by Renee Rainbow, LMT
Yes, it’s that simple. Just drink more water. Drinking a healthy amount of water is essential to your health. When we are not getting an adequate supply of water in our body, one of the first symptoms to show up is lack of energy. Water is one of the easiest and most effective ways to energize the body!
I have found that adding therapeutic grade essential oils to water makes it so easy to get my daily water intake. Not only that, you get the added therapeutic value from the essential oils and no calories!
My favorites are:
- Lemon
- Orange
- Tangerine
- Grapefruit
- Citrus Fresh Blend
- Peppermint
The first thing to know about adding essential oils to your water is the grade of oils that you need to use. It is important to use only therapeutic grade essential oils. I exclusively use Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. They are certified as GRAS (generally regarded as safe for consumption.) Many essential oils have extenders and fillers in them as well as petrochemicals. Even the ones that say 100% pure are not therapeutic grade and I would never ingest those. I have been to Young Living’s farms and distilleries and have spent time with the owners of this company. I know how much research, time and effort they put into the quality and purity of their products and would feel safe ingesting any of their oils or products.
Besides the flavor, the best part about adding therapeutic grade essential oils to your water is the added health benefits that you will receive from the oils. These essential oils oxygenate and raise the vibration in our cells. Here are some of the benefits of my favorites.
Lemon Essential Oil Antibacterial, antiseptic, antidepressant, promotes white blood cell formation and improves immune function. Young Living is donating lemon essential oils to Haiti to reduce the spread of sickness, boost immunity, elevate mood and purify disease causing agents.
Orange Essential Oil Uplifting and calming at the same time, high in anti-oxidants, improves circulation and is anti-tumoral and antidepressant.
Tangerine Essential Oil Uplifts the spirit and calms the nervous system, helps with anxiety.
Grapefruit Essential Oil Antiseptic, detoxifying, emotionally uplifting and assists in weight loss by dissolving fat in the body.
Citrus Fresh Essential Oil Blend Supports the immune system, stimulates creativity, relaxing and calming. Contains essential oils of orange, tangerine, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, and spearmint.
Peppermint Essential Oil Suppresses appetite, helps ease digestive issues, freshens breath, reduces pain, anti-inflammatory.
These oils taste so delicious in water. Start out with just a drop or two, as you can always add more.
So how much water should we be drinking? The rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, a person that weighs 150 pounds would need to drink about 75 ounces of water daily.
If you are cleansing then you need to drink about one ounce for each pound of weight, so for the person who weighs 150 pounds and is cleansing they should drink between 70-150 ounces a day. This is the best time of year to start a cleanse and I highly encourage everyone to consider starting with a colon cleanse. Just starting to drink more water will be of great assistance to start cleansing. You can join me on Thursday October 13th for my Essential Oils and Cleansing Workshop here at Women In Wellness.
The human body is made up of about 75% water and we can easily become dehydrated. In fact , it only takes a few days without water until our entire system starts to break down. Not getting enough water can cause other problems such as headaches, constipation, muscle cramps, dry skin. The brain is about 90% water, so increasing your water intake can help with mental clarity as well. For many people, the beginning of dehydration and thirst is sometimes mistaken for hunger so instead of hydrating we eat more food. Drink water before eating to make sure you are not dehydrated which will also help with weight loss.
I recommend either glass or metal for drinking water with essential oils. Therapeutic grade essential oils will dissolve petrochemicals so it is important to stay away from plastic that will leach into your water. I drink from a glass and use a glass water bottle. I just fill with water and add one or two drops of essential oils. Sometimes I add more than one oil and sometimes more drops of oil. I start the day with two glasses of water to rehydrate myself after sleeping when the body is busy cleansing itself. I drink water throughout the day in between meals and a little with meals. You can purchase glass water bottles from Starbucks or online from several vendors or you can buy a glass water bottle at the store like Aqua Panna or Evian and just keep re-filling with your filtered or spring water.
Although you will pay a bit more for therapeutic grade than you would for oils that are readily available in the store, all of the citrus oils are among some of the least expensive oils so you can enjoy a good variety. You can order therapeutic grade oils through me at www.youngliving.com use sponsor #759342 or you can stop by Women In Wellness to purchase any of my favorites. Please contact me for more information or to schedule a free consultation about essential oils, cleansing or massage.
Enjoy your oily water!
Renee Rainbow, LMT
