Don't Forget Your Weekly Survey

I know that we have been a bit lighter in posts the past week, but please FILL OUT the weekly survey for last week if you haven't done so already! There was only one survey so far from yesterday. It only takes a minute or two! Once the surveys are in, I'll post the results from last week. 

Thanks. :)

Week Two Results

Here are the results from Week Two:

Which challenge goal presented you with the MOST difficulty this week?



In which challenge area could you use more support, guidance or tips?

How to Drink More Water

Make it Convenient

Have a water bottle with you whenever you leave the house. I like my 25 ounce CamelBak Stainless Bottle. I bring it with me everywhere. This ensures that I won’t ever find myself thirsty without a water source.

If you have a hard time remembering to drink water, set a reminder alarm on your phone to go off every 45-60 minutes to suggest to yourself that you stop, take a break, and rehydrate.

At first you might feel like your constantly drinking water, but it will become second nature in no time.

Note: After going to the restroom, rehydrate with more water.

Drink Before, During, and Between Your Meals

When you’re eating out, always drink a glass of water before you begin your meal. This will help curb your hunger so that you consume fewer calories and enjoy your meal without overindulging.

Plus, water is the free beverage choice when eating out. Continue to sip water throughout the meal to compensate for higher sodium that is often present in restaurant meals.

Fruits and vegetables contain lots of water that will benefit our bodies and have less calories than heavy ingredients. When ordering out, consider choosing a side salad and sharing an entree with a friend or spouse or a meal with lots of produce in it.

Sip a glass of water with meals and continue to hydrate your body between meals. Often times when we feel hungry, our bodies are really just in need of water rather than calories.

Flavor Your Water

Many people complain that they don’t like the way water tastes. Flavored water is especially great when you’re dining out or entertaining. You still feel as if you’re indulging in a delicious drink, but with far less calories.

When you cut out the calories of cocktails, soda, or other sugary drinks that are often present on restaurant menus (and even in our homes) you can afford to indulge more on your meal. If you still feel compelled to order a drink, ask for a glass of water in addition to your beverage of choice.

Try a few of these tips for flavoring your water:

1. Add a drop or two of 100% pure essential oil to your glass. Essential oils are a great calorie-free and sugar-free flavor option. This is my favorite trick because it hardly takes any time at all and I can take care of it on the go.

• My favorite water flavors are: orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, or peppermint. I also like to combine mint and lemon or mint and grapefruit.
• Look for essential oils that are 100% certified pure therapeutic grade, they will not contain additives, chemicals, or filler products.

2. When drinking juice, water it down by 25% to reduce calorie and sugar intake and increase water consumption.

3. Add various produce to your water. Ideas include: muddled herbs and berries, cucumber, and citrus slices.

Refreshing Flavored Water Recipes:

• Flavoured Water | Donna Hay
• Flavored Water | She Wears Many Hats
• Minted Rose Water | Sunday Suppers
• Pineapple Sugarcane Spa Water | A Spicy Perspective
• Quick and Easy Flavored Water | Jamie Oliver

Know How Much Water Your Body Needs

The old recommendation of drinking 8 – 8 ounce glasses of water a day is just an average and more of a general guideline.

To more accurately represent the amount your body needs divide your weight in half and drink that many ounces of water per day.

Example: A person weighing 120 lbs would drink 60 ounces of H2O a day.

Those who are heavy exercisers will feel the need to drink more water than this throughout the day due to the liquids lost in sweat.

Additionally, it is very important to keep your body properly hydrated when visiting high altitudes – even drink more water than normally necessary – to avoid feeling ill.

Start Early and Finish Early

Don’t wait until you feel thirsty to have a glass of water.

I find it easier to drink the proper amount of water when I get started right away in the morning.

On the flip side, don’t consume large quantities of water close to bed – unless you like waking up for frequent, late night trips to the bathroom. I aim to drink most of my water before dinner time and to drink sips here and there up until two hours before bedtime.

