Drinking Water But Still Dehydrated?

You may be saying, " I'm good, I drink water all day." Or you may be saying, "I drink water all day and I still feel thirsty." Maybe you are the person who drinks water all day and also has to go to the bathroom 20 times a day because of it. Just because you are drinking all of this water does it mean you are hydrating your cells efficiently? The answer is no.

Even with all the water drinking most people's body is still actually dehydrated.
What are some signs and symptoms of cellular dehydration and fascial dehydration?
1. Thirst
2. Bad breath
3. Headache and migraines
4. Constipation
5. Dry skin
6. Difficulty falling asleep
7. Waking in the night to urinate
8. Brian fog, short attention span
9. Joint stiffness and pain
10. Soft tissue pain that doesn't go away with stretching or exercise
11. Muscle pain, chronic knee, hip, low back or neck pain
12. Craving sugar or carbohydrates
13. Wrinkles of the skin
14. Hot flashes for women

What does it mean to be dehydrated? Basically, anytime a person uses or loses more water than it takes in and absorbs that person's body will be in a dehydrated state. There are degrees of dehydration from mild to the extreme which can result in death. The body can tolerate a 3-4%  loss of body water. We begin to notice some or all of the above symptoms when the % moves to 5-8%.  Besides degrees of dehydration there are 3 types of dehydration: losing equal amounts of water and sodium at the same time, losing more sodium than water or losing more water than sodium. If you lose more water than sodium your cells and possibly your brain will shrink. On the other hand if you lose more sodium than water your cells and possibly your brain will swell. If cells swell too much they will burst and thus you have cell death.


The body is composed approximately of 50-65% water. This varies depending on gender, fat composition, age and other factors. The most important thing you can do for your health is maintain optimal levels of water in your body. When we discuss how an individual should hydrate the first thing we speak about is water intake. There are some who say everyone should drink at least 2 liters a day.  In my opinion I think it is more important to look at individuals and go with the baseline recommendation of 1/2 a person's body weight in ounces over a 24 hour period. This ensures there is a safe and proper balance between the fluid inside and outside a person's cells. As always too much of a good thing can be bad. Too much water can burst cells. In the extreme, too much water, consumed too quickly can cause death. We have all heard of this related to college hazing where students drink an entire Sparkletts bottle of water in less than an hour and end up dead.

Ideally we want to be consistent with our water intake. Which means its better to sip from a 32 ounce bottle of water throughout the day than to down the whole 32 ounces in a couple of hours.

Besides the speed at which we drink water, what is the main center regulating how we absorb the water we put into your mouth? The small intestine is where we will get most of our water absorption.  Making sure you drink water at least an hour before meals is another good way to help increase your ability to effectively hydrate. If we eat while drinking water then the water has to wait in the stomach as the stomach breaks down the food. Some of the water will bind to the food and actually be passed out the bowel instead of being absorbed into the blood stream or cells.

Now many of you know I'm big on coconut water after a massage or some kind of electrolyte water. The reason is due to the need to hydrate effectively after a massage. Water by itself is not enough to get it into the cells to be absorbed, it must have a companion. Coconut water is filled with minerals that serve as companions to water. The biggest water carrier is sodium. Sodium in turn requires glucose and amino acids for its transport across a cell.  Again all of these can be found in coconut water. Basically, to achieve the proper balance between the inside and outside of a cell you need the proper balance of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium etc), the proper amount of glucose, the correct amino acids and clean water. After a large majority of the water is absorbed in the small intestine, the next up take will be in the large intestine and then finally in the colon. Therefore, it is the utmost importance to have a highly functioning digestive system. Hence, the reason for periodic cleanses to increase the changes of effective absorption of water and other essential nutrients.

When there is too much water outside of the cell the body will eliminate it through the bowels and the urine. Mostly, we see excess water leaving via the urine. So when you are drinking your 20 glasses of water and going to the bathroom every 5 minutes you know you have more water outside your cells and you have not been absorbing it into your blood stream where its going to do the most good.

In speaking about intracellular hydration you can also get water from certain foods to help with your, 1/2 your body weight baseline. Consuming pears, celery, cucumber, watermelon and spinach (to name a few) will help increase your water intake (as all of these have a high water content), if you just can't get all the water you need in a glass.

