Hydration

Today I want to talk about hydration. All too often people who I've encountered who are trying to be healthy, or watch their weight, don't seem to think about what they're hydrating themselves with. Cream in our coffee, sugar & sweeteners, they add up quicker than we realize. 

I'm sure everything I'm about to say is stuff you've heard over & over, at least they're things I've heard many times over, but it can't hurt to read it again. Maybe I can say it in a way that will help it to make more sense to you, or give you ideas to help you stick to your goals. Feel free to share anything that helps you to stick to your goal of drinking more water or not overdoing your treats/cheats, we all need all the help we can get!!!

Adding milk to our daily coffee(s) instead of cream is one of the easiest ways to help us be healthier. Also limiting ourselves to only 1 or 2 coffees a day is ideal for optimal health. My spouse sometimes drinks 5-6 XL double doubles in a day, (for my non canadian readers, that's 2 cream, 2 sugar in an XL coffee)!!! Just by switching to 2 milk, 2 sugar he lost 20lbs in only 2-3 weeks & that was the only thing he changed!!! (Men lose weight easier than us women, so I'm not sure that us women could get that result as quickly & easily, but please don't let that discourage you). Anyways, my point is that even little changes like that can impact our health in such enormous ways. All the little changes add up fast!!! 

***This brings me to the whole sugar verses sweetener issue, but I'll have to address that in a different post.***

Soda pop is so tremendously bad for us, the excessive amount of sugar added into sodas is ridiculous!!! However, I really do believe in all things in moderation. If you've had a successful week with being as healthy as you can be & achieving the goals you've set out for yourself, then I'm all for rewarding yourself with a serving, or two, of soda pop. Now that being said, if you're like me, I know you require a load of self control in order to limit your reward to one or two serving sizes. You sure can undo all of the good that you've achieved during your good week in a real big hurry. So, if you do choose to reward yourself, please be careful. I find that purchasing only a CAN or two, (or one 541ml bottle), can greatly improve your ability to stay within the limits that you set for yourself.

Water really is the best source of hydration. H2O is natural, it's chemical free & it really does hydrate us more efficiently & effectively than anything else we can drink. If you're like me you find it hard to drink water and only water. My spouse bought me a water cooler because I figured it would help me to achieve my goal of drinking more water. Unfortunately it didn't help as much as I had anticipated. I have found the most success with having the right water bottle!!! I really love the 'Contigo' brand water bottles. They're spill proof & easy to drink from. The one I've been using lately has a straw in it so I don't even have to tip it to drink, (I drive a lot & find straws to be my best friend). Anyways, I really encourage you to find a reusable water bottle that works for you, one that you love, that way you're more likely to use it!!! Also, I love my water freezing cold, but I don't have an ice maker & I didn't have ice cube trays, so I bought a couple. I believe this has also greatly aided in me being able to achieve my goals & keep to them!!! What's your favorite water bottle?

Intro & Trail Mix

It can be so hard to reteach yourself & train yourself how to eat healthy. Every day can be such a battle as you figure out what's healthy & what's not. It can be so hard to chose to eat a salad or piece of fruit or other healthy items. If you're like me you crave flavour. I am trying to follow the rule of "All things in moderation".

That being said, I want to let you know, I'm only starting this new journey/phase & I created this blog to attempt to help others who are in the same boat & to help myself stay on track & stay honest. I need all the help I can get myself.

For my first post I figured I could share a trail mix that I tried recently at my Sister's house, I couldn't find it where I live so I decided to make it.

I went to my local grocery store's bulk section & bought organic whole raw almonds, organic whole raw cashews, organic dried wild blueberries & Greek yogurt chips. I already had Crazins at home, so I didn't need to buy more dried cranberries. I just put it all into a large freezer bag & shook it to mix it. I didn't think I had bought as much as I did, until I went to mix it together. So I ended up mixing it in two freezer bags. 

I really enjoy this trail mix & I don't usually like trail mix. One serving is approximately 1/4 cup. This is so delicious & it's nice to be able to eat it on the go in my hectic, busy life. I chose raw nuts verses roasted nuts because some of the proteins are ruined in the roasting process, (according to Nutritionist Haylie Pomroy). I like this snack because the protein will help you to feel full between meals & it's mostly healthy.

I will add a picture of the mix that I tried at my sister's house & if you can find it then you can buy it instead of making your own.