Fresh Clean Water

To tell you the truth I wish I could drink diet soda 24 hours a day. I am so lucky I DON'T live in Utah because my car would be headed into Swig every time I was nearby. I love, love, love soda and yet I know the chemicals in it are not good for me and that it can actually cause rather than relieve dehydration. 

And like many people I do NOT love, love, love drinking water. Yet simply adding water to your diet is an effective way of nourishing healthier skin and hair, as well as flushing your system of toxins, boosting your immune system and much more. So how much water should we be drinking? For this competition we have been requiring you to drink a minimum of 48 ounces of water per day, but many experts recommend you drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be about 10-20 cups of water per day or a minimum of about 5 standard water bottles. 

Whatever amount you decide (And it would be great if you challenge yourself to drink MORE than 48 ounces a day this week).  I want you to also challenge yourself this week to measure every ounce. Hopefully most of you are already doing this but as part of our bonus challenge let's avoid any laziness of guessing this glass or that cup was a certain number of ounces. We will actually measure how much is in the drinking glasses, cups or water bottles we use to insure we are getting sufficient water each day. And don’t forget that if your water bottle is half full of ice and you don’t eat the ice (which by the way my dentist husband would advise you DON’T eat the ice) then you have to figure that in when counting how many ounces you drank.

Implementing this simple routine of drinking sufficient water is an excellent way to increase energy and relieve fatigue, helping you think, focus and concentrate better in the process. Water also removes by-products of fat and reduces eating intake. Simply drinking water can also stimulate your metabolism and flush out toxins through sweat and urination which reduces the risk of kidney stones and UTI’s. As far as your skin is concerned, drinking water keeps your skin moisturized and smooth, aiding with wrinkles in the process. Water also helps fight against flu, cancer and more, making it one of nature’s most important and impressive natural medications. 

Water can help prevent headaches and in many cases when you take pain medication for a headache it is actually the water you wash it down with that brings relief not the medication. Cramps, and sprains are also aided by water. So this week- drink up!  

It is also better for your health to sip water throughout your day rather than gulping it all down at once. You want to maintain a good level of hydration. 

HOW CAN YOU GET MORE WATER IN?

1. One of my favorite health bloggers Snack Girl suggests adding a drop or two of key lime juice to your water. She recommends the Nellie and Joe’s brand 

2. Another product she recommends is Nuun -- a hydration solution she says it is kind of expensive but it makes water easier to drink. I looked over the ingredients and for a product that offers some rehydration protection like Gatorade it is cheaper and the ingredients are much healthier. Snack girl says, “You pop a 10 calorie tablet into your water bottle and get a nice flavor along with electrolytes. I use this after exercise instead of drinking Gatorade. I also sometimes drink 1/2 coconut water plus 1/2 water as a rehydration drink.”

3. Buy some peppermint extract and a medicine dropper and make your own "Mint" water. Or add in some fresh mint leaves.These options add zero calories and a refreshing taste.

4. Try the book "Cool Waters" by Brian Preston-Campbell which includes 50 tasty water recipes see: How Do You Like it? Water Enhancer With or Without Chemicals.https://www.amazon.com/Cool-Waters-Refreshing-Homemade-Quenchers/dp/1558323848?SubscriptionId=0V2WKFJHBETEQ931R1R2&tag=snackgirl-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1558323848

3. Give flavored seltzer a chance (without artificial sweeteners) 

4. Get a SodaStream and make your own seltzer. They even have flavor enhancers you can buy without artificial sweeteners - see Soda Stream USA.

5. Squeeze a lemon or lime in your water or buy a powdered form called True Lemon (there are other flavors too). There are no preservatives, artificial colors etc. see: True Lemon.

 6. Dilute your juice. Try cutting your juice with water and see how little juice you can use to make it taste good to you. Over time, use less and less juice. (My husband does this daily with Pomegranate juice)

7. Try a fruit flavored herbal tea. There are some great caffeine-free flavors such as peach, blueberry, and apple. Brew some up and chill it.

8. Buy a water infuser and some fresh fruit. See the pitcher linked below. You add fruit to the center which is filled with holes and you can refill the water when needed.

https://www.amazon.com/Prodyne-Fruit-Infusion-Flavor-Pitcher/dp/B0023UL86A?psc=1&SubscriptionId=0V2WKFJHBETEQ931R1R2&tag=snackgirl-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0023UL86A

9. Get a great water bottle. My favorite keeps the water cold for hours and is easy to drink out of quickly. Occasionally they have this one at Costco for half the price. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WYHR68/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

TO EARN YOUR WEEKLY BONUS POINTS I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CHOOSE AN AMOUNT OF WATER (48 OUNCES OR MORE) AND MEASURE EACH OUNCE THROUGHOUT THE DAY TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF PURE PLAIN WATER. 