Now when factoring in consuming the proper amount of water you also have to take into account your activity level. The more active you are the more water you will need.  You will also need to factor in your environment and the temperature of that environment. Water helps regulate body temperature. The hotter it is outside your body the more water your body will need inside. For women, when you lack a water reserve and your hormones are out of balance if the room temperature is warm your there won't be enough water to cool you down. In the face of inadequate internal water the body's alternative means of cool the body down is to sweat. Thus during menopause if you are dehydrated you will experience more hot flashes. Going along with this women, at night your body produces less water. If you already have a low reserve in general then your body will sweat at night to help keep you cool, leading to one reason for your night sweats during menopause. So ladies entering or in menopause, consider drinking coconut water or electrolyte water of some kind an hour prior to going to sleep.

Moving away from the fluid inside cells we come to extracellular fluid. The Extracellular Fluid (ECF) serves as a bridge between cells and organs, while also influencing the volume and strength of the intracellular fluid (ICF). When speaking of ECF we are also discussing the plasma and interstitial fluids as well as fluids such as cerebrospinal, intraocular and synovial fluids. Research is not showing these fluids are the world of fascia. Therefore, the desire to hydrate the fascia is a need to bring the proper water content to the ECF regions of the body.

Through journals such as the Journal of Canadian Chiropractic Association, we are being introduced to the new and current research on Fascia and the make up of ECF. Because fascia and the ECF come in so many forms it can be considered a colloidal substance changing between a free flowing water state to a more gel state. In it's most unhealthy state is acts like rawhide and does not move at all. From the new research we learn about the histology of fascia being a type of cell called a fibroblast. It is these fibroblast we are attempting to affect when we seek to hydrate fascia and thus the ECF matrix. A dehydrated fibroblast becomes like rawhide and becomes difficult to re-hydrate. You can think of this journey to a rawhide state similar to leaving a soft contact lens out of water for too long. If you realize soon enough that you missed putting the lens into its container and find it on the counter you can soak and gently rub it in contact solution and it will re-hydrate and you can wear it without issue. Now miss your container and go to bed. Well, when you wake up in the morning and find that lens on the counter, it is now rolled in on itself and is hard and brittle. You will not be able to re-hydrate it and definitely will not be able to wear it.  Ideally, you want to catch your fascia before it becomes like a contact lens left out over night. Getting to your fascia soon enough to hydrate it properly can be related more to the action of putting water into a sponge. You want to add water to the sponge, then apply a force ( a squeeze) to extend the water through all parts of the sponge and allow excess to leave. Now you are ready to use the sponge most effectively. This is true of your fascia and how massage (manual manipulation) helps to hydrate your tissues. 

If we think of the sponge again, let's put that sponge in a bucket of water. Take it out but don't squeeze it and now try to use it. What happens, the sponge won't absorb more fluid and it is a dripping mess. This is another answer to why after drinking your 20 glasses of water you go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. The water is just accumulating in the spaces but isn't being taken into the fibroblast (there was no squeeze to take in it) to be utilized. We need a homeostasis between the water the fibroblast squeezes into the extracellular matrix as fluid and the water the fibroblast moves around as the gel like substance. The pressure between these two states is what keeps our joints cushioned and is our general means of stability. Therefore, when your massage therapist applies a gentle, slow and steady compression lasting for a short period of time, applies a short, slow stretch, or a gentle knead or twist to your tissue they are hydrating your fascia.

What can you do at home to complete the hydration process after you drink your water and lower the risk of the unfavorable signs and symptoms of dehydration? You can apply a pumping action to your arms and legs, you can do a gentle little twist to your tissues or you can learn to Melt. By doing these techniques and tips I provided above, you will truly be hydrating and improving your overall well-being.

For more information on how to begin to learn the Melt Method visit my website: www.colette.massagetherapy.com

If you have any question feel free to email me at: 2dolphincolette@comcast.net

Are You Missing Your Core

All you have to do is ask google what your core is and the images you will see will be something like this

(Picture from Anatomy Altas)

Heavy on the Abdominal muscles. You'll see a lot of photos of bulging 6 packs. You will be given exercises focused on getting every muscle in your abdominal cavity rock hard. If your core is made up of all these "stomach" muscles then why are we still so unstable? What are we missing when it comes to strengtheing our core?

