Good morning. Day 6.
Most of you are already drinking water. Good. Water alone does not hydrate your cells.
Moving water into a cell requires minerals. Sodium, potassium, magnesium. Without them, water passes through without being absorbed. Your gut stays dry. Transit slows. Bloating persists at eight glasses a day and you cannot work out why.
Magnesium matters twice here. It is what your gut muscles need to contract, and those contractions are what move waste through. When they are weak, waste backs up, and that is the distension most women blame on the last thing they ate.
An estimated 68 percent of American women take in less magnesium than their body needs. Chronic stress depletes it further. So stress and bloating travel together, and now you know why.
The morning protocol. Within 10 minutes of waking, before coffee:
16 ounces of water
A small pinch of Himalayan or Celtic sea salt, not table salt
The juice of half a lemon
This is not a detox drink. It is a cellular hydration reset that gets your gut ready to move for the rest of the day.
Food sources of magnesium worth adding today: pumpkin seeds, dark leafy greens, black beans, lentils, avocado, almonds, or an ounce of 70 percent dark chocolate.
Today's action:
Set your glass out tonight so it is ready when you wake. Add one magnesium-rich food. Then take a 10-minute walk after dinner. Minerals give the muscle what it needs to contract, and walking is what asks it to.
See you tomorrow for your week one review.
Yours in health,
Dr. Shallanda Hunter, PharmD, MBA, CFNMP
Hunter's Holistic Health
huntersholistichealth.com
For educational purposes only. Not medical advice.