carries those nutrients to our cells. Don’t be fooled - our cells are just hanging around ready to receive those nutrients. Remember, our cells are made up of water, in fact 75% of the cell is water. And through the process of osmosis, a process by which molecules pass from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, equalizing the concentrations on both sides, our cells are able to receive nutrients. If our cells are not properly hydrated they cannot receive nutrients from our blood as effectively. Inside the cells all of the amazing nutrients from our food, including mineral salts and electrolytes, combine to fire up the mitochondria, the power plant of the cell, and the key to a healthy metabolism. But metabolism leaves behind all kinds of waste products within the cell, and water facilitates the removal of waste from our cells. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what water does for our bodies. Water also regulates temperature. It stores heat like passive solar energy, and helps to cool the body through perspiration. Water makes up the synovial fluid between our joints and serves as a cushion that keeps our joints and spinal discs from rubbing together. Water is part of our immune system, and like all other cells makes up a significant amount of our white blood cells and lymphatic fluids, which carry toxic substances and carcinogens to the lymph nodes where they can be destroyed and removed from the body. Our brains, the most important organ in our whole body, is made up of 85% water! We know that water conducts electricity, and within our brain our neurons are constantly sending electrical impulses to send messages to our bodies. So without a well hydrated brain those electrical functions can’t occur effectively. Ever notice that when you’re dehydrated you have “brain fog”? This is why! So at the very least, making a habit of drinking morning mojo each morning is a great way to start off your day with hydration. Even if the thought of drinking ACV and lemon juice is tough to swallow at first, starting your day with a big glass of water is a great healthy habit and good start. You can always increase the amount of ACV and lemon as you acquire a taste for it. One closing thought for you to consider. It is recommended that we drink ½ of our body weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 150 lbs you should be drinking about 75 ounces of water each day. This may seem like a lot at first, and you might think that you don’t even feel that thirsty. How could you possibly drink that much water? Well, we as humans are very good at compensation. Our bodies do a lot to keep us ticking without us even realizing it, and this is true in the case of water as well. Our brain requires a lot of water, and if it doesn’t have the water it needs we will find ourselves in a very serious state. So our bodies compensate to ensure that we are able to stay alive even in times of water shortages. Our bodies will pull water from our cells and deliver it to the brain to ensure that this important organ has everything that it needs. But this is at the cost of all of those other systems and processes that I describe above. We need to be drinking water throughout the day in order to ensure that our cells and bodily fluids are fully hydrated as well. By the time our brains start telling you that it needs more water it has already taken a large part of the water it needs from other parts of the body. By the time you feel thirsty you’re already quite dehydrated, impacting the efficacy of all of your other bodily systems. So whether our grandparents knew it or not, there is something about starting the day with a glass of ACV and lemon juice. If for nothing else, it helped to support their hydration. While research findings and opinions are varied on the topics addressed in this blog series there is a lot of evidence that points towards benefits associated with apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. As with everything, moderation is key. And perhaps even more importantly, you need to determine what helps you feel your very best. Personally, I’ve experienced a multitude of positive results that I believe are associated with incorporating Morning Mojo into my morning routine. If nothing else, starting your day off with a nice hydrating glass of water can only benefit you and the health of your body. Inspired to give the Morning Mojo a try - download our recipe here :  Drink up buttercup!
Allison & Paige Inspired to give the Morning Mojo a try - download our recipe here : https://wilcoxwellnessfitness.lpages.co/mojo/ Want more support? Join our free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WilcoxHealthyLiving/ Join our free private FaceBook Group - Healthy Living with Wilcox Wellness & Fitness to connect with us live. Daily we post all things healthy living - pro tips for healthy living, recipes, and weekly workouts for you to do at home. We will answer any question you post and we encourage you get involved in the discussion. Don't miss another post. Join our mailing list here: http://www.wilcoxwellnessfitness.com/keep-in-touch.html
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