Stay Thirsty, My Friends!

Unless you live under a rock--and if so, we don't judge!--then you know that's a quote from a beer commercial.  And not meaning any disrespect for the most interesting man in the world, please ignore that statement.

It's a new year and, of course, New Year's resolutions are coming at us from all directions.  Ignore them.  Yep.  Let's start a trend: NO MORE RESOLUTIONS!  Actually, resolutions are good--goals are better, but the point is that we don't need a new year to start over.  But since we're here at the start of a brand new year, I thought now would be a great time to go back and start again...with...water!

If you're like me, water's probably one of the first things you stop drinking during the holidays.  Oh sure, a glass here or there, but now we have options that are only around during the colder months--hot chocolate, eggnog, pumpkin spice lattes--and they create a sense of urgency around opting for that instead of the good ol' stand by of water.

If you need a reminder or you're new here [WELCOME!], you can always go back and read H2OMG!

Or if you want to immediately catch up on all water related posts, I've very nicely compiled a list [okay, blogger very nicely compiled a list]!

The point is that regardless of what you are or are not eating and drinking, your body needs water.  And I think you'll find [I did!  EUREKA!] that if you'll just provide about 64 oz of actual water for your body to utilize you will find yourself eating and craving less.  Give it a shot, what have you got to lose?  Except perhaps a bit of weight....and tiredness....and toxic waste...

~a little salt for your margarita, which of course will be preceded and followed by a big ol' glass of water!

Getting By With Help of Friends

Ha!  I bet after reading the title you thought this would be about enlisting your friends and family to help you.  While that is also a very important part of your journey [and a great topic for another post--thankyouverymuch!], this post is about vitamins.

In an ideal world we would be getting all of the nutrients we need from our diets and wouldn't need to take supplements, but...in an ideal word, we'd all be perfect and I wouldn't be blogging about this.

Did you know nearly 75% of Americans are Vitamin D deficient [17]?  I've always known that it was a high number, but until I was actually diagnosed, I didn't realize it was that high!  Yep.  A sunshine lover and dairy fiend like me is deficient in Vitamin D!  I was shocked.  But it does go to show that just because you think you're getting all the nutrients you need, you might not be.  Plus, short of having a degree in pharmacology or medicine, you might not realize that vitamins A, D, E, and K require fat to probably be absorbed [thus why milk & yogurt are great sources of both A & D] or that too much vitamin C can decrease the amount of calcium absorbed by your body.

The best place to start?  A daily multi-vitamin.  And if you're getting older or have a history of osteoporosis in your family, then also take a Calcium supplement.  If you wanna be really fancy, schmancy you can go here and let Dr. Weil be your vitamin advisor!  At your next annual physical, ask your doctor to run tests checking your vitamin and mineral levels--you just might be surprised at what you find!

Whichever way you choose--just get the ball rolling!  The sooner you do, the sooner you'll have more energy and feel better overall.  Once that happens, you'll then be able to exercise more and make better choices when it comes to food [remember, the snowball effect???]

~a grain of salt to keep your electrolytes in balance

Post Holiday Babble...

Okay, so technically we still have another week to go in "the holiday season."  However, a thought struck me tonight as I felt a bit peckish after a particularly gluttonous day: ultimately, what our bodies crave is healthy food--sometimes we just have to listen really hard to hear the message.

For example, I decided that a cup of tea with milk and a few chocolate covered cherries would be the ultimate Christmas bedtime snack.  But as I was waiting for the tea to boil I realized that what I was craving was a black tea without milk or sugar and an orange.

HARK!  [well, it is Christmas!]

I think too often we get wrapped up in what we should or should not eat or when we should or should not eat that we often ignore the best authority on what our body needs most: our own body.  With the new year on the horizon and thoughts turn to ways to make you healthier, spend some time creating self-awareness about you and your needs.  Interestingly enough, one of the main attributes of why those who practice yoga are healthier is that they are more in-tune with what their body needs.  Hate yoga?  Fine, but find another way to quiet the world around you and tune-in to you.

Happy Holidays!

~a grain of salt for one last holiday margarita

Dammit, Janet!

Okay, not really dammit.  Janet is the nutritionist at my doctor's office.  And in an effort to help me get back on track and be a little more accountable for my [food & exercise] actions, I've decided to pay Janet a visit [and of course, the entire time Rocky Horror is running through my head!]

But Janet offered some great advice:

1.  Eat a fruit and/or vegetable at every meal.
2.  Eat often.  Not eating enough during the day makes you crave heavy, fatty foods in the evening.
3.  Eating healthy takes planning.  Don't get caught out or fall into eating something just because you didn't have healthy options.
4.  There's nothing wrong with splurging.  Don't beat yourself up--just choose to eat healthier the next time.
5.  Keep track of what you're eating and when [yes, it's our hellthy habit of the week!].
6.  Work in a bit of exercise in a day--even if it's just walking the dog 15 more minutes.

