All Posts by Mary Schurr

Why is water so important to your health, well-being, and even life itself? You can live around 3 weeks without food. But, you can only live about 3-7 days without water. Keep in mind your body is about 60-70% water and it is crucial to so many of its processes. Yes, water it's necessary for life, indeed! There are many opinions out there as to how much water a person needs per day. The best answer may be....it depends.

What are you grateful for today? Gratitude is a wonderful way to begin the day. We are told when we are stressed to think of the things for which we are grateful. That it is impossible to feel stress while feeling grateful. It's practice that can take place at the beginning of the day when you wake, at the end of the day before you sleep, or even at a traffic light during your commute. Perhaps, in the car really IS a good time to be grateful to offset the stress of rush hour! To be grateful you woke up to yet another day. 

Today as I scrolled my app that I sometimes use for guided meditation, but more often as a timer for it, I noticed a short 4 minute talk. The title was focused on how to live blissfully and I decided to give it a listen before meditating. Basically, it was about being grateful for life and reminding us that our life is really just a "brief happening" to quote the author. We woke up today. Hopefully, our loved ones all woke up today, too. Probably, a million people didn't wake up today or one of their loved ones didn't. We really are fortunate just to be here. To have another day. It was a simple, but really good reminder.

Fall is right around the corner. I know! It's hard for me to believe, too.  Bye bye summer and hello to cooler weather of fall. Back to school always made September feel like a new beginning for me. I thought of goals and plans for the rest of the year and for the next. A time of change or transition. For many, it is the perfect time for a detox, reboot, or reset. What exactly is a detox, reboot,  or reset? Is it a cleanse? Do you just drink juices or liquids? Lighter foods? Or just clean up your diet? Can anyone do it? Is it safe? The answer is that cliche we often hear. It depends.

There are many ways to detox (we'll use this term for now), but they don't all work well for everyone all the time. We are all different and at different points on our path. What works for you today might have been too much for you a year ago. Or not...if your health declines a bit due to stress or other lifestyle strains, then you may be backpedaling a bit and need an less stressful approach for your body. Basically, we are constantly changing, reacting, and adjusting to our circumstances and so must our routines, food choices, exercise, sleep, etc. It can benefit the body to give the digestive system a break for a day or so, but it should be based on each individual and their unique needs.

Did you know that plastic single use straws are the 7th top form of plastic pollution? Yes, there are other forms of plastic that are higher on the list such as plastic bottles, plastic wrap, etc. But, do we really need plastic straws in most cases? Their size and shape make them especially problematic to sea creatures. They really don't recycle very well in most systems due to being so lightweight and small. The micro-particles of plastic or microplastics have been found  ingested by birds, turtles, sealife, and show up in things such as sea salt or tap water. Most of us don't really don't need straws for most drinks and if we do, there are other solutions. Single use plastic straws are one small plastic item that we could work to reduce, if not eliminate, by just saying no to them.

Broccoli sprouts are such small little guys, so how could they be such a powerful medicinal food? Most people know that broccoli is a healthy food, but make room in the fridge for broccoli sprouts. I bought these from Crouching-Hippo Farm at Charlotte Regional Farmers Market and they just don't get any fresher, unless you sprout them yourself.

They have garnered a ton of attention for their cancer fighting ability, especially breast cancer, but other cancers as well,  by inhibiting the cancer stem cells from populating. There is recent research that indicates they may have compounds that can repair and regenerate nerve tissue (stimulating brain repair). Pretty big impact these little guys have!