What we and most trainers are overlooking is the Diaphragm!

By definition a Core is the central, most important part of something.

Researchers in recent years are putting  out more and more information showing how the diaphragm is linked to just about every major system that keeps us alive. One of the biggest systems supported by the diaphragm is the body's Respiratory functions. As a person would die without being able to breath why have we ignored the diaphragm for so long? Maybe because it isn't out in front showing off like the Rectus Abdominis (pictured above) better known as the stomach's 6 pack.


When asked what is the primary muscle of respiration, I bet you wouldn't say the diaphragm. After reading to the end I'm sure you will now.


The diaphragm is so much more than just the primary muscle of respiration. It is one of our most complex muscles.

However, here I'm going to try not to get us lost in the complexity but rather try to reveal it's importance and wide reaching connection to other parts of the body.

In simple terms we can say the diaphragm is composed of  muscle, tendentious and fascial material. It is connected to the lower 6 ribs, the sternum, the spinal vertebrae, the Transersus Abdominis muscle and the Psoas muscle. It is part of the information super highway with various important nerves passing through it. Via its neuronal connections it is associated with the functioning of the TMJ, floor of the mouth and the pelvic floor. Its contraction and connection to the thoracic duct makes it the main facilitator of the lymph fluid being delivered to its final destination within the heart. It helps regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Finally it helps to regulate stress. Are we starting to understand why it is truly the body's core?


Since the diaphragm has be hidden and misunderstood for so long many of us are walking around with a dysfunctional core. You might be amazed how many of your aches and pains are probably due to this dysfunction.

What are some signs your diaphragm is offline and not functioning properly?

1. Your lower stomach extends down and past your hip bones while your low back sways/curves
2. Your upper stomach appears sunken under your lower ribs and your chest appears puffed out
3. When you raise your arms to your ears your elbows bend outward
4. Your head tilts excessively forward
5. You suck your stomach in when you inhale a breath
6. You raise your shoulders as you inhale
7. You push your upper chest forward as you inhale
8. You have chronic rib pain and/or need regular rib adjustments
9. You have chronic horizontal mid back pain
10. You breath through your mouth when resting
11. You have to take frequent deep breaths with a sigh and/or yawn
12. You have or had a hiatal and/or inguinal hernia

Ways to help get your diaphragm back online, enhance your posture and improve your breathing

1.  Soften and stretch the  fascia of your abdomen
2.  Stop trying to create rock hard abdominal muscles
3.  Stretch your quadratus muscles
4.  Strengthen your hamstrings and lower glutes
5.  Stretch the pectoral muscles
6.  Stretch the psoas muscles
7.  Begin to do more with your left hand
8.  Intentionally walk making sure to move opposing limbs i.e. take your first step with your left  foot while swinging your right arm forward and then your right foot with your left arm.
9.  Go back to crawling like a baby at least once a week. Here again use an opposing limb  movement.
10.  Stretch and soften your jaw muscles
11.  Practice extending your exhale

Now let's play around with some techniques to help activate your diaphragm and enhance your breathing.  


1. Extending your exhale:

• Either start by laying on your back or standing ( you want to make sure there is no bending       around the bottom ribs if possible) now inhale for a count of 1, hold for 1 and exhale for             your goal is to reach an 8 count
• Try exhaling with a candle : sit in front of a candle, create a circle with your lips (like you are going to breath through a straw), now breath slowing and gentle into the candle trying to make it flicker but not extinguishing the flame.

 2.  Connecting with the sides of your body. Lateral rib expansion:

       * Place your hands on the sides of your ribs, inhale through your nose while expanding your ribs
          into your hands, exhale through your mouth and feel your ribs drop toward your hips and                     make less contact with your hands. Repeat three times
3.   Modified circular breathin
      * Place your tongue to the roof of your mouth, inhale through your nose, pause, release your                  tongue, slowly drop open your jaw while exhaling through the mouth

One of the cutting edge information providers is the Postural Restoration Institute. From their site I have learned of the benefits of balloon breathing and the 90-90 hip lift balloon breath. The later is a pretty advanced technique, therefore I recommend you start with everything above building up to the full 90-90. You may also want to come in for help to make sure you are using proper form.

