App Review: WaterMinder

One of the first things I was told to do once I started seeing a cardiologist for my condition (even before getting a diagnosis... remember, I was doing symptom management long before ever receiving a diagnosis as it took 6 years) was to up my salt intake drastically as well as my water. At this point, I'm pretty good about maintaining my salt intake as I have learned to listen to my body's signs that I need more salt and have adapted strategies that are, by this point, ingrained habits that get my sodium in. 

Water is a different issue though as I get lost in whatever I am doing and lose track of the time quite easily, especially if I'm out of my routine. The key I've found for my average workday is to keep two water bottles on my desk and just drink whenever I am thirsty... no stopping what I am doing, just reach for it and take a drink or two. Whenever I finish one I move on to the other... and usually fairly soon after that I need a bathroom break so fill the first back up while I'm already away from my desk. It's working fairly well so far when I have a normal day at work. I use two 0.75 L Camelbak bottles that I referenced in my travel post if you were wondering.

If I drink when I am thirsty and stop when I'm not, I drink between 3-5 liters per day. I don't know many people who drink that much water unless they are making an effort to do so personally but perhaps everyone I know is just dehydrated all the time (not unlikely). I've found that, for me, if I aim for 4L then I'm needing IV infusions of saline less... which is a plus. Unfortunately drinking too much water can make you nauseous so I have to be careful to space it out well... and you are constantly needing to take bathroom breaks it seems, which is a bit annoying. But you do what you have to do, right? 

NOTE: I would not recommend drinking as much water as I do without taking care of your electrolyte needs as well so as not to end up with an imbalance. This is a point I cannot stress enough. I am not a doctor and do not claim to know about how much water you personally need for a happy and healthy body, I just know what I have to do for my specific body to function well. My needs are rarely the same as the 'norm' so do not take my daily requirements to be average in any way. If you are concerned you are not getting in enough (or too much) fluids please consult your doctor to ensure a healthy outcome.

But what about those days that are not 'normal'... or the weekends? Well, there's the issue. I simply do no meet even the 3L minimum it takes to stop me from being thirsty (which they tell me is a sign of dehydration... bad news for someone like me) and definitely not the amount that has decreased my trips to get IVs when I'm out of my normal routine. So I started looking for apps to help me track as I always seem to misplace a paper version of a tracker and I'm never going to remember how much water I've had from the beginning of the day to the end unless the number is super low if previous experience has taught me anything about myself. 

I must've tried half a dozen apps and dismissed at least that many based on the reviews alone but I finally got down to the last three. I tracked with them both for a few days and finally landed on WaterMinder as the one I would keep due to its simplicity and ease of reporting.

When you enter the app (after registration) you will see an outline of either a woman or a man. Since I am a woman, I see this lovely outline. As the day progresses and you log more water the blue level raises and the percentages on the bottom portion labeled "Your Daily Fill" update. One interesting tidbit about that blue level is that it changes how it fills the outline based on the position of your phone, like water in a cup. I got a bit of fun out of that I'll have to admit. Anyways, to enter a serving of water simply click the plus sign and the 'cup' sizes you selected in the settings tab will appear for quick entry. A regular bottle of water is 500mL so I would click on the 500mL bottle to show I had finished one of those for instance. Since this is customizable it is completely up to you how many options you have, or if they are in in mL or oz.

As you can see, once I added a 750mL bottle to represent my Camelbak it showed up on the quick add menu. To add a custom 'cup' click over to the Settings tab and tap "Add Cup" then enter the amount of water you wish to represent. Since my app is in the mL setting it asked for the amount in mL but if you have set your settings to oz then yours will ask for it in oz of course, no conversion necessary.

Another way to add water quickly, if you are using an iPhone, is to add it directly from the Today tab in the Notifications menu. Simply swipe down from the top of the screen to access the Notifications menu.

The other two tabs on the app are History and Tips. I wasn't super impressed with the Tips area as they don't appear to ever change but rather has a small essay on the benefits of water. I found it less helpful than a tip a day type option personally and didn't learn anything new but it is worth a quick read through in case there is something new to you. I have added a screenshot of the table of contents below.

The History section was useful in that I can track my intake over just the day, the week, month or even the year. You can see that I had one day near New Years that I didn't come close to my goal in a quick glance as well as see an average for the time period and where I'm at today so far.

