Rehydrate Day
It doesn’t take much water loss before your body begins to suffer. In fact, you only need to lose 2 to 4 percent of your body’s water before your muscles begin to lose strength. Beyond your muscles, hydration affects virtually your entire body, because every cell and organ needs water to function properly. Drinking water works well for staying hydrated, but you can also choose from a variety of beverages. The important thing is to consume a sufficient amount of fluids.
The Amount You Need
The only way to consume the amount of fluid you need is to drink at regular intervals throughout the day, such as when you wake, at each meal and between meals. The recommended adequate intake for water is 9 cups daily for women and 12 cups for men. About 20 percent of your daily water comes through foods, such as fruits and vegetables, so a balanced diet is an important part of staying hydrated. The adequate intake, however, is the amount you should drink in addition to water from your diet. The recommended intake is a general guideline, because individual needs vary depending on age, health, activity level and loss of fluids from sweating, diarrhea and vomiting.
The Best Beverages to Drink
Water is the best choice for quenching thirst and rehydrating because it’s exactly what your body needs and it has no calories.
Hydrate for Optimal Performance
You need extra water when you’re active because muscles generate heat and the body perspires to stay cool. Water also transports energy-providing glucose to muscles and carries wastes away from them, which helps prevent muscle fatigue. To maintain endurance, you should drink before, during and after your workout. Water is your best choice for hydrating during exercise, but you may need a sports drink to replace electrolytes along with fluids after 45 to 60 minutes of high-intensity exercise.
Tips to Stay Hydrated
By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already low on water, so keeping a bottle of water handy serves as a reminder to drink fluids often and avoid thirst. Carry a reusable bottle of water with you and store bottles of water in your desk at work. Put an extra bottle of water in your car, but be sure to use a glass bottle. When your car is in the sun, the heat may cause chemicals to leach out of the plastic and into the beverage. Keep a pitcher of water in your refrigerator for a handy alternative at home.
Something to consider… Water quality
It’s simple… our water is polluted to the maximum. Imagine taking your family to the local lake, and each of you pours into the water a box of washing powder, a litre of oil, your roll-on deodorant, a can of doom, your tube of toothpaste, a pile of medicine, dishwashing liquid, anti-bacterial toilet cleaner and dirty soap suds. Anyone watching would think you were mad, but in effect that’s exactly what is happening to our drinking water.
Sure it gets cleaned – with chemicals like chlorine, ammonia, activated sodium silicate and ferric chloride, calcium hydroxide.
And yet, we are made up of water – about 60% of our bodies is water. It is vital for:
– The life of every cell – allowing every cell to grow and reproduce
– Lubricating your joints
– Regulating your internal body temperature
– Transporting and metabolising carbs and proteins
– Flushing out waste
– Forming saliva
– Delivering oxygen through the bloodstream
Is this not reason enough to make water a priority in your day?
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Comments Off on Day 1: Low Carb, Green Veg Day
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Day 1: Low Carb, Green Veg Day
Vegetables growing above ground are low carb and can be eaten freely. Vegetables growing below ground contain more carbs, so you’ll have to be more careful with them (especially potatoes).
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Comments Off on Day 2: Food Label Day
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Day 2: Food Label Day
Eating out and socialising can be tricky when you are losing weight and resetting your life. People perceive dieting as a time of major suffering, however, while you do need to sacrifice things you thought you loved, this is also a time of growth and an opportunity to create a lasting healthy lifestyle rather than “diet”.
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Comments Off on Day 3: Salt Free Day
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Day 3: Salt Free Day
Sodium is an essential nutrient to for a healthy body. It helps balance fluids within the body and keeps muscles and nerves working at top capacity. However, only small amounts are needed, and too much salt leads to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, as well as a number of other health issues.
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Comments Off on Day 4: Plank Day
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Day 4: Plank Day
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Comments Off on Day 5: No Dairy Day
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Day 5: No Dairy Day
You grew up drinking milk and eating cheese – but could the dairy in your diet actually be causing health problems like weight gain, heartburn, lack of energy, high cholesterol, joint pain, lactose intolerance, and even irritable bowel syndrome? If these symptoms sound familiar, going dairy-free could be the solution to feeling and looking better. Try cutting out dairy to see if it is what’s slowing you down.
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Comments Off on Day 6: Smoothie Day
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Day 6: Smoothie Day
Yes, we know it’s green, but is tastes AMAZING! That’s a promise. It turns out Popeye was right about spinach being the ultimate superfood. The fruity Green Smoothie (FGS) is the ideal way to conveniently get your immune boosting greens, daily fruity fibre, iron and calcium.
