Whitney Wednesday: Current healthy favorites

I feel like health is a lifelong journey and there are always new things I'm learning. I think, as I've said in previous posts, it's always best to listen to your body and know how different foods and supplements effect your body. Here are a few things I've been doing lately that I'm really enjoying and I feel make a big difference in how I feel. Just something to note, I don't take every single one of these things on the daily, only when I'm noticing symptoms of deficiency.

1. Lemon, orange, or grapefruit essential oil in my water, especially first thing in the morning. If you do this, only do a drop or two, and make sure to drink out of a glass cup. These oils can break down plastics, which is no Bueno. This aids in alkalizing your body and weight loss. Great for gut health, which should be everyone's goal.

2. I put collagen peptides in my morning coffee. The label says you can put it in a normal glass of water and it's tasteless, I disagree. It is more of a gelatin consistency when mixed with water so it's best in hot teas or coffee, and it definitely has a hint of a flavor but it's easily masked with coffee or tea. This helps with restoring collagen to hair, skin, nails, and joints. I oddly noticed that my wrinkles were less noticeable and my body felt less achy when I was drinking this every morning.

3. I take magnesium each night before bed. It helps restore my muscles so they are less achy after my workouts, and I sleep more soundly. I wake up feeling more alert and less groggy which is so worth it when you have little babes.

4. Kombucha. So it took me a very very long time to hop on the kombucha train. To me, it sounded like hippie juice and after seeing a scoby, I'm like, "nah, I'm good." HOWEVER, I am all about gut health and the fact that I couldn't stomach a shot of apple cider vinegar, I figured I'd actually give it a chance. It's delicious. And it's so good for you. Just watch the brands that try to sneak in extra sugars. PS, if any of you guys have any suggestions on how to choke down apple cider vinegar, pleeeease let me know!

5. I take Echinacea all winter long. The minute I have a sniffle, I pop Echinacea. This stuff keeps me healthy by fighting off bacteria and boosting immune health.  

6. Speaking of taking things all winter long, I also take Vitamin D, when I need a pick me up. I tend to get the winter blues FOR SURE, so I'll take a few Vitamin D to help pick my mood back up, and helps my joints and achy body.

7. I take Iron pills. My iron has always been low, but especially after having kids. I get really bad brain fog and feel like I can't think clearly, I feel super tired and sluggish even though I've had plenty of sleep, I get sick a lot, and my anxiety increases. You can have other symptoms like looking very pail, having dry hair and nails, and heart palpitations. I take Easy Iron, and I take them with meals, because they are gentle on your digestive system. This is actually one supplement I should be taking daily but I tend to only take them around when I menstruate (TMI?). Another thing that my husband's aunt suggested was using a cast iron skillet for cooking most of my meals. She said that within a few months, your iron levels stabilize, which I thought was fascinating.

8. I use an essential oil blend every morning that is the "Brighten" blend. I think it smells super yummy and I like putting it on like a perfume (with a carrier oil of course).  The website says it's a blend of , "orange, gurjun, bergamot, cedarwood, jasmine, mandarin, and ylang-ylang that helps stimulate a sense of carefree bliss and giddiness." Haha! I'm not sure I'm giddy every morning but it definitely is lovely and smells great.

9. I used a lavender Epsom salt in baths to soak my muscles. This also helps eliminate toxins from the body, and essentially helps everything function better.

10. I started to dry brush. This is where you take a natural hair bristle brush and brush your body, starting at your feet, in long sweeping motions toward your heart. This helps shed dead skin, but also stimulates the lymphatic system, and helps your skin release toxins.

Do you have any healthy supplements or daily practices you swear by? Let me hear them! Leave a comment below!

-Whitney