Tips for Drinking MORE Water

1. Carry water with you EVERYWHERE!
2. Always keep a glass of water next to you when you are at the computer, working, studying, etc.
3. Add lemons or limes to your water
4. Eat water rich fruits and vegetables (watermelons are 92% water and a tomato is 95% water!)
5. Keep water at the temperature you prefer, if you like ice cold water keep ice in it! =)
6. Fill up a jug with the amount of water you should be drinking in a day, get your water from this jug and try to empty it by the end of the day.
7. Drink through a straw, you take bigger gulps and drink more water
8. Drink water instead of soda (regular or diet!) Caffeine is a diuretic and will actually make you lose water and will make you make MORE trips to the restroom!
9. When you have a craving for junk food, drink a glass of water, you'll feel more full and the craving will fade
10. Make sure you have a restroom close by (especially if you're prego! =)

Remember if you live in a hot, dry climate your water requirement increases. Also if you are pregnant or nursing your water requirement also increases! Happy drinking! ;)

Water, water, water

Our bodies are approximately 60% water, so as you know, it is vital to our existence. We can only survive a few days without water. Drinking an adequate amount of water has many benefits, besides the obvious, to our body:

-endocrine gland function improves (these glands secrete hormones into the blood stream)
-fluid retention is alleviated (good-bye extra water weight!)
-liver functions improve (which means percentage of fat used for energy increases!)
-natural thirst returns
-appetite decreases significantly
-body temperature regulation improves

and these are just SOME of the benefits! I know what you're thinking, ok Amber, we all know how important water is, but the big question is HOW MUCH are we supposed to drink? Ok, ok, I'm getting to that. It varies depending on where you get your information. All through my education the answer has varied depending who was teaching the class. If you research it you will also find different answers. So here's my answer to that question. The AVERAGE amount of water a person should drink is about 96 ounces (12 cups = 6 pt = 3 qt = 3/4 gal. = 2.84l)(National Academy of Sports Medicine). Susan was right Danielle it's to the point where you are peeing all the time! =) In all seriousness now, if that does seem like too much water for you, especially if you aren't drinking very much water go by the 8x8 rule. Drink 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day (8 oz = 1 cup). So grab a glass and start sippin'!

Free Days

Let me just start this post off by saying that what I am about to write is from my own personal experience with losing weight and not from any textbook/book that I've read. On that note, my husband loves ice cream, so from day one of our marriage we always had ice cream in our freezer. I wasn't used to this, my family never kept ice cream or any kind of sweets in the house, so we only got ice cream on special occasions. Well, we started having ice cream every night after dinner...needless to say I gained 15 lbs in the 1st 6 months of our marriage. It was the most I've ever weighed and as soon as I realized what the numbers were I decided something had to change. I started to change the way I ate and started to refuse the ice cream my husband would offer me. I "saved" the sweet treats for my free day. My free day was the one day a week that I could eat what I wanted and not worry about how healthy it was for me. That is to say, I ate whatever I wanted, but I still watched portion sizes. I lost the 15+ lbs in 2 months, through diet and exercise AND my free day.

An aside about having a free day, for 6 days out of the week you are continuously making healthy choices in your diet, and I found over a period of time that, even on my free day, I started to choose the healthier items, not because I HAD to but because that's what I WANTED. You feel better when you eat better and it makes an impression on you and the choices you make! Good luck! =)

New Year, New You!!!

Now that all the craziness of the holiday festivities, (and in my family the insane number of birthdays, anniversaries, etc that take place in January!) are over and you are starting to settle back to the pre-holiday routine, don't forget about your goals to be hot and healthy! I know a lot of people that the holidays majorly throw them off course from eating healthy and exercising. There's just so much going on and so much to do that healthy habits fall by the wayside. If that sounds like a familiar story, there's no better time than the present to pick those healthy habits back up and put them to good use.

