THE PERFECT WATER: Q & A follow up

Hi everyone!

To all of you that checked out the facebook live last month, thanks for joining! February is kicking off a month of serious wellness for me for several reasons. 

First of all, it’s cancer prevention month. I’ll be writing about that more soon. Secondly, I’m reading more about fertility and seeing what I can do to have the best possible chances with that process, so I’m working from the inside out. And finally, I’m looking at my skin after traveling and “winter” and “age” and seeing what I can do about it! All the three of these things have something in common that jumped out at me. DRINK MORE WATER. 

So, this brings us back to my facebook live about water. If I’m going to be drinking more, might as well make it convenient and the highest, purest quality.

I looked at the comments and outlined the main questions that were asked. If you missed the live, I’ll be doing one another (hopefully getting better at them). But, if you wanna peek at this one, you can watch it on my page HERE.

Here were your main questions that I tried to get answered:

If I am curious about water filtration, where’s the best place to start?

MY WATER FILTER NEEDS

How much was our exact model?

Prices range according to your needs. An over the counter one starts relatively low. Click to check it out and get free shipping on models like mine and also a second year filter for free. If you feel you are in a similar situation to mine, I highly recommend looking into this model. Please ask me if you have questions because the company will chime in and help me answer.

How often do you need to change the filter?

FILTER CHANGE SET

Is this better than well water?

Well water quality should be tested before consumption. It can be incredibly pure or highly contaminated. Home Masters does make well water systems. Please test first - get the right tool for the job!

more info:

CHECK OUT FILTERS FOR WELL WATER

How do I hook up a frig filter without buying a whole system?

Your fridge filter is basic filtration, and while better than nothing, its filtration capacity is limited. The Home Master Artesian -- Full Contact Reverse Osmosis System produces slightly alkaline Mineral Water on Tap® by first stripping the water clean, removing 98% of contaminants using the reverse osmosis (RO) process, then channeling the water through the advanced remineralization filter twice using our patented Full Contact Technology to rejuvenate and restore 30-60 mg/L calcium and magnesium minerals. It’s an entirely natural process - just like rainwater passing through the earth.

Yes – you can install a Home Master RO system to directly feed just your refrigerator’s water and ice dispenser. However, in order to do so you’ll need to flush out the system from time to time and so its handy to have a way to get the waste water in your sink or a bucket. You don’t want the flush water getting into your fridge because it’s a bear flushing out your fridge and ice maker. Get the Refrigerator Connection Kit and use the Inline Ball Valve 3/8” as your termination and flush point under your sink.

Learn More Here:

Do I need to drill a hole for the RO faucet?

Can I mount the Home Master RO in the basement?

What are benefits of drinking filtered cold water out of the fridge?

All the same benefits of water, but cold BURNS CALORIES. Um…Ok. Sold.

I’d like to look at all the potential faucet options:

FAUCET OPTIONS

I’m renting and may move, so what is easy to take with me and affordable?

Check these out! countertopfilters

Any other questions, please ask and I’ll add them here for us to reference. Do you already have a filter? If so, I wanna hear about it! If not, are you thinking about one?

xox

AJH

I could fit all my usual stuff in here after the water filter;)

STARTING THE YEAR CLEAN AND PURE

First things first, I need to say I feel very privileged and blessed that I have the luxury to voice opinions about the topic of water. I am aware that there are millions of people that can’t get remotely clean water every day. Let alone have it coming out of their tap. So, this is definitely a first world “thing.”

Right after I had Hayden, I chatted with Dr. Oz on his show about being a new mom. If you caught the episode, do you remember his advice? Not just for new moms, but all of us? Drink two (TWO) GLASSES of water first thing in the morning. I tried doing that! I still try. Then last year at this time, I wrote a column for Soap Digest about resolutions and drinking more water was at the top of the list. Even the mid-year check in post was… you guessed it. WATER! 

 And I must pat us on the back…  I heard from more than a few of you that were excited about meeting your water intake for the day. I really felt great the days I followed through. I got fun water bottles to carry my water (even thinking about branching out and creating my own with ALL the little details I’ve been missing in the ones I have). 

The days I didn’t follow through I started asking myself why. Stay with me here…. I’m going somewhere with this. We have a so called “top of the line” refrigerator with filtration (or so I thought). But the water comes out so cold, it was often hard for me to drink it immediately. I had to let it sit for a while. I LOVE super cold soda, but not water so much. Just a quirk of mine. Then, Joel started testing the contaminants in the frig water. They were higher than he wanted. And this was the water I had been using to make Hayden’s bottles when we first moved in a year and a half ago. This was the water we all drank everyday. Keeping hydrated with clean and pure water is the basis of good health. So, I started buying bottled water again. UGH. It’s expensive. It’s heavy. It’s extremely wasteful. And IT STILL HAS CONTAMINANTS. NO JOKE. Although I don’t believe our tap water in small doses would gravely harm our family, I also know that impurities, disease causing bacteria, chemicals and toxins are what lower the quality of water. **

If 2018 was focused on drinking MORE water, perhaps my 2019 commitment is look into the QUALITY of the water I am drinking and offering to my family.

Joel wanted to end any questionable issues by installing a system of reverse osmosis, ph balanced mineral water right out of our kitchen sink. It sounded expensive, big and I hated the idea we had to cut a hole in the counter top to put in the new faucet. Little did I know, reverse osmosis eliminates sodium, removes lead, it’s easy to maintain, and does NOT take up much space. We could get it custom ordered for our needs and it would arrive quickly. We found this re-mineralizing, reverse osmosis system from Home Master. I found a guy on yelp to cut a perfect circle in about 10 minutes. Plus, it’d pay for itself in a matter of months. And it tastes so good, not too cold. 

photo courtesy of HomeMaster (this is our exact system, but not the exact one in our home). Check out instagram stories for that.

The contaminant level of our new system is so low, it’s shockingly awesome. I love they the good minerals we want (unlike other systems) are not compromised so the water is re-mineralized. It’s basically #MineralWaterOnTap.

But this is just the beginning. I researched Home Master and started a dialogue with them. They offer a great deal more for all stages of life: college students all the way to established home owners that want to add water filtration throughout the entire house. Naturally, I get excited. This blog is about sharing ideas. It just makes sense to share these thoughts with you. Home Master and I have some big plans ahead! And we’re starting with a little gift for you readers:

Free shipping and a FREE second year Filter Change Set with the purchase of any RO System – Use code ASHLEY at checkout.

Free shipping with the purchase of any Whole House System (no free filters for Whole House System - Use code ASHLEY2019 at checkout.

Tell me something: are you drinking enough water? Do you drink tap? Filtered? Have you thought much about this yet? I really wanna know! 

I’m thinking about doing a facebook live next week to demonstrate some of the info I’m talking about in this post. And show you my exact system under my counter, etc. Stay tuned on that!

xo

AAJ

 **The more I am learning about clean water, the more I’d like to share with you. If you are using a TDS meter, it is not a “poison” meter! Often, the numbers are high due to GOOD minerals.      Can you test the filter performance with a TDS Meter? – Not really actually. Calcium and magnesium minerals comprise the bulk of TDS. TDS isn’t necessarily an indication of poor water quality – it depends on what elements comprise that figure. Because of marketing tactics employed by companies like bottled water companies in particular, people get the impression that all TDS is bad, and that a TDS meter is a “poison meter”. TDS is a measure of Total Dissolved Solids -- irrespective of whether those solids are good or bad. Dissolved solids can be good like calcium and magnesium, or bad like uranium. Distilled water bottle companies might have zero minerals and zero TDS. Bottled water companies that market mineral water will have lots of minerals and sometimes up to a 400 TDS.

BOTTOMS UP...drink your H2O

Bottoms up!

However, this post is not about emptying your glass of Rose' all day! I just downed 14 oz of water. This post is too simple. I really should get a big fat 'ol "F" for this. It's too easy, too on-the-nose. Everyone knows they need to drink water. 

We’ve heard this our whole lives: DRINK MORE WATER. It’s basically the panacea to many ailments. Most of this wellness reminder series is simply that— great reminders. We know all of this already, but I still like new reminders. I recently overheard someone say in conversation, “Drinking water is a no-brainer, well, it’s 90% of your brain, so it’s more of a BRAINER than we think!” 

Anyhow, that joke wasn’t very funny. And I’m not trying to be funny here. Just straightforward. And bring your mid(ish)-year reminder about many of our new year’s resolutions. And if memory serves me, we all had several different resolutions, but the consistently ones were: drink more water and weight loss.

So, while typing and doing a bit of research here, I got super thirsty. As I said, I downed water. I think part of my issue is that I forget, then I get tired and and busy and distracted. I need a pick me up.  I instinctively reach for caffeine. And THAT IS MY DOWNFALL.

I appreciate my yoga teachers telling me all the benefits of water and why it's so important for me drink it. As I'm doing my last down dog of the class recently, I hear the lecture coming. I roll my eyes back so far, it's as if gravity is going to make them stick there. But, alas, I rise up once again and it is on my mind. 

For better or worse, the thoughts that get me thinking are more vanity based. Does this happen to you sometimes? I'm thinking, "Duh, we ALL know we need to drink water to make our digestive system work. Are you really saying this AGAIN. I mean, we're paying $20 a class to be here, we’re clearly on the "body-wellness" path, so tell us something I don't hear everyday." And then she did.

She reminded me of things like this:

Calorie control

Water simply helps people feel full, and as a result consume fewer calories. Timing can help, too. Drink 16oz. before meals. And cold water helps metabolism.

Fuels Muscle/Gives us Energy

When the muscles don’t have enough water, they get tired. So for extra energy, try drinking water to push through that final set of squats. And water in general can give us all more energy! If only I had the energy of my two year old! 

Clearer skin

Part of the detoxification benefits of drinking water, it helps flush out toxins that can clog our pores and cause acne. The jury is still out on if it scientifically helps with wrinkles, but I'll tell you this much, it doesn't hurt!

Improves Brain Function

I don't know if it's just from being a tired mom a lot of the time, but I will take all the help I can get to improve my brain function! Like I said earlier, our brain is mainly water and needs enough of it to function properly. I don't know the science behind it, but it makes sense.

Relieves Constipation In Many Cases

Pretty self explanatory, but worth mentioning. If problems persist, see your doctor, but this is a good place to start.

extra credit: 

IT’S FREE!

Even if you splurge for bottled water, it’s cheaper than Starbucks or wine!

You might remember my post with Dr Oz reminding us all to immediately drink 2 glasses of water upon rising. I do that about 40% of the time if I’m being honest. UGH! Coffee calls my name in the morning. SO Loudly!!!

BUT, bottoms UP. It’s time. If you haven’t been consistent, let’s start this challenge and get ‘er done. If you don’t love the taste—er— non taste of water, there are fun things you can do. Add mint! Add fruit. I add Usana’s Booster C and it gives me just enough flavor (and Vitamin C). This morning, I added the probiotic powder. I’m challenging myself to drink 64 oz every single day this week. I’ll report in my stories. Will you do it with me? Maybe we’ll go longer, but let’s start with a week. WE CAN DO THIS.

Tag me in any stories or posts…. What’s a hashtag we can all use? #bottomsupH2o? too long? thoughts? ha!