Cheers to Healthy + Happy + Hydrous

Cheers to Healthy + Happy + Hydrous

Winter is a surprisingly dry season in Arizona. It’s easy to forget this after dealing with the insane heat of summer, but it’s true. Things like sinus headaches, ear/sinus infections, colds, and dry, cracking skin are a few of the signals that let us know things are a little dryer, and more vulnerable than our bodies would like.

Here are few tips to staying happy, healthy, and hydrous all winter long:

H2O My Friends –

When it’s not a blistering 115 degrees outside it’s easy to cut back on our water intake. We feel less thirsty in general and when we’re cold we tend to prefer drinks with caffeine or sugar i.e. hot chocolate, tea, and coffee. We instinctually want to warm up from the inside out but the problem is that the things that make our water taste better are actually working against us and dehydrating us – drying us out even more. So, try this next time you’re feeling a little chilly…

-Start your morning with hot/warm water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. This not only gets your hydration levels up it also helps to kick start your digestive system.

-For every cup of caffeine/sugar you drink (think fruit juice, coffee, tea, milk, etc.) follow it up with a cup of plain water to keep hydration in balance.

Nasya Oil –

Nasya Oil is an ancient Ayurvedic tool for keeping nasal and ear passages healthy. It is extremely helpful in contributing to immune system health, nervous system health, and moisturizing our sensitive systems. Nasya oil is not only handy in the winter months for dry, windy, cold days but is also a tremendous help whenever you are in an environment where there is a lot of blowing dust and pollen. Ummm, so pretty much every day in Phoenix.

This tip isn’t for the faint of heart since using Nasya oil requires a little, well, open-mindedness but trust me when I tell you that the benefits are definitely worth it.

In order to receive the best benefits, drop a few drops of oil in each nostril with your head tipped back and take a few sharp sniffs! Sniffing deeply allows the oil to coat all of the little mucus membranes in your nose and keep them safe and sound from viruses and irritations while also going deep enough to reach the back of the throat and cervical lymph. Try this one out and you’ll so glad you did. Nasya oil is an awesome buddy to keep on hand all year long.

Go Au Naturale –

We have all dealt with dry, cracking skin at some point in our lives, and we all know what a bummer it is. We keep reapplying the lotions and potions trying to combat the dryness, and heal our skin. This is a great idea in theory however I encourage you to think about what lotion you are lathering on all winter long.

Our skin is the largest organ we have and it’s absorbing everything we put on it and taking right into our blood stream. Look at almost any bottle of lotion from the store and you are certain to find at least one ingredient you can’t pronounce. There are a lot of ingredients in our lotion that we would not eat if they were in our food but we don’t think twice when putting them on our skin. When we coat these chemicals on our bodies we are soaking in toxins and taxing our already overworked immune system. While moisturizers and lotions seem innocent keep in mind that a lot of those clever companies actually put ingredients in the lotion that encourages dry skin (think parabens, petroleum, and aluminum) to keep us coming back for more.

Now, I know that natural products don’t always feel as nice or smell as good - trust me I still struggle with the switch over myself – but there are more and more awesome products on the market that you would be ok eating if someone dared you, and these are the things we should be lathering on and soaking up. Next time you are getting ready to call it a night, try mixing a little coconut/olive/ or mct oil and lavender essential oil on your feet and hands so while you sleep your body is being rejuvenated and rehydrated. There are also a few great companies (and local!) that make all natural healing balms and lotion bars too that go on a little thicker and last a little longer that also smell great and are daytime wearable.