Let's Start With Positive Affirmations

My apologies that this blog post is late. I didn’t realize my camping family reunion would not have wi-fi! But let’s start this healthy living challenge on a positive note. There really is amazing power in positive self talk. Several years ago I trained for and completed a marathon with my oldest daughter . One of the tools I discovered and used in the weeks of demanding training runs was positive affirmations. I would notice myself start to think “Oh I’m so tired. I haven’t run yet today. I need to do ____ miles. Oh I am dreading it. Oh it is going to be so hard. Oh maybe I can skip tonight.” I learned to stop that thought in its tracks and replace it with some made up thoughts that honestly weren’t in my heart. I would script them and then just recite them to myself… “Oh I haven’t run today. I can’t wait until I get to run. It’s going to be so rejuvenating. I am going to love it!” 

I know that sounds a little whacky but after continually halting the negative thought and replacing it with a pretend positive thought I actually began to bend my own thinking. I really did start to look forward to and think positively about my training runs. 

You too can use positive daily affirmations to direct your focus, efforts and success . You can conquer your past and present fears, and design a new present and future through  affirmations. Affirmations can redirect your values, help formulate your goals and prepare you for situations, whenever or wherever they may occur.

In general you can say your positive daily affirmations silently or aloud to yourself. For our weekly challenge however we are going to be saying them out loud with enthusiasm.I would like you to write your affirmations down and find creative ways to keep them before your eyes throughout the day (Phone screen saver, note on your bathroom mirror, sticky note on your computer,  big sign on your refrigerator etc.) Repeat your positive affirmations out loud at intervals throughout your day, to reinforce the positive belief and to maintain a positive state of mind.

You should state your positive daily affirmations in the present tense, that is, use "I am..." rather than "I will be..." Saying things in the present tense will program your subconscious mind to believe that what you affirm is already fact. When the subconscious believes that, it will start arranging for bringing what you affirm to you. In other words, the subconscious will drive you to perform the actions needed to live out what you affirm; and, acting thus, you will create the circumstances that make them actually happen for you.

Another important guideline in formulating your affirmations is to write them in the positive state. Many people have the tendency to write affirmations in the negative state (ie: I am not going to pig out on candy anymore!) ─, which immediately defeats the purpose and the effectiveness of the affirmation. Affirmations written from the negative perspective will never work.

Every week we will have a different weekly challenge to earn the weekly bonus points. If this is your first time doing a healthy living challenge with me in addition to this weekly challenge please join myfitnesspal.com and friend 3 ladies (look for contact info in my e-mail header)

Also for the weekly bonus challenge for this week-- Write at least 3 positive affirmations, place them somewhere that you will see them often and repeat them out loud and with enthusiasm several times each day throughout the day (Don’t forget all day and then blurt them out 10 times before jumping in bed!) Also share your affirmations with your healthy living partner.

A few ideas for positive affirmations :

     1.  I love to exercise! Moving my body relieves my stress, calms my mind and is just plain fun.

     2.  I love fruits and vegetables. I notice when I eat them I feel full of energy and life. They are my favorite treat.

     3.  I am in control of my health and wellness.

     4.  I have abundant energy, vitality and well-being.

     5.  I am always able to maintain my ideal weight of _______.

     6.  I radiate good health.

     7.  I sleep soundly and peacefully.

     8.  I have abundant energy, vitality and well-being.

     9.  The more I honor my health and body the better I feel.

     10.  I love clear clean water. It is my favorite drink and I love sipping it all day long.

     11.  I am a sweet treat gourmet. I love waiting and planning all week for one special dessert.

     12.  I am a record keeper. I enjoy writing down my exercise and meals. It reminds me I control the destiny of my health.

Let's end this sweetly

Here we go with our last food related weekly bonus challenge and it’s going to be a total treat.

Yes you are going to have to eat BERRIES every day this week to earn your daily bonus points. While I would love you to eat 3 servings of berries a day our bonus challenge is going to require you to eat at least ONE SERVING (which is ½ cup) of berries each day to earn the daily bonus points.

Also while I realize here in Florida we see fresh local berries everywhere (even our back yard)  they may not be available or affordable in your area. Feel free to use whole frozen berries if you can find them with no added sugar. Berries are great with oatmeal or yogurt, in smoothies, or just by themselves. They are natures superior treat. 