Variation one:

1. Hold a balloon to your mouth with your left hand
    put your tongue to the roof of your mouth
    inhale through your nose
    pause and release your tongue
    exhale into the balloon for a count of 4
    clamp the balloon closed with your left fingers,
    pause for a count of 4
    repeat : starting with the inhale through the nose
    You'll do 4 breaths in through the nose and
    3 breaths exhaled into the balloon with the 4th out          
    breath without the balloon

 Variation Two:

2. Lay on your back with your feet flat, shoulder width apart and touching a wall

    (don't push into the wall)

    put a ball or something between your knees

    keep your stomach soft throughout

    using your hamstrings lift your pelvis off the ground

    while keeping your back flat on the ground

    make sure not to press your feet into the wall

    repeat 4 times

   

Variation Three:

3. Combine 1 and 2

         Lay on your back with feet flat, shoulder width apart and touching a wall

         put a ball or something between your knees

         keep stomach soft

         lift the pelvis with your hamstrings

         hold a balloon to your mouth with left hand

         put your tongue to the roof of your mouth inhale through your nose

         release the tongue and exhale into the balloon

         clamp off the balloon with the fingers and count to 4

         keep the pelvis lifted

         repeat the breaths with a total of 4 inhales, 3 exhales into balloon

         and 1 exhale out of mouth without the balloon

         through out the right arm is by your side with hand palm up

      Arm variations for #3
        a. Do 3 with arm variation of right arm extended flat on surface next to the ear with straight                     elbow
        b. Do 3 with arm variation of right arm extended next to ear and raised into the air
     

Now that you have looked at the signs you have not been using your diaphragm properly and you have an idea of how to start addressing and changing your diaphragm's functioning you might be interested in more details.

Let's really get to know the diaphragm. It looks similar to a parachute.  It is dome shaped with the exterior being skeletal muscle and the interior being fascia (connective tissue). It is higher, thicker and stronger on the right side of the body than the left . The higher position on the right is due to the internal organs making space for the big shot, the Heart, on the left side of the body. It separates the upper part of the body (or thoracic cavity) holding up the heart and lungs from the lower part of the body (or abdominal cavity) surrounding the liver, gall bladder, spleen and stomach. It has fascia (connective tissue) that attaches to the back side of the sternum on both the right and left at the Xiphod process. 6 of its fascial threads attach to the lower 6 ribs (ribs 7-12) on both the right and left sides. Remembering there is an inner and outer component to the diaphragm therefore there is also fascial threads extending to the upper right border of the 5th rib and the lower left border of the 5th rib.  At the back of the body it has threads attaching on the right side to the first three  lumbar vertebrae and their intervertebral discs and on the left side to the first two lumbar vertebrae. Coming from the sides of the body going down toward the feet its fascia thickens and joins with the front portion of the psoas muscle and joins with the upper portion of the back muscle the quadratus lumborum. There is also a fascial connection into the transverse abdominal muscles. The diaphragm also has three major and several minor opening to allow the esophagus, vena cava, aorta and nerves and blood vessels to pass from the chest cavity to the abdominal cavity and vice versa.

The shape of the diaphragm changes as it works and depends on what and how the rib muscles are working.  The ideal method of breathing requires us to work the respiratory system in 3 dimensions. With need to be able to move vertically (from the hips to the clavicle and back down) , horizontally (moving the rib cage out to the arms and back in) and front to back (to the spine and away from it). How does this ideally happen? When you inhale the diaphragm is contracted, its central fascia is pulled down toward the feet which increases the vertical diameter of the chest allowing the lungs to expand and air to enter. At the same time the accessory breathing muscles, the muscles between the ribs pull the ribs up and out. As you exhale the diaphragm relaxes and folds in on itself pushing up on the lungs and the rib muscles pull the ribs in and down which pushes air out of the lungs. Due to the diaphragm's attachment into the spine the chest cavity also pulls away from the spine and in toward the spine to push air in and out.

