Wellness Wednesday

On my journey to wholeness, I've tried to make small changes which bring about a big difference. One of the easiest things I've done is increase my water consumption and eliminate soda and high sugar drinks. The difference has been astonishing! 

Why drink water?

We all know the recommended daily intake of water is 8 ounces but do you know all the reasons why water is so important? Well, I didn’t and I needed a reason to try. After scouring the internet and reading/comparing countless articles, here are the top reasons appearing more than 3 (most the time 4!) times out of the 12 articles I read:

1. Water helps you lose and maintain weight.
2. Improves skin by moisturizing and clearing complexion.
3. Keeps things moving in your digestive tract- relieves constipation, indigestion and eliminates harmful bacteria.
4. Lubricates your joints and muscles so there is less pain and better function.
5. Alleviates and prevents headaches. Already have a headache? Water is also a natural remedy!
6. Helps prevent certain kinds of cancer including bladder, kidney and colon.
7. Natural immune booster! Drinking more water can help prevent you from getting sick!
8. Increases results from workouts (because your body is not retaining water due to dehydration)
9. It’s good for heart health and kidney function.  

And the number 10 reason (which is the most important in my mind)

        10. Water is essential to survival. Without it, you die. Period. 

Now you may ask, but how much water should I drink every day? 

It used to be 8 – 8 oz glasses a day. That isn’t really accurate since we all have very different bodies. Instead, the formula I found again and again is half your body weight in ounces. (Example- I weigh 140 so I need a minimum of 70 ounces of water per day.) If you are active, you need to increase water consumption to 2/3 an ounce per pound of weight. (Example- 140 x .67 =93 ounces of water- most of the time I just make it an even 100 ounces a day.)

How do you know if you are dehydrated? 

If you aren’t using the bathroom frequently or your urine isn’t almost clear, you are dehydrated.

How in the world am I going to drink 100 ounce of water a day?!?

This is the easy part. Keep water with you ALL THE TIME! Always. Whenever you see your water, take a big drink. First thing you do in the morning? Drink a glass of water. Before you eat a meal? Drink a glass of water. Does this sound too difficult? More of a visual learner (like me)? If so, here is an easy solution for you!

See? Isn’t that easy? 

Do other drinks (i.e. soda/juice) count towards my water consumption?

This depends on who you talk too. My thoughts are, is it water? If not, than no, it does not count towards your WATER goal.

Start small. Start simple. Start today. 

Don’t become overwhelmed thinking about trying to consume 100 ounces on your first day. Make this a journey towards wholeness and creating health for your entire being. Go drink a big glass of water…right now. Don’t wait- your body, weight, muscles, digestive tract, heart, kidneys (among other things)- will thank you!

Happy Wednesday! I hope your day is filled with happiness!

~Stef

Thought for the week:

(I don’t claim to be an expert, just a lover of new and useful information. I hope you enjoy new and useful information too! If you have a question, comment or suggestion, please send it my way.)

The Best Shape of My Life

The best shape of my life started as a physical goal. I wanted to be healthy, strong and fit. Feel better than I ever have and be healthier than I ever have. As the year has progressed, I’ve come to realize being in the best shape of my life is not all physical. 

Physical health is only one small part of being “in the best shape of my life”. The best shape of my life comes from a wholeness.I realized this concept of wholeness also encompasses emotional stability, spiritual connectivity, mental wellness and financial security. 

So, this goal has been amended:

Get in the best “wholeness” of my life

Six months into the year and I feel like I’m already more whole than I have ever been in my life.

Emotional stability, spiritual connectivity and mental wellness all play into each other. I’ve read numerous books, sought understanding and guidance from holistic healers, learned to meditate and self evaluate. As I’ve developed a firmer understanding of why I react to certain things and the insecurities in myself, I can make a plan to heal and move forward. The more I learn about holistic healing and enlightenment, the more I feel a sense of wholeness. 

The best place to start on a journey to self evaluation and acceptance is to read the book The Gifts of Imperfection (see review in previous post). Once you start on the path to enlightenment, you will continue to learn and understand. Call me when you start and I will give you the phone number for the best energy healer I’ve ever met! She is awesome!! (There is a whole long story about why I sought an energy healer. The long and short of it is I feel like counseling healed my brain, the atonement healed my heart and the holistic healer gave me the tools to combine the 2 together. I have more peace and understanding for which I am extraordinarily grateful.)

Wholeness does encompass physical health. When I trained for a marathon in 2010, I didn’t lose a single pound. Not one. I was frustrated and discouraged. As I made my list, I decided I needed to research out why this had happened. I want to be happy, healthy and whole. I want to be proud of the body I am in and feel awesome. I didn’t set out with a specific number of pounds to lose but was more interested in taking care of my body on the whole. Weight loss is a side effect of good nutrition.

February 2014

What I started doing was eating clean and Herbalife. Have you heard of Herbalife? No? You are missing out! This product line is AMAZING! I have more energy, less cravings than ever before. Plus it fits right into my clean eating lifestyle. (I eat clean most of the time but refuse to never enjoy a treat. Life is short and if you deprive yourself, you will eventually binge and lose it all anyways.) I’ve also started watching my sugar intake like crazy. It is outrageous to me how much sugar is in EVERYTHING! Did you know the American Diabetes Association recommends women eat 25 grams of sugar per day? Did you also know there is 12 grams of sugar in one serving of milk? There is 19 in one serving of greek yogurt. There is 4 grams in peanut butter and the list goes on and on. I don’t count natural frutose (from fruits and veggies) in my count, just the added, processed stuff. It adds up in the blink of an eye!

Since I’ve incorporated Herbalife, cut down on sugar and started eating clean, I have lost 21 pounds and around 15 inches. I also sleep better, have improved energy, have decreased my running mile time by 3 minutes, have clear skin, and my hair and nails grow stronger and faster. The best part- all my digestive problems are completely gone. I literally am in the best physical shape of my life!

July 12, 2014

Herbalife/clean eating are a lifestyle. Diets DO NOT work. If you diet, you will lose weight but if you don’t change your eating habits, it will ALL come back with a vengeance. I’m choosing a sustainable lifestyle so my body will always work how it should. If you want to know more, I can give you snacking/meal tips and show you all the benefits of cutting out gross quantities of sugar from your diet. I can also show you all the amazing things Herbalife has to offer. It will change your life if you let it. I guarantee it. 

Much love to you all and happy 30 to me!

~Stef