Hydration Station

Good morning!  How have you all been doing with your resolutions?  Speaking of which, if you missed the post on mine, you can catch it here.  One of the areas that I want to focus on in 2013 is proper hydration.  So often our bodies can become dehydrated and sluggish without even knowing, especially in the winter months.  Let’s face it, we aren’t craving liquids when it’s thirty degrees outside.  Despite our lack of thirst, it still is important to keep our bodies filled with plenty of H2O.  

To aid in the quest to fill my belly with more water, I am using my new Tervis water tumbler.  I received this as a Christmas gift from a student and I'm in love.  In fact, I need to get one for both home and school.  

Through research along with some reasons of my own, I came up with a list of benefits for pumping liquids all year long...

Skin health – Hydration keeps skin moist and supple.  I don’t know about you, but I can feel the difference in my skin when I haven’t had the proper amount of water I need.  Honestly, my skin is one of my first indicators of dehydration and it tends to feel dry when I am lacking water. 

Better exercise – Water keeps your cells moving and helps to fuel muscles which gives you more energy.

Detox – Water helps the body flush out toxins, leaving you feel more vibrant and energentic.  Rather than deprive yourself with a detox that will leave you hungry and unfulfilled, drink a ton of water…it will help.    

Staying healthy – Proper hydration will boost your immune system to help fight flu, colds and other winter sicknesses. 

Mental Sharpness – Hydration helps to keep the mind sharp and the body alert.

Feeling full/weight control – We all know that drinking a glass of water before a meal helps us feel fuller.  Therefore a fuller stomach = less calories consumed.  

Digestion – Plenty of fluids aid in digestion by helping the body move food through our body.

Essential to Live – Since the brain is about 70% water and the body is 60-65% water, we cannot live without it.  Obviously, there are certain times of the year when we need more water than others {think runs on hot, summer days} but regardless, proper hydration is essential. 

Finally, one last tip that I find fascinating:  Drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces of water per day will not only put you in a good mood, but it will make you feel great!  If anything, it's a good "rule of thumb" to follow...

Tips to increase water consumption:

·      Have a water bottle with you at all times!

·      Skip the soda and juice and drink water with every meal.

·      Incorporate more decaffeinated herbal teas into your diet, especially during the winter months.

·      Fruits and veggies have water too, especially those such as watermelon, celery, tomatoes, lettuce, radishes and cucumbers. 

How are you hydrating today?

Allergies or cold?

…still to be determined. 

The last day or two I have been suffering from a stuffy nose, sinus pressure, a scratchy throat, and slight body aches.  These symptoms are not horrible, but they are pesky enough to leave me feeling not myself. 

Since my race is coming up, I have been doing everything I can to rid my body of any remaining cold germs.  Take a look at what I was pumping yesterday at school. 

OJ, multivitamins, calcium, Echinacea from my friend, Jenn, Emergen-C packets, green tea, and lots of water.  

I’m hoping that with lots of sleep, plenty of water and vitamins, plus rest from running, I will be ready to go on Sunday.

Here’s a little chart that outlines the difference between cold and allergy symptoms.  

Judging from this, I’m thinking I have a minor cold due to my slight body aches and I just want it to GO AWAY!

Well, I’m off to do a short run (~3 miles) and then on to eyeglass shopping with my mom.  She always likes someone to help her choose the perfect pair, and I am that chosen “someone” today. 

Make it a great Saturday!

Tracy

Dear Cold, Please Go Away.

Ugh!  There is nothing worse than being sick with a cold.  I don’t know about you, but this feeling of stuffiness and congestion drives...me...nuts.

Since winter is cold intrusion time, PLUS I work with twenty-six fourth graders on a daily basis, I can almost count on having at least one stuffy nose per season.  When this happens, there are a few things that I swear by to ward off the cold symptom woes. 

I thought this picture was cute since it reminded me of my little guy…

First, it’s important to stay hydrated when a cold has moved in.  To help this process, I have a stash of tea in my desk at work.  My latest fav?  Mighty Leaf.  My friend Jolene gave me a box of these organic, assorted, whole leaf tea bags back in January and they are absolutely divine.  My favorite is Green Tea Tropical which is a blend of green tea (obvi), cornflower and marigold petals, and pineapple bits.  It smells so good when brewing that even my male coworkers comment.  Since my first sip, I've been hooked.   

In addition to tea, I continue to take my multivitamins.  Plus, I drink one small glass of 100% OJ in the morning to give me the extra vitamin C my body needs. 

Colds are a bummer, but they are not debilitating.  The ever-popular question in my mind whenever I have a cold is...“Can I run?” 

Below is the rule of thumb that I tend to live by: 

If my cold is in body parts above the neck such as clogged nasal passages, sneezing, runny nose, etc...then I run.

If my cold has symptoms below the neck such as body aching, bronchitis, etc...then I  think twice about stepping outside and possibly will call my doctor. 

For more information, there was a very helpful article from Runner’s World at:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286--9082-0,00.html

But the most important rule of all is to listen to your body.  Here's to staying healthy!

On a different subject...

Monday at physical therapy my trainer re-reminded me of a way to ice down injuries.  I say “re-remind” because I used to do this back in high school and college.  All you do is fill paper cups ¾ of the way with water, drop in a popsicle stick, and freeze.   

Walla…once frozen you have your very own ice on a stick.  Why do this?  You can rub the frozen ice directly on the inflamed area rather than sitting for 15 - 20 minutes with a bag of frozen peas.  

Here's my stash!

Genius, I must say! 

On another completely different subject...

The healthy granola from Monday’s post has been a huge hit among recent taste-testers.  My colleagues at school, Willsey’s dog trainer (where he goes to become a role model amongst dogs), along with my husband all agree that this granola is tasty stuff.  If you try the recipe, I would love to hear your feedback!

It’s Wednesday everybody…smile!  We’re half way to the weekend! 

Tracy