Now I don't know how many of you made New Year's resolutions, but if you did what were they and how are they going? Personally, I don't really make New Year's resolutions. I have things that I work on on a monthly basis, I CAN'T wait for the New Year to roll around because if I saved them all up I would be totally overwhelmed! I have a couple of personal goals this month and one of them is to bring you a better blog! When I decided to do start this blog back in August, my purpose was to help people reach their health goals and see themselves in a new light, with renewed self confidence. That is what I still WANT to do, but I am having a difficult time knowing what to post about. The topics of health and wellness are so broad it's overwhelming to me every time I sit down to post. I have to think, ok, where should I start??? I guess what I'm asking for is more feedback so I can give you all what you want. Topics can be anything health related, including body image, eating disorders, exercising, nutrition, pregnancy, you name it and I will tell you what I know or research it and post what I find. If you don't feel comfortable leaving a comment about what you want to learn more about feel free to e-mail me (just click on view my profile, and then on Email me) . Thanks everybody, and I hope your holidays were fabulous!

Finding Peace in the Mirror

Loving yourself really is half the battle! It's hard to look in the mirror and see things that you don't like, whether you think you're too skinny or you wish your nose was smaller, there's always something we wish we could change about our physical appearance. It's important to remember that looks aren't everything. Accepting and loving yourself for who you are, flaws and all, is an important part of living a healthy life. If you love yourself enough to take care of yourself, you will naturally make healthier lifestyle choices. I found this article called "Finding Peace in the Mirror: The Quest for a Healthy Body Image" by Pamela H. Hansen and I wanted to share it with you because it really hit home with me. The quote that I posted last week was actually taken from this article in LDSLiving:

A lot of unhappiness results from agonizing over our physical appearance. But if we are able to see the divinity inherent in our wonderful mortal bodies, we can find a serenity and peace that eludes those who are caught up in the world’s obsession with the so-called ideal body.
-Pamela H. Hansen

She also relates being physically healthy to our spiritual well-being. It's a wonderful article and if you want to read it I've posted the link on the side bar or just click the link in the first paragraph.

What shape are you?

Like it or not we all have "predetermined" body shapes, that is to say we all have certain places fat deposits like to settle the best. There are 3 different body types
The apple-shape: people with the apple body type tend to store fat around their midsection (belly). This is the most dangerous place to store fat because it surrounds your vital organs, meaning it is the most likely to lead to heart disease. Apple shaped people need to be or become health conscious to avoid excess fat stored in this area.
The pear-shape: Pear shaped individuals tend to store fat below the belt, that is in the hips and thighs. It is harder to lose than belly fat but it is not so dangerous to your health as belly fat.

The proportioned shape - These people distribute fat evenly throughout their bodies.

Holiday Feasting

So it's that time of year again, people are putting up Christmas tress and lights and there's the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers everywhere you go, not to mention the Christmas treats in the oven and the parties being thrown with all kinds of yummy not-so figure friendly food! But do not despair you can still enjoy all the things you love and keep the extra pounds at bay! How you ask? Just a simple matter of portion control! I know you've probably grown entirely weary of hearing me blabber on about how portion control is the key, but my friends, it's the truth! ANY food can be a part of a healthy diet as long as it's enjoyed in moderation! That is a wonderful thing, it gives you a free pass to go ahead and have a cookie and not feel guilty about it ! Here are some other tips for all those goodies that are sure to come your way this holiday season!

- If you don't LOVE it, don't eat it! Just because you start to eat something doesn't mean you have to finish it if you don't love it. For example, you're at a Christmas party and you put a cookie on your plate that looks delish, but when you take a bite it's only so-so, DON'T finish it and don't feel bad for not doing so! Put it back on your plate or throw it away, your hips will thank you when the season passes and you can still fit into your fave pair of jeans!

- Have an apple or a light snack BEFORE you go to dinner or a party where you know there will be a lot of unhealthy food and snacks. Doing this keeps you from being famished and loading your plate up with everything that looks edible!

- This one is probably going to be difficult if you're like me and love to bake, especially for the holidays, so take it in stride. Instead of baking cookies and other goodies to give to friends and neighbors (which come on let's be honest, we sample everything that comes out of the oven because we wouldn't want to give away bad cookies...=) why not give away little baskets of Christmas oranges or clementines or any wintery fruit for that matter? Not only are these baskets pretty, but it's ok if you sample the holiday fare!

I have to run the baby's awake, but if I have any more tips I'll be sure to send them your way and as always, if you have any tips of your own please share!