Blessed

I was thinking today about how blessed I am. Here are some of the things I am thankful for:
A wonderful husband who loves me, supports me and is fun to be with.
2 adorable sons that help me realize how much I am needed, and who love to cuddle with me.
Sisters, brothers, their spouses, and my parents who I can call and talk to, share my problems and successes with and really be friends with.
Friends, too many to count, who talk with me, have fun with me, work on projects, go shopping with, or just know that they're there when I need them, or they need me.
It may sound corny, but the people in my life are awesome and I wouldn't be who I am, or where I am without them.
Thanks

Shower Curtain

When is the last time you looked at your shower curtain? Take a minute and check it. If it is not the same color throughout (and used to be), then it is time to change it. A new shower curtain can be as little as $2. Well worth it in my opinion.
I bought a new shower curtain yesterday and it is really cute. Because of the close proximity of our toilet to our shower, we can only have a water-proof shower curtain, not one of the pretty fabric ones. Our last shower curtain was plain plastic. Our new one is plain plastic with white polka dots. Very cute.

Water

Why is water important?
It carries nutrients into cells and transports wastes out of them.
Dehydration causes your metabolism to slow down. 50-75% of your body is made up of water (about 10-12 gallons), so replenishing your body's water supply is crucial for proper function.
It is a wonderful cleansing process for the body and helps prevent kidney problems.
Your digestion is improved. Dehydration also causes your digestive system to work at diminished capacity, potentially preventing you from getting the nutrients you need and triggering unnecessary eating to make up for the shortfall.
Decreases headaches and fatigue.
Water fills you up. By drinking water you can curb your appetite. Dehydration can make your body go in search of water, signaling you to eat more, a phenomenon sometimes called, "artificial hunger."
Exercise is more effective is you're fully hydrated. When exercising, your body can't cool itself adequately when it's low on fluid. Being adequately hydrated during exercise will also help you stay energized so that you can maintain an appropriate intensity and duration.

How Much?
· Drinking about 8-10 cups a day is average to make sure you are properly hydrated (the average adult loses about 8-10 cups of water daily so to maintain your body's proper fluid balance you should replace it each day)
· If you are working out regularly you should ideally drink more than 8 cups.
· Drink before you get thirsty! Thirst partially controls the water content of the body, but often thirst lags behind the body's needs. By the time you are thirsty, your body may already be dehydrated.
· Drink throughout the day; not all at once.

Tips to Drinking More
· Start the day with a glass of water
· Buy a water filter for your home or add a lemon to your glass
· Carry a bottle of water with you at all times
· Any time you see a water fountain, stop and take a few sips.

What Are You Drinking?
Sprite 250 Calories, 65 g Sugar
V8 Splash 220 Calories, 50 g Sugar
Pink Lemonade 250 Calories, 67.5 g Sugar
Water 0 Calories, 0 g sugar

All flavors of soda pop are loaded with calories and sugar. Many also have caffeine and other additives. Soda is your worst choice for weight management and overall health.
Many "Juice Drinks" look like fruit juice, but are actually only 3% to 20% Juice. They are filled with calories and sugar for flavor. "Juice Drinks" are not your best option.
Water is the best choice to quench your thirst. It is sugar and calorie free and will help you have more energy and manage your weight!

What will you commit to do differently this week?

Health Info

I decided to post some health information that I'm getting from my Nutritionist. At the end of each subject, or sometimes in the middle is a suggestion to set a goal. If you want to you can email me with your goal, leave it as a comment, or write it down somewhere. If it isn't written down it isn't a goal, it's a wish.

Success x2

Today has been a really good day. I went to Aerobics in the morning. A little background on my aerobics class: At the beginning of the semester there were 29 girls and 1 guy. All the girls are cute little and petite. I felt really awkward for awhile, but then decided I don't care that I weigh at least 70 pounds more than anyone else in the class (except maybe the guy, he has a lot of muscles). As time went on the class shrunk. Now we have about 10 people that come on a regular basis.
So today we did aerobics for about 30 minutes and then our teacher told us to go down the stairs and run around the indoor track twice. So we did. I was the third person down the stairs, and surprisingly, only 2 girls passed me as we jogged. 2 times around the track is 1/4 mile, so I ran 1/4 mile without stopping to walk. Then we did another 20 minutes of working out.
It may sound silly, but I'm so proud of myself for working out. I've been frustrated at not seeing results, in how my clothes fit, or in my weight. After today's workout I realized that I'm improving, even if I can't see it.
That was the first success, the second happened at my nutritionist appointment. I've been seeing a nutritionist for 5 weeks, mostly to learn how to change the way I eat and get healthier. Each week we've weighed me and I fluctuated about 2 pounds, down then up. Since I've been eating so much healthier and exercising that has been frustrating (even though I know muscle weighs more than fat, and I'm losing fat but gaining muscle.)
Today we weighed me again, and there was a noticable drop. I have now lost 3% of my body weight. WHOOO HOOO!!!

Carpet Cleaning

Today I cleaned my carpets. That's not the cool part. I actually rented the carpet cleaner on Saturday, then dropped it off at Karl's Aunt's house. She cleaned her carpets, then took it to her daughter's house, who cleaned her carpets. They dropped it off at my house Saturday night. I was too tired to clean my carpets then, so I waited until this morning. So this morning I cleaned my carpets, and my upstair's neighbor's carpets. Then I took the cleaner to Von and Emily's house and they did their carpets.
So, for about 30 dollars we cleaned the carpets in 5 homes, I think that's pretty good.

Fridge

Awhile ago I posted a blog about cleaning out the fridge. I'm not sure how it happened, but today when I cleaned out the fridge I noticed our salad dressing was past the expiration date, as well as the mustard, pickles(by 2 years) and eggs, Parmesan cheese and sugar free jam.
It was weird that I have missed that stuff... the lesson that comes from this: Check the expiration dates on your condiments.