Fitness challenge

[TrustAndObey]

My sister has challenged me to improve our diet/health/exercise. As a result, you people are going to suffer with me! Oh yes. I'm not doing this alone.

But in baby steps.....

I'm challenging all of you to drink at least 64 ounces of water (without fluoride please) a day. It's the best diet secret out there and I know for a fact it works for overall better health.

It takes a little getting used to, but once you start drinking it faithfully, you will feel the benefits right away.

Anybody game?

(We'll add exercise in later....get the treadmills out of storage for your next assignment)!

 

[mva1985]

I'm game sister!!!!

Except my chiropractor says that I should drink half my body weight in ounces of water!

That's about 125 ounces!

There is a book I would like to get my hands on called "Your Body's Many Cries for Water".

 

[TrustAndObey]

That book is on eBay! (Ask and you shall receive)!

I'm starting on my first 10 oz glass of water.

Truthfully I drink more than 64 ounces a day as well. I hate to recommend more because I obviously don't know the state of peoples' renal function, and it's dangerous to drink TOO much too quickly.

 

[TrustAndObey]

The people that die from excess water are people that drink a lot of it in a very short period of time (like the woman trying to win the XBOX). Anybody can drink the same amount that woman did and be perfectly fine if they space it out (and as long as their renal function is normal).

It's important to drink it while it's still cold, but what I do is buy little 10 oz bottles. They stay cold until I've finished them and I can space them out throughout the day.

I used to carry around a huge 64-oz jug and the water started getting yucky by the end of the day. I prefer the little bottles and I make sure to get the kind without fluoride. (Ingested fluoride can lead to calcification of the pineal gland. True story.)

 

[TrustAndObey]

2 down. Am I winning, MVA?

 

[mva1985]

2.5 liters for the day and still going!!!

Trust, I work in a very hot and humid environment. So right when I get to work at Midnight I start hydrating myself - constantly. This time of the year I realize how important hydration is - I've being working for Big Brown for 22 years.

Last Friday at break (6:30am) we had a woman who was puking into a trash can because of the heat.

A small portion of my hydration comes from Powerade (20 oz) and the rest is water. Plus I take a multi vitamin every day to help me replace any minerals that I will lose at work.

 

[pgp_protector]

My sister has challenged me to improve our diet/health/exercise. As a result, you people are going to suffer with me! Oh yes. I'm not doing this alone.

But in baby steps.....

I'm challenging all of you to drink at least 64 ounces of water (without fluoride please) a day. It's the best diet secret out there and I know for a fact it works for overall better health.

It takes a little getting used to, but once you start drinking it faithfully, you will feel the benefits right away.

Anybody game?

(We'll add exercise in later....get the treadmills out of storage for your next assignment)!

Can I take that water and soak some dried leaves in it first ?

 

[freeindeed2]

I usually drink at least four 20 oz. bottles a day + fountain water.

When will you get to exercise?

 

[TrustAndObey]

Wouldn't you know it....the day I throw the challenge out there to everybody turned out to be my worst water day since I started this new routine! :o Because of that, I didn't show a weight loss on the scales this morning.

I had a lot going on yesterday though. I am now certified in Adult/Child/Infant CPR, and if you ever get choked on something....I'm your man!

I only had 5 10oz. bottles here at home. WAY below what I have been drinking which is odd because my A/C unit froze over yesterday and it was swelteringly (is that a word?) hot in here.

I am proud of myself though because we had a short break in the CPR class and everyone bought a soda. I got water. So I had 20 oz there too....70 oz total, so at least I hit the minimum.

The more you drink, the more you want. Fact. And once you start drinking it faithfully, no other drink is as thirst-quenching. (I should do commercials for water!)

Can I take that water and soak some dried leaves in it first ?

**IMPORTANT TO NOTE** I'm not naming any names here, but in case anyone is like my dear mother (lol) who says "well, tea and coffee are MADE with water"....big no no!! Thwack thwack.