It's the  diaphragm's relationship to the ribs and pelvic floor ( via the fascial connections to the psoas, quadratus lumborum and transverse abdominals) or the amount of contact between them which creates the true body core. The technical term for this contact is the Zone of Apposition (ZOA). The core stability comes from your diaphragm being able to achieve a  balance of pressure within the chest cavity and the abdominal cavity.When we have a balance of thoracic and abdominal pressure we stabilize our spine due to the diaphragm's fascial connections to the spine. This ideal is rarely achieved by most people. Most people are heavily relaying on their accessory rib muscles, the neck muscles connecting to the ribs (scalenes) and the pectoral muscles (chest muscles). The utilization of these muscles create what is known as a chest breather. The longer we chest breathe the more slack we place on the diaphragm. This slack in turn translates to a laxity of the abdominal contents the small intestines begin to slump down and forward. In an attempt to compensate the pelvis begins to tilt either too far forward or backward.

How does this loss of diaphragm power and chest breathing create more problems for the over all functioning of the body? As the intercostal muscles (rib cage muscles) and the chest muscles take over the lungs begin to get less and less space. This also happens when the body is placed in a dangerous situation. When we are in danger our fight or flight response kicks in and we recruit muscles which use less energy. In this situation our bodies release stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. The unfortunate thing for our health is the brain doesn't know the difference between chest breathing due to poor posture verses our body being in danger and consequently the brain signals stress hormones for both situations. Therefore, continual chest breathing equals continual low grade stress response. Now we are in a vicious cycle of dysfunctional breathing causing a stress response and the stress response causing tension on the muscles.To break this cycle practice the 11 tips above to retrain your brain and get your diaphragm back online.

This final picture shows a very simplified take on how we breath. It also shows that if we are heavily focusing on the abdominal muscles we are primarily utilizing one directional breaths.

We want to keep remembering 3 dimensional breathing. Our goal is not to replace chest breathing with abdominal breathing but rather to lead with diaphragmatic breathing that incorporates all the respiratory muscles as well as establishing proper functional thoracic and abdominal pressure.


Want a little jump start to your diaphragm rehabilitation program?
Come on in for a massage. We can use manual manipulation of the rib cage to loosen the intercostal muscles; abdominal massage to help soften the fascia of the stomach which will help to release the diaphragm. Massaging the psoas and quadratus muscle to address the imbalance of the pelvic girdle and improve the abdominal tension. Addressing any held tension in the jaw muscles to help break the stress hormone cycle. If this all sounds good, don't wait to put your self care first, Book Your Massage Now.

Click here:
http://eclectichealingguide.fullslate.com/

Thank you for reading.

All pictures from the Anatomy Atlas. Except for my personal photo :)

Who's The Real Master of Your Work Out

You may think you and your trainer  are in charge of your work outs. Or maybe you think it's your muscles. Really the true master in charge of your work outs and for that matter your every day functional movement is your Fascia.

For decades now fascia has been on the back burner when it comes to discussing how the body functions. Some of the leading instructors in the world of body work have been over looked for the important information they have to offer to the wellness industry because their fascial information was largely not understood. The science behind fascia was slow to reveal itself.

Now the science is here and fascia is set to revolutionize health care. You can't speak about any aspect of the human being without speaking about its connection to fascia. Fascia is in every cell of the human body. Fascia is the bridge, the inter/intra-connector of every structure/matter within the body.  It also creates and applies the tension and compression  to every structure it  weaves with.

Fascia is the reason your skeleton stays erect and your organs don't flap out of your stomach onto the ground. It is what helps your blood clot and begin your wound healing. The webbing of fascia is the telephone lines for your nerves to communicate information from your brain to cause your body to function.

Your fascia is the best net -worker you will ever meet. It can in an instance respond to the slightest movement from the tilt of your head to view your text message to the tip of your big toe as you move your foot without thinking while responding to the text. It is the mover and shaker of your world, knowing everyone and everything that goes on with this world (so to speak).

