Queen Bee QT: Gratitude Journal for Health and Happiness
Do you suppose that my gratitude has anything to do with my state of well-being? (more…)
Fitness Mission: Drink 8 Glasses of Water Today
One reason many people feel tired is that they’re actually dehydrated.
Studies show that most people don’t drink enough water throughout the day.
If you ask me, that could account for a lot of the exhaustion that leads to lack of activity and overeating.
(Plus, its a proven fact that when you don’t drink enough water, your body actually retains water–it’s sort of “afraid” to let go of what it’s got for fear you won’t replenish it. So, you appear more bloated.)
Next time you’re tired, try drinking a glass of water, and try to stay hydrated throughout the day to maintain your energy levels.
“It’s generally not a good idea to use thirst alone as a guide for when to drink,” says a Mayo clinic expert. “By the time you become thirsty, you may already be slightly dehydrated.”
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Besides just being a healthier way to go, staying hydrated can actually aid in your weight loss efforts.
A 2010 study found that “obese dieters who drank two cups of water before each meal lost 5 pounds more than a group of dieters who didn’t increase their water intake,” according to Discovery News. “A year later, the water-drinkers had also kept more of the weight off.”
So here’s your mission:
Get your eight glasses in today!
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Tips to Get It Done
1. Drink a glass of water before every cup of coffee or other beverage you drink.
2. Have one when you wake up in the morning, before anything else.
3. Have one before each meal (it’ll help you feel full faster, too!).
4. Carry a water bottle with you and sip all day long.
5. Add lemon or decaf tea to your water if you can’t drink it plain.
Do you drink eight glasses of water each day? If so, share your tips on how you get it done. If not, will you start today? Tell me in the comments section, below!
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Are you truly nourishing yourself?
By Amy Lippman, Certified Holistic Health Counselor
When you think about feeding yourself, you likely think about breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Of course these meals are important, but I actually believe that what is equally important is how you feed or nourish yourself with things other than food.
In our society, we look to food to fill many needs such as entertainment, companionship, relaxation, and celebration. Do you find that you grab a bag of chips to entertain you at night? Do you use chocolate to help you relax? How about ordering a pizza and a pint of ice cream for some companionship?
Trust me, you’re not alone. This is a major area in which my clients come to me for support. Working on this often involves changing habits we’ve had for most of our life, so it’s not always an easy thing to do.
I also struggle with this at times. A few weeks ago I was looking for a way to celebrate my accomplishments. I kept thinking about going out to dinner or getting a treat like ice cream.
Then I realized I would be sabotaging my health if I always used food to celebrate my success. I turned my mind to some non-food things such as buying fresh flowers, taking a bath, or getting a massage.
The benefits of choosing these things is that they truly nourish me, they are guilt-free, and the positive effects last longer than an ice cream cone.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe there’s always a time and place for pizza and chocolate. That being said, I have found that food becomes less important when we nourish ourselves with things other than food. Not only that, but we become happier and more fulfilled with life.
What can you do to start nourishing yourself with things other than food? I recommend making a list of things that are fun and relaxing for you. Include things that only take 15 minutes as well as things that take a couple of hours.
Include activities that you do alone or with others. They can be free or cost money. I find it helps to have variety in your list.
Once you have your list, add in one fun and relaxing activity each day. I find it helps to schedule things on my calendar in advance, so I don’t forget. Try committing to this for one week and see how it feels. Your first step towards reaching your goals is to get support.
Amy Lippmann, H.H.C., AADP
Certified Holistic Health Counselor
Coaching for Whole Body Wellness
www.WellnessHealthCoaching.com
2008 Amy Lippmann, LLC. All Rights Reserved..
About the Author:
Amy Lippmann, Certified Holistic Health Counselor, is founder of the Whole Body Wellness System™, the proven step-by-step program achieve your health goals and feel more confident in your body. To receive your freebie audio and sign up for her bi-weekly recipes and articles, visit www.WellnessHealthCoaching.com.