Antioxidants
Berries are potent sources of antioxidants that essentially act like little bodyguards protecting cells from damage, which can lead to premature aging and disease. But antioxidants are also linked to weight control. Some exciting new research from the University of Florida found that people who consume more antioxidants weigh less, even when they don’t eat fewer calories. 

Belly fat fighters

In one animal study rats that consumed two percent of their diet as blueberries had dramatic results after 90 days—significantly less belly fat, lower blood fats, lower cholesterol, and improved blood sugar and insulin levels. 

Fiber
Berries are a terrific source of fiber, another key factor in weight control. Research has found that for every gram of fiber we eat, we eliminate seven calories, so consuming the recommended 25 to 35 grams daily could cancel out nearly 300 calories, enough to result in a 30 pound weight loss in one year’s time. Another study in Brazilian dieters found that over a six month period, each additional gram of fiber resulted in an extra quarter pound of weight loss. Raspberries in particular have the best ratio of carbohydrate to fiber. Of their 15 grams of carbohydates per cup, eight are fiber. In addition to weight loss, berries have been shown to boost bone density, maintain healthy vision, protect against the sun’s UV rays, slash the risk of cancer and Parkinson’s disease, fight infections, and keep your brain young. Pretty powerful stuff!

TWO FAVORITES

Strawberries in particular have been shown to reduce blood sugar and insulin levels after meals. Scientists believe that a key antioxidant in strawberries blocks the activity of an enzyme responsible for breaking starch into simple sugar, which means fewer simple sugars are released into the blood stream, lowering the blood sugar and the corresponding insulin response. This is key for weight control because insulin shuttles excess sugar into fat cells. Metabolism boosters

Raspberries have been shown to contain a natural substance called ketones, which are similar to capsaicin, the compound that gives hot peppers their fire. Animal studies have found that raspberry ketones prevented an increase in overall body fat and visceral fat, the deep internal belly fat considered to be most dangerous due to its relationship to an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

H20 is the best beverage of summer

According to a European study published recently drinking just one can of sugar-laced soda drink a day increases the risk of developing diabetes by more than 20%.

Using data from 350,000 people in eight European countries, researchers found that drinking just a daily 12 fluid ounce serving of sugar-sweetened drink raises the risk of diabetes by 22 percent compared with drinking just one can a month or less.

"Given the increase in sweet beverage consumption, clear messages on the unhealthy effect of these drinks should be given to the population," said Dora Romaguera, who led the study with a team at Imperial College London.

The findings echo similar conclusions from research in the United States, where several studies have shown that intake of sugar-sweetened drinks is strongly linked with higher body weight and conditions like type 2 diabetes.

 Patrick Wolfe, a statistics expert from University College London, said the message from its results was clear."The bottom line is that sugary soft drinks are not good for you - they have no nutritional value and there is evidence that drinking them every day can increase your relative risk for type 2 diabetes."

But of course you don’t drink sugary sodas! You opt for diet soda instead, which is way better of course! Well, a 14-year study of 66,118 women (supported by many other previous studies) found that the opposite seems to be true. Diet drinks may be worse than sugar-sweetened drinks.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, discovered some frightening facts that should make us all swear off diet drinks and products.

.    Diet sodas raised the risk of diabetes more than sugar-sweetened sodas!

.    Women who drank one 12-ounce diet soda had a 33 percent increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, and women who drank one 20-ounce diet soda had a 66 percent increased risk.

.    Women who drank diet sodas drank twice as much as those who drank sugar-sweetened sodas because artificial sweeteners are more addictive and are hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than regular sugar.

.    The average diet soda drinker consumes three diet drinks a day.

You might say that people who are overweight and just about to get diabetes just happen to drink more diet soda, but they scientifically controlled for body weight. And they found the artificial sweeteners increased diabetes independent of body weight!

This and other research shows how diet sodas make people fat and sick. And that diet drinks may be even worse than regular sugar-sweetened sodas! How does that happen?

   1. Artificial sweeteners are hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than regular sugar, activating our genetically-programmed preference for sweet taste more than any other substance.

   2. They trick your metabolism into thinking sugar is on its way. This causes your body to pump out insulin, the fat storage hormone, which lays down more belly fat.

   3. It also confuses and slows your metabolism down, so you burn fewer calories every day.

   4. It makes you hungrier and crave even more sugar and starchy carbs like bread and pasta.

   5. In animal studies, the rats that consumed artificial sweeteners ate more, their metabolism slowed, and they put on 14 percent more body fat in just two weeks -- even eating fewer calories.

