Ugly Bags of Mostly Water

That's a line from an old Star Trek: TNG episode. An alien species that was all light, saw us humans as bags of water.
That alien wasn't far from the truth. Our brains are 85% water. Our bodies water content varies with age. As we age, there is less (another good reason to stay hydrated!). It's anywhere from 50-80%.
I could go on and on and on about the benefits of drinking water, but I leave you to do your own research. I'm here today to tell you to start drinking MORE. Chances are, you're not drinking enough. About half your body weight in ounces. So if you're 150 pounds, about 75 ounces f water should be drunk daily. So, honestly..... are you drinking enough?
I begin each morning with a cup of water, yes, even before my morning coffee. It has become habit, as it will with you, once you start.
It may be hard at firt, so start with just a half cup. Next week, add another 1/4 cup. until you're up to a full 8 oz in the morning.
And what' nice about this is that with that first cup drunk, you have even fewer glasses to drink the rest of the day!
Happy New Year! I'll drink to your health :-))

Just walk!

I'm not going to tell you to not eat holiday cookies, or have a 2nd glass of eggnog. Heck, it's the holidays! Let loose, have fun. But to help lessen the pounds that typically get glued to your butt, waist, and thighs in this season, do yourself a favor and every day, rain, sleet, snow, and sun, get your walk on. Even just down the block and back is better than doing nothing, or worse, sitting on your bum. It will also help your joints stay limber and loose. Enjoy this season, and I'll see you in 2014!

Holiday and shopping

It's easy to get overwhelmed with shopping, parties, and the stress that this season can bring. Take a few moments for yourself. Stop and smell the evergreens. Remember the reason we gather together -  to enjoy sister/brotherhood, and the peace this time of year embraces. Imbibe! Enjoy! It's a short period of time that we celebrate this season every year, so don't feel guilty and beat yourself up. The new year brings ew beginnings, so start then, and enjoy the Now.

Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Coming into the 'holiday season' can also mean we pack on a few extra pounds. What's a health conscious person to do?!?  You're going to eat. A lot.  What you can do is modify the ingredients in your courses, shaving 10's, if not 100's of calories and fat off the final tally.
It's a lot easier that you think~
Mashed potatoes: halve the butter and add garlic. Use milk instead of cream.
Stuffing: use whole grain bread. Use olive oil. Use one egg and additional egg whites. Use Mrs Dash seasoning (they are ALL salt-free!)
Gravy: halve the butter and add olive oil.  Use whole grain flour as the thickening agent. Go very light on the salt. Or... replace the salt with a little white wine (yum!)
Sweet potatoes: halve the butter. Instead of brown sugar, try real maple syrup - just a couple tablespoons (measure it out.) Cut the marshmallows! You're an adult now. ;-)
Green bean casserole: halve the butter (getting the idea by now?) Use half condensed milk and half whole milk.  Make your own crispy onions using olive oil. Use low-sodium broth. Use fresh or frozen green beans (avoid canned). Use low-sodium creme of mushroom soup of make your own!
Turkey: buy organic or heritage and free-range if you can. It's sustainable, free of antibiotics and other nasty additives, humane, and they taste better!
Desserts: It's hard to replace sugar, creme, etc and get a good consistency, so it's best here to watch your portions. You can enjoy a thin slice and still feel satisfied!
Buon appitito!

Some helpful links

WIth so many apps and websites related to fitness and nutrition, it's hard to sift through the good ones. Well, friends, here's my list. I've done the vetting for you!

To know calories and nutrition content, try www.calorieking.com
To track your food intake progress, try this app~ my fitness pal (available FREE at google play store and apple)
More tracking app~ fooducate
To track your bike or walk miles, try the site MapMyRide.com
One of the best pedometers out there is from www.fitbit.com (try one of the wrist ones!)

Get yourself set up for success with these very helpful websites and apps!

To your good health, Linda

New site!

Hey there! Make sure you check out my new and improved website, www.ultrabod.com

Sofa workout

Are you the quintessential couch potato? Here are a few things you can do while sitting!
1. sit and twist. Great for the thoracic spine (middle of your back). Reach your left arms either behind you or up and over the back of the sofa (or chair).
Take you right hand and grab your left shoulder. Now you should be really twisted. Keep your butt on the cushion. Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, try twisting a little further.
Repeat on your right side.
Do a few of these between commercials.

2.  While seated, slowly bend forward.  You might feel a little pull in your lower back. If it's too much, put a pillow on your lap, then lean forward. Stay there and slowly inhale; as you exhale, try to lean forward even more. Use your hands to lift yourself back up to a seated position.
Repeat a couple times. Work with your breathing.

How do you feel?

Fall is here! And with the change of seasons, a change in my blog posts. Each week I'll post a new health/fitness tip, so stay tuned! Starting next week: the couch potato workout!

What to drink?!?

Water, soda, juice, electrolytes, sodium, sugar, etc., etc., etc. It's enough to make your head spin! Here's the simple ~  water is the best liquid to drink. Period. We  are mostly water. Water runs through our blood, our muscles, our soft tissue, our brains.... it's everywhere in our bodies! Coke don't cut it. Nor does juice. Would you eat 5 oranges at one time? Of course not. And juice (unless made in a vita mix), loses it's fiber.  Drink water.

Conventional wisdom says start with half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces. That sounds like a lot, I know.  But if you break it into 8 oz servings throughout the day, it's easy to do. Drink your first glass as soon as you rise in the morning, yes, even before coffee! Only 8 glasses to go! One caveat, it's not good to drink water (or other beverages) with meals, as it dilutes your digestive liquids making digestion less effective.

You will find, after a week or so, it's not as hard to drink that much water as you thought. Also, you might find that you're less achy, and even have more energy! Keep water in a thermos in your car if you're on the road a lot. Keep a glass at your desk. Don't think you can keep track of trips to the drinking fountain. Measure the water out into a glass. That's the only way you'll know you're getting enough.