Amy Lippmann is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor with a private health and lifestyle coaching practice. She works with women who are tired of continuously feeling bad about their health and struggle with feeling good in their body, energy level, cravings, and would like to figure out how to be healthy and take good care of themselves. What makes her services unique is that she not only provides guidance, but also a level of support her clients have never had before. And because of this, Amy’s clients make lasting lifestyle changes, get peace and freedom around food so they can stop beating themselves up, and they enjoy life more.
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5 Ways to Get More Energy Right Now
Besides reducing your ability to perform and increasing your risk of making mistakes (sometimes fatal ones), sleep deprivation has been blamed for issues including things such as memory loss and cognitive impairment, depression, relationship stress, various kinds of injuries and generally lower quality of life.
And not only can a lack of sleep affect you mentally and personally, but it can affect you physically too. For example, sleep deprivation has been known to cause physical ailments and symptoms such as high blood pressure and other cardiovascular symptoms, stroke, obesity and more.
While we all know that getting enough sleep is an important component of our mental and physical health, sometimes it’s easier said than done. Everything feels harder when you’re sluggish and tired.
Obviously, the most important thing you can do for yourself in this situation is to just simply get more sleep. But I’m not here to preach at you. You know what you need to do to stay healthy.
What I am here to do is to help you get through today, this moment, right now.
So, in that spirit, I offer the following five ways to boost your energy fast so that you can get done what you need to get done. And after you do, I hope you’ll go take a nap.
Eat Something Good
Eat energy-boosting foods. Skip the candy bars and sweets. As it turns out, Snickers doesn’t really satisfy you. In fact, according to Christine Gerbstadt, MD, MPH, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, you should eat a healthy snack that has both protein and complex carbs in it.
Gerbstadt says that snacks like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on whole-grain bread or whole wheat crackers and low-fat cheese are ideal energy-boosters.
“That combination of protein and a complex carbohydrate (digested more slowly than simple carbs) increases your blood glucose in a sustained way,” she says. “It boosts energy longer than if you eat gumdrops, for instance.”
Give Yourself a Little Pressure
And I don’t mean that you should beat yourself up. Next time you’re pooped and pushing through the day on autopilot, try a little self-massage.
“Massage stimulates your nerve endings, which increases blood flow and gets your circulation pumping,” says Maureen Moon, past president of the American Massage Therapy Association in an interview with Parents Magazine.
Moon recommends the following quick pick-me-up massages.
- “Using your fingertips, rub your scalp or temples in a gentle, circular motion for two minutes.”
- “Vigorously rub each earlobe between your thumb and forefinger for one minute.”
- “Place your forefingers behind your ears (where the base of your skull meets the top of your neck), press for ten seconds, release, and repeat.”
Get a Move On
It may sound counter-intuitive, but try getting up and moving your body. You don’t have to go into full-blown workout mode, but try doing five to ten minutes’ worth of exercise. This can be anything from a walk or jog around the block to doing a couple of laps in the pool to dancing around your living room to a good beat. Just move.
“A lot of times when people are fatigued, the last thing they want to do is exercise,” says researcher Patrick O’Connor, PhD, in a news release. “But if you’re physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help.”
Drink Some Water
One reason many people feel tired is that they’re actually dehydrated. Studies show that most people don’t drink enough water throughout the day. Next time you’re tired, try drinking a glass of water, and try to stay hydrated throughout the day to maintain your energy levels.
“It’s generally not a good idea to use thirst alone as a guide for when to drink,” says a Mayo clinic expert. “By the time you become thirsty, you may already be slightly dehydrated.”
Citrus is Your Friend
Vitamin C is known to help increase both energy and nutrient absorption–and the scent of citrus is proven to increase alertness and energy levels. So eating citrus fruit such as oranges, clementines (my favorite!) or grapefruit can significantly improve your energy levels in a hurry.
“Study after study shows the correlation between citric acid deficiency and chronic fatigue,” says Zen Habits blogger Leo Babauta.
A tip from me to you: have a piece of cheese or lean turkey with your orange to help balance the natural sugar.
