Dinner was so uneventful tonight.
Turkey sandwich with avocado and romaine on Ezekiel toast that I found in the toaster (Thanks Brad). I probably should have thrown the toast away because it was waaaay too crunchy, but I can’t stand to see food go to waste.
I also had the rest of the roasted acorn squash from last night on the side.
I must have the Monday blues, which are even bluer after a four day weekend. After my lackluster dinner I ate way too much cereal and trail mix. Darn you Trader Joe’s and your delicious trail mix. I thought putting them in individual sized bags would help. It. did. not.
I think I’m due for an early bed time. Like waaay early. Like 8:30 early.
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One of the big changes I’ve made in my diet in the past year is the almost complete elimination of soda from my diet which has been replaced with a lot of water. I used to not be able to stand water unless I had just exercised and practically lived off of Diet Dr. Pepper. My mom even asked me once when I was in college if I wanted her to open up an IV so I could get the DDP in my blood stream as fast as possible.
I can totally tell a difference in my hunger and my energy based on whether or not I have had enough water during the day. Maybe I’m a little dehydrated tonight, hence the over-snacking? So, I try to keep well hydrated and only drink one to two cups of coffee a day, while only drinking soda every two to three weeks (sometimes less). I think it’s really important to my health and to best determine if I’m really hungry or not.
There is a movement in Charlotte to encourage people to adopt a similar philosophy and to drink at least 60 oz. of water a day (that’s about 7 1/2 eight ounce cups of water). A nonprofit, NoFizz Charlotte, is the champion of this cause. NoFizz Charlotte contacted me last month to see if I would help them get the word out and to encourage me to take the challenge as well.
At the beginning of every month, NoFizz offers a 30 day challenge. The rules of the challenge are easy!
1) The challenge starts on the 1st of every month, and lasts 30 days. It is free.
2) Drink 60 ounces of water every day for the entire 30-Day Challenge.
3) Avoid soda. We challenge you to make the effort to limit or completely stop soda consumption for the duration of the 30-day campaign.
4) When you register, we’ll e-mail you a packet of information on ways to drink more water, facts and studies on hydration and health, tricks for avoiding sugars, healthier alternatives to soft drinks, and ways to be active!
Now, maybe it isn’t so easy if you are still living off a soda like I used to do, but if you can commit to drinking 60 oz. of water every day, you’ll hardly miss the soda after a few days. I have already signed up to participate in the 30 day challenge starting December 1. Although I avoid usually soda, I know that I do not get my 60 oz. of water 100% of the time. Sometimes a good challenge is all I need to make sure I’m giving my goal 100% of my effort.
So you have seen the four rules of NoFizz Charlotte, here are my four reasons why you should sign up for the challenge yourself (note: you do not have to be a near-by Charlotte resident to participate).
1. Water helps regulate your hunger. With all the delicious food floating around during the month of December, being well hydrated will help you to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.
2. Being well hydrated makes your workouts so much better. I get cramps in my sides when I am not hydrated.
3. The weather is turning colder and if you are prone to dry skin like me in the winter time, water will help you retain moisture and not look so ashy (yes, I just said that).
4. Except for you money bags out there, the month of December usually hurts the pocket book. Think about how much money you will save substituting water for more expensive beverages like soda.
So what about you? Think you can handle being well hydrated and (mostly) soda free for 30 days? Sign up here if you know you can.
Let me know if you sign up to take the challenge! 🙂
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P.S. Check out Chobani’s colorful collage of blogger creations on Facebook. Can you pick out my two contributions? 🙂