Magic Morning Series: SOLÉ WATER

It’s so easy to feel busy in this day and age – so many folks where busy as a badge of honor, and we gogogo without stopping. I get it – we’ve all had those moments when it feels like the day is just slipping away from me, and I have 473 things left to do. I get being busy, I get having a lot to do, and one of the most important things I do to support myself to prevent that overwhelm story (which is, after all, just a story) is to have a morning ritual, that I hold as Sacred every morning, no matter where I am or what my day may hold. Having this simple, easy, quick-while-intentional morning routine helps me start my day off on the right foot - mentally, physically and spiritually. I’m going to be doing a little series on morning routine, so keep your eyes out for that.

Today, I want to introduce you to my little friend: SOLÉ WATER

Solé (pronounced Solay) water, is just plain ol’ water (filtered please!) that has had pure, unrefined sea salt fully absorbed into it.  The salt and water combo is left to sit for 24 hours, until all of the trace minerals from the salt are absorbed into the water. You are left with an elixir which is an important part of my Magic Morning Prescription.

You may be thinking, “Why bother doing that? I can just dump a little table salt into my glass of water if I’m looking to get minerals….”  But Solé water is more than just salt water. By using a high-quality, GOOD salt, one that is sourced from ancient sea beds and is full of trace minerals, you get calcium, magnesium, iodine and so many more important nutrients in their purest form.

Our adrenal glands need minerals for optimal function, and when we're stressed out, we need to replenish the minerals our bodies burn up. Ever felt light headed if you stand up too fast? Feeling depleted, low energy, foggy or just not on your game? Adding in more minerals is a great place to start, and solé water is a quick, easy, affordable, absorbable way to do it.

But isn’t Salt The Devil Incarnate?!

You may have heard that salt is bad for you. When we take anything and extract it so far from how nature intended, there are likely to be consequences. Table salt is 99% Sodium Chloride, which is heated to over 1200ºFahrenheit to remove the naturally occurring impurities. The bummer is that this heating also removes most of the naturally occurring goodness – the minerals we desire and need from our salt. The result is Sodium Chloride, unbuffered by the other minerals nature put into salt originally. Anti-caking chemicals, fluoride, dextrose (a kind of sugar), MSG, and even aluminum (which we know to be linked with several kinds of cancer (CITATION HERE) are added to the salt-like chemical slurry. Finally, the salt is bleached before it’s sent to the shelves, which is just bananas to me. I don’t want to be eating any of those chemicals – do you?

In short: real, mineral-rich sea salt doesn’t raise blood pressure for most humans. Some humans are salt-sensitive, meaning that even mineral rich salt in its unprocessed form can spike their blood pressure… but that’s not most of us. If you know you're truly salt-sensitive, and hypertension or high blood pressure is an issue for you, skip the solé.

The Salt You Use Matters

We make our sole water with high-quality sea salt, which has been used for thousands of years to help with a variety of ailments, including loweringblood pressure by providing minerals the body needs.

Solé water has been shown to be beneficial for a variety of conditions as it can increase your energy, improve your digestion and support your body’s natural detoxification processes.

My favorite brands of pure, unrefined salt include Celtic Sea Salt, Redmond Real Salt, Mitica’s Mediterranean salts, and a good quality pink Himalayan salt that you would get at a health food store (and not at a chain store or discount store – there’s no telling what you’re getting there…)

The How To:

To make Solé water, start with a glass jar with a non-metal lid

1. Fill the jar about 1/4 of the way with your choice of salt.
2. Add filtered water to fill the jar, leaving about an inch at the top.
3. Put on the lid and shake the jar gently.
4. Leave on the counter overnight to allow the salt to saturate the water.
5. To reap the benefits of Sole, mix 1 tsp of the Sole into a glass of water every morning and drink it on an empty stomach. Some folks up their dose to 2-3 tsps, but start low and go slow with this – too much salty water in the morning can give you looser stools

That’s it!  So quick, so easy, so nourishing.

If you see some salt on the bottom of the jar the next day, that just means that the water has absorbed all of salt it can possibly absorb and the Sole is ready to use. Also note that Solé water doesn’t love metal, so use a wooden spoon to stir your water, and measure the solé with a ceramic or wooden measuring spoon if you can – if you only have metal and your brain is spinning with the story “I can’t do this! I only have a metal spoon!” then fuhgetaboutit, and use what you’re got – don’t let Perfect be the enemy of Just Darn Great.

If you DON’T see any salt on the bottom of the jar the next day that means all of the salt was absorbed. Add more salt and continue doing so each day until some remains after you let it sit overnight. When you wake up and check on your Solé and find a wee layer of salt there, then you’ll know it’s ready -- the water is fully saturated with the salt.  The completed and lovely Solé can be kept at room temperature indefinitely.  Add more water and salt as needed.

Brains love to avoid new things

Now comes the most important part, the part your brain might try to avoid, which is building the small habit of drinking some Solé in your water every morning.

I hold my morning ritual as sacred – something I do, to the best of my human ability, every single day, regardless of whatever else is going on. This can “feel challenging” some mornings, and when it does, I coach myself through it. “Challenging” isn’t a feeling – it’s a Thought. And when I recognize that I’m having the thought that a situation is challenging, I can realize that I’m creating the feeling that something is hard for me. I’m a champ at doing hard things, and you are too.

Adding a splash of salty water to a cup of water in the morning doesn’t need to get lumped into the story about things that are hard, challenging or stressful. Instead, you can choose the story that you are doing a new thing that is good for your body, your adrenal glands, your mood, and that you’re dehydrated from not drinking water overnight anyway, so why not enjoy a little shot of diluted Solé, and do your cells some good.

Hope you enjoy your morning Solé water as much as I do!