Other useful things about this app:
- It sends me reminders to stop and drink some water. Those reminders are customizable by time or can be turned off altogether if you wanted to do so. I have selected every 1.5 hours after my normal wake up time until a few hours before bedtime and for the reminders to stop once I've reached 100% of my goal.
- The app can estimate how much water you should be drinking based on your weight if you do not know what to set your goal at but you can also enter your own goal if you disagree.
- It connects to Apple Watch. I don't have an Apple Water so this doesn't help me but it might help you if you have one.
- It connects to the Health Kit app. This was one of the main reasons I decided to give it a try to be honest. I like the fact that I can see a lot of information in one area (Health Kit) and send it to my doctors if necessary. Adding my hydration attempts during a time when I am trying my best to stay out of the ER for IV saline seems like an awesome plus for me as I can toggle back and forth to other items like bp records and see if there may be any correlations.
- It isn't expensive. While this app isn't free I was able to get it on sale over the holidays for $0.99. When comparing it to the rest of the apps I tried (those that were free) the quality jump was worth $1 to me without question.

Have you found a water tracking app that is better than this? Have another app that you're sure I would love? If so, let me know! I'm always trying new health apps and would love to check it out.

Exfoliation and Facial Care

Your facial skin is very sensitive and as such it is important to take good care of it. Most cleansers and exfoliation creams have harsh chemicals in them that can cause more harm than good, especially to sensitive skin. For this reason I have slowly moved to an all natural skin care regime myself. The best part? Well, other than the fact that my skin isn't being exposed to chemicals I mean... I can make everything from items already in my pantry which means its super inexpensive and I don't have any wasted 'products' expiring before I use them. How much does one teaspoon of baking soda cost? Less than a penny typically. A healthy pinch of coconut oil? Usually, less than $0.07... and a single teaspoon of apple cider vinegar costs less than 3 cents. So It costs me AT MOST $0.10/day or $3.00 a month to clean, exfoliate, tone, and remove make-up off of my face... and I don't need to do it every day! How much does your skincare routine cost you each month? A brand name pack of make-up removing cloths will run you $4.50... so that cost can add up very quickly. 

Make-up Remover:
Coconut oil is amazing! You will see it in most of my recipes used for moisturizing just to begin with (and not even touching on cooking!)... from lotions to pre-shave cream to make-up remover this is a very versatile substance. Simply rub a bit on your eye lids in a circular motion and then wipe it off with a soft cloth to remove makeup, including mascara!

Exfoliator #1:
This is a simple mixture of baking soda and water and is ideal for occasional use rather than everyday use. Mix together 1 tsp baking soda, 1 drop lavender (optional) and 1 tsp water. Put mixture on a cleansing pad and rub in gentle circles on your face. Rinse with warm water, pat dry and follow up with toner.

 

Exfoliator #2:
While sugar is not a good choice for your daily nutrition it is a good option to exfoliate your skin. Simply mix sugar and oil in a 1:1 ratio and rub gently on your face. Let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing with warm water and pat your face dry. I have seen this type of recipe used in spas with some added oils as part of a massage or other treatment... you can even purchase sugar scrubs at beauty supply stores. Without fail they are far more expensive than they should be. It will cost you less than $1.00 to mix up a fairly generous amount of this concoction which leaves your skin smooth and glowing. Again, exfoliation isn't something you should do every day as once or twice a week should be plenty.

Toner:
Another super simple beauty item directly out of your pantry... apple cider vinegar. A mix of 4 parts water to 1 part ACV makes an effective toner. Simply pat a bit on after you exfoliate and this pantry staple is now a cheap but effective skin toner. It does, of course, smell like vinegar but the smell dissipates very quickly so should not be a deterrent.

Cleanser:
Cleansing your face is something you do every day most likely so it needs to fairly gentle on your skin. Personally, I typically just cleanse with warm water most days but there are some days that I want something a bit more substantial... like if I get a breakout of acne. Usually acne isn't a problem for me anymore unless I fall off the wagon so to speak but there are indeed times where I eat something I shouldn't or don't realize that there is an ingredient that I shouldn't eat in a dish while I am out to eat. These are the times I rely on my cleanser and some do some extra TLC on my skin. Like all the other recipes on the list here I have the ingredients for my cleanser in my kitchen pantry. Simply mix 2 tsp of coconut oil with 1 tsp of baking soda and you have an effective but gentle cleanser. Rub in gentle circles on your face, wait a few minutes then rinse with warm water and pat dry. Follow up with toner for a complete skincare routine. One note about coconut oil: while it should be liquid at room temperature sometimes your room temperature is a bit cooler so it will be solid. If this is the case it is a little more difficult to mix together. Simply toss it in the microwave for 10 seconds and it is very easy to mix!

I will be discussing lotions and body butter in about a week so check back then for some all-natural but still simple recipes. What other diy all natural recipes would you like to show up in the blog? Until next time, have a healthful day!

Curious where I get my ingredients? I get my ingredients all over the metroplex, on Amazon and through Young Living as a distributor. Don't want to search out stores to pick them up? I'll make it easy! You can place an order through me for any oils you may need and here are some quick links for the rest of the ingredients on Amazon should you wish to order online: