Challenge #4: Water Only At Restaurants

Okay folks, this is it for the first month of challenges!  If you've been playing along, then you should take some pride in the fact that you are now up to at least 3 whole glasses of water a day - at the least! If you're swapping out your calorie-filled 'other' drinks, then you should also be happy to know that you are saving yourself over 1 pound in calories per week!!

For week #4 I'm asking you to do one more daily concentrated effort to drink more water.  There are two ways to go about it. 

1. Only order WATER when you go out to eat from now on!  Seriously, this is so easy...and it's saving you some money, too!  Money and calorie savings = Win! Win!

2. Simply drink ONE more glass of water daily.  Already, you are drinking one glass first thing in the morning, one glass of water after dinner, plus one additional glass at a meal.  Just drink another one in between to make an even four glasses (at the least) per day! 

Once you're in the habit of drinking 4 glasses per day, you'll be drinking more in no time at all.  KEEP IT UP!!!

This will be my last post for a while focusing on increasing the amount of water you drink per day.  That means, it's up to you to keep up the good work from here on out!  So, I'll leave you with a few reminders about why this H2O stuff is sooooo darn good for you:

From the Mayo Clinic:
Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body: 2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal
organs
1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

Water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse.

 

 

From Undergroundhealth.com

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Challenge #3: Swap A Drink

Continuing on with the water theme, this week's challenge will be to swap out one of your regular 'other than water' drinks for a glass of H2O. 

So pick the meal that works best for your lifestyle and add water to it.  Oh - and go get a new water bottle to carry around with you throughout the day.  They have great BPA-free, re-usable cups and bottles out there now that are super handy and look great too.

Here are some tips to make that glass of water a little bit more special:

• Add lemon or lime.  (http://lajollamom.com/2011/01/drink-warm-lemon-water-in-the-morning/)
• Add fruit.  Slice up the fruit, add to water and refrigerate overnight.  It tastes amazing!  Great for the summertime too.
• Add a small amount of all-natural cranberry juice.
• Use all-natural 100% juice to make ice cubes.  Add them to your water for a little added sweetness throughout your glass.
• Mint leaves are a simple way to add some flavor too.
• A personal favorite, add sliced cucumbers.  So yummy!
• Freeze citrus slices and use them as ice cubes, too.
• Freeze watermelon to add as ice cubes, or forget the freezing and add watermelon to the bottom of a pitcher of water to drink throughout the day.

Hope that helps give you some ideas to make those glasses go down easier.  Keep up the good work!  You can do this!

Drink Water, Save Calories?? Sort Of...

Before I get to the next challenge, I wanted to congratulate everyone sticking to the 2 glasses of water per day!! Guess what - You have saved yourself nearly 1 pound worth of calories over the past two weeks!!!  Seriously!!

I did some rough math, based on my addiction to Cokes - seriously, it's bad. I know not everyone drinks a 'Coke' the way I do, but we all have some calorie-rich liquid substance that we can equate to my Coke drinking.  And if you're saying 'Nope, I drink diet' or 'Nope, I drink something-other-than-water-that-is-advertised-as-zero-calore' then, yes the calories may not be there, but your body's addiction to sugar is.  Sugar, or sugary like substitutes equals weight gain!  Check out this article http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2011/12/01/8-dangers-of-diet-soda/

So back to my original point.  1 can of Coke has approximately 150 calories.  However, in my quest to drink more water I, theoretically, swapped out 2 Cokes per day over the past week.  That's 300 calories per day saved! Add that up over Challenge #2's week and that's 2100 calories saved!  Challenge #1 had us all drinking at least 1 glass of water per day, saving at least 150 calories per day.  150 calories per day, for one week is an additional 1,050 calories saved!  The total calories saved over the past two weeks has been 3,150!!  Did you know that one pound is equal to 3,500 calories (http://www.howmanycaloriesinapound.com/) ??  With these simple challenges we have saved nearly 1 pound of calories.  For my 'diet' drinkers, you've saved a TON of sugar substitutes too! Meaning, you are also re-training your brain to use sugar and insulin properly (read the bottom paragraph in this article http://dishmag.com/issue120/health/13775/the-secret-dangers-of-diet-soda/)

So CONGRATULATIONS!!  Your simple efforts to drink a glass of water in the morning and 1 more after dinner have already saved you nearly ONE POUND in calories for the past two weeks!!

I'll post more calorie-saving, water-drinking (uber-hyphenated) challenges tonight!!!  Go Team!!

Challenge #2: 1 Glass of Water After Dinner

This one may be an easy one for some of us, but stick with me.  Most of you who joined us for the first challenge of drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning have already taken the water drinking a step further and are drinking water all throughout the day.  That is AWESOME and congratulations on doing something that is so GOOD for you!!

However, I'm making it a commitment to make these challenges do-able and keeping them in baby step form so that EVERYONE can see how easy, simple, and possible it can be to change your health and your lifestyle one little step in the right direction at a time.

Keep that in mind for all of my challenges this month because they all have to do with making a conscious decision to add water to your daily routines.

So this week's challenge is, in addition to your morning glass of H2O, I want you to make another commitment to drinking a glass of water after your evening meal.  That's one 8-12oz glass of water at the end of dinner.  It will help you relax, it will help your body digest your food, it will help your tummy stay full longer (reducing the temptation for any late night snacks) and it will help flush out all those toxins you built up throughout the day.

I confess, I have not been doing this one for too long, so it is a change to my daily routine that I will be adapting too along with you.  Let's keep up the good hydration and keep downing those glasses of goodness!