   6. In population studies, there was a 200 percent increased risk of obesity in diet soda drinkers.

Bottom line: There is no free ride. Diet drinks are not good substitutes for sugar-sweetened drinks. They increase cravings, weight gain, and Type 2 diabetes. And they are addictive.

I could go on and on with more info on the side affects of artificial sweeteners. And we could debate if any of them are better than the others but for this next week let’s just take a break!

For every day that you forgo regular soda, diet soda, Gatorade, lemonade, Crystal light, Mio, Zip etc. etc. and just drink your 48 ounces (MEASURED) of plain, clear, thirst quenching rejuvenating water you can claim the 5 bonus points. Ouch this one will be tough!

And here is a recipe shared by one of my girlfriend’s just for fun. (She substitutes lime slices for the cucumber and omits the ginger- so play around with this as you like)

Sassy Water

2 liters water (about 8 ½ cups)


1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger


1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced


1 medium lemon thinly sliced


12 small spearmint leaves.

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight.

Our next challenge is to eat some bugs!

Hmmmmmmm not sure if any of you ever try to guess what our next challenge will be, but if you do I bet I would have stumped you this week. Once again I am going to challenge you to eat some bugs. You’ll be relieved to know I’m not referring to the creepy crawly, and maybe even leggy and crunchy roaches, ants or crickets-- I’m talking about microscopic bugs—the beneficial bacteria that are naturally present in foods like yogurt or kefir. 

According to one of my favorite nutrition bloggers Monica Reinagel M.S.,L.D./N. from NutritionDiva.com  “Every traditional cuisine has developed some sort of naturally fermented or cultured food. There’s Japanese miso, Bulgarian yogurt, Polish sauerkraut, Indian lassi, and Korean kim-chee. And each of these plays a central role in that culture’s cuisine … and for good reason. All of these foods contain lactobacillus bacteria, which are extremely beneficial to your health. In the days before antibiotics and other drugs, cultured and fermented foods were critical to staying healthy.”

Monica goes on to explain that “The friendly bacteria found in these foods actually set up housekeeping in your gut, where they do all kinds of good things for you: They help digest your food and produce certain vitamins for you. They keep the lining of your intestines slick and shiny. Most of all, they make it harder for unfriendly bacteria to take hold and make you sick.”

In other words if we have a basic population of beneficial bacteria in our gut our digestive system will work better and our body will be healthier and better able to fight off disease.

Monica goes on to explain that “Unfortunately, the traditional methods of fermenting cabbage in stoneware crocks, or burying salted vegetables in pits in the back yard, or culturing warm goat’s milk on the hearth are just not as common as they used to be. Instead, we have ultra-pasteurized milk that keeps for six weeks. Let me assure you that no beneficial bacteria survive the ultra-pasteurization process.”

Personally I love kimchi (I had a Kimchi taco last week- yum)  and Kefir (Kefir is a fermented milk drink made with grains and is believed to have its origins in the Caucasus Mountains. It is available in health food and many grocery stores and it tastes like a yogurt drink but almost like it has a bit of carbonation. My sons love it) but probably the easiest way to get our daily lactobacillus fix is to eat yogurt regularly 

Which brand of yogurt should you buy? Look for brands that advertise “living cultures” (Recent studies show Stonyfield to be the brand with the most active and live cultures)  but it is not necessary to pay extra for fancy yogurts that promote digestive health. Regular yogurt contains all that you need.

It’s pretty easy to work some yogurt into your daily diet. Besides eating it as a breakfast or snack you can easily add it to smoothies or soups or use it in dips or spreads .

And I’m a step ahead of you ladies in your day dreaming. Does frozen yogurt (one of my all time favorite treats) contain live active yogurt bacteria and qualify as “eating yogurt’?  Maybe and maybe not. It seems that while the freezing process does NOT kill the yogurt bacteria some frozen yogurts use heat-treated yogurt, which does kill the live and active cultures. The best way to find out is to ask at your local frozen yogurt shop or look for the NYA Live & Active Cultures seal. What you want is live active yogurt bacteria. And remember if you find a frozen yogurt which contains live culture but also has sugar it DOES count as a sugar day! You might enjoy plain or unsweetened yogurt with some fresh fruit or non-caloric sweetener added. 

For every day that you eat at least 1/4 cup of a fermented food (sauerkraut, miso, yogurt, kefir, kim-chee etc.)  containing live and active cultures or take a probiotic supplement you earn the daily 5 bonus points. Happy yogurt eating ladies! 

Weekly Challenge More Variety in Veggies

I was reading a very interesting study this week that has inspired our next challenge. The first results of the largest study to have ever investigated the human microbiome are in. They have important implications for our dietary practices, resistance to antibiotics, and our mental health.