Caffeine is a major diuretic and it dehydrates you. For every cup of caffeine you have, you need to add another 8 oz to the minimum of 64. Caffeine is still doable, but there are consequences. <scary music>

The idea is to get healthy here people!

A great alternative for people that can't stand plain water is Fruit2O. That's all my dad will drink. I don't really trust most artificial sweeteners though.

You can squeeze some lemon into water and add a little sweetener (stevia) and voila....lemonade! It's caffeine-free and very good.

MVA, game on today. I'm in the zone.

 

[TrustAndObey]

PS...my dad only has one kidney due to cancer. His urologist told him that if everyone drank 64 oz (or more) of water a day, he'd be out of a job.

Let's put that nice man out of a job!

 

[mva1985]

Trust,

I love this thread!!! Great idea focusing on fitness and starting out with water.

Went to work at 12am and starting hydrating. 64 ounces and counting. I'll be working through my 1.5 liters the rest of the day.

I do need to add some exercise to my daily routine.

Free, glad to see you are on board.

 

[TrustAndObey]

Trust,

I love this thread!!! Great idea focusing on fitness and starting out with water.

Went to work at 12am and starting hydrating. 64 ounces and counting. I'll be working through my 1.5 liters the rest of the day.

I do need to add some exercise to my daily routine.

Free, glad to see you are on board.

Yikes, a head start. No fair.

I didn't realize WHO I was challenging. I'm going to have to insert an I.V. in my arm if you keep it up.

Listen, I could write books about proper nutrition and weight loss, yet I'm unhealthy and currently battling the bulge. My biggest problem, throughout life, has been that I go head first into a lot of things and burn out before the true benefits kick in. I'm doing it right this time and making it a lifetime commitment.

It's important to get the BASICS down first. Water is the main stay of a proper diet. There's no way around it. It really is the best kept diet secret out there.

There's lots to do after that, of course, but we have to focus on the foundational elements first.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

 

[TrustAndObey]

http://www.betterwayhealth.com/drinking-water.asp

Some nutritionists insist that 80% of the country is walking around dehydrated. We drink too much coffee, tea, and sodas containing caffeine, which prompts the body to lose water. More troubling is that fact that when we are dehydrated, we don't know what to drink.

The answer is simple: drink water!

Water is pure liquid refreshment and accounts for a large percentage of what makes each of us "human." The average 150 lb. adult body contains 40 to 50 quarts of water. Almost 2/3rds of our body weight is "water weight":

Blood is 83% water

Muscles are 75% water

The brain is 74% water

Bone is 22% water


The Fountain of Youth, Health, and Everything Else that's Good

Water is necessary for your body to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. It also detoxifies the liver and kidneys, and carries away waste from the body. And when it comes to digestion . . . it's just not happening without water. Fiber alone cannot aid proper digestive function by itself. In fact, without water as its partner, good fiber goes bad, causing constipation and extreme discomfort.

If you're dehydrated, your blood is literally thicker, and your body has to work much harder to cause it to circulate. As a result, the brain becomes less active, it's hard to concentrate, your body feels fatigued, and you just "poop out."

Water - The Miracle Worker

Simple water -- when it's pure and free of contaminants -- is truly a "wonder drug." Without chemicals, additives, or anything unnatural, a steady dose of 8 glasses of water a day (ideally ½ your body weight in ounces of water) will:

Improve Your Energy

Increase Your Mental and Physical Performance

Remove Toxins & Waste Products from your body

Keep Skin Healthy and Glowing

Help You Lose Weight

Reduce Headaches and Dizziness

Allow for proper Digestion

Help to keep you more Alkaline

Drinking Water is Heart-Healthy

The findings of a six-year study of more than 20,000 healthy men and women aged 38-100 in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that women who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses. The protective effect of water was even greater in men.

Drinking Water and Weight Loss

Water is a natural appetite suppressant, so developing a good water drinking habit can be a long-term aid in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Doctor F. Batmanghelidj MD, author of "Your Body's Many Cries For Water" says most times your “hunger” is your body asking for water – not food.

