W – the secret weapon!
When the going gets tough, remember the letter ‘W’, it’s your secret weapon when it comes to simple maintenance or improvement of your current health and weight. When money is tight and you can’t afford hundreds of pounds on a tailored plan or the newest gear for those spinning classes that you’ve signed up for, think:
WATER
WEIGHTS
WALKING
For those times when work/life is stressful and you’re all out of routine, pull out your old faithful “3 W’s”. In our lives we’re under more and more pressure to be at a certain place at a certain time, go places we don’t want to, drink more than we should, eat on the run, sleep less and generally get our money’s worth out of our bodies. To keep the balance and try and regain a little harmony and health in our busy schedules, remember to try and fit in lots of water, walking and a little weight training, here’s why:
Water:
With figures proving that roughly 75% of Americans are dehydrated, this simple tip is probably one of the most important. By the time our bodies tell us that we’re thirsty, most of us are already 2-3% dehydrated. This small dip in hydration has consequences such as:
- Poor concentration
- Headaches
- Constipation
- Increase in the appearance of cellulite
- Joint pain
- Fatigued skin
- Harder to lose weight
With most humans made up of between 60-80% water, it’s no wonder this H2O is so vital to our well being. If and when we drink adequate amounts of water, we’re better able to replenish the stores of water in our bodies, allowing them to flush out toxins, allow proper kidney function and also aid in metabolism.
The best way to start your day is by drinking a glass of water to refresh your body and mind, unfortunately most of us start the day by downing a cup of coffee or very strong tea, this may perk you up but at the same time it’s only dehydrating your body even more. You should ideally be drinking one extra glass of water for every caffeinated drink you consume.
TIPS:
- Always carry a water bottle with you every where you go, drink it consciously throughout the day until it becomes an automatic habit.
- Having a 500ml bottle also allows you to gauge how much you’re consuming, the recommendation varies and everyone is different.
- The best form of water intake is from food – vegetables, fruits and soups.
- Try to drink your water throughout the day rather than all at once as it’s easier for your body to utilize. If you down 1 litre at a time, the likelihood is a trip to the bathroom immediately afterwards.
Weights:
Firstly, if you’re a female weight training will not make you look like Madonna or Mike Tyson – you do not have enough testosterone in your body.
Whether you’re overweight/have a sedentary office job/are a keen runner or like to walk 4 miles a day every day, adding just 2 resistance sessions to your schedule per week will improve your health:
- Weight training improves bone health and density
- Can improve posture when performed correctly
- Can aid you in achieving a leaner look while the scales remain the same
- Fires up metabolism for hours after you’ve trained
- Can be done anywhere – even in a hotel room/office with a resistance band or back of a chair
Walking:
It’s free, there is no timetable to adhere to, you can catch up with a friend while doing it, you can go for as long or short a walk as you’d like and best of all here’s how it benefits your body:
- Gets the blood pumping around your body
- Clears your mind, studies have shown a walk in nature is therapeutic
- Improves sleep
- Aids those with SAD, a little daylight on a daily basis can improve mood
- Boosts Vitamin D levels
- Improves circulation
- Aids digestion
- Can increase energy when you’re thinking about an extra cup of coffee or a biscuit as a pick me up
LISA’S TIP: Don’t drink more than 1 small glass of water with meals as it can bloat your stomach due to the dilution of stomach acid which is necessary to break down food and allow digestion.
Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=19143
Posted by Newry Times News
on Jul 10 2012. Filed under Lifestyle.
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