Well Spring is Spring up all around us and my friends have grown used to me eating pollen to stave off allergies – yes it works and tastes like “dusty honey”.  So now that we are all outside more and our bones are rejoicing for the boost of Vitamin D, how do we keep our skin pretty and not put harmful chemicals on?  There are 3 vegetable oils I know of that all have a SPF ( Sun Protection Factor) of 8.  That means how ever long you could stay out in the sun without being burned is multiplied by 8.  So if you are fair and half an hour of Sunshine is all you can safely handle, with SPF8, you can be out for 4 hours. (30 minutes times 8 = 4 hours).  So the veggie oils are:  Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and Coco Butter.  These oils are also great in your hair.  And if you’re crafty you might be able to scam a mini massage out of someone by asking them to grease you up! Just remember to return the favor, it’s only polite.

Do your body a favor and drink more water! (cipher/creative commons)

Our bodies are 60-70 percent water, so drinking more water helps us in multiple ways. It helps regulate blood pressure, makes our skin soft, keeps our muscles supple and it provides an avenue of escape for toxins and waste products.  Even moderate dehydration makes us less alert and more likely to make mistakes. Without enough water, our joints and muscles also experience far more wear and tear than they need to.

This is why drinking water is so important after yoga or massage. Toxins and waste products that were settled in your body are now stirred up  and moving through your blood stream. Eek! But if you drink a little extra water during the 24 hours following your massage or yoga session, your kidneys will have what they need filter all that stuff out.

So how much water is enough water?  Well some people may claim I’m “prescribing medicine without a  license” if I quote you a specific amount, so I’m going avoid that!  Various websites offer conversion tables based on body weight and activity level.  Personally,  I judge by my urine.  If it’s near clear with just a tinge of color,   then I’m doing a good job!

I bet that if we did the lab work, we’d find that at least 70 percent of you are dehydrated right now!  In fact, I’m going to go enjoy a glass of water and invite you to join me.  Cheers to our good health!

- Mischi