Today's Tip - Water

I'm so sorry I'm slacking on this website guys. I had no idea that school would take up SO much time lately. I'm going to try to post twice a week, instead of 4-6 times a week, just so that my posts will actually be of quality and not just crap!

 

So onto today's tip...water.

Are you drinking enough? Probably not, if you're like most of us. I'll admit, the only way I get enough water most days is because I get SO THIRSTY when working out because I sweat up a storm! I don't normally drink anything but water...I just don't drink a lot during the day, normally just with meals.
But water is so helpful! It helps with bloating and flushing out toxins. If you have skin problems, they will likely get better if you drink more water instead of crappy sugary drinks (and I break out if I drink too much milk as well, so I don't drink tons of milk). It will also decrease how much you eat at your meals - the thirst feeling is often mistaken for being hungry, so you're trying to fulfill that biological urge to eat...which also just perpetuates the cycle because you need the water to help balance out all the "stuff" that's floating in your blood from your meal. If you try drinking a glass of water before your meal, it will also help you feel fuller faster, so you'll eat less from just that one simple thing!

I know a lot of people have a hard time keeping track of how much they're drinking, or they truly think that they're drinking enough. Get out your favorite cup. Also get out a measuring cup. Dump 8 oz/1 cup of water in. You should be drinking AROUND 8 servings of that size. Your favorite cup holds 16 ozs? Great, then you only need to drink 4 refills! Please also note that if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, in a dry climate, etc. you WILL need to drink more water. You also get a lot of water from food, but don't calculate that into your 64oz requirement.

I have a couple of extra tips...buy some water bottles that will hold 32 oz of water. Then you only need to drink 2 per day. I like to fill them up and leave them in the fridge, making them nice and chilled when I'm ready to get to them. It's easier for me to only have to drink 2 bottles of water versus 4 or 8 refills of my cups.
Try additives to your water. I personally like mine plain, but I have seen people add everything from lemons and limes to strawberries and melons, as well as mint and cucumber! Many people like to add Crystal Light or MiO to their water, however these both contain chemicals which have been known to be harmful to your health in large amounts, so use these sparingly. The real thing is best!

I'll also admit, I did not drinking water for a long time. I would be doing good to drink 1 glass a WEEK. I stopped buying sodas/juices for awhile, and subsisted off of Gatorade until I ran out, then I would not allow myself to go to the store to buy anything else until it was time for me to actually go grocery shopping. I've also found that using my Brita filter helps with the taste a lot. Also, depending on my mood/level of hydration, I like my water either chilled in the fridge or at room temp...making water more appetizing helps me drink more of it!

Personal Post

Hoo boy. This is a crazy week! I'm ready for it to be over already, and due to Labor Day (which I would have had off anyway), it's barely even started!

Sorry, for those of you looking for a "tips" post today...You get a personal post again.

I did Insanity yesterday. I'm really ready to switch over to the more "intense" ones. I ended up skipping about a week and  a half's worth of working out when I was out of town/messing with school stuff. I also don't work out if it's the weekend and my boyfriend is off work...so I normally pack 6 workouts into a 5 day timespan. So I'm a bit behind where I'd like to be, but next week or week after next, I'll be hitting the amped-up version of Insanity.
While I AM still getting results, I'm not sore after all of the workouts anymore. I'm still modifying a few of the workouts, as they don't work for my wrists (I had problems in yoga with wrist placement...I have small bones anyway and I don't think my wrists were made to hold up my weight at certain angles)...mostly those in the push-up/plank arena. Yesterday I switched out the push-ups for some planks (which I hold for the entirety of the time that I should be doing push-ups) and some inner thigh work (laying on my side and lifting my legs, once again done for the entirety of the time I should be doing push-ups)...I feel like I can't get the area targeted and it was an exercise recommended to me.

Like I said, I'm still getting results from Insanity, I can tell that I'm losing inches (when I'm finished with the program, I might post before and after pictures, which aren't SUPER exciting...it's not like I'm losing 50 pounds doing the program, I'm mostly toning up, which is what I wanted!)...I'm just ready for some more Intensity. And maybe that's why I feel more apt to skip workouts...yeah, I know, bad Ashley. The other day my back was a bit sore, but that was more likely due to cramps and not from muscle building.

I've been doing really well with my eating lately, and also with getting my schoolwork done. I'm finally starting to find a balance with everything. I had to get up early to take a test for body fluids, and I really need to quit second-guessing myself and just submit the exam when I have the questions answered! On both the body fluids and hematology exams that I took, when I went back through and changed answers, while I corrected one answer today, I changed two more and missed them! A similar thing happened in Hematology, so I just really need to be going with my first instinct, which is proving to be right more often than not :) I'm finally starting to get myself into a routine though...yesterday and today will be completely thrown off, but I'm also ahead for the week...and I'd like to stay that way for the semester. It's nice to be ahead with whatever you're doing, so if you have an off day (you get sick, you have computer malfunctions, or you just aren't in the mood for doing what you SHOULD be doing), it'll be okay. And you also aren't stressed out by the 11:00 deadline that you have because you already have it done and submitted :)

Getting Back

I haven't actually written a post in about a week...all the posts I made last week I wrote in advance and scheduled.

Then life hit.

I got super busy, had some issues with work, and got in all-around a fairly nasty mood. I'd like to partially blame the female hormones, lol.

I'm feeling better, but I haven't worked out in a few days, so I'm feeling very anxious about that. I shouldn't be, especially since I haven't had the time to do so. But it also makes me feel hypocritical to be writing "You can always make time for a workout, etc!" when I haven't done so. I'm still attempting to figure out a good schedule for myself, and last week there were 3 nights where I managed to get 6 hours or less of sleep per night. I really enjoy getting 8 hours, especially when I've been doing a lot of physical activity, but it just wasn't in the cards last week. I had my first test (which I made a 91% on...more on that in a bit), I had multiple lectures to get through, 3 quizzes, 3 assignments...all of that was Wednesday onward.
Then I had to work this weekend, which allowed me to get through about 6 lectures and 2 assignments. I try to get ahead on the weekends when I can...which is what was allowing me to have time to workout, do school work, as well as getting domestic things like grocery shopping and cleaning the bathroom sink done ;)

My stress level has been through the roof lately. I HATE HATE HATE making negative posts, but hopefully it can help someone else out. My job has been getting worse by the week. I tried to talk to my boss's boss on Friday afternoon, but she wasn't in her office. That's going to be a top priority for this week, because last week I came home so frustrated that I was crying 3 times. Out of 5 days. That's ridiculous!
I'm also putting a ton of stress on myself about school. Like that 91% I made? It's not good enough for me. I should have made a 100%! This is my attitude about it, and while it's a good thing from a career standpoint, I guess, it's horrible on my mental and physical state. I'm just going to have to keep plugging away at it though. It's just insanely important to me that I understand everything, that I can remember everything, etc. and so when I'm doing these classes, if something is contradictory-seeming to me (which, there is one thing I'm in the middle of, actually), I have to go and research it myself. I've only had one instance thus far, but I've already spent over an hour trying to find a way to justify why some results are the way that they are.

So guys! I'm going to get back to writing those posts, hopefully they're helpful to some people. I'm trying to figure out a blogging schedule...I may just do 4-5 days a week, with tips and such 3-4 of the days and personal posts the other days. We shall see what happens! Be sure to check back though :)