Water, Water ... Sure ways to drink enough!

Water, water everywhere...but not a drop to drink.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Of course we don't have that problem.   Water is everywhere...some clean, some dirty, some free flowing, some bottled...so it's always available here.  There are some places that's not true, we are lucky for the most part! SO do we use our water with responsibility and for our good? 

The average adult human body is 50-65% water, averaging around 57-60%. The percentage of water in infants is much higher, typically around 75-78% water, dropping to 65% by one year of age. Body composition varies according to gender and fitness level, because fatty tissue contains less water than lean tissue. * http://chemistry.about.com/od/waterchemistry/f/How-Much-Of-Your-Body-Is-Water.htm

SO then how much water should we drink?  What kind of water?  Does any fluid keep us hydrated? Very good questions, and many doctors, trainers, health coaches answer them differently.  Drink clean water ...I choose spring water over tap but if your tap is clean it's better than none.  Do other fluids hydrate...yes but that doesn't mean you shouldn't dink water as our bodies don't process things like coffee, tea and juices or "gasp" soda's the same way.  That means the fluid can't be used by all parts of our bodies,

How do you remember to "always be drinking water"?  Here 3 for sure tips!

#1 Make it convenient so it becomes a habit.

 Many people find it helpful to get a large water bottle (I recommend 1 liter), fill it in the morning and carry it with you throughout the day, drinking regularly and refilling once (or more) in the afternoon. This has become quite common to see people carrying their water bottles to work, the gym or social events. It's ok to add some lemon for flavor or infuse other fruits. My favorite is pineapple and strawberries.  Cucumber and Mint is good too. Here's a couple more:

• Citrus Bliss: helps to alkalize the body -  3 lemon slices  2 lime slices (or Use Doterra Essential Oils)  

• Rosemary & Grapefruit: This helps to detoxify the liver while giving you an added boost of vitamin C. -  1 Grapefruit, w/o the rind and - 1 Sprig of Fresh Rosemary (or Use Doterra Essential Oils)  

#2 Drink half your body weight in water. 

 If you work from home or are in your home much of the day, a good option can be to get a half gallon pitcher, fill it in the morning and drink glasses from it throughout the day. This way you can track when you have drunk the amount you want. A good goal is half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces a day. If you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces a day.

#3 Set a goal each day. 

 Yet another option (and my favorite) is to count how many glasses you drink per day and have a goal number. All of our water glasses at my house are 12 oz. I keep a glass next to my bathroom sink. And I keep a glass in a certain spot in the kitchen that I reuse (to save on dishes!) I try to drink 2 glasses early in the morning and 2 glasses mid morning. When I add the water I drink with meals and when I am at my office I get a good amount. If by dinnertime I have not gotten at least 4 glasses, I just start drinking. 

Or uses a tool:

Well it's almost 11AM...time for me to drink up..You go get yours too!

I LOVE CHERRIES!  

AND they are in season....expensive as all get out!  But in Season! And I am in heaven! 

 I have already bought them twice!  What about you?

With a short peak season (May to July), high susceptibility 

to disease and short shelf life after harvest, cherry season

comes and goes very quickly!

From an article by Dr. Mercola:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/08/02/health-benefits-cherries.aspx*

8 Top Health Benefits of Cherries

Tart cherries are also used to make juice concentrates that may offer some unique health benefits. Some of the most notable health effects of cherries include…

•  Antioxidant Protection
•  Cancer-Preventive Compounds
•  Reduce Inflammation and Your Risk of Gout
•  Support Healthy Sleep (Melatonin)
•  Arthritis Pain Relief
•  Reduce Belly Fat
•  Reduce Post-Exercise Muscle Pain
•  Lower Risk of Stroke

• Be sure to click the link above for all the details!*

Cherries make me think of summer!  And summer reminds me that it is a new season and lots of great seasonal foods are available.  Thinking of seasonal foods leads me to a seasonal cleanse/detox.  A way to GET READY FOR SUMMER NOW !

So why do I feel a seasonal cleanse/detox is a good thing?  Imagine if you lived in a very small space.  What would it be like if you could only remove 20% of the trash you brought in?  What would it feel like to be in that space after a week?  What about a month? A season? Now imagine a year!  How does it feel to be in that space now?  This is how your cells feel when they cannot release waste.

Detoxing your cells will improve your ability to absorb nutrients.  "Like all those good things from cherries" It also can stabilize and improve energy. Detoxing also supports the elimination of waste that can cause weight gain and that  waste can also cause cravings.  SO....when your body does not eliminate well it becomes toxic and acidic, your blood and your cells slow down.  Your body slows down and breaks down!

