Do you have a hard time getting in your suggested water intake each day? 

I know that a lot of people do but for some reason, I was blessed with a love of the stuff.  I’m a drinker.  As in, I must have at all times something to drink.  For many many years it was iced white mochas (and I’m talking 32 oz. white mochas, yep they actually make ‘em!).  But ever since I first got pregnant, I have been drinking water on a very regular basis. 

I thought I would give you a run-down of how I manage to drink approximately 96 ounces of the good stuff a day.  Besides the obvious, chug-a-lug all day long, I start out with a water bottle and a goal.  My water bottle is in the picture there (and yes there is more than one… it’s not the same one every day!).  It’s a 32 oz. water bottle.  And my goal?  Drink at least three full bottles a day.

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Welcome to this week’s installment of the Useful Website of the Week!  This week I submit to you a fun little website that is devoted to giving us tips to improve our lives with a common sense approach.  The website, Dumb Little Man, states that they are here to provide tips that will save us money, increase our productivity, or simply keep us sane.

I have found many posts on Dumb Little Man to be very practical and useful.  Here are some of my favorites that make me laugh and yet still provide some real insight. 

I often refer to the post, 10 Commandments for Dropping 10 Pounds & 10 Years, for a much needed reminder on how simple it actually is to be healthy.  I tend to complicate health and weight loss, so it’s nice to have a post like this to get a reality check.

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Am I in the middle of a HUGE lesson in patience?  That’s what this feels like.  I feel like for some reason, I am stuck at 156 pounds and come hell or high water, that number in it’s 10 variations (156.0, 156.1, 156.2, etc.) are plaguing me to no end. 

So yeah.  Today is my weigh-in day and rather than wait until Tuesday to weigh-in, curiosity got me and weighed I in yesterday.  To my major dismay, I went from 156.0 last week to 156.8 this week.  Wow.  W-O-W.  W-O-W!!!

Pardon the tone of this post, please.  I am feeling very frustrated and angry at this point.  I’ve been stuck at 156 for what is now the beginning of three months.  And that is despite my going from running 3 minutes straight to 36 minutes straight.  And despite that I have added working out my arms with 5 lb. weights and started yoga for abs.  And that is especially despite my absolute healthiest week of eating, ever, in my entire life… this past week. 

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I found this recipe for oatmeal cookies in the ivillage Healthy Living Program recipe database.  It impresses me when a recipe for homemade cookies can boast 72 calories, 1.06 g fiber, and 1.88 g protein per cookie.  So I made these cookies this past weekend and gave them a shot.  My review would be that they are great, if you like a very moist and chewy cookie. 

My idea of an oatmeal cookie is that they are better when crispy so, I was a bit disappointed.  This is not a recipe I will make again, unless my daughter tries them and loves them (she hasn’t done her taste testing yet, and this girl is p-i-c-k-y!).  But like I said, if you love a chewy oatmeal cookie, these are for you!  So I wanted to paste the recipe just in case you chewy cookie lovers are out there.  Here you go and look for the rest of the nutritional info below the recipe!

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One thing that I have learned since I started running, is that it is just as much a mental game as it is a physical one.  When I described in a previous post about those days where I would struggle to complete my workout compared to the days where my workout was a breeze, I didn’t realize what the differences between those days were.  I had thought it had to do with my physical ability and possibly soreness from previous workouts.  My new experiences have shown me something completely different.

I still have the days where I struggle to run.  I now know that the reason why is that I am not mentally in the game.  In order for my runs to be “easy” and “a breeze“, I have to be in the right frame of mind, otherwise my eyes are glued to the timer on the treadmill and I am miserable. 

One post that really helped me come up with some mental strategies for staying in the game, is Thankful for 13.2 Miles of Road, from Workout Mommy.  In it she discusses the importance of staying positive during the run and having a list of things to think about for each mile:

Since running is mostly a mental game, I came up with a list of things I will think about during all of those miles. I figure if I can keep my mind occupied with positive thoughts then I won’t even have time to think anything negative.

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For you runners or aspiring runners out there, I found a wonderful article on Runners World about the type of diet we should be eating to continue to run and still lose weight.  Now that I am really starting to be able to run for longer distances (got up to 3 miles yesterday!), I have been wondering if I should be making changes in my diet to accommodate the running.  Apparently, I should be! 

The article discusses what they call the “The Runner’s Diet”.  It talks about selecting the right types of carbs and proteins and distributing them at the right times throughout the day (relative to your running).  Apparently it is the carb distribution that is so important because the majority of the carbs need to eaten before and after the run takes place.  The lean proteins and healthy fats need to be at different times of the day. 

What I also found to be particularly helpful was the breakdown of what carbs we should choose to eat often versus the carbs that should be eaten sparingly, along with the proper portion and calorie count for each. 

I’ve bookmarked this article and will probably be referring to it often.  Hope you find some use in it too!

I was thinking, there are really two sides to this whole getting healthy thing.  There’s the mental side and the physