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If you are like me, you may have overindulged over the weekend - it was a nice long Labor Day holiday... the time to bring summertime to a close.  Many of us over did it with our favorite foods and drinks celebrating with friends and family... I for one spent the time with my brother and his family.  They are definite FOODIES and are not afraid of calories!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE food, too, but TRY to temper that love with smart choices (and exercising) to try to stay on a healthy track.  It's just fine to eat, drink and be merry!  That's what quality time is all about!  Life is to be enjoyed and, let's be honest, great food makes it even better!  So slipping up is a good thing.  It makes you want to get back on track and helps us keep motivated!  With that in mind, here are a few ways I am getting Back on Track - starting today!  
Before I begin the list, I'm going to share something I'm going to try for the first time . . . stay away from the scale (if you are a weigher, which I am) for at least 3 days!  Give it a try,  let me know what you think.  Now, the other things I find help to get back on track are:


1.  Drink LOTS of water!  Refer back to last Thursday's insert on drinking
half of your body weight in ounces of water!  I'm sure we've all been drinking . . . let's just not admit to exactly what and it likely wasn't all water!  This will help flush out the not so good things we have been consuming, sugar, salt, alcohol, you get the picture.

2.  Eat lots of fruits and veggies!  Get back on track with a clean diet made up of whole foods that are high in water content.  This will fill you up, keep you hydrated and give you lots of good fiber.  Remember, if it doesn't have a Mama, it's not a good whole food!  For your protein, make sure it is lean meats, chicken or fish for a couple of days.  You will feel lighter but not go hungry.Smoothies are also a good choice for breakfasts or snacks.  Look at Healthy Kitchen for a good base recipe and get creative!  Remember you can also throw in some protein powder for that added filling punch. 


3.  Burn some calories! For me, the best way to feel better is to exercise and work up a sweat.  At least I feel like I am flushing some of that sugar, alcohol, salt, etc. away!  It makes sense to jump right in and burn through those extra calories before they are stored as fat.  The best way is to up the cardio and get in a full body routine that includes weights or resistence work.  So, get thee to a gym, workout DVD or the pavement and burn it away!

4. Take an extra walk! After dinner put the leash on the pups, your kids on bikes, or just lace up your own shoes and take an after dinner stroll.  Of course, if this doesn't work (it's raining here as I type) . . . the idea is to get in some extra movement, so hoof it with the laundry baskets up your stairs, park at the end of the row in the parking lot, walk to your co-workers desk rather than email . . whatever you can do to move more.     

Treat yourself well . . . drink even more water and get some rest! You may have stayed up too late!

So, there it is, my goals for the week to GET BACK ON TRACK!  Hope you join me for a few . . . 

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Water, water everywhere but we forget to drink . . . 
Water is absolutely vital for our health, for our bodies to function and remain hydrated and is one of the easiest healthy habits we can create!  I want to challenge you all to mindfully include enough water in your day. 
        
Water increases your metabolism so much that if you are always dehydrated, it can mean up to an 8 pound weight gain (or more) per year. This can happen without you even realizing why.  No wonder weight creeps on! Your challenge for today, Thursday, and for the next 8 weeks of the Fit in 50 Fall Session is to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water PER DAY.  Don't poo, poo this either.  You may not be up to doing 50 push-ups a day, but I KNOW you can drink some water!  So, for example, a person weighting 150 lb would need to drink 75 oz of water throughout the day.  No need to gulp it down all at once - space it out.  Take your bottle in the car running errands, at your desk, in carpool line, to the gym or on your walk. Another thing that happens is that we can mistake thirst for hunger.  This leads to eating when we really don't need food.  We are then consuming unnecessary calories and our body is still not getting what it really needs. If you are exercising, especially in this Atlanta heat, you need to hydrate before, during and after exercising.  Remember, if you are thirst, you are already dehydrated.  Therefore, it's so important to always have water handy. If you really need a reminder, there is an APP that calculates your water and has a reminder to tell you to drink up - how easy is that?  So, do the math, figure out how much water you need daily, and don't get thirsty

HAVE A GREAT LABOR DAY WEEKEND!