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Comments Off on Day 7: No Eating Out Day
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Day 7: No Eating Out Day
Eating out and socialising can be tricky when you are losing weight and resetting your life. People perceive dieting as a time of major suffering, however, while you do need to sacrifice things you thought you loved, this is also a time of growth and an opportunity to create a lasting healthy lifestyle rather than “diet”.
21DayJan2017
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Comments Off on Day 8: Fasting Day
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Day 8: Fasting Day
Intermittent fasting is a term that is used to refer to a modified form of fasting which involves cutting one’s energy intake on regularly scheduled fasting days. These days can be either a couple of days a week, every other day, or even daily. The term “fasting” is used to describe periods of limited energy intake rather than no energy intake.
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Comments Off on Day 9: Gratitude Day
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Day 9: Gratitude Day
Some say being grateful is the most powerful emotion. A LOT of extremely successful people believe it is critical to have a gratitude list. These people take time to notice the tree-lined streets on the way to work, a loved one’s smile, a joke or the things they have (instead of the things they don’t have).
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Comments Off on Day 10: No Coffee Day
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Day 10: No Coffee Day
Billions of people worldwide drink coffee or some form of caffeine every day.
Although caffeine is generally accepted as safe for consumption in moderation, there are some solid benefits of breaking the habit and quitting coffee, energy drinks, tea, soda etc.
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Comments Off on Day 11: Squat Day
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Day 11: Squat Day
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Comments Off on Day 12: Fibre Day
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Day 12: Fibre Day
Eating well is pretty simple if you think of your body and mind as a machine that runs on fuel. To perform your best at work you are going to need a well-tuned body (health) and have the best fuel (food) possible.
You don’t necessarily have to make drastic changes to your grocery list, nor do you need to start the next fad diet. A quick way to improve you eating habits is to ask yourself, "Is there a healthier version of this food?"
21DayJan2017
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Comments Off on Day 13: No Alcohol Day
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Day 13: No Alcohol Day
Alcohol must be worth it if we’re willing to force our bodies to cope with hangovers and sacrifice feeling good the day after a big one, right? Of course there’s a good side to enjoying a few drinks with your mates, but like everything in life moderation is essential.
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Comments Off on Day 14: Sit up Day, Stomach
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Day 14: Sit up Day, Stomach
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Comments Off on Day 15: Protein Day
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Day 15: Protein Day
This challenge is designed to make you more aware of the importance of protein in your diet or the lack of it. Please be aware of what protein you put into your body and especially the chemicals that comes with them. Understand what you put into your body and how it will affect you on your life journey in becoming a healthier and better you.
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Comments Off on Day 16: No Complaining Day
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Day 16: No Complaining Day
The challenge is for you not to complain about anything for 24 hours.
Participating in the No Complaints Day Challenge can make a big difference in your life. It may give you access to having a peaceful day and even possibly eliminate some persistent complaints you’ve been hanging on leaving free to enjoy your time at work or at home.
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Comments Off on Day 17: Water Day
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Day 17: Water Day
It doesn't take much water loss before your body begins to suffer. In fact, you only need to lose 2 to 4 percent of your body's water before your muscles begin to lose strength. Beyond your muscles, hydration affects virtually your entire body, because every cell and organ needs water to function properly. Drinking water works well for staying hydrated, but you can also choose from a variety of beverages. The important thing is to consume a sufficient amount of fluids.
21DayJan2017
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Comments Off on Day 18: Raw Food Day
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Day 18: Raw Food Day
We don’t believe that a raw diet is necessary. There is no single lifestyle that is perfect. Everything has positive and negative aspects. Broccoli, for example, is healthier when cooked because only then does it release its full spectrum of amino acids.
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Comments Off on Day 19: Cardio Day
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Day 19: Cardio Day
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Comments Off on Day 20: No Junk Food Day
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Day 20: No Junk Food Day
Eating well is pretty simple if you think of your body and mind as a machine that runs on fuel. To perform your best at work you are going to need a well-tuned body (health) and have the best fuel (food) possible.
You don’t necessarily have to make drastic changes to your grocery list, nor do you need to start the next fad diet. A quick way to improve you eating habits is to ask yourself, "Is there a healthier version of this food?"
21DayJan2017
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Comments Off on Day 21: Feedback Day
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Day 21: Feedback Day
Eating well is pretty simple if you think of your body and mind as a machine that runs on fuel. To perform your best at work you are going to need a well-tuned body (health) and have the best fuel (food) possible.
You don’t necessarily have to make drastic changes to your grocery list, nor do you need to start the next fad diet. A quick way to improve you eating habits is to ask yourself, "Is there a healthier version of this food?"
The post Day 17: Water Day appeared first on FitChef.