Why you should drink more water.

Only Four Days

When you truly focus on the importance of ingesting water daily as simply important, you will find that it is vital to our body’s needs in order to survive. It is second only to breathing and having a heartbeat. The absence of water can only be endured with any safety for a very short time . . . 96 hours, give or take a few hours, based on overall health, size, physical exertion, and environmental impact of an individual. After the body goes without water for four days, organs start dying of thirst, respiration becomes difficult, uneven heart palpitations occur, vision blurs, the brain has difficulty focusing and making decisions, and eventually, that person expires.

Pure Water Vs. Water-Based Drinks

Read the label of any drink, whether it be a soft drink, a cup of coffee, or a dry martini straight up with two olives. The first ingredient listed, which is what the drink is made up of the most, will be water. But set a fresh bottle of Voss next to your drink and believe that it contains unrestricted water, with nothing added such as sugar, caffeine, alcohol, xenitol, or a myriad of other additives for taste. The body does not register that since the coffee is mostly water, it will receive the drink as a glass of water. It has to take in the sugar, the caffeine, the syrup added to the macchiato. These in of themselves now can actually work in the reverse of the healthy necessary hydration that drinking water provides. Alcohol, caffeine and citrus drinks all draw from the body, thereby dehydrating it by their very natures. Whether it’s a $13.00 liter of Voss, or water from your Pur faucet filter system in the kitchen, the best way to benefit from drinking water is this: drinking pure water.

When You Need to Drink

You have heard the “8 glasses of day” rule of thumb for drinking enough water. But tomorrow, you are going hiking in the San Bernadino Mountains. It will be 89 degrees hot, the hike is all uphill, then all downhill, you will be carrying a 10-pound backpack, and it will take four hours to hike roundtrip. You will need to drink up to 16 glasses of water to benefit from hydrating your body over that 16-hour period. Your friend, a slightly overweight man will need half as much more. Your 10-year-old son will need slightly less than you. What and where you exercise is important.

How Your Body Uses Water

Water is absorbed through the stomach walls to rejuvenate your major organs to keep them healthy and maintain their chemistry to best serve you. Most of the water filters down into the large intestine to carry other ingested material (breakfast, snacks, and maybe last night’s two glasses of wine) It will help digest and move everything into the small intestines, and keep moving it to relieve your body of all waste including toxins in the matter through the colon and out through the rectum. More and more doctors are calling attention to the “gut” of the matter for sluggishness, irregularity, and in some cases, even depression. 

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Massage Therapy to Treat Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia sufferers often struggle to deal with the pain and fatigue they go through on nearly a daily basis. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that consists of joint pains, poor memory or “brain fog”, muscles pains, excessive fatigue, restlessness, tenderness and oftentimes people with fibromyalgia also suffer from mood problems and depression as a side effect of dealing with the debilitating disease.

Medical Treatments for Fibromyalgia

It’s typical for those with fibromyalgia to be prescribed pain killers, antidepressant medication and sometimes even sleep medication or sleep supplements. Along with medications or supplements, people afflicted with fibromyalgia should also do regular aerobic exercise, sufficient relaxation time, stress reduction, heating pads and stress reduction if possible.

Massage Therapy as a Treatment Option

In addition to medical treatment, massage therapy is a supplement that can help alleviate the symptoms of some fibromyalgia sufferers. Neuromuscular massage and deep tissue massage are the types of massage that seem to prove the most beneficial for treating the effects of fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes.

Neuromuscular Massage

Neuromuscular massage is a combination of two Oriental-style massage techniques: acupressure and shiatsu. Acupressure and shiatsu are techniques where pressure is applied to certain points of the body, helping to relax the body and to bring balance to the body’s well being. Neuromuscular massage may reduce the chronic muscular and tissue pains that fibromyalgia causes.

Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage is a technique that improves the circulation of the body system. Comparable to a Swedish massage, it focuses on far deeper pressure to better release tension in the body. Additionally, deep tissue massage helps to change patterns of pain in the body and diverts it to a more balanced state.

What to Do During Your Massage Appointment

If you do go to a massage therapist to gain some relief from your fibromyalgia, keep in mind to notify the massage therapist of your having the syndrome. Alert them to how you have been doing lately with handling your fibromyalgia symptoms; they need to know how much pain you are in and what kinds of treatment options you are already undergoing to handle the syndrome. Even after discussing with the massage therapist what amount of pains you are currently in, you should let the massage therapist know during your massage whether the pressure is too much or too little and if it causes you more pain than good.

Realistic Expectations

Massage therapy can be helpful to treat fibromyalgia, but it shouldn’t be the only method of treatment used to treat the symptoms. Fibromyalgia is too much of a struggle to expect massage to be the only treatment to rely upon. With regular massage treatments, prescribed medications and regular exercise fibromyalgia symptoms will be as close to controllable as achievable for a still as of yet incurable syndrome. Always consult your doctor before trying a new treatment, and only go through with it with your doctor’s approval.

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The Ugly Truth About Sugar and Your Skin

As any dermatologist might say, your skin is your first line of defense. Because this is true, it is important to take good care of your skin. In addition, there are many ways to care for your skin, such as staying out of the sun, using sunscreen every day and lessening the amount of sugar you put into your body. Sugar is an enemy to your skin and other areas of your body such as your heart.

