Hello All, so time to update my photo now that i have turned 42! Its a great time in my life. I am as fit as i have ever been and that is a blessing. To be able to move the way we do in zumba at this age is a great feeling. The endorphin rush is like no other high i have felt. SUNNY SKIES are in abundance after a zumba session....thankfully i found this and through the confidence of being in my early 40s i talked myself into doing this as a part time job! Being a fitness instructor is a life choice i have always admired and NEVER did i think i would be one. Now, i have my appointment with guaranteed happiness 4x a week. You can too, just make the commitment to yourself, its time...
I don't mean just exercise. I mean choosing the healthiest fuel for your body and eating these things while fully paying attention so you will know truly when enough is enough...
WATER: SO although i have been doing well in keeping my excesses to a minimum and eating healthily, today was not my best day. The good news is it was not my worst either. I did not run with it, the old mental recording did not win. The one that always tells me, "well, you already ate X, so you might as well eat everything in site and start fresh tomorrow". I took a moment to think about how i would feel the next day and didn't want it! So i stopped myself. One day at a time, it felt good.
I ate salty things, so i woke up (here i am at 1:30 a.m.) thirsty. Not wanting puffiness in the a.m. i googled "how to rid body of excess salt". I know about potassium, but really didn't want to eat a banana or anything esle at the moment. To my surprise, this article and many like it popped up toting the claim that the number one thing you can do to get rid of excess water and salt is to drink more water! Read on, i found it fascinating, and i sit here with iced lemon water....AHHH and the price is right on water!
Incredible as it may seem...
Water is the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off!
Although most of us take it for granted...
Pure, clean water may be the only true Magic Potion for permanent weight loss!
Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase!
And an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits!
Here's the reason why...
The kidneys cannot function properly without enough water. When they do not work to capacity, some of their load is dumped on the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it cannot work at full throttle.
As a result, it metabolizes less fat... more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops!
Drinking an adequate amount of water every day is the best treatment for fluid retention. But when your body is given less water than it needs... it perceives the shortage as a threat to survival and will begin to retain every drop. Water reserves are stored in extra-cellular spaces (outside the cells). This water can show up as swollen feet, hands and legs.
Diuretics only offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns.
The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs — plenty of water — only then will stored water be released.
If water retention is a constant problem for you... excess salt may be to blame!
Your body will only tolerate sodium in certain concentrations. The more salt you eat, the more water your system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of unneeded salt is easy — just drink more water!
As the water is forced through the kidneys, it will remove the excess sodium.
Over weight people need more water than thin people. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism... it follows that the over weight person needs more water to metabolize excess fat.
Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone... which in turn, aids proper muscle contraction and prevents dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water which plums the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.
Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has more waste to get rid of, and all that metabolized fat must be shed.
Again — water helps flush out this waste!
Water can help relieve constipation . . .
The colon is a primary internal water source. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. Result? Constipation. But when a person drinks enough water... normal bowel function will return.
So far, we have discovered same remarkable truths about water and about weight loss... The body will not function properly without enough water and cannot metabolize stored fat efficiently. On the household weight scales... Retained water shows up as excess weight.
It may seem strange, but to get rid of excess water... You must drink more water!
Drinking water is essential to losing weight.
How much water is enough?
If you are a normal weight for your height, then on average you should drink (8) eight — 8 oz. glasses of pure water every day. However, if you are overweight you should take (1) one additional glass for every 25 lbs. of excess weight you are trying to lose. The amount that you drink should be increased if you exercise, or if the weather is hot and dry.
Preferably, your drinking water should be taken cold...
Cold water is absorbed more quickly into the system than warm water. Some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually burn calories. To utilize water most efficiently during weight loss, follow this schedule:
Morning: 1 Quart of pure water over 30 minutes
Noon: 1 Quart of pure water over 30 minutes
Evening: 1 Quart of pure water between 5-6 P.M.
When the body gets all the water it needs to function optimally, all body system fluids will perfectly balance.
When this happens . . . you reach the "breakthrough point".
So what does that mean?
•Endocrine gland function improves...
•Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost...
•More fat can be used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat...
•Natural thirst returns...
•There is a loss of hunger almost overnight.
But don't forget this...
If you stop drinking enough water your body fluids
will again be thrown out of balance . . .
Once again you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain and loss of thirst!
So what's the remedy this situation?
Start over . . . Increase your water intake to force another breakthrough!
Reprinted from "The Snowbird Diet" by Donald S. Roberston, M.D., M. Sc.
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Now that you understand the importance of increasing your daily water intake, there's another problem we need address...
Specifically, where to get pure, contamination free, water. Inspite of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water purification and treatment standards for municipal water systems, there continues to be incidents of contamination which can be harmful to your health.
Residual cryptosporidium and giardia from fecal matter not properly filtered out of the source water supply, high toxic levels of treatment chlorine and lead are not only harmful, but in extreme cases can cause death.
An additional source of lead poisoning can be from lead which is leached into the water from old household piping or lead-based piping solder. Having your water tested by a local or State Department of Health is one solution, but this only provides a snap-shot of your water's quality and purity.
A more practical and reliable solution may be to get a home Water Filtration System...
For just pennies per gallon, you can have all the pure water you need. And when compared to bottled water services and commercial water treatment systems, you can't beat the convenience or cost!
There are many types of water filtration systems perfect for home and office applications.
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