In 2012, Rob Knight, Ph.D., from the University of California, and Jeff Leach, Ph.D., the founder of the Human Food Project, and Jack Gilbert, Ph.D., who is the faculty director of the Microbiome Center at the University of Chicago in Illinois, set out to found the American Gut Project.

To this end, they used so-called citizen science — the practice in which the public contributes to research by offering their time and personal data up for analysis.

The first results of the project are now available, and they offer clues as to what keeps our guts healthy and bacterially diverse. The findings were published in the journal mSystems.

Citizen scientists help study the microbiome

As part of the project, participants paid $99 for a kit that collected fecal, oral, and skin samples of bacteria.

They also had to answer a survey inquiring about their overall health and any illnesses they might have had, their lifestyle, and dietary practices.

In 2015, the project counted 15,096 samples provided by 11,336 people across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and 42 other countries.

Among the findings of this widespread investigation are:

 1. The wider the range of plants that we eat, the more diverse our gut bacteria will be. 

2. There seems to be a strong correlation with mental health challenges (PTSD, depression, bipolar etc.) and poor microbiome health.

3. The greatest microbiome diversity was among those that consumed 30 different types of plant each week. 

4. The participants who reported eating more than 30 types of plant per week seemed to have a lower resistance to antibiotics.

I don’t know about you but I am pretty lazy about eating the same vegetables most of the time (onions, spinach, kale, chard, green beans, carrots) And so I hesitate to challenge you to eat 30 DIFFERENT vegetables this week. The thought of that is just mind boggling to me.

But I will challenge you to eat as many different vegetables this week as you can!  I would love you to let me know how many you are able to consume. And to earn the daily bonus points you must eat at least one new vegetable each day that is not on your list of your usual vegetables- so you need to eat at least 7 new ones this week.

Good luck ladies! 

Stretching it out!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Stretch It Out

I know it's down right but often YOUR challenges come from what I need to work harder to make myself do. Recently I'm having a lot of knee pain walking and I'm pretty sure it's for 2 reasons 1. I need to lose some weight 2. I don't stretch enough before hand.

Something that we often overlook in our fitness efforts is simple stretching. And yet this is a crucial part of any physical fitness regime.

Age and inactivity can contribute to inflexibility, stiffness and even loss of range of motion. Yet constant daily practice can help us regain our flexibility and can even take us way beyond where we have gone before. The secret is in gentle, constant, DAILY effort.

How We Lose Flexibility
As we age, flexibility diminishes within the joints. We can also lose flexibility through lack of stretching and physical activity.

Benefits
Stretching is a physical activity that elongates connective tissues, muscles and other tissues. The benefits associated with stretching include:
Reducing muscle tension and relaxing the body
Improved coordination and freer movement of body and limbs
Increased range of motion in the associated joints
Prepare the body for physical activity
Preventing injuries from tight muscles during physical activity
Creating a mind body connection
Promoting circulation
Reduce the risk of back problems
Reduce muscle soreness after exercise

Ten tips on how to stretch

1. Do everything slowly.

2. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds prior to exercise (warm-up) and for at least 30 seconds post exercise (cool-down).

3. Breathe normally and relax while holding the stretch to the point of pain.

4. NEVER, EVER do any bouncy stretching, always hold and relax.

5. Focus on the muscle you are trying to stretch and then try to lengthen it.

6. If a particular muscle group is tight, then stretch it in stages. Stretch as far as you can, then relax it and stretch again. This is most important during cool-down.

7. Move slowly out of the stretch.

8. Remember to stretch both sides of the body.

9. Increasing the range of movement around a joint will help the blood flow to the muscles surrounding the joint and increase circulation that will carry away any lactic acids that may build up in the muscle.

10. Do more stretching in addition to just warming-up and cooling-down. As we get older our muscles shorten naturally, and it is vital for everyone that stretching becomes part of your normal everyday life. Gyms that offer stretch-classes or Yoga, where the aim is to permanently and progressively increase your flexibility are well worth considering if time and money allows.

There are many charts and tutorials available on google and youtube. Additionally you may want to take a gym class in yoga or stretching. But whatever you choose to do- do it daily and with gentle consistency.


Our challenge for our last week of competition is to stretch for at least 10 minutes per day. You can include this as part of your daily exercise minutes or do it in addition to your minutes but begin to include daily stretching in your physical routine. For every day that you stretch at least 10 minutes you can claim 5 bonus points. And yes you can stretch on Sunday too- for a total of 35 possible bonus points.

Happy stretching ladies!