Day 28 Update! And, the Importance of H 2 da izzO!

28 Days until the photo shoot!

I need to apologize for the diarrhea of the mouth I experienced in the last two posts! Once I got started, I couldn’t stop! Today’s post is shorter. And, I decided to put the update FIRST so you don’t have to read the entire post (if you don't want to).

Day 28 Update

Exercise:
Pilates—25 minutes (core work)
Zumba —50 minutes (cardio dance class)

Eating
7:45am—Sautéed spinach and green onions in a two-egg omelet, 12oz herbal tea, ¼ tsp stevia
10:45—1/2 cup melon, 12 almonds
1:30pm— ¾ cup almond milk, 1 scoop protein powder (24 grams protein), 5 frozen strawberries
3:45pm—15 grape tomatoes, 12 almonds
8:45pm—2 Chicken Lettuce Wraps (lettuce wrapped around 3 oz baked chicken breast [about 1.5 oz of chicken in each wrap], cucumbers, red peppers, green peppers, green onion, avocado, cilantro with a drizzle of EVOO and a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper and garlic powder)

Drinking
128 oz h20
12 oz herbal tea
¾ cup almond milk

How do I feel?
Zumba was so much fun today! My trainer takes it really seriously--like we're in a dance class! She tapes the dances and posts them on youtube/FB. LOL In an upcoming post, probably Tuesday's, I will share with you one of the videos she has uploaded. It is pure cardio comedy! Other than that, I feel good, y'all! My body has come to expect to eat every 2.5/3 hours, so that's great. It can also so be not-so-great! This afternoon, I went out fully expecting to be home by dinner time, but you know what happens when a girl goes to a mall...Uh-oh. Though I packed my afternoon snack, I spent way to much time in the mall and as such, ending up having to eat a later dinner. On the bright side, I can now add another store to my "new-found favorites" list: EXPRESS! This was my first time EVER buying something out of Express that I could actually WEAR and that wasn't a purse. LOL Now, though I was ravenous, that made me feel good. Go Me! :) Oh, and I have to admit, because I was hungry, my sense of smell was heightened but I was never tempted to eat mall food. Interestingly, all I could think of was getting home and eating my chicken lettuce wraps. :)

Also, I have already planned AND went shopping for my meals next week. I will be eating chili (no beans), sweet potatoes, and chicken lettuce wraps, as well as oranges, bananas, and melon. Can you tell I really like the chicken lettuce wraps? They are so EASY and TASTY! I think its the cilantro, which is my FAVORITE herb. Also, I tried the almond milk in my smoothie today and it was alright. There was a sharp after bite from the almonds that I wasn't expecting, however it wasn't too bad.

On to today's topic: The Importance of H 2 da izzO!
Today, I will discuss the last part of my strategy to get “photo-shoot ready”: drinking--which is basically an "all-you-can-drink" water fest! Why so much water? I'm glad you asked! First, my general plan for liquid intake:

Drinking Plan
128oz of H2O (required)
Herbal Tea
Milk (now, Almond Milk)
Juice (Because I’m human, I’m changing the rules and allowing myself the option of ½ cup of fresh squeezed juice for my pre-workout energy blast. I FOUND a juicer, so I can juice my own oranges and not have to worry about additives like sugar, etc.)

No pop, kool-aid, or alcohol. Why? They = artificial sugar. Artificial sugar is a no-no. See my post on eating.

Why so much H2O?
“The body's need for water is second in importance only to the need for oxygen. In fact, humans survive longer without food than water.” From “The Importance of Drinking Water”

"A good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. If you exercise, you should drink another eight-ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water." From “Drinking Enough Water”

Using the procedure above, I should be drinking:
½ my body weight—99.5 oz (I’ll round up to 100oz)
8oz for every 20 min exercise (I exercise about 70 minutes a day, on average)—28oz =128oz!

I plugged in my info into a water calculator, and got the following: 122 oz (taking into account the weather is extremely cold in Chi-Town and because of this, we need less water?) Also, got this “If you eat a healthy diet, about 20 percent of your water may come from the foods you eat. If you eat a healthy diet you can drink 98 ounces of water today, or 2.9 liters.” I’ll stick to 128oz, though! What’s an extra 6oz?

Supplements/Add-Ins

Gelatin—Gelatin is a protein source, which comes from collagen. The collagen is purified and what results is a soluble, flavorless powder that can be mixed in drinks, soups, etc., to give an extra protein boost. Gelatin is also proven to help with osteoarthritis—helping to rebuild cartilage that has been worn away, causing joint on joint contact. This product is NOT FOR VEGETARIANS as the gelatin is an animal product. I order gelatin from a company in Illinois, Gelatin Innovations. I use gelatin in my pre-workout energy blast drink as well as in tea when I need more substantial energy and when I buy store-bought soup, which usually doesn't have enough protein.

Protein Powder—After working out, you need to help the muscles you just used heal. Protein in an isolated form helps them heal and grow. There are vegetarian-friendly alternatives to try. I buy protein powder from GNC. I buy Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein (Isolated Whey Protein) which has 24 grams of protein per serving and very few carbs. It does have some artificial sugar—1 gram per serving. An even better alternative to the brands sold by GNC is offered by a company called pro/grade.

Stevia in the Raw—This is a natural alternative to sugar that comes from a plant. It has no carbohydrates, calories, and is extracted from the leaves of the stevia (rebiana) plant. I don’t usually sweeten things, but sometimes I do like to add ¼ tsp (this is about 10x as sweet as sugar) of stevia to tea.

So, that's it, folks! If you decide to drink as much water as you need to, please be aware that it WILL result in you going to the bathroom A LOT more. Do yourself a favor and don't drink 32oz of h20 right before going to bed. You'll be up all night. Trust me on that one, folks. :)