GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

Water – The “Nectar of Life” and Why You Should Drink More of It

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One of the changes I had to embrace for my adoption of a healthy lifestyle was to increase my daily intake of water.   In the past, I was so negligent that I know there were days where I would only drink 1 glass of water while drinking sodas, teas and coffee to satisfy my thirst.    When I decided to make a change I did a little research on the importance of water which I am sharing here with you.

The Body’s Need for Water

We all know that we cannot live without air to breathe and would not dare to hold our breaths to minimize our intake.    Water is just as important as air.  The human body is made up of about 60% of water and requires it to sustain life.   The brain, muscles, lungs, and blood contain water.    The liver and kidneys cannot function properly without it.   We understand that we cannot live without water yet some of us are not drinking enough of it each day.

Benefits of Drinking Water

There are many benefits to consuming an adequate amount of what I have now deemed the “nectar of life” each day.   Once I mentally internalized these benefits it made it easier for me to make the effort to drink more water.    Here are some of the benefits of drinking more water:

  • It is a natural appetite suppressant.
  • It increases the metabolism
  • It helps the liver and kidney to function at 100%
  • It supports muscle tone and contraction
  • It aids in the digestion process
  • It helps to eliminate bodily waste and alleviates constipation
  • It hydrates the body and lubricates the joints
  • It controls body temperature

 How Much Water is Enough for ME?

We all have heard that we should drink 8 – 8 oz. glasses of water per day which is a total of 64 ounces.    However, since we all are unique individuals with differing body types, activity levels, and health conditions, this “one-size-fits-all” approach did not make sense to me.    I discovered a tip on the internet that suggested starting at the 64 ounces of water and adding 8 ounces for every 25 lbs of excess weight.  This made sense to me so I chose that method   Additionally, I considered my level of “sweat effort” exercise and the fact that I live in humid, hot Houston.   Once I started drinking my determined amount of water I paid more attention to the results of my urination output to determine if the symptoms of insufficient water intake had disappeared.

 Symptoms of Insufficient Water Intake

The best method to determine if you are drinking enough water is check for the symptoms of dehydration.   Here is a list of a few of those symptoms:

  • Decrease in your level of concentration and focus
  • Discoloration of your urine – usually a dark yellow color – with a strong odor
  • Poor bowel functions – constipation
  • Feelings of tiredness and fatigue
  • Joint pain and muscle cramps

 How I Increased My Water Intake

When you are accustomed to drinking everything but water to satisfy your thirst it is difficult to get started on changing that behavior.   These are the steps I implemented to successfully reach my intake quota.

  • For the first 3 weeks, I gave up all other drinks – teas, sodas, and coffee.   Now I only drink herbal teas because they do not contain caffeine which increases dehydration.
  • I divided my intake into 6 daily increments  as follows:
    • 1 increment immediately upon waking
    • 2 increments before noon
    • 2 increments before 6 pm
    • 1 increment 2-3 hours before bedtime.

The first 3 days I “ran” to the restroom continuously but by day 4 it seemed my body adjusted to the new level of my intake and my trips to the restroom decreased.

Other Beneficial Changes

In addition to all symptoms of dehydration disappearing, there have been some other improvements to my health.   The skin on my face looks and feels great.   At one point, I was suffering from an itchy scalp in one spot and that has gone away, too.   All of these good changes in my body help me to remain diligent about my daily water intake.

 

QUESTION(s) :   How is your level of daily water intake?   Do you have symptoms of dehydration?

GRETA GRYPP – Report #8

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SuperChgWomanIt is the last day and last hour of 2015.   This is my last report for 2015.    The good news I gave Greta is that I weigh less than I did last year at this time.    The bad news is I have been in RELAPSE for almost 3 months now.    Greta is steadfast and “un-hooking” all of my weak excuses.

My slide into relapse started with the plateau I hit and could not overcome because I was unable to exercise.   It became easy to revert back to old bad habits.   It was when I was in Austin for the Texas Book Festival and consuming (without guilt) a slice of the 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory that I accepted I was in full relapse.   However, that did not stop me.   I continued through Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with all the parties in between in the same mode.   Now, it is all coming to an end and it is time to do something about this relapse.

I read somewhere or some smart health professional once told me that the reason a person relapse is because they fail to learn something during the recovery phase.    When I ponder on this I think what I fail to learn is that one should realize that relapse periods will occur which means one needs to have a plan to get out of relapse mode as soon as possible.

A good analogy that everyone can relate to is driving a car.    We all prepare for having a flat tire.   We carry a spare tire in our trunks with equipment to help us jack up the car to change the tire.    So, when we have a flat, we don’t get out of the car and shoot out the remaining tires.    We change to the spare tire and repair the flat tire.     This is how we should handle relapse periods in our eating management plans.   We should enjoy the “relapse” meal and get immediately back on track with the next meal.