GET SUMMER READY NOW is my signature summer program!  Just 14 Days to a Summer Glow!  Real food, real results!  Let's get rid of the winter and spring junk now and maybe throw in a loss of a little more junk!  Just do it!  

6Weeks Sofa to Sensational!

You need to exercise.  I need to exercise.  I moved ahead to write this chapter because I have a struggle with myself when I am working on too many exciting things and that is to leave my time in for exercise and fitness.  Luckily I have a great workout partner for 3 days a week, but seriously if she cancels…it’s hard to go alone! BUT, the problem is, once you quit moving so do our endorphins and it gets a little depressing. No depression wanted here, what about you?

#1 Make time…no matter how busy…make the time!

We think we don’t have time but actually we do.  I have found in my experience, the more time I make to move my body the more time I have in the day.  Funny how that works! I think it is because I have more energy and I am sure that endorphins have something to do with it as well.  The truth is, the more you move, the more active you become! And I know we are all busy, but there are so many ways to squeeze in a little time. 

#2 Find something you love to do!

You need to do something you love.  It doesn’t really matter what it is as long as you do it.  I love to dance and I love to strength train with bodyweight exercises.  I know it sounds funny, but I get a thrill being able to enjoy my “me” time and having others with me and I love how it makes me look. Not just in my body, but in my SMILE! 

Do you love a BOOTCAMP?  What comes to mind when you here that word?  TOO MUCH WORK, I WILL SWEAT TOO MUCH, I DON”T THINK I CAN DO IT?  All those things have been in my thoughts before! But what is a BOOTCAMP?  Seriously…it is defined as “Bootcamp is a group exercise program packed with fun and energizing activities designed to help you reach a fitness goal.  Often run outdoors in the fresh air.” Or “a training style camp for military recruits”?  Which brings up a good picture in your mind?  I see a Bootcamp as a combination of exercise, learning, fellowship, accountability.

#3 Pair it with something you love!

You can even do things you don’t love to do.  However, these are the hardest.  That is why you need to pair it up with something you do love to do.  I know some of you who are reading this know what I mean.  The thing that I am trying to say, is that if you choose something you don’t like to do and have a higher purpose you reach new heights of satisfaction you would never have known otherwise.

Experiment and find what is right for you.  Some people like to play.  If that is you then join a basketball team or perhaps a volleyball team.  Sometimes if you pair it with being social then it doesn’t feel like exercise.  Dance is exercise too! Pair it with romance!

#4 Clarify what you want to achieve.

Do you want to lose weight, de-stress, build strength, improve your golf game, rebuild your knees?  If you need to get to the grocery store, you have 3 choices, walk, ride your bike or drive.  If you want to rebuild your knees, you are not going to pick lunges well that just doesn’t make sense.  If you can’t figure it out, don’t be afraid to hire a professional trainer.  They have been taught to know the things that you do not.  They know what you can do that will best achieve your goals.  You can hire them for one visit to make a plan or you can hire them for a few to show you how or long term to build on your success.

#5 Make an appointment with yourself for exercise.

Schedule it into your day.  The reason I say this is because, if you show up you will do it. SCHEDULE this into your calendar – APRIL 4^th, 9AM SNAP Fitness, Radcliff –

Barre Latte Bootcamp – coaching, movement and fun!

#6 Do your homework and know why you are moving it and shaking it!

It helps to know that if you don’t work out on a regular basis that you are going to be sick.  Exercise prevents heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, osteoporosis and arthritis (just to name a few).  Exercise makes you smarter (proven), leaner and healthier.  If that isn’t enough exercise gives you energy!

#8 Look for a mentor!

There are tons of people out there who have done it.  Those are the people you want to find.  They are also very willing to show you how to do it.  The secret is to find someone who is doing what you want to do and learn from them.  You don’t have to do the same thing over and over because you can learn new things and add it in to your old routines.  You can diversify.

#10 Exercise just like food, changes everything.

CLEANSING? DETOXING?

Are you a little tempted to try it? 

Do you wonder about it?

Cleansing has become very popular lately.  Popular and controversial.  There has not been a lot of research or study on colon cleansing so there is no empirical data or ironclad answer.  Some doctors say steer clear because it is unnecessary and dangerous and others prescribe it as a way to unclog your pipes and flush away the toxins.

WHY?