My go to person when it comes to information and research on fascia is Thomas Myers, the author of Anatomy Trains. Tom defines fascia as, "the extracelluar matrix of fibers 'glue' and water surrounding all your cells and wrapping like plastic wrap around muscles fibers, muscles, muscles groups, organs, bones, blood vessels and nerves." Another way of saying this is fascia is both a solid and a liquid capable of moving, causing movement or preventing movement from occurring. Seeing fascia in this manner we begin to understand why it is the master in charge of our work outs.

As with all things in our body, some areas are healthier than others and this is true of fascia. When fascia is in its healthiest state it moves and functions most like a fluid, gently embracing and supporting the body as a whole. On the flip side it can be in a hyper-defensive mode acting like a straight jacket locking everything down. When fascia claps down on muscles and other structures it can also trap fat causing areas to appear clumped, chunky and/or cellulite ridden. Ever feel like you work out hard, eat all the right, healthy foods but still have chunky areas and cellulite? This may be due to the fact you have not been paying attention to how to care for your fascia.

Defensive fascia also creates areas of stagnation. This is like a traffic back up on the free way and emergency vehicles trying to get through. It can be done but with much difficulty and very slowly. In the body this means areas where the brain can't signal the muscles properly. This translates to the appearance of weak muscles  even though you have been working out for weeks. In truth your work out potential is not dependent on your muscles but on your fascia. You won't really know what your muscles are truly cable of until you allow the full, free and healthy functioning of your fascia.

Here are a few things, according to Tom Myers, we currently know about fascia:

1. Unlike what has been thought and taught, most injuries are connective tissue not muscular injuries
2. There are 10x as many sensory nerve endings in your fascia than in your muscles
3. Due to the misunderstanding regarding the body's  functional movement traditional anatomy texts       are inaccurate.

 According to Tom Myers,  here are some ideas to help fascia health and thus overall body health?
1. Enhance the elasticity of the fascia by engaging in full body slow, sustained, multi- plane, multi- directional stretching which will help prevent adhesions from forming
2. Give fascia plenty of water. The fascia has what is called GAG= glycoaminoglycans these are water absorbing proteins. These proteins allow the fascia to lengthen which is what we see as a stretch
3. Connective tissue/ fascia responds best to opposing muscle repetitive motion exercise such as walking, running and bouncing
4. Avoid jerky, abrupt changes in direction during your work outs
5. I can't stress enough how important it is to move slowly when it comes to fascia. It might take
6 -24 months to train fascia so be patient
6. Fascia requires variety in angle, tempo and load this is where cross training comes into play
7. Go for whole body movements that require constant adaptation i.e. constantly challenge your body in new ways. For example, instead of just walking on smooth flat trails and the same trail in the same direction every day, vary your trail, have level changes and texture changes, and direction
8. Avoid repetitive movement  within a work out. You want to have very easy to very hard in the same task. You want to vary your load as you go as well.
9. Proprioception and  kinestheasia are primarily fascial in nature not muscular. Due to the fact that fascia has 10 x more sensory nerves your muscles can't move without the fascia moving first. Play around with feather touch to sense your fascial responses. Slow elegant movement is best.
10. Unlike muscles, with fascia you want to think in chains. When you think about working your pectoral muscles you must also think about working your second finger because of the fascial strap extending from one to the other down the arm.
11. Rest is important!  Fascia goes through a cycle of becoming weak immediately after a heavy work out to gaining more strength the day after. You want to rest between events and you must have total rest days. The new rule of thumb  for rest periods during work outs is 5 mins of rest for every 25 mins of work out. For total rest days that means no working out at all; no aerobics, no yoga; nothing other than normal daily actives like walking to the car or around the house to get from one place to the other. A total rest day should be about pampering. You want to soak in the tub, take naps, mediate or just be a couch potato guilt free!

Hydration for your fascia:
A couple signs that your fascia is lacking water would be the appearance of wrinkles, the change in focal length of the iris in the eye.

The body is made up of between 75-95% water.  The baseline hydration for a healthy functioning person is half (1/2) the body weight in ounces (oz) of plain water each day. This is roughly 8-10 eight oz glasses of plain water.