In this relapse period for me, I not only “shot out all of my tires” but I took all the wheels off and put my car up on blocks!    It is truly wonderful that I did not gain all of the weight back.   Now, this week, I have started preparations to move out of relapse mode.  I am drinking 100 ounces of water daily, my refrigerator/pantry is cleaned out, and my doctor has approved cardio workouts every other day for now.

So, tonight, I have decided to put relapse and the guilty feelings away.  Tomorrow is a new day, a new year, and a new start.

Greta Grypp – Report #7

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SuperChgWomanI am still here in this plateau period.   It feels like I am in a pit of quicksand. Greta Grypp is standing on the sideline waiting for me to struggle my way out of it.   Of course, she is standing there tapping her booted foot holding the scale in her arms.   Well, I’ll get out as soon as I can.

My focus these past several weeks has been to address the muscle-skeletal issues that I have experienced recently which has halted all of my exercise activities.  My therapy at my chiropractor has really helped and I was 80% better until I had a setback on Labor Day weekend.   In evaluating root causes for my muscle-skeletal issues, one of my discoveries was that I needed to replace my mattress because it was way too old.

I went to my local mattress store to begin my search.   I soon realize that I did not really know how to select a mattress so I consulted with a sales person.  I stretched out on a few for 10-15 mins to get a “feel” for the firmness.    My old mattress was medium-firm with a pillowtop so I wanted that feel for my new selection.  Finally, I decided to go with a high-end mattress with additional features for complete nightly relaxation.   It was delivered to me the very next day.

I slept on it the first night and woke up to lower back pain.   I slept on it the second night and woke up with worse pain than the day before.   On the third night, I got up after only 1 hour on the mattress and went to my guest bedroom to sleep.   Needless to say, I am returning the high-end mattress and resuming my search for a comfortable one.

I guess the moral is just because something is deemed “high-end, multi-featured” doesn’t mean it is better than the old “tried and true” version.  This entire experience has taught me the value of sleeping on the right type of mattress for your body.   Hopefully, I’ll get that figured out soon so I can get healed and back to exercising.

If you have any tips on selecting a mattress, please share them.

 

Greta Grypp – Report #6

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SuperChgWomanIt has been a couple of months since I posted a report and I have felt the tips of Greta’s boots on my butt a few times over that period.    If I had to give a title to describe my healthy revamp program during this period it would be called “Life on the Weight-Loss Plateau” because that is where I have been for June and July.     I have been hovering around 27 lbs. lost for 2 months now.

I know this is a normal occurrence when a person is on a weight-loss program but it is still discouraging.    It did not help matters that there was a holiday, a vacation to Mexico, and a couple of out-of-town writing workshops which offered opportunities for me to eat off plan.    Since I wasn’t losing any weight, it seemed easier to justify having that slice of bread or that small dessert and the frequency of that behavior has increased over the past several weeks.

Additionally, I have had some residual pain from my biking accident and had to seek medical attention from a chiropractor.   He has limited my physical activity to only stretching during this period so that has also contributed to the slow down.    I am improving and hope to return to a cardio routine soon.   I really miss my early morning bike rides near the lake.

Today, I am researching on how to break through the plateau.    The first thing I will do is dispel those discouraging thoughts and focus on refraining from reverting back to bad eating habits.    Let’s see what happens by the next report.

 

QUESTION(S)

  1.  Have you ever experienced a weight-loss plateau?   If so, how did you break through it?

 

Greta Grypp – Report #5

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SuperChgWomanIf I had to define my eating management actions for the month of May it would be the month of “making the better bad choice” at restaurants.   May was a very social month for me and many of my meals were prepared by others.   Temptation was strong and I did succumb a few times but I did not revert totally back to my old eating habits.   In other words, I did not “blow out” all of my tires.

Once an analogy was told to me by a nutritionist regarding those times when one deviates from their eating plan.    I was told to consider it like having a flat tire.   When we are driving our car and have a flat tire we do not shoot out the other 3 tires.  We fix the one that is flat and get back on the road.    I followed that theory this month while celebrating Sister-Girlfriends Sunday Brunch, Mothers’ Day dinner, network dinner with colleagues, and road-tripping to Austin.

The results were good.   Even though my expectations were to maintain the same weight for the month I was able to lose 3 lbs. more by the end of the month.   My total weight lost as of this post is 22 lbs. and the month of “better bad choices” is over.  Greta has reminded me that it is not totally about the number on the scale but the goal IS to make healthier food choices.    Those choices are limited when the meals are not self-prepared.

So, for June, I have cranked up my kitchen again.   I have pulled out the pots and pans.  I have my grocery list ready for the trip to Whole Foods.    I am on the hunt for some new wholesome recipes.    Next month should be interesting.

 

QUESTION(S):

How do you stay on track while eating out socially?