It's also important to remember that when the body is dehydrated, fat cells get "rubbery" and cannot be easily metabolized. This means that it's harder to lose when you don't drink your water.

Who Can Benefit From A Water Regimen? Everyone . . . including YOU!

Water is especially important for pregnant women and nursing mothers. For athletes and work-out fanatics, drinking water reduces cardiovascular stress and improves performance. And, since water reduces body temperature, it makes the whole exercise process safer and more effective.

Water is also an important "healing tool" for people with a history of kidney stones. Since water dissolves calcium in the urine, downing at least 8 glasses daily reduces the risk of stone formation. Drinking water is also valuable in preventing urinary tract infections in both men and for women, flushing impurities out of the system.

Even mild dehydration makes you more susceptible to viruses. For someone like me, with an immune system compromised from my battle with terminal cancer, water is a powerful weapon in my war on colds and other illnesses. I've also found that water helps me recover more quickly.

When your body is hydrated, drainage from allergies and colds doesn't stick and collect in your throat and lungs, and your cough is more "productive". Even cold sores that appear on the lips are minimized by drinking water because those eruptions tend to favor dry areas on the body.

Tips for Drinking Water

I know how hard it can be to remember to drink enough water every day, but I also know how hard it can be to bounce back from the effects of being even mildly dehydrated. So I'd like to share a few easy tips to help you reach your "water mark" every day:

You are naturally thirsty i.e. “dehydrated” in the morning . . . help your body flush out the toxins it has been processing all night and take advantage of this thirst to get a “leg up” on your daily water requirements by drinking a glass of water first thing.

If you are cold drink warm water instead of dehydrating coffee & tea.

Don't wait until you're thirsty to have a drink – you are already dehydrated if you feel thirsty.

Set a timer to remind yourself to establish a habit of drinking water and keep a bottle of water with you at all times.

Compensate for diuretics . . . thieves that steal water from your body. If you drink coffee, tea, or sodas with caffeine, you'll need to drink a few extra glasses of water to make up for the water that these diuretic beverages "leech" from your system.

 

[TrustAndObey]

The basics...(no "basic" would be basic without prayer, so let's all ask the Lord to help us get and maintain our temples in a state of absolute health)

1. Water

2. Examining our choices of food and learning to journal. For anyone that wants to get a jumpstart on this one...use a site like www.everydayhealth.com

In fact, it's great to use a site like this one BEFORE you start changing your diet because it helps you examine WHAT you eat. It's an excellent free site to track your intake (even of water) and get the big picture of what foods are a problem for you personally. I'm trying to lose weight so I may not be looking at the same things others will, but if you have high blood pressure, this site can be used to track your sodium intake. If you're diabetic, it can be used to track your sugars, etc.

I have never been successful at making a REAL change in my diet unless I've journaled and made myself accountable for everything that goes in. You find out, pretty quickly, that if you have to write it down, sometimes it's just not worth it!

You can also write about what's going on in your life on that site (you can set it to private) that caused stress and was possibly a "trigger" for making poor food choices and other bad habits. You can also track your activity level and see exactly how many calories you're burning. LOVE IT!

**Honor, you'd love that site, because if a food isn't listed in their HUGE index of foods, you can manually add it by going to "My Foods" and using the nutrition index on the back of a package. You can also go to "My Meals" and put in ALL the ingredients for a meal you fix and then figure out exactly how many calories, fats, etc are in the portion sizes you choose!**

3. Stress and sleep. Self-explanatory but I'll definitely go into more detail later.

4. Exercise. Finding what works for YOU and learning to love it.

5. The "other" bad habits that influence our health. Getting victory over them.

6. Maintenance.

There you have it!

I'll pray for anyone that wants to do it and I hope you'll pray for me as well!

 

[TrustAndObey]

I'm seriously considering going completely vegan. It's going to be VERY difficult for me, but I see a ton of health benefits from it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/why-vegan-is-the-new-atki_b_114464.html