Summer is Coming! Are You Getting Enough Water?

What Important Functions is Water Used For in Your Body

Here is some information that I gathered from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.

So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Factors that influence water needs

You may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are, the climate you live in, your health status, and if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.

Exercise. If you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to compensate for the fluid loss. An extra 400 to 600 milliliters (about 1.5 to 2.5 cups) of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires more fluid intake. How much additional fluid you need depends on how much you sweat during exercise, and the duration and type of exercise. During long bouts of intense exercise, it's best to use a sports drink that contains sodium, as this will help replace sodium lost in sweat and reduce the chances of developing hyponatremia, which can be life-threatening. Also, continue to replace fluids after you're finished exercising.

Environment. Hot or humid weather can make you sweat and requires additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause your skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, altitudes greater than 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of your fluid reserves.

Illnesses or health conditions. When you have fever, vomiting or diarrhea, your body loses additional fluids. In these cases, you should drink more water. In some cases, your doctor may recommend oral rehydration solutions, such as Gatorade, Powerade or CeraLyte. Also, you may need increased fluid intake if you develop certain conditions, including bladder infections or urinary tract stones. On the other hand, some conditions such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair excretion of water and even require that you limit your fluid intake.

Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are used especially when nursing. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.3 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3.1 liters (about 13 cups) of fluids a day.

Staying safely hydrated.  Generally if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or light yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate. If you're concerned about your fluid intake or have health issues, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian. He or she can help you determine the amount of water that's right for you.

To ward off dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, make water your beverage of choice. It's also a good idea to:

Drink a glass of water or other calorie-free or low-calorie beverage with each meal and between each meal.

Drink water before, during and after exercise.



Don't throw out your Microwave just yet!!!

I have felt a little uneasy about using my microwave for cooking and reheating food ... but I found some other uses for this controversial kitchen machine on www.realsimple.com:

Sterilize sponges. Your dish sponge smells like last night’s dinner, and detergent won’t help. Time to toss it, right? Wrong. Pour a dash of white vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl of water, soak the sponge, and then heat it in the microwave on high for a minute. The heat will deodorize and disinfect the sponge—even after wiping up raw egg or chicken.

Clean the cutting board. How can you tell if you’ve washed the cutting board thoroughly enough after preparing raw meat? Eliminate the guesswork by sterilizing it in the microwave. Wash it first, rub it with lemon, then heat on high for one minute.

Soften sweeteners. Hardened brown sugar and crystallized honey don’t need to be thrown away, they just need to be heated. Sprinkle a bit of water into the brown sugar bag and heat the whole thing on high for 20 seconds. To return honey to its liquid form, remove the lid and heat the jar on medium for 30-60 seconds.

Speed up bread baking. Bread bakers know that yeast dough can take at least an hour to rise. Cut that time down to 15 minutes by proofing the dough in the microwave. Put the dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Position a cup of water at the back of the microwave before placing the bowl inside. At a low temperature, heat for 3 minutes, pause for 3 minutes to let the dough rise, then heat for another 3 minutes. Allow the dough to rise for another 6 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Relieve aches and pains. Warm up gel or herb-filled heating pads to soothe sore heads and tummies, and to reinvigorate tired muscles.

Susan Sly and the Boston Marathon





Susan Sly after completing her 3rd Boston Marathon

Eleven years ago, Susan Sly, now an elite athlete, was handed a diagnosis of Progressive MS.  It was estimated that she'd be in a wheelchair in ten years and dead in twenty. 

Right after receiving this devastating diagnosis Susan was abandoned, lost her business, left homeless and flat broke.

Yesterday Susan Sly, mother of four, wife of one, author, speaker and self-made millionaire, completed her third Boston Marathon with a sub-four hour time ... on the hottest day in the marathon's history.  5000 other people dropped out of the race, due to the heat and exhaustion, but Susan continued to the finish. Susan's story if a testimony of the phrase -- "never, never, never, never give up!!! Congratulations Susan!!!!