If you eat a lot and only eliminate once a day or worse (LESS!!!!) then you are not getting rid of all that is going in!  If we are clogged up (even with a healthy diet) then we get sick.  Our colon gets crusted over from eating meat, dairy, breads, processed foods, cakes, candy and bad fat.  It is just gross, think of all the fried foods and weight you are still carrying around with you and what is building on it.

The intestine draws in needed nutrients for the body and if your intestines are not able to get the nutrients, your food is wasted.  If food doesn’t move easily through the intestines, then it starts to build up and we become constipated, cramped, gain weight, become depressed and our immune system quits working and we ultimately become sick.

Are you depressed?  Has your doctor ever prescribed colonic treatment as a cure?  I doubt it!  Our belly has serotonin receptors, the build up and sickness in our belly can cause depression.

If you are not convinced by now that you need to clear some of the goo away, there is more.  Our stomach produces mucus to guard against acids, this is healthy.  It is when we continually eat McDonalds and Burger King that we overproduce the stuff and it all gets clogged up…ick.

Along with eliminating daily waste, our body has the job to defend itself against toxins.  The normal detoxification process is pretty amazing:

• Toxins enter the blood.
• Antioxidants grab them and neutralize them and move them to the liver.
• The liver takes the toxins and gives the antioxidants back to circulate.
• The liver neutralizes and either eliminates the toxins either through feces, sweat or urine or it turns the toxin into a more toxic compound.

It is the hormones, artificial flavoring and coloring that are added to processed foods that causes the liver to turn the toxins into bigger and badder toxins.  Eating a diet fresh and whole, along with avoiding the type of toxins we breathe in will help to eliminate #3 from happening.  By taking in all these toxins, we create a problem that our body was not designed to deal with.

So, by now you should be convinced that our bodies need help.

HOW

There are different ways to detox and cleanse your body.  Some are very natural, non controversial and extremely healthy.  Some may seem extreme and others are simple.  How you choose to cleanse is important.

Different cleansing aids:

• Eat clean
• Wheatgrass
• Green Juices & Green Vegetables
• Apples
• Garlic
•  Lemons, Limes and Oranges
•  Omega 3 Oils
•  Green Tea
• Mung Beans
• Take enzymes
• Food combining
• Probiotics
• Enemas
• Colon irrigation (professional)
• Magnesium
• Kits with powders and potions

IMAGINE FIT is currently working with a group of amazing ladies on a 

12 DAY NATURAL DETOX...this will be available again soon!

On Enemas and Colon Cleansing

This is the controversial part.  ANd I must admit I have not tried this, but I want to share all I can. The Mayo Clinic says “don’t do it”.  However, colon cleansing is prescribed more and more by doctors looking for a more holistic approach to wellness.

If you are planning to do an enema or colon cleanse, go to a good and well-trained colon hydro therapist.

Colon cleansing could possibly have an effect on the nervous system.  The reflexes in the bowel affect the nervous system. There is no debate that a lot of symptoms that are caused by being constipated can be relieved with colon therapy.

Colon cleansing can be achieved with processed powders and liquid potions. You take some supplements used for colon cleansing by mouth or through the rectum.  These products help the colon to expel its contents.  There is no evidence that they have any long term benefit of building immunity or repairing the body’s systems.

Colon cleansing with colon irrigation. The irrigation works like an enema. There is no odor or discomfort if you have a good hydro therapist. You lay down on a table and a low-pressure pump or a gravity-based reservoir flushes several gallons of water through a small tube inserted into your rectum.  The therapist sits with you the entire time.  After a while, the therapist might massage your belly to loosen things up a little.  This process comfortably flushes the fluid and waste through.  It usually takes about an hour.  Most colon hydro therapists suggest regular visits.  Maybe once a month for a while and then progressing to once every other month. You should always drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration after as well as taking probiotics to restore good bacteria and wheatgrass (and because I think you should have wheatgrass with everything!)

Many doctors say your digestive system and bowel naturally eliminate waste material and bacteria — your body doesn’t need colon cleansing to do this.

Those who like colon cleansing, think that toxins cause many health problems, like arthritis, allergies and asthma. They believe a colonic or a colonic irrigation —removes toxins and strengthens your immune system.

You are the only one who can decide whether this type of cleansing is right for you.

**You should not use colonics if you have Crohn’s disease, IBS, acute diverticulitis, pregnancy, or diarrhea or if part of your colon has been removed. 

Cheryl Love, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach

imaginefit4life@gmail.com

©2015 The Health Coach Group