This week we will show you How To Make Water Work Wonders For You. You can also download the week 2 meal plans, food lists for meal planning, Fruit lists, Protein Snacks and IDEAS FOR SUBSTITUTING YOUR CURRENT MEALS FOR HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES.
Let’s Start With Water
Water is critical to our survival. Why, because we lose water when we perspire and we use water to remove the toxins from our body, and these days there are a lot more than toxins than in the days gone by. Drinking sufficient water is important to maintaining a healthy body, which includes our weight.
Replace What You Lose
If you are active at work, or you are cycling, running, going to the Gym, Hiking or playing Golf, you should try to drink about 250mml of water every 30 minutes or so to replenish the water that your body has used in that period. This is not always easy but you should carry a water bottle to achieve this.
Fruit juices or soft drinks do not count as they tend to be full of calories (sugar) and if you are trying to lose weight and you consume calories faster than you burn them, what’s the point? Rather, add a few drops of lemon or lime to your water to improve the taste if required.
When Water Just Isn’t Enough
While the phrase “you are what you eat” is true, it is equally true that “you are what you drink”! Some people find it difficult to drink water and need some flavouring. Have you noticed how much space is given to your choices of “drinks” in the supermarket? All those Juices, Vitamin-fortified waters, sports drinks, energy drinks and teas make it difficult to select the beverage that is best to help meet your fluid needs.
For most people who exercise just to keep in shape, plain water is sufficient. But if you are a Springbok Rugby Player competing in the world Cup in Japan, you will need something more to replace the body salts such as sodium and potassium, that are lost during the game.
Most of those drinks found on the shelf in the grocery store just can’t cut it. That is why Ronaldo, the world-famous soccer star, uses a specially formulated supplement to replace these salts.
Think Before You Drink
Now I am not being snotty here. It really is important to consider the contents of that drink before consuming it. Most, if not all the drinks on the shelves are high in Carbs and sugars and have very little, if any, nutritional value and all those empty carbs just pile on the pounds.
Check the labels for High-Fructose Corn Syrup at the top of the ingredients list. Sugars, besides fructose, in lower concentrations would be much healthier for you as they are absorbed much better by your body.
When checking the label, look for electrolytes like sodium and potassium. These are salts that your body loses when you perspire.
An additional benefit of electrolytes id that they give the water a better taste and it is likely to entice you to consume more fluids. Look for the drinks that have less than 100 calories per 250ml serving’ The higher the calories, the higher the sugar concentration and you surely do not want to consume all the calories that you just worked so hard to burn.
Hydration Is Key
Straying hydrated is key and you can become dehydrated before you become thirsty.
One way to monitor your hydration is to note the colour of your urine. “People who are optimally hydrated should urinate every one to two hours,” says Luigi Gratton, at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)*. “And your urine should be pale yellow or clear,” says Gratton. “Darker colour usually means more concentrated urine, an indication that you should increase your fluid intake.”
It is good practice to drink 250 ml of fluid about two hours before you start exercising then another 250mls before you start. Drinking 30-50mls every 15min while exercising will also be of benefit to help prevent excessive fluid loss while active.
Even if you are only a weekend warrior, you should watch for the symptoms of dehydration during exercises, such as muscle cramps, light-headedness or fainting feeling. Adequate fluids are important to help keep your body healthy and functioning well.
Hunger Pains
Not all hunger pains are in fact hunger pains. Apparently, it is common for people to mistake thirst for hunger pains. So before you, snack, drink some water and wait a few minutes. If the sensation goes, you know what the cause of it was. If not, Snack!
Here Are Some Snack Ideas
Snacking need not be taboo or unhealthy. It is common to feel hungry between meals, especially if you have a long period between meals. To stop this hunger sensation, plan your snacking and buy the right snacks when you do your grocery shopping. This will minimise the chance that you have nothing to snack so you buy that coffee and muffin.
Here are some ideas:-
• Low fat latte made with semi-skimmed milk or soy milk
• Mini pita bread with a quarter of an avocado
• Two rice cakes with one wedge of light cheese
• One 100-calorie pudding
• ½ cup low fat cottage cheese with ½ cup blueberries
• One individual pot of low-fat yoghurt with 1 tablespoon raisins
• One stick mozzarella cheese with one sesame breadstick
• ¾ cup tomato soup made with low-fat milk
• Three hard-cooked egg whites mashed with a little Dijon mustard and a sliced tomato
• 15 baby carrots with 2 tablespoons low-fat dressing
• 12 ounces tomato juice
• 10 soy crisps with a small peach
• 1 cup whole strawberries with 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
Downloads
Grab Your week Two downloads below.
Week 2 Food lists and meal Suggestions
Until Next Week
That is it until next week.
Remember- Record your meals accurately so that you can see where your weaknesses are and we can help you succeed.
If you have any questions, please leave them below.