Hydration Tips and Meals for 3/15/16

Stealing my apple snack...

Another dreary day here in Minnesota- gosh, this weather is such a bummer. I got up before work and rocked Pilates Fix. I'm loving that I can hold planks so much longer and really push myself during workouts by upping weights and holding it longer. After my neck being in pain the last few days I've been taking it a bit easier- but Pilates Fix today felt goooood.

I've mentioned it before, but typically Ryan will feed Zeke and eat with him while I prepare a Fix approved meal. Tonight Ryan was gone so it was the Zeke man and me. I was making dinner (what I ate is below!) and pulled the kale out of the oven. When Zeke saw it he exclaimed "Broccoli!". He wouldn't calm down until I gave him some roasted kale (what he thought was broccoli) and he devoured a few handfuls. We ate the same dinner tonight- and he loved every bite! Just goes to show you- don't discount your kids and what they will/will not eat. While I fully expect him to not want to eat any of this tomorrow (toddler life), tonight was a good eating night.

Today's focus topic is hydration! Do you get your oh-zees (ozs!) in each day? Most of us don't. They say you should drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day and a bit more if you are working out and sweating a lot. Don't get too focused on plain old water though (unless you love it- then do!). Each morning I drink a 24oz shake, 16oz green tea and water throughout the day- all of those count towards my total intake! By the time I get to work I've consumed over 48oz of liquid. Some folks go as far as to get a gallon jug and use marks to show where they should be during certain times of a day. Whatever works for you!

*Use your Shakeology cup- keep one always with you! I use mine for water (my ninja is used to blend/store my morning shakes). I love the Shakeology cups because they hold 25+ozs of water, the top is easy to put on and off and when the top is on it's spill proof. I've purchased 4 programs so far that each have come with a cup- so I keep one cup in my car (refill as needed), one at work, one by my bedside and one at home with me. You rarely ever see me without a shaker cup for water! PS: You can use your Shakeology cup for layered salads on the go, too- fun, huh?

*Your coffee, tea, morning Shakeology and more count, too! There was a debate about coffee and tea but over and over it has been proven to be beneficial to your water intake, so drink up. 

*Beware of diuretics! Alcohol is the biggest offender- and we all know it. Enjoy in moderation, but don't count it toward your daily ounces.

*Keep an eye on calorie rich bevvies. That Starbucks venti latte with whole milk, caramel and whip may count toward your daily ounces, but you'll be seeing it on the scale later. Keep your beverages light (no added creamer, sugar) and your waistline will thank you. 

*Get fancy with bubbly. You certainly can drink that bubbly water (i.e. La Croix) just make sure it's not soda. We all know soda is no bueno but that doesn't mean you have to stay away from bubbles all together. I love flavored (no sugar added) bubbly water as a treat occasionally.

Lunch

*Infuse water! They make individual water bottles, pitchers and more now that you can shove fruit, herbs and veggies in to for flavor. Another idea is to freeze ice cubes with fruit in them. Add lemon to be simple or get crazy and use watermelon, rosemary and lime! There are endless infused water possibilities for you when plain water just won't cut it.

*Your fruits and veggies have lots of water, too. If you're following the 21 Day Fix program you know that you're getting your daily fruits and veggies. Many of them are water-dense so you get the additional benefits of that water intake! However, it's hard to calculate how many ounces you're getting so I'd just stick to tracking liquid.

*Still need more ideas? BeachBody just posted a great article with 25 Ways to Drink More Water! Cooking Light also has some great ideas for tracking consumption with rubber bands.

Nitty gritty- your pee should be fairly clear, folks. If it's not you are most likely dehydrated which isn't good for many reasons. Dehydration can cause dry mouth and skin, headaches, confusion (to name just a few). Being hydrated is better for your skin, hair, nails, joints, digestive system and SO much more. Feeling sore? Flush out those toxins and help repair muscles by being hydrated!

So, drink up friends!

Meals for 3/15/16:

Dinner

Breakfast: Vegan Chocolate Shakeology (more about Shakeology here) blended with spinach, cold press coffee (recipe here), almond extract and frozen raspberries. Green tea with lemon. (1 red, 1 purple, 2 green)

Lunch: Shredded chicken, fajita veggies, (recipe here), two corn tortillas topped with 1/2 a blue of shredded cheese and a dollop of greek yogurt (1.5 red, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1/2 blue)

Dinner: Turkey Meatballs, roasted garlic kale, spaghetti sauce, sweet potato fries (1 red, 1 green, 1/4 purple, 1 yellow)

Snacks: Tuna with apple slices (1 red, 1 purple)

Workout: 21 Day Fix Pilates Fix. This is the workout I've seen the most improvement in since the beginning. I can actually do a 60 second plank, my shoulders get higher off the ground when doing ab work and I can do the leg exercises longer. What a great reward for kicking my own ass for so long.

Recipes:
Nothing related to the above food- but I found this great link to cauliflower recipes. Just bought a huge head of it- I'll have to give it a try!

Here's also a great recipe for cauliflower rice/couscous- have any of you tried this? It'd save a yellow and add a green!

Why Red Rover? I don't know to be honest... I think I've used Red Rover for a while now because I love trying new things, traveling, taking journeys of all types. Red for the hair, obviously- Rover because of the journey.  If you're interested in roving into your own fitness journey with my support reach out to me here. Or check out my BeachBody site. Oh, and for sure follow me on Instagram. 

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