Because sugar is very acidic and causes inflammation, consuming too much of it can lead to breakouts of skin conditions such as acne and can also cause redness and irritation. 

Sugar, once it gets into your body, quickly breaks down into glucose, which causes your insulin levels to soar and later dip. When this happens, inflammation occurs. In addition, sugar lessens the collagen in your skin and when collagen depletes, wrinkles set in. In the end, sugar makes your skin dull and causes sagging.

Too much sugar can also cause under-eye puffiness. To counteract the effects of sugar, drink plenty of water and apply skincare products that are rich in anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids. Skincare products that are rich in anti-oxidants and fatty acids will plump up your skin and give it a fresh, young look. It is important to note; free radicals are linked to dry, wrinkled skin. Instead of eating high-sugar snacks, reach for low sugar snacks such as fruits and vegetables. Some may not know it, but the more sugar you consume, the more likely your body will develop a resistance to insulin. In addition, too much sugar is also linked to cellulite. 

Of course, it’s impossible to eliminate all sugar from your diet because fruits, vegetables and whole grains turn to glucose. Here are some ways to limit sugar in your diet:

• Keep a lookout for hidden sugar in food. Check the nutrition label on cans and boxes of prepared food. Sugar is listed in grams under total carbohydrates. 
• Once you find this, divide that number by four. This will convert the number to teaspoons. 
  • For example if you see that sugars are listed at 12g, you are getting three teaspoons of sugar for each serving.
• Avoid high fructose corn syrup! High fructose can be found in fruit-flavored drinks, packaged foods and snacks.
• Most importantly, wear sunscreen every day; specifically, SPF 30 sunscreen. Your skin can be damaged by too much sun, and nothing ages you faster than too much exposure to the sun, besides a poor diet that is.

To conclude, your skin is your body’s first line of defense and one of the best ways to keep it healthy and strong is to stay away from sugar! Find out more about sugar and your skin from other articles on the Internet.

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Finding the Right Massage Therapist for You

There are quite a few reasons you might want to see a massage therapist: stress relief, pain, rehabilitation, relaxation, better quality sleep, or maybe just a bit of bliss. You may be looking for a professional that can help you with one or more of these services, but seldom does a single professional offer all of them. One key to finding the right therapist for you, then, is to figure out exactly what you hope to achieve so that you can find a therapist who will best suit your needs. After all, there are many different schools and techniques for massage therapists, and one might suit your needs better than the others.

In addition, it’s important that you feel relaxed and comfortable with the therapist you end up with, since you’ll get the most benefit from the experience and certainly enjoy the it much more if you’re able to relax and feel at ease. When considering someone to be your massage therapist, getting answers to the following questions can help put your mind at ease:

• Is the therapist board certified?
• Have they committed to a code of ethics?
• Is the practitioner licensed in your state?
• Is the therapist trained in the specific technique you desire?

Once you’ve chosen your therapist, make sure to take some time to talk before the massage so that the therapist can address any concerns and ensure that you receive the result you hope for, whether that is enhancing your health and comfort or addressing a physical ailment.

The best-case scenario is an immediate connection with the therapist, a great massage that addresses all concerns you came in to alleviate. But if the experience did not go as expected and you don’t feel that further communication with the therapist would be helpful, a change in therapists is very easy. The previous experience will help you choose another therapist more aligned to your therapy goals. Try a new specialty and keep an open mind; massage therapists are in this field to help others and take a great deal of satisfaction from helping their clients attain their goals. After finding your perfect massage therapist, remember that your needs will probably not remain the same throughout your time together. Continuing to speak openly with your therapist is the best way to achieve the best results.
If you’re looking for a massage therapist in Wimberley, TX or the surrounding area, be sure to give us a call to schedule an appointment! We’d love to hear from you to discuss your needs, and we look forward to helping you in any way we can.

How To Prepare For A Waxing

Apply Some Heat To Your Skin

Taking a warm, not hot shower or bath, or applying a warm compress right before waxing will open up the skin’s pores and soften the skin, allowing the hair follicles to come out easier (this is not always possible). This not only helps with the pain factor, but helping prevent irritation from the wax pulling on the skin.

Be Clean

Come freshly showered.

Be Dry.

Cleanliness is appreciated, but please skip on the lotion, you’ll get better results if your skin is less oily.

Be Hairy.

Your hair should be at least ¼ of an inch in length (which makes it long enough to lay flat on your skin). Please don’t shave for at least two weeks prior to your appointment to ensure that your hair is long enough! Also, if you’ve ‘let it go’ down there please trim any longer hairs to the proper length prior to your appointment.

Be Comfortable.

If possible, wear loose clothing, if possible, that day to prevent irritation in the post-wax phase.

Be Relaxed.

Reportedly the more relaxed your muscles are, the better your hair removal results will be!

WHAT ABOUT PREPPING FOR PRE-BRAZILIAN WAXING?

Particularily for women, your skin is often more sensitive the time near your period, and waxing can be more painful than normal. So your appointment shouldn’t be any closer than a couple of days before or after your period. It is up to you, just be sure to wear a tampon and let me know prior.
Take Ibuprofen 30- 45 minutes before your appointment if you’re worried about pain. Limit caffeine for several hours prior to appointment. I use a numbing spray prior to every waxing, this will help with the discomfort by 50 to 90% in most clients. Taking antacids (Tums) prior to their appointment also helps.