Funnily enough, I never had to worry about seasonal allergies as a child. I’d watch my dad sneeze & sniffle his way through the summer thankful that my immune system was better than his. It wasn’t until the spring of 2008, when the pollen count went sky-high in Indiana, that I had my first reaction to tree pollen. My symptoms got so bad that things eventually transformed into a nasty sinus infection & my favorite season became a mine field of potential sniffles.

Thankfully, my reactions have calmed down over the years [partially thanks to giving up dairy & gluten...food allergens can have a compounding effect on seasonal allergy symptoms], but I still have to tolerate a bit of discomfort when the pollen-cast goes crazy. I’ve developed a few tried & true remedies for getting myself through.

So, in hopes that I can help fellow sniffle sufferers, here are my favorite ways to make it through allergy season still [mostly] alive:

1. Flush Out Your Sinuses. Forget the addictive nasal sprays & start your day with some clean, filtered water & a NetiPot. I can’t believe it took me so many years to finally try this device. Admittedly, I was a little scared at first. The idea of pouring a saline/water solution through my nasal passages didn’t exactly sound like fun, but it’s not as weird as it sounds…ok, it kind of is as weird as it sounds, but it works wonders for clearing out the allergens. I usually only remember to break out my Neti when I’m already feeling a little stuffy, but you can use it preventatively almost every morning. Just be sure to use clean water…no one wants an unseen parasite swimming up their nasal cavity.

2. Boost Your Immune System. Seasonal allergies are caused by your immune system attacking what it perceives to be a foreign intruder. The healthier your immune system, the less likely your allergies will give way to further health complications like sinus infections & the quicker you will feel relief from your symptoms. In an effort to both reduce your current sniffles and prevent future post-nasal drip, you can treat allergies with some of the same home remedies used to fight a cold: lots of water [to flush invaders out of your system], green tea [for antioxidants], and plenty of vitamin C [for a natural anti-histamine effect].

3. Decrease Your Inflammation. Increasing your consumption of omega-3′s like flax seed & chia seeds and decreasing your intake of sugars, meat, & dairy will help to reduce your body’s inflammatory response to allergens. If you find yourself also suffering from itchy mouth & throat, you’ll want to avoid foods that may be cross-reacting with your allergen like apples, nuts, & cherries.

4. Clear Out the Passages. Eating spicy foods, like hot peppers, and pungent foods like onions & garlic can help to naturally clear your sinuses. Meanwhile, adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to a hot bath can heal the mucus membranes in your nasal cavities and break up the congestion in your nose for easier breathing.

5. Fight Pollen with Pollen. So the vegan police may hate me for this one, but sometimes the best way to reduce your allergy symptoms over time is to take a dose of the same pollen that’s causing them…in the form of raw, local honey. While I avoid honey in most packaged products & choose to bake with maple syrup & agave, I will occasionally indulge in a few spoonfuls of raw honey purchased from a bee-friendly small business at my farmer’s market. Just like taking a small dose of poison to build up an immunity, taking a spoonful of local honey helps your system adjust to the pollen in your area. If you’re more vegan than bee-gan, however, you can supposedly get similar results by consuming small doses of the sap from whatever tree’s pollen you’re allergic to.

6. Clean Up Your Diet. Whether it’s to boost your immune system or to avoid the compounded effects of food allergies on your seasonal allergies, eating clean is never a bad idea for allergy sufferers. Many people these days have undiscovered food allergies that could be making their seasonal symptoms worse. Discovering these allergy triggers is one of my favorite things to help my clients with because it not only reduces seasonal suffering, but it can also increase energy, clear acne, & reduce migraines. If you’d like to learn more about discovering your own allergy triggers, sign up for a free health coaching consultation by telling me a little about your health & lifestyle.

image via

Yesterday, due to factors outside of the water week project, I was feeling less than perfect. A tiresome morning at work transitioned into a major headache and, eventually, a couch-bound evening.

Thankfully, water does a great job of easing almost any aches and pains. It’s actually my go-to remedy for a headache. Nine times out of ten, the pain behind my eyes is a warning sign that I’m not hydrated enough. This particular time, I knew I was plenty hydrated, but my body still needed a little boost to flush out the sugar & soy from a day of indulging in vegan shakes. A few extra glasses later, I was feeling back to normal.

So the next time you’re faced with a headache or joint pain, reach for the h2o before you reach for the Advil…your body will thank you.

For more information on how water cures, check out this website.

via cupcakejojo

After only 4 days of hourly hydration, I rarely even need to watch the clock anymore. I find that my body tells me when to drink next, craving water at the appropriate times of day.