How to calculate your baseline plain water intake:
Take your body weight 120 lb divide by 2 = 60 convert the 60 to ounces
Take  60 divide by 8 ounces = 7.5
7.5 is the # of 8 ounce glasses of plain water you should drink per day.


I keep saying plain water ,why? Because tea or something like sugared, fruit juice may not be a hydrating fluid. Some teas will cause you to increase urination. Increased urination will lead to dehydration. Sugared fruit juice (meaning juice with added sugar) will make the body work harder to process the synthetic sugar which can lead to dehydration.

Some of you might be thinking but there are times when I drink plain water all day long and I still feel thirsty. This could be due to your body for some reason not being able to get the water from the spaces surrounding the tissue  inside the cell. If water doesn't get into the cell so it can be used you will just eliminate it in the urine.

Now you ask, how can I get my 7.5 glasses of water into my cells? You need to bind it to a mineral. This is where electrolyte water comes into play. The most natural and most medicinal electrolyte water is out of a fresh, green coconut. Coconut water is the same make up as your blood plasma. It contains all the mineral, amino acids etc your body needs for functional hydration.

Hold on, I don't like the taste of coconut water, for that matter I don't like the taste of plain water. What can I do? Now we turn to fruits and vegetables. The most water filled fruits and vegetables are, watermelon, pears,grapes, cucumbers, and spinach. Other foods to help bind the plain water and get it into the cell are lemons and vinegar. And another way to add an electrolyte to your water is to add real/natural salt. Natural salt doesn't have anything added or taken out of it and it usually has a color (brown, pink or black). There can be up to 60 trace mineral in natural salt. Celtic sea salt, Himalayan salt, and Redmond real salt would be the types to add to your water.

How to make your own electrolyte water:

1. Get a pitcher of water,
2. Cut up one or more of the fruits and vegetables listed above
3. Get a pinch or two of the salt listed
4. If you need a bit of sweet then a teaspoon of raw honey or Xylitol  will be good
5. Combine it all in the pitcher
6. For the best results allow the water to combine with everything for at least 30 mins
7. Drink and enjoy

Another way to get your water into your cells is through movement. Gentle pumping, rolling and or compression of the tissues can move the water from out side to inside a cell. Finally you have truly and completely hydrated your body and your fascia.

We can't leave a discussion about hydration and fascia without speaking about the abdomen. We must have a healthy, functioning stomach and digestive system to have good absorption of water once we have finished drinking our 7.5 glasses. If the stomach, small intestine and large intestine are not breaking down food well and taking up the water into our tissue we will not see any results from our hydration attempts. One way to enhance the health of the abdomen is through  abdominal massage. When abdominal massage is performed you will have your skin, muscles, internal organs as well as your stomach and intestines worked out. This form of massage helps digestion, elimination, stimulates the lymphatic system, improves the circulatory system and immune system. It can also helps with posture, chronic neck, pack, pelvis, feet and shoulder issues. The respiratory system, and reproductive systems are greatly, positively affected by this technique as well.

To bring it back to working out what are we looking at when we want to exercise our fascia? When thinking about your work out and fascia the main things to remember are variety, hydration, rest and smooth, gentle flow.

If you are doing a weight work out, it might look something like:
Start with no weight at all, use only your body weight and do isometric contractions.  Then move to a couple repetitions with a theraband/rope. Transition to machines and vary the weight of each machine you do going from very easy weight to your max. Remember 5 mins of rest for every 25 mins of working out. So take 2-3 mins to shake out your muscles between each transition. Take a sip of water and breath as you go from one area to the other.

To bring the idea of variety into your work out week. Try exercising outside one day by walking or running (remember bicycling is not the best  fascial type work out). Use a mini-trampoline playing with height and what you do on it  (walk, run, swing your arms). If you haven't done Tai Chi or yoga look into these forms of exercise. Take a dance class one night a week. When you do this, you are doing more than just working your muscles and you can see how the master of your work out will revolutionize your being.

I hope this was helpful information and has given you something new to think about while you work out. I also hope by incorporating some of the tips you will decrease your body aches and pains.

As always remember to speak with your medical provider before changing your diet or exercise program.

Reasons to Hydrate with Coconut Water

I have been asked why I sometimes recommend coconut water after massage rather than just plain filtered water.

