This is a guest post by Katherine Atkinson, owner of Mind Body and Sole, a holistic health practice with a focus on Foot Zone Therapy, Nutritional Therapy, and Energy Therapies like Jin Shin Jyutsu.
One of the many benefits of Foot Zone Therapy is that it aids the body in releasing toxins, but eliminating those toxins requires some help from you.
To prevent the toxins from redepositing in the body you want to make sure you’re drinking enough water. A good general guideline is to drink half your body weight in ounces per day. So if you weight 140 pounds, a good guidelines would be to drink 70 ounces of water a day.
One way of doing that is to find a container that holds 35 ounces and fill it up in the morning. By 3:00 PM, the container should be empty. Fill it up again and then by 9:00 PM it should be empty again.
Try keeping your container with you at your desk or on the kitchen counter where it’s noticeable. The more you see your water container, the more likely you'll be to take sip.
Which bring me to the next tip. You also want to sip your water throughout the day - don’t “chug” it. Your body monitors the amount of water in the bloodstream and if you drink a lot all at once, the body will signal an elimination. Not only will you eliminate excess water, but also electrolytes - minerals that the body uses to hold the water in the cell so the body can use it.
Staying properly hydrated not only helps the body release toxins, but helps the body in other ways too.
Proper hydration:
- Improves oxygen delivery to cells
- Transports nutrients
- Cushions bones and joints
- Regulates body temperature
- Lubricates joints
- Improves cell-to-cell communications
- Maintains normal electrical properties of cells
- Empowers the body’s natural healing process
If the thought of drinking plain water isn’t very appealing, try this refreshing Cucumber Herb Water.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 springs rosemary
- 1 handful thyme
- 1 handful mint
Instructions:
Wash and thinly slice 1/2 cucumber.
Add herbs to a pitcher and gently crush against the sides of the pitcher to release the essential oils in the herbs. Add cucumber slices and fill with water. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
For more information on the benefits of proper hydration, check out "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.