12 Weeks to a Healthier You - Week 01
Introduction | Week 02 | Week 03 | Week 04 | Week 05 | Week 06
Week 07 | Week 08 | Week 09 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12
Week 07 | Week 08 | Week 09 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12
Week one! Are you ready?! I am so excited that you have made the commitment to become a healthier you!
This week our area of focus deals with the liquid you put into your body on a daily basis. In short, I am suggesting that you keep hydrated. Your body is made of cells. Cells make up everything in your body, from fast-twitch muscle fibers to the heart itself, your body and all of its wonderful parts are made of cells. Cells, themselves are, for a large part, made of water, so it is very important to begin with what our body physically needs most... water.
I understand that not everyone can just start off drinking eight glasses of water a day. In fact, if you are not used to it, it can make you feel very, very sick on top of sending you to the restroom every 15 - 30 minutes. Ease into it. If you want to be exact, the scientific formula for suggested daily water intake is: (body weight in pounds) divided by two equals ounces of water suggested daily. So it could look like this: 250 lbs. / 2 = 175 oz. of water suggested daily. Of course, not everyone needs to the the math right away. Like I have said before, ease into it. If you never drink water, start by replacing one soft drink, tea, coffee, juice, beer, or whatever it is that is keeping you in a state of pseudo-hydration with one cup (8 oz.) of water per day. If this seems like too much water, either cut it back to a half of cup (4 oz.) of water or begin in carrying eight ounces of water around in a bottle of some sort and sipping on it throughout the day. Contrary to popular belief, the liquid you intake does not have to be consumed in one shot or through large amounts throughout the day. Ease into it. Sip. Do what you must to reach your healthy goal. Eventually, the goal is to replace the bulk of your liquid consumption to water. Your cells will thank you!
I feel this needs to be said: don't beat yourself up about what you are drinking now. That will only cause stress and it will be counter productive. If you have already started beating yourself up about it, stop, and do not beat yourself up about beating yourself up about it. Breathe and move on. I will focus in on stress a little later. No need to worry about it now. In fact, for now, just don't worry, alright?
In conclusion, ease into it. Start by substituting what liquid you can for water to reach your goal of about eight cups of water a day. If you begin by replacing one beverage of choice for a glass of water every day or adding a glass of water where needed to your water drinking routine (you actually may have one and not even realize it) everyday, your first week could look like this: Day 1: 1 cup of water, 2 glasses of milk, 3 sodas, and 2 coffees; Day 2: 2 cups of water, 1 glass of milk, 3 soda, and 2 coffees; Day 3: 3 cups of water, 3 sodas, and 2 coffees; Day 4: 4 cups of water (you are halfway there!), 2 soda, and 2 coffees; Day 5: 5 cups of water, 1 soda, and 2 coffees; Day 6: 6 cups of water and 2 coffees; Day 7: 7 cups of water and 1 coffee. Keep this up and the next week you will be drinking eight cups of water every day!!! Yes! You did it! Goal achieved! Now just find a nice way to reward yourself (maybe a new water bottle)!
This week our area of focus deals with the liquid you put into your body on a daily basis. In short, I am suggesting that you keep hydrated. Your body is made of cells. Cells make up everything in your body, from fast-twitch muscle fibers to the heart itself, your body and all of its wonderful parts are made of cells. Cells, themselves are, for a large part, made of water, so it is very important to begin with what our body physically needs most... water.
I understand that not everyone can just start off drinking eight glasses of water a day. In fact, if you are not used to it, it can make you feel very, very sick on top of sending you to the restroom every 15 - 30 minutes. Ease into it. If you want to be exact, the scientific formula for suggested daily water intake is: (body weight in pounds) divided by two equals ounces of water suggested daily. So it could look like this: 250 lbs. / 2 = 175 oz. of water suggested daily. Of course, not everyone needs to the the math right away. Like I have said before, ease into it. If you never drink water, start by replacing one soft drink, tea, coffee, juice, beer, or whatever it is that is keeping you in a state of pseudo-hydration with one cup (8 oz.) of water per day. If this seems like too much water, either cut it back to a half of cup (4 oz.) of water or begin in carrying eight ounces of water around in a bottle of some sort and sipping on it throughout the day. Contrary to popular belief, the liquid you intake does not have to be consumed in one shot or through large amounts throughout the day. Ease into it. Sip. Do what you must to reach your healthy goal. Eventually, the goal is to replace the bulk of your liquid consumption to water. Your cells will thank you!
I feel this needs to be said: don't beat yourself up about what you are drinking now. That will only cause stress and it will be counter productive. If you have already started beating yourself up about it, stop, and do not beat yourself up about beating yourself up about it. Breathe and move on. I will focus in on stress a little later. No need to worry about it now. In fact, for now, just don't worry, alright?
In conclusion, ease into it. Start by substituting what liquid you can for water to reach your goal of about eight cups of water a day. If you begin by replacing one beverage of choice for a glass of water every day or adding a glass of water where needed to your water drinking routine (you actually may have one and not even realize it) everyday, your first week could look like this: Day 1: 1 cup of water, 2 glasses of milk, 3 sodas, and 2 coffees; Day 2: 2 cups of water, 1 glass of milk, 3 soda, and 2 coffees; Day 3: 3 cups of water, 3 sodas, and 2 coffees; Day 4: 4 cups of water (you are halfway there!), 2 soda, and 2 coffees; Day 5: 5 cups of water, 1 soda, and 2 coffees; Day 6: 6 cups of water and 2 coffees; Day 7: 7 cups of water and 1 coffee. Keep this up and the next week you will be drinking eight cups of water every day!!! Yes! You did it! Goal achieved! Now just find a nice way to reward yourself (maybe a new water bottle)!