BTW: Susan is fueled by the best nutrition on the planet! -- ISAGENIX!!! 

To read more about Susan's story and personal conquests, purchase "The Have It All Woman" or "IsaBody Beautiful" from Amazon and other fine bookstores.

Going Organic the Easy (and Cheap) Way!!

When I talk about "going organic" I have people tell me all the time that "it is too expensive to buy organic food."  That is true, but I realized that it is sort of a "pay now or pay later" type decision.  You can pay for cheaper GMO or conventionally grown produce and meats and save in the pocket book today, or you can "go organic" and save the cost of medication and treatments for illnesses that these toxin laden foods cause in the future.

But you don't have to spend a lot of money on organic produce.  What if I told you that you could get $100 (or more) worth of  fresh, healthy, delicious tomatoes for $4???!!!  Now that is a great ROI don't you think?  How can you do this?  Buy a $2 pack of seeds and a $2 bag of planting soil and GROW YOUR OWN.  It simple ... fun ... healthy ... and the kids can even help!!

Tom and I have already planted our lettuce (Mesculin, which is made up of a variety of lettuces).  This spring mix of salad greens can cost around $2.50 in the "bag" at the grocery store, but we can go out every night and cut a fresh salad from our garden all summer long. What is our cost for a summer's worth of salads? -- $5.00!!  How can you beat that????

You can grow your favorite veggies anywhere, even in a pot on your back porch if that is all the room you have.  Start out easy ... maybe a batch of lettuce and a tomato plant to start.  Once you taste the fresh difference and feel the savings in your pocketbook ... you will be hooked on growing your own produce like me!!!

Sore Muscles After Running the Marathon? These Foods Can Help

Did you run the Corvallis Half Marathon on Sunday? … Still have sore muscles? ... Here are some foods that can help soothe the inflammation and get you back on track. (The Nordic Track that is!!)

Blueberries

New research out of New Zealand suggests that the antioxidants in blueberries may help ward off muscle fatigue by mopping up the additional free radicals that muscles produce during exercise.

Tart Cherries & Pomegranates

British researchers recently found that people who drank 1 ounce of concentrated cherry juice twice daily for 10 days bounced back faster from their workout (an intensive leg-resistance training session on day 8) than those who skipped the juice. The reason:  The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in tart cherries—and other fruit juices like grape, pomegranate, acai, blueberry and cranberry—essentially act as natural NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and aspirin), reducing exercise-induced muscle damage.

Ginger

Ginger is rich in inflammation-fighting compounds, such as gingerols, which may reduce the aches of osteoarthritis and soothe sore muscles. In a recent study, people who took ginger capsules daily for 11 days reported 25 percent less muscle pain when they performed exercises designed to strain their muscles (compared with a similar group taking placebo capsules). Another study found that ginger-extract injections helped relieve osteoarthritis pain of the knee.

I have this poster hanging on my refrigerator to remind me of all the GOOD my healthy diet is doing for me!  The poster comes from: LiveFit Revolution.

The DIRTY DOZEN vs The CLEAN FIFTEEN from foodnews.org

Some of my favorite things are from the Dirty Dozen side ... makes me grateful that I am starting to grow my own fruits and veggies and drink my Cleanse For Life nutritional cellular cleanse everyday!!!

Isagenix's NO COMPROMISE Policy

I am so proud to be a part of Isagenix, the world leader in nutritional cleansing ... not only are our products of highest quality .... so are our manufacturing standards.

The Isagenix “No Compromise” Quality Policy is extensive and thorough—set up to ensure that all of our products are made in accordance with the highest standards of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for dietary supplements. The company strives to meet and exceed the very GMPs that the Food and Drug Administration requires under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. These guidelines cover authenticity, quarantine/release procedures, potency and purity testing of raw materials and finished products, cleanliness of the facility, employee training, documentation, and other areas. We also adhere to detailed written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency and safety in each phase of our manufacturing process.

To read more about the Isagenix "No Compromise" policy click this link.