From: http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2012/01/tips-for-drinking-more-water.html
 

Spaghettini with Onions and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

From: http://www.lhj.com/recipe/pasta/spaghettini-with-onions-and-sun-dried-tomatoes/

Makes: 4  servings

Prep:   15 mins  Cook:   35 mins 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, no substitutions
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups finely chopped onions (1/2 lb.)
• 1 pound spaghettini or linguine
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (or 5 halves dry-pack sun-dried tomatoes, soaked, drained, and chopped)
• 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Parsley sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter with oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook onions 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden.

2. Meanwhile, start to cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Uncover skillet. Add garlic to onions; increase heat to medium and cook 5 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes, half the parsley, salt, and red pepper flakes; cook 3 to 5 minutes more, until onion mixture thickens slightly.

4. Drain pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add pasta water and remaining parsley to onion mixture. Cook 2 minutes. Stir sauce into hot pasta and toss. Divide pasta among 4 serving bowls. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 4
• Calories(kcal)555,
• Protein(gm)16,
• Carbohydrate(gm)94,
• Fat, total(gm)13,
• Cholesterol(mg)8,
• Saturated fat(gm)3,
• Dietary Fiber, total(gm)5,
• Sodium(mg)511,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Secondhand smoke: Avoid dangers in the air

From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/secondhand-smoke/CC00023

Secondhand smoke: Avoid dangers in the air

Exposure to the toxins in secondhand smoke can cause asthma, cancer and other serious problems. Know what you're breathing — and consider practical steps for clearing the air.

By Mayo Clinic staff

You don't smoke because you understand the dangers — but what about secondhand smoke? Secondhand smoke causes or contributes to various health problems, including heart disease, lung disease and various types of cancer. Understand what's in secondhand smoke, and consider ways to protect yourself and those you love from secondhand smoke.

What's in secondhand smoke?

Secondhand smoke — also known as environmental tobacco smoke — includes the smoke that a smoker exhales (mainstream smoke) and the smoke that comes directly from the burning tobacco product (sidestream smoke). Secondhand smoke contains thousands of toxic chemicals, including:

• Ammonia, used in cleaning products
• Butane, used in lighter fluid
• Carbon monoxide, found in car exhaust
• Chromium, used to make steel
• Cyanide, used in chemical weapons
• Formaldehyde, an industrial chemical
• Lead, a toxic metal
• Polonium, a radioactive substance

The dangerous particles in secondhand smoke can linger in the air for hours or even longer. It isn't just the smoke that's a concern, though. The residue that clings to a smoker's hair and clothing, as well as cushions, carpeting and other goods — sometimes referred to as thirdhand smoke — also can pose risks, especially for children.

How risky is secondhand smoke?

Secondhand smoke causes or contributes to serious health problems, including:

• Lung disease. Exposure to secondhand smoke can aggravate respiratory conditions — especially for people who have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Heart disease. Secondhand smoke damages blood vessels and interferes with circulation, which increases the risk of heart disease and heart attack. A new Mayo Clinic study suggests that secondhand smoke also increases the risk of sudden cardiac death.
• Cancer. Secondhand smoke is a known risk factor for lung cancer. In addition, secondhand smoke contains benzene — which increases the risk of leukemia.

Secondhand smoke poses additional risks for children, who are especially vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke. Problems include:

• Low birth weight. Exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight.
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Secondhand smoke increases the risk of SIDS.
• Asthma. Secondhand smoke increases the risk — and severity — of childhood asthma.

• Infections. Children who live with smokers are more likely to develop bronchitis, pneumonia and middle ear infections (otitis media).

Secondhand smoke also causes chronic coughing, phlegm and wheezing, as well as eye and nose irritation.

How can secondhand smoke be avoided?

