Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Fit by 14 {week 2}





Welcome to Fit By '14 week 2!  This was originally suppose to be a link up, but for some reason my blog just wasn't digging the whole linkup shenanigan & decided to go cra-cra on me.  So, until I have the patience to figure it out, please feel free to "link up" by adding your own blog post in the comment section! 

Weekly Tip
Disclaimer:  To state the obvious, and to prevent from getting sued.  I am not a DR, or any other form of health care provider.  Please do your OWN research and form your OWN opinions rather than just take my word for anything!  These are just my thoughts and my opinions from life experience and research I have done myself!
 
WATER, WATER, WATER

Drinking water is seriously one of the best things that you can do for your  body.  And I'm not talking about water that has crystal light or other processed flavoring in it either.  Your body craves water.  If you for some reason just can't stand the taste of water and NEED some kind of flavoring, do your body a favor and use fruit & herbs to infuse your water with flavor!  It's a much healthier alternative to crystal light which is filled with fake flavoring, imitation sugar, preservatives & food coloring!  If you need some ideas for combinations, or even to learn how to infuse your water with fruit hop on over to Pinterest and search for infused water!  It doesn't take that much work, and I've even cheated and used frozen berries! 

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated!  Soda, Coffee, Tea, Milk, etc DO NOT count as water!  They need to be treated as a sometimes drink and water needs to be your go to drink!

Feeling Hungry?  Try drinking a glass of water first!  Most of the time you were just dehydrated and your body confuses it with hunger!  If you are still hungry 15 minutes later, then get something to eat!  This will also help you eat LESS because you already filled your stomach with water!

Feeling the 2:00 slums?  Resist that cup of coffee or 5 hour energy and  drink water!  Lack of water is the #1 trigger of day time fatigue!

Water makes skin smoother, and helps prolong the effects of aging.  It also makes your eyes brighter and helps prevent acne! 

Water is essential for making your immune system work efficiently!  This is so important now that the cold and flu season is here!  Make sure to get enough water, and if you're getting the winter crud, then drink a little more water!

I could go on and on about why water is SO important for you to drink!  It's one of the most important and healthiest habits that you can make.  And yes, you will have to go to the bathroom more, and yes, it gets slightly annoying.  But think of the bright side, you are getting a few more steps in with all the trips to the bathroom!

So HOW much water do you need to drink?

There are many theories out there. 

8 glasses of water a day.  Well, how big is the glass?  And how can a 250 lb male require as much water as a 125 lb female? 

Drink when you are thirsty.  Studies have shown that by the time you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. 

Divide your weight in 1/2, and drink that in ounces.  This is the rule of thumb that I follow, as a minimum.  So, if you weigh 150 lbs, you would drink about 75 ounces of water a day.  And if you work out, or are drinking caffeinated beverages then you need to be drinking more to make up for the water you lost! 

I've gained quite the little collection of Smart water bottles.  When we go on trips, or I forget to bring water, Smart Water is one of the only waters that I can handle drinking.  All other bottled water is just down right disgusting to me!  Now, I know that this is highly frowned upon, and I may actually be leaking toxins into my body by doing this, but I can't afford all stainless steal water bottles, unless someone wants to send me some for an early birthday or Christmas gift.  I fill up my old water bottles at night and get them in my bag for the next day.  We live on a well, and where I work has some horrible city water, so I tote my water to work every day!   

You can in fact drink too much water and knock your electrolytes all out of whack.  But, I drink a TON of water a day, and it has never happened to me, so I'm guessing that you would have to drink gallons of water  before that happens!

Update:
 
I've been going to the gym for a week now, and I hate every minute of it.  I actually Despise Sweating.   I'm a wanna be runner that hates running, how twisted is that!  Honestly, I think that my problem is that I expect myself to do to much too fast.  A 5.0 Pace on the treadmill isn't "fast" enough in my mind, so I'm constantly pushing myself to bump up the speed.  For some reason I feel like 6.0, or 10 mph is the only acceptable pace.  It's a mental thing.  

I'm going through the Couch to 5K app on my phone.  I've used it before, and I'm convinced it's one of the best apps/programs out there to get people up and running.  Last week I decided to skip week 1 and move on to week 2.  After the first day of week 2, I bumped it up to week 3 (Run 1 1/2 minutes.  Walk 1 1/2 minutes.  Run 3 minutes.  Walk 3 minutes.  Repeat.)  I  run the shorter distance at a 6.0, and the longer distance between a 5.5-5.7.  I'm huffing and puffing trying to get through the 3 minute run, but bumping down the speed just makes my legs feel heavier!  THEN, I got the brilliant idea that I needed to repeat it twice to add a little length to my work out.  More is better right?  I'm not so convinced right now.  

But here's the deal.  I'm my own worst critic.  No one else is looking at me thinking "boy, I can't believe how slow she is going", or "wow, she needs to work out just a little longer."  I don't need to beat myself up because I'm not running a 10 minute mile, or because I just don't feel up to an extra set this morning.  Should I continue to push myself?  Of course!  But I need to learn how to use encouraging thoughts instead of negative thoughts to push myself on!

Stats:
Current Work out: C25K, just finished week 3.  I may repeat it for the rest of the week.
Number of work outs: 5 days out of 7
Weight Loss: -4lbs from last week, but a total of -14
Inches Loss: Haven't updated measurements
Best workout this past week: 2.65 miles, 37 minutes, Ave Pace 13:57 (for the sake of my ego....that includes a 5 min warm up and cool down)
Thoughts towards running:  I Still hate every minute of it.  My favorite part is the end.


What do you do to stay in / get in shape?  What are some things that you struggle with?  What are your thoughts on drinking water?

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1 comment:

  1. If you are ever near Batesville MS on a Friday you should go to the Thermos Outlet store, they have the tall skinny stainless water bottles for only $1.50

    ReplyDelete

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