You Are What You Drink

One of my New Year goals is to drink more water.  When we were in school we learned that our body is largely made up of water.  Did you know that pure water is the only fluid that hydrates our cells.  Did you know that being dehydrated can cause symptoms like... lack of energy, moodiness, headaches, constipation and can lead to kidney stones.

Many people get side-tracked and only drink when they are thirsty.  But our thirst isn't a very good guide because by the time we are thirsty, our fluid can be very low... especially if we are working out or if the weather is hot (but we don't have to worry about hot weather in the Midwest this time of year).

How much water should you drink?  Most of us have heard 8 glasses of water a day. But we are all different and have different needs.  Most experts now say to drink half your body weight every day in ounces.  So if you weigh 100 lbs, you need to drink 50 ounces.  But did you know that for every beverage you drink with caffeine, you have to offset that same amount in pure water to counter the caffeine?

Our body needs clean pure water.  Dehydration can speed up the aging process.  Imagine a grape as it sits out and becomes dry.

Here are some tricks I use to drink more water...

#1  Drink several glasses of water when you wake up.  Drinking water first thing in the morning is a good detox for your body after slowing down while you sleep through the night.  Adding fresh squeezed lemon juice and a dash of Cayenne Pepper is good for your digestive track.  This will give you a head start for your day.

#2  Eliminate all soda.  Soda was not meant to be a main source of what we drink.  If we go back to "You Are What You Drink"... consider the science projects in school.  Children take cola and show that it can corrode teeth, dissolve raw meet and shine a penny.  Imagine what it is doing to our bodies?  I also have a big issue with diet drinks because of the artificial sweetners.

#3  Jazz up your water the natural way.  Artificial anything isn't good for us but I agree that drinking plain water can get boring.  So, I like to add things like cucumbers, lemons, limes, etc. to a picture of water.  It is a great way to enjoy water and you will be surprised how easy it is to drink water this way.  

Easy Steps to Weight Loss

Guest Post by Dr. Jamie

I’ve spent a great deal of time over the last twenty years helping people go from feeling helpless about their weight to feeling (and being) in control of their weight. What I have noticed is that people who are able to lose and maintain their weight use the same steps to achieve success.

Let me share with you five simple principles from the people who I’ve seen have weight loss success:

1. Make the Commitment:  The first step for any change in your life is to commit to that change—and it seems to work best if it is a public commitment. Permanent weight loss takes a long-term commitment (really, for the rest of your life), but it also starts with the first step. So, decide what you can bite off—maybe that is two weeks or maybe you can commit to two months. I strongly urge you to try to commit to ninety days because that is a meaningful amount of time to change some habits AND to see results!
2. Remove Temptation: I don’t care how strong you are; no one can resist temptations all the time. There are simply too many tasty things around when you are tempted (a bad day at the office, not enough sleep, somebody’s birthday, etc.). The time to be strong is when you are at the grocery store, not when you are standing in front of your refrigerator after dinner. Start by having a protein bar before you go grocery shopping so you aren’t hungry, take a list of what you need, and stay out of the snack aisles!
3. Be Realistic: Who wouldn’t want to lose all their weight in one month? The truth is that it may have taken you a while to get to your current weight and it will take time to lose that weight. Set a goal of losing one to two pounds every week, which means, on average, six to ten pounds per month! That translates to 18-30 pounds in the next ninety days. That is realistic. 
4. Veggies are Your Friend: One type of food that most of us don’t eat enough of is vegetables. It seems unfathomable to me because vegetables are my favorite foods! They are packed with nutrition and low in calories. Make sure to include as many veggies in your diet as possible. This means every meal should include at least one serving of vegetables with at least three servings of veggies at dinner. For example, try including a salad and/or steamed or sautéed vegetables as a side dish.
5. Exercise: You may lose weight without exercise, but research has shown that exercise is the single most important way to keep the pounds off once you’ve done the work to lose them! Exercise will help you burn more calories and maintain your muscle mass as you lose weight. Losing muscle causes your metabolism to drop, which increases the likelihood of the weight coming back on. So, MOVE more!

From my perspective, THE single most important step to better health is weight control. I am committed to making positive changes for my health in 2014—so commit with me to move more, eat better, and be conscious of things that you do that may be counter-productive to being healthier! Even if you aren’t in need of weight loss, what you may notice from all of these changes is long-term value to your health.

Let us all commit to new habits for better health in 2014.

Be well!

Dr. Jamie

Make 2014 A Healthy New Year

Have you set your New Year goals for 2014?  How are you doing on them?  We are a couple weeks into January and it is a good time to check in on your progress and make any adjustments needed.  If you are in the Midwest... you may be a little behind because we have had some crazy cold weather but keeping yourself on track, even if you have an off day, is the key.  

92% of all New Year resolutions are centered on becoming more healthy and losing weight.  Many of us recommit to our goals multiple times during the year; every time determined to be successful.  However, I believe setting realistic, achievable goals is an important part to being successful.  For example... if you are just beginning to exercise, it may be unrealistic to set a goal to run the Indianapolis Mini Marathon in May.  A first step goal might be to walk the mini or run a 5K.

Here are some of my goals for 2014...

*  Drink more water  - A few years ago I stopped drinking diet sodas after learning about aspartame and the long term health consequences of it.  I do like coffee but usually have decaf and I also enjoy hot teas in the winter.  I have been making an effort to drink water with lemon before anything else in the morning.  This is a great way to get a jump start on your daily water intake and it helps flush your system and get things moving.  Remember, if you drink something with caffeine, it cancels out water so for every caffeine beverage, you have to drink an equal amount of water to even out.

* Move more  - It is recommended to get in 10,000 steps every day.  I have tried pedometers in the past and they sometimes fall off or are just in the way.  So for Christmas, I asked for a Fitbit which is a pedometer and more that you wear on your wrist.  It is simple to use, wireless, gives me updates and the battery lasts for multiple days and can be worn in the shower.  Pretty creative tool.  So far, so good.

* Cook with my kids - When I grew up, my Mom made great meals and they were always from scratch.  She would ask me to help her and that was something we enjoyed.  Our schedules were so busy running to all the after school practices and events, that it became easy to lose that opportunity with my family.  I have been taking advantage of the snow days (thanks to the fun winter weather we are having this year) and asking my kids to help me cook.  They are still warming up to it but I think it will make great memories and also help them understand the importance of real food and sharing meals together.

These are a few of my health goals.  I would love to hear what yours are and how you are doing on your path to achieving them so far.