Go Team!!

Challenge Week #1: Drink More Water

Our first challenge of the '52 Challenges' challenge (say that 5 times fast) is to drink one 8-12oz size glass of water first thing in the morning.

Starting tomorrow morning, drink a glass of water every day before you have breakfast and even before your morning coffee.

Why?  Well we all know how good water is for us and that we should be drinking more of it, however, fitting those glasses of goodness in during the day can be tough.  This is one way to make sure you are getting that oh so beneficial drink.  Once you down that glass you're at least ONE more glass of water up on the day.

PLUS, studies have shown that drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning can do some amazing things for you like: jump start your metabolism for the day, get your intestinal tract moving to fight constipation and dehydration, and flush toxins from your body to help it run smoother and help you feel better!

I have to admit, I've actually been doing this for a few weeks now and it's so EASY.  My trick, I fill the glass up before I go to bed and put it by my bedside so it is there right when I wake up.  All I have to do is chug-a-lug as soon as I'm up.  And I REALLY do notice a difference when I get that glass of water in versus when I forget.  My energy is always much better and I just feel better, which is always a bonus!

And just in case you're interested in taking on a few extra glasses of water during the day, here's a list of a few more benefits from drinking water:

1. Water keeps you healthy by helping your blood (which is over 80% water) create new healthy blood cells.
2. Drinking water helps your lymphatic system get moving, which can help lessen pain in your body.
3. Water helps remove waste from your body.  I'm sure we'd all agree that getting the waste and toxins out is a pretty good idea.
4. Every cell and joint in your body requires water in order to function properly.
5. It is calorie-free!  Plus, drinking a glass or two before meals can help you maintain a healthy weight because drinking water is filling. 
6. Dehydration raises the levels of cortisol, the "stress hormone" in your body.  By drinking more water you can actually help lower your stress levels.
7. Drinking more water can keep you from getting sick.  Your whole body functions better the more hydrated it is, which allows your body to fight off infection more effeciently.
8. Water saves money!!
9. Improves your skin complexion by flushing out toxins and hydrating your skin from the inside. It's the best and cheapest anti-aging treatment around!
10. Drinking more water puts you in a good mood.  When your body is operating at its best then you feel good, too!

So accept the challenge and get your drink on!  One glass of water at a time.

52 Challenges?!

Hi everyone!  I'm baaaack and I've got a new plan.  Something fun that you can join me on.  Think of the number 52...as in 52 weeks in this new year!!

I've never really been one to make resolutions at the beginning of the new year. However, I do believe in the power of something new and the beginning of a new year is something huge and new.  It holds so much potential and it's so unknown, for good and bad!

So, that being said, I know I want to step into 2013 with a positive attitude open to personal growth and change.  That's what I want, but sometimes life throws us curve balls and sad, dark, bad things happen that are scary and challenging to get through.  We all know people who have been there, are there, and we've all been there ourselves.  My point is that we can't prepare for everything, we can't control everything or everyone, but there are aspects of our lives that can be set right, for the better.  That, to me, is what the resolution season is all about.  Setting those things, which we know should be set right, on the right track.  Take control of the things we really can control!

My idea with the "52 Challenges" is to challenge myself on a weekly basis to change something for the better.  Challenges should be a little bit difficult and certainly out of our comfort zone.  Something that is difficult and out of our comfort zone is something powerful - it forces us to change, to consider something new, and to grow!

My 52 Challenges are all something that EVERYONE can do and I invite you to join me in this year long endeavor.  They will all be small little changes/challenges/additions to our day to day life on a weekly basis that I think are great ways to improve your health, your attitude, your relationships and even your perspective!  At least, that is the expectation I have for myself in this endeavor.

Keep in mind, though, I'm no professional.  I'm a stay at home mother of 2, who is working VERY hard to adapt my lifestyle to help me become something POSITIVE, HEALTHY, SPIRITUAL, and FULL OF LONG TERM POSSIBILITY for me and my family!  This is who I am.  I make no guarantees that my successes or suggestions are going to translate exactly to yours, but I do believe that all of these challenges are certainly worth a try!  Who doesn't want to have the opportunity to try and experience something positive and something you could possibly feel good about?! 

This is how it will work: I'll release a challenge at the beginning of each week.  Yes, I realize I'm a little late for the EXACT start of the new year, but hey - there's no better time than now!

You choose to accept, or not accept the challenge along with me.  Throughout the week I'll post pictures and little snip-its about my progress and certainly my struggles too and I'll invite you to do the same.  Most of it I'll keep up with on this blog, but also the Miles for Mitzie Facebook page too.

Now, most of these challenges are meant to built one upon the other.  So start with week 1, then add to it the challenge for week 2, then week 3, and so on.  My expectation is NOT to have all of these challenges stick by the end of the year, but instead to have a few of the ones that work best for the life we are trying to create stick at the end of the year.  Your 'sticking' challenges will not be the same as my 'sticking' challenges (as in the ones adopted long term), but I hope they'll be as effective!

Also, keep in mind that these challenges are just ideas.  I think sometimes the biggest struggle in making a change in our lives is figuring out where to start.  These little changes are meant to be a start line, a jumping off point, a beginning.  Most importantly, be you, but be the best, happiest and healthiest you possible!

Yes, I'm still all about the annihilation of ovarian cancer, but first and foremost we must take care of ourselves.  Some of my challenges will even be built around my Miles for Mitzie events!  (I've got something great planned beginning in March!)

So what do you say?  Is it time to do something new?  Would you like to grow with me?  I promise, you can do this.