The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Elisabeth Muhr.

Elisabeth Muhr is the co-founder of Hallstein Artesian Water and is a coveted speaker about drinking water quality and its effects on the human body. She holds a BS and MS from Vienna’s University of Environmental Engineering in Environmental Engineering and Ecology, and was tapped by the Austrian Tyrolian Government for her expertise to evaluate the ecological impact of hydropower plants and the influence of highways on ecology and human well-being. She and her husband split their time between New York and Austria. Visit www.hallsteinwater.com

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
I was born in Innsbruck, Austria and grew up in the most beautiful countryside. From early on my passion was the outdoors and especially water. I remember redirecting the small creek behind my family’s house with rocks and plants, so my dolls or our dog could safely be on a small float.

Before I started my dream job as part of a team for the evaluation of hydro-power plants, I decided to take a job at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, teaching graduate students the “Effects of Ecology applied to Environmental Engineering.” But I met my husband, changed my plans, stayed in the US and the rest is history.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
Believe it or not, each day of my life I learn something new and I am most grateful for it. I actually wake up each morning and start my day, expecting to learn something new. I see myself as a conglomerate of all the teachings of this mosaic of experiences.

Probably the most crucial experience of the past years was discovering that the quality of tap and bottled waters was so terrible and the guiding laws don’t protect consumers. I always thought that the government’s mission was to protect you and your health, but regarding water this is definitely not the case. Apart from managing our water company, my real calling seems to be that I try to motivate people to ask questions and demand change.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I have always taught my children that everyone makes mistakes, but you should not make the same mistake twice. If you took the wrong decision, stop, reflect and learn. That’s the same in your personal life as well as your professional life, where you get second chances, but not third. I cannot remember a big mistake, but when you have a startup, like we did, you often need to make decisions without much knowledge of the eventual consequences, so you make mistakes, sometimes costly. Luckily, we are a small company with only five decision makers (myself, my husband, Alexander our CEO, Phillip and Stephanie). Therefore, we are flexible enough to change course once we realize an error. This is probably our strength and we have learned not to change our pattern.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Although my husband and I started the search for clean, healthy drinking water for our own family’s benefit twenty-five years ago, once we started researching the hundreds of bottled waters commercially available and then exactly what municipal waters contained, to say we were horrified would be an understatement. The ensuing journey involved a tremendous learning curve and we both are eager students in this regard, so our personal mission became a cause for shared education; sharing what we had been privileged enough to learn from nutritionists, doctors, hydrogeologist and other wellness experts and environmentalists first with our friends, and now our Hallstein community. On a proactive level, we are proud to support Operation Water, a nonprofit committed to providing sustainable water solutions to communities in Mozambique and will continue working to ensure a future of sustainable water for all.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
1. Of course, drink more water! I hear all the time, “But, I don’t like water.” Well, that’s because most water tastes terrible. But did you know your brain is 80–85% water? So, it’s no wonder that if you are even 2% dehydrated you will start to be fatigued, get headaches and even interrupt your sleep. I keep a 32 oz bottle full of Hallstein close at hand whether I’m outdoors or at my desk; once I finish that, I’m halfway through what I need for the day.

2. Get outdoors and exercise! As a golfer and professional ski instructor since I was 16, I have to say this is my daily priority and ensures both mobility and energy throughout the day.

3. Dedicate time for family and friends. My husband and three amazing children are my #1 priority, and while I — like everyone else — have an extraordinarily busy schedule that involves a lot of travel, I make sure to stop and schedule time with my friends to laugh, gossip over wine, and simply appreciate life — no phone, no social media. Keeping mind, body and spirit in balance takes effort, but goes a long way to having a reserve to deal with the Other Stuff.

4. Start your morning with a goal. However small the gesture, be useful, accomplish something. When you look in the mirror before you go to bed, you’ll feel purposeful. Not a word I know most people focus on, but it is motivating to know you’ve moved the needle somehow each day.

5. Laugh! The endorphins this releases will make all the difficult things, just a little easier.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
As I mentioned, I am quite passionate about informing people about the bad quality of drinking water and the lack of laws, updated with the current results of research. Therefore, if I were able to start a movement it would be to demand transparency and change from our government agencies. We consist of at least 60% of water, babies start out at 90%, and I cannot understand why the quality of water, essential to our survival and wellbeing, is not at the forefront of policies.

What is your “1 Thing I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
When we started out in 1999, we quickly became “water experts” with an almost suffocating variety of information. That flood of knowledge, paired with our great passion, can be a real turn off for people around you. All you think and talk about is what you are dealing with, and it’s difficult to understand that others may not be as interested in this subject as you are. In our case, I thought that everyone must be keen to know how to make better health decisions. Thank God, with the help of smart people, I’ve learned and now use different, very brief summaries of Hallstein’s mission: a 40 second “elevator pitch” or a two-minute talk. It has helped me tremendously getting others interested or asking questions without being overwhelming.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Sustainability is extremely important to me. Before launching Hallstein as a commercial effort, we spent several years observing the location of our wellhead to ensure it did not impact any other water source. This was critical to us. Secondly, we do not pump or force the water because over time this has a negative effect on the surrounding environment, making our source’s aquaculture sustainable for generations to come. The same attention was paid to building our facility. The data is there proving if we are more conscientious of our footprint as we navigate through the world, we can stop the exponential damage humans do to the environment. I want my children’s children to have access to the beauty and abundance of what this earth provides, so I see it as my job to be part of the solution.

What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
Subscribe to our newsletter at www.hallsteinwater.com! I travel all over the globe doing talks, tastings, and events so the best way to be sure we have a chance to meet in the future, is to opt-in and follow on Instagram @hallsteinwater

Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.