Are you finding similar results during your water week experiment? Feel free to share your thoughts on the Facebook page. I’d love to hear what your experience has been like.

Not the water week wagon, but the gluten-free wagon. You see, during a lovely morning out with friends I came face to face with this vegan deliciousness at Dollop [the coffee shop formerly known as Kickstand if you're from Chicago]…

…how was I supposed to resist?

And while I DID share it with my lovely boyfriend and it WAS amazingly delicious, I immediately regretted my decision when gluten decided to rear it’s ugly head and drop kick me in the stomach.

Thankfully, water is a great remedy for the excess inflammation caused by food sensitivities. So, while I still didn’t feel great for about half an hour, I did recover rather quickly thanks to a few extra glasses of good ole h2o.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying that staying well hydrated is a way to cure yourself of any food ailments, but if you find yourself in a tough spot of discomfort after mistakenly [or, in my case, stupidly] indulging, drinking adequate amounts of water is a great way to flush out the things that your system doesn’t like.

image via pinterest

There is such a thing as too much water. It’s called water intoxication, or hyponatremia. This phenomenon occurs when a person drinks an excessive amount of water in a short period of time, washing away the body’s electrolytes & causing a sodium imbalance in the body. In extreme cases, this imbalance can lead to swelling in the brain and can prove fatal if the electrolytes are not brought back into balance. 

It’s difficult to judge the amount of water that could cause intoxication because it really depends on a number of factors. However, most sources say that one should not exceed 34 ounces of water in one hour’s time, even when participating in strenuous exercise. That’s why the hourly goal for the water week project is a mere 8 ounces per hour.

Don’t let this information scare you away from regular hydration. All in all, your body does a pretty good job of letting you know when enough is enough. For example, yesterday while trying to finish off a bottle of water quickly in order to re-fill my travel canister before leaving the house, I received some very clear & distinct signals to slow down on the hydration. I had only had a maximum of 24 ounces within an hour’s time, but my sloshy tummy, tense abdomen, & overall feeling of queasiness told me that rushing that last few ounces was not the best idea. The point is, while 8 ounces per hour should be perfectly fine for regular consumption, always listen to your body and never force anything that feels “wrong.”

Since my slight over-indulgence, I’ve simply slowed down my water pacing to a precise 8 ounces per hour & I now make sure to sip slowly more often than I chug.

Listen to your body & always practice safe hydration.

Drinking water every hour doesn’t have to get boring. You can add in flavorings or additives to make things more interesting & speed up your body’s cleansing process.

For instance, my second cup of hydration today consisted of hot water, lemon [for liver cleansing], raw apple cider vinegar [for further detox & a whole list of other benefits], cayenne pepper [to boost metabolism], & cinnamon [to reduce inflamation & make things taste yummier].

You can add a squeeze of lemon to all your water throughout the day or make yourself a cup of herbal tea for a relaxing nighttime hydration. Just be sure that none of your additives contain caffeine or sugar. These ingredients dehydrate your system and cancel out all the good that water is doing.

And speaking of what the water is doing, here are my observations from Day 1:

1. Drinking water every hour usually means that I have to pee every hour. ”Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse!” That’s what I think to myself every time the bathroom trips start to annoy me. We’re flushing out all the toxins.
2. My skin is glowing & almost crease-free. The cliche that drinking water is great for your skin proves true. My skin feels healthy & supple, my little pre-period breakout is healing faster than usual, & the deep line that permanently lives in the center of my forehead has nearly vanished.
3. When I’m not too full of water, I have great abs. I’ve found that I have a tendency to forget about my water until the end of the hour, which is when I proceed to drink the whole glass quickly to catch up [as a health coach, I do not recommend this]. During these moments, my belly is quite sloshy & full, but during a normal, sip slowly hour, my abs look awesome.
4. Computer work is my hydration’s worst enemy. For the most part, I’m doing pretty good about remembering to stay hydrated, but the internet is not my friend when it comes to drinking water. Just like facebook can suck hours from your productivity without you even realizing it, I’ve found that nearly an hour will go by without my taking a single sip while online. This is when the above mentioned chugging happens to get things back on track. Clearly, this is an area that I will be working on this week.

Have you joined me on my hourly hydration challenge? Feel free to share your observations on facebook & post your hydration photos on instagram & twitter [@michelleshea #waterweek].