So that's it.  That's what Janet wants me to work on--so I thought I'd share for your own travels.

~a bit of salt for your margarita [it's Sunday, after all, why don't splurge while planning your healthy meals for the week?]

Getting Back on Track, Part 2

Okay, so you're looking for a place to begin (again)?

Try revisiting this prior posting: Snowball Effect! in which Dr. Oz runs down 10 reasons to lose 10 pounds.  The reason we're revisiting the post is because I just want to remind you how important losing just 10 pounds can be!  So, if you're stuck on your goals and can't figure out where or how to begin--it's a good starting point and a great reminder not to be so overwhelmed if you think you have a lot more to lose than 10 pounds!  After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (Lao-tzu).  While I'm sure you've heard it a lot in your life, really contemplate what it means and remember: No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch!!

~a bit of salt for your next shot of courage

Getting Back on Track...

wow.  ever feel like life has just taken over and the next thing you know it's the end of July and you could've sworn it's April???

It happens to me.  A lot.  I recently reconnected with one of my very first friends that I made here in NYC and when asked how things were I answered "crazy busy."  His response was "when are you not crazy busy?"  It made me realize that I've always joked about being crazy busy, but I really am and 97% is completely my fault.

Balance is probably the hardest thing for me to achieve.  Moderation, in my opinion is a four-letter word.  Focus is impossible when it comes to me & my personal life.  And I think these are three of THE most important things to remember and work on while on the road to hellthy.

I recently started reading the book This Year I Will... and it offers some great insight on why you might be struggling with getting healthy and how changing your attitude can change your life.  The author, MJ Ryan, offers up some really amazing advice.  I'm not going to outline it all here--because I feel like if you have a hard time committing to or following through with something, you really need to read this book!--but she reminds us that life is precious and short and we should only be committing to things that we truly want to do.

Changing is hard.  It requires work and persistence and patience.  Chances are, if you're struggling then one of these links are missing.  Mine is patience.  I ain't even gonna front!

It's time to take back your life.  Move on, forgive your past mistakes, but learn from them.  Things won't always be perfect or easy or sane, but I don't call it hellthy for nothing!

~a little salt for your courage in a shot.

Ready, Set, Goal!

The good folks at Livestrong.com have a good article [15] about how to set goals for weight loss.  As mentioned in my last post, I feel your goals should be focused on Hellthy habits that are going to that are not only going to help you look better, but feel better as well.  Of course, if you have a lot of weight to lose, long term goals and rewards are just as important as the short-term ones.  Ultimately, it's your journey--figure out what's the best way to motivate you and go for it!

Here are the 6 steps mentioned in the article (the article is a quick read, if you wanna check it out!):

1. Set your long term goals--keeping two very important things in mind so that you are not setting yourself up for failure:
• Your goals should be realistic--obviously you're not going to lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks, regardless of what the latest fad diet claims.  Experts say that 1-2 pounds a week is a realistic and healthy amount to loose weekly.  Use that as your guideline.
• You need to give yourself enough time to achieve them--to go from couch potato to running the NYC marathon in less than a month IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!  If you want to run a marathon--great, but plan & set goals that are going to allow you to be successful!
2. Set your short term goals.  These should be easily & quickly obtained (and I don't mean snap your fingers and poof! you're done).  These are the goals you're going to be hitting more often to keep you motivated and striving for your long term goals!
3. WRITE both down on your calendar!  This is a HUGE step!!  And quite honestly something I've never thought about doing.  Sure I'd always have tentative goals (I wanna lost 50 pounds by the end of the year), but seeing it on the calendar (I recommend writing it in a colored SHARPIE!) holds you more accountable and makes it more likely to go the distance!
4. Set your rewards for each of your goals.  Again, NOT food related rewards!  Also, the reward should match the goal.  Longer goals should get bigger rewards--think trips or spa days or new wardrobes!--and shorter goals get smaller rewards--a new book, a mani/pedi, a new album to download on your ipod.  The world (sans food!) is your oyster!
5. Post reminders of what you're trying to achieve--be it a photograph of a younger, healthier you or that weekend vacation spot that you're going to when you've run a marathon.
6. Reward often, but ONLY when you've met a goal.  Make sure that your rewards are always within reach and always building towards your long term goals.  Make sure that you never reward yourself if you haven't met a goal (no sneaking in a quick mani/pedi just because!) and don't hesitate to adjust your goals, if you find that you are never rewarding yourself.  It is possible that you need smaller steps--and honey, there ain't nothing wrong with admitting that!  On the flip side, you do need to earn them, so don't make your goals so easy you're always getting something (sorry, but drinking 64oz of water for one day does not a good goal make!)

Once you start reaching your goals and rewarding yourself, you'll work harder and harder to get to your goals.  It all starts with great planning--and a big SHARPIE!

~a little salt for the rim of your planning margarita--but only one! because you want to remain focused and realistic in your goals!!