With planning, you can reduce or eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. Remember, it's your right to breathe clean air. Start with these simple steps:

• Don't allow smoking in your home. If family members or guests want to smoke, ask them to step outside. Air conditioners and ventilation systems don't effectively remove secondhand smoke from the air.
• Don't allow smoking in your vehicle. If a passenger must smoke on the road, stop at a rest stop for a smoke break outside the car.
• Insist that smoking restrictions be enforced at work. Many states have laws against smoking in the workplace.
• Choose smoke-free care facilities. This applies to child care facilities as well as facilities for older adults. Only choose those with a no-smoking policy.
• Patronize businesses with no-smoking policies. Choose smoke-free restaurants. When you travel, request nonsmoking hotel rooms. Reinforce these no-smoking policies by telling the management that you appreciate the healthy air.

If you have a partner or other loved one who smokes, offer support and encouragement to stop smoking. The entire family will reap the benefits.

Schedule Your Water

Importance of drinking water at the correct time maximizes its effectiveness on the Human body :

1.) 2 glasses of water after waking up helps activate internal organs.

2.) 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal helps digestion.

3.) 1 glass of water before taking a bath helps lower blood pressure.

4.) 1 glass of water before going to bed avoids stroke or heart attack.

10 Surprising Reasons to Drink More Water

We hear about importance of drinking enough water constantly. On the flip side, there has been a growing trend in the media lately that the commonly recommended eight cups of water daily is a myth, which is technically accurate, but not the whole story. Whether you need eight cups of water daily, or four or ten, most people are not getting the message that whatever their particular water needs are, they aren’t meeting them.
And even dietitians, nutritionists, and medical professionals are contributing to the problem by informing people that they get enough water in their diet in the form of fruits and vegetables. That might be true for some people, but after assessing the diets of countless people, I assure you that isn’t the case for most people.
Plus, have you ever noticed that when you throw vegetables in a pan and turn on the heat you’ll see liquid in the pan soon afterward, and then shortly after that you’ll see steam rising from them? That’s because you’re literally cooking the water out of the vegetables.
Researchers estimate that half of the world’s population is chronically dehydrated. And in America, that level is even higher at 75 percent of the population.

More than two-thirds of your body weight is water. Without adequate water your body’s biochemical and electrical (yes electrical, read on!) processes begin to break down. The list of reasons your body needs water is as plentiful as the functions in your body, so due to space limitations, here are 10 good reasons to drink more water:
1. Your blood is over 80 percent water and needs water to make healthy new blood cells.
2. Your bones are over 50 percent water and, you guessed it, need water to make healthy new bone cells.
3. Drinking more water actually helps lessen pain in your body by getting your lymphatic system moving. The lymphatic system is a network of nodes, tubes, vessels, and fluid that move waste out of your tissues. It requires water to function properly.
4. Water helps to eliminate wastes and toxins from your body through the lymphatic system, kidneys, and intestines.
5. Water lubricates your joints and helps reduce joint pain and protect against wear and tear.
6. Water regulates your metabolism so if you’re overweight chances are you may need more water.
7. Water balances body temperature.
8. Water helps to ensure adequate electrical functioning so your brain and nervous system function properly. Your brain and nervous system send out electrical signals to function properly. Researchers estimate that your brain gives off about the same amount of electricity as a 60 watt light bulb. So, there’s some truth to the image of a light bulb going on when someone has a good idea.
9. Water alleviates dehydration (and I’ve already mentioned that most people are chronically dehydrated).
10. Every cell and organ in your body requires adequate water to function properly.
So, one of the quickest and easiest ways to improve your health is to start drinking more pure water every day. Be sure to drink water an empty stomach or you’ll simply be diluting your digestive enzymes and making your digestion less effective.
And, choose purified water as much as possible (but get yourself a BPA-free water bottle so you won’t pollute the planet with all those plastic water bottles. In wealthy, developed nations with plentiful access to water, we really have no excuses for not drinking enough water.
Adapted with permission of the author from the upcoming book, The Phytozyme Cure. (Wiley, December 2010). Copyright Michelle Schoffro Cook.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-reasons-to-drink-more-water-that-you-may-not-know.html#ixzz2247fTJYR