#waterweek 

The benefits of proper hydration are endless:

Want to feel less tired in the morning? Drink water.
Want to stop your food cravings? Drink water.
Want to rid yourself of a headache? Drink water.
Want to get over a cold? Drink water.
Want to feel less bloated? Drink water.
Want to have younger looking skin? Drink water.
Want to feel healthier overall? Drink water.

So why is it so hard for us to make hydration a priority? Even as a health coach, I find days that I’ve forgotten to drink enough water. Whether I’m busy at work or out running errands without my trusty travel bottle, it can be hard not to get so caught up in my day that I forget to take a sip.

Therefore, in an effort to better my hydration equation, I’ve decided to start a project:

This week, I promise to drink at least 8 ounces of water every waking hour of every day. Not only will this ensure that I’m drinking well over my body’s minimum requirement for hydration, it will also ensure that I’m not grouping all of my hydration on one end of the day or the other.

To keep track of my daily progress [and also to avoid going crazy keeping count in my head] I’ve downloaded a free iPhone app called Daily Water which allows me to check off my refreshments as I drink them. You can also set water reminders for each drinking time, but I fear that hourly alarms might become a bit tedious, not to mention annoying to those around me.

Want to follow along with your own hourly hydration challenge? Feel free to share photos of your hydration tools & happy, hydrated faces with me on instagram [@michelleshea #waterweek] or share your progress with everyone on the facebook fan page!

Until then, I’ll keep you posted on my own observations daily here.
Happy Hydrating!

In addition to the quick and easy options, you can also expect to see even more sugar-free recipes since I’ve been trying to cut back on my sugar lately. It’s not as if I’m downing whole bowls of the white stuff like my dad did as a child [for real], but in my busy state I’ve been more likely to reach for the pre-packaged goodies when my sweet tooth strikes. Read your labels lovelies, most of the packaged stuff comes packed with sugar…even the healthy vegan options.

So, while experimenting with a Choco-Peanut Butter dip recipe that would leave out the sugary chocolate chips, I accidentally created a Nutella knock-off that’s just as addicting…and also happens to be raw.

Ingredients

3 tbsp raw almond butter
1 tbsp raw cacao powder [or cocoa powder for a non-raw version]
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cacao nibs [for that chocolate chip-like crunch]
1 tbsp coconut milk [just to thin things out a bit]

Place all ingredients in a food processor or short blender.
Process until combined. Enjoy with apple slices and/or celery stalks.

But before that scene happens, this scene happens:

After a really awful, no good day didn’t your mama ever make you milk and cookies?

I think of that line anytime I’m craving warm & gooey cookies straight from the oven. The only problem is, it’s hard to eat gluten-free cookies straight from the oven. They tend to need a bit of time to cool and set up, otherwise they simply fall apart before they reach your mouth. Not to mention the fact that it’s only the first 2 or 3 cookies from a batch that can be consumed in their warm and gooey state. After that, you’re simply left with the fully cooled, properly set up remainder of the batch…still delicious, but more satisfying for the tea-dunking variety of cookie cravings.

That’s why I was so excited to stumble upon Topped With Cinnamon‘s single-serving cookie recipe. Since these cookies are prepared & served in ramekins, it no longer matters whether or not the gluten-free version has cooled and set. And because they’re individual servings, you’re always guaranteed that fresh-from-the-oven gooeyness.

Serving Tip: I recommend serving these with a glass of So Delicious coconut milk. I’m not usually a huge fan of pouring myself a big ole glass of vegan milk alternative, but in this case, the combination is absolutely divine. I crave it.

So, after a really awful, no good day have some [coconut] milk & [vegan] cookies. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp coconut oil, melted [+ more as needed to achieve desired dough texture]
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla [feel free to over pour ]
1/8 tsp sea salt + more for sprinkling
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp all-purpose gluten-free flour
1-2 tbsp Enjoy Life chocolate chips

In a small bowl, combine everything but the chocolate chips & stir until thick & doughy.*
*If dough appears slightly flaky, add up to another tsp of coconut oil to moisten.
Fold in chocolate chips & smooth into an oven-safe ramekin [I used a creme brulee dish].
Top with a sprinkling of salt for extra flavor.
Bake at 35oF for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve with coconut milk & eat it hot, straight from the dish.

Celebrating 3 years since meeting the best man I know, Nick Conrad. Seriously guys, if you think I’m just a sappy girl in love, check out my boyfriend’s efforts to save the planet [or just look at what I have to tear myself away from every morning] & tell me I’m not one lucky lady. ♥

Ok, you may now disengage your gag reflex, I’m done making you sick [for now].

What [or who ] are you thankful for today?