Well, I was introduced to coconut water as a medicinal fluid by a couple of nurses who serve as medics for events held in the dessert. They explained to me that if one has coconut water handy and is out of medical supplies such as the standard intravenous fluids (lactated ringer solution or a dextrose/water solution); one can safely start an IV with fresh young coconut water.

In my own research I found that during World War II, in the Pacific, wounded soldiers were treated with emergency transfusions of coconut water. If the coconut is only punctured to draw out the fluid (not broken open) the young fresh water inside is sterile. This fluid easily mixes with blood without side effects.

In getting the health benefits from coconut water one must start with a fresh, tender, young, undamaged and healthy Coconut. The coconut will be green in color and must be harvested between 5-7 months of age.

Depending on the cultivation type and the size of the nut, it will contain approximately 200-1000 ml of water.

The question is why can it be used as an IV fluid? The answer is it has an electrolyte (ionic mineral) make up similar to human plasma. Coconut water is the life blood of the nut’s embryo and can also be that for humans. Like human plasma, coconut water has a mixture of sugars, minerals, amino acids, vitamins, hormones and other necessary substances for growth and development.



There has been much research done on coconut water especially due to the fact that ten years ago the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sought and was granted a patent for bottling coconut water in a way that preserves its nutrients. In this process an FAO official noted that the fluid of the nut contains the same five electrolytes found in human body fluids. These electrolytes are Phosphate, sulfate, calcium, magnesium and potassium. It has also been found that coconut water contains trace elements such as zinc, selenium, iodine, and manganese (to name a few).

On the level of vitamins coconut water is a good source of riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine and folates. Why is this especially important when considering re-hydrating the body? The answer is; the body cannot replace these vitamins on its own. They must come from an outside source.

When we massage we are affecting the connective tissue, circulation, digestion and metabolism to name a few systems. Within coconut water  there is a plant hormone, cytokinins, which regulates growth, development and aging of the plant. Research has shown these hormones  to be similar to the human hormones cytokines. It is probably this similarity that allows the plants cytokinins to stimulate cell division of human connective tissue in a way that allows the tissue to replace old damaged cells and take on the functionality of younger tissue. Also, when we massage one releases dead cells and other metabolic waste into the system. By drinking coconut water which contains, bioactive enzymes such as acid phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, diastase, peroxidase, RNA polymerase, all of which aid digestion and metabolism; one is providing the body a better means of removing toxins from the system. There is also evidence that coconut water helps to dilate blood vessels, improves blood flow and reduces muscles cramps. The nut’s water, high potassium content is the reason for the reduction in muscles cramps.

We all know water is important for the body to function. Every cell, tissue and organ in the body requires water to function. Through water, the body maintains its temperature, removes waste and lubricates joints. The body also needs the right combination of electrolytes (minerals) for water to efficiently enter the cells in every fiber of a person.

Plain filtered or tap water lacks electrolytes and therefore cannot aid the body in replacing them when they are depleted due to exercise or other exertional activities. Too much plain water (more than half the body weight in ounces over a 24 hour period) can also dilute the blood to the point of causing electrolyte imbalance and depletion. Another reason to choose coconut water over plain water is the fact that coconut water’s chemical make- up allows it to be absorbed through the intestinal wall quicker than water, which allows the body to recover faster.



In summary when the body has been taxed and needs to recover quickly I prefer coconut water to plain water because Coconut water is:

· A natural isotonic beverage, containing the same level of electrolytes as found in human blood

· an excellent electrolyte replacement after exercise, heat stress and illness

· improves circulation

· improves digestion

· Restores strength and elasticity of the skin

· Enhances healing of wounds and lesions

· Is high in potassium reducing muscle cramping.



In the states we can not get fresh coconuts year round. We can now get processed coconut water year round. As we know processed is not an ideal choose but the right processed coconut water is better than some other alternatives. Two of the biggest things I look for when selecting processed coconut water
1. no added flavors
2.  it should say no sugar added. Ideally it should contain less than 14 grams of sugar. I usually go for below 9 grams when possible.

Currently, my favorite is Harvest Bay. And for me Chilled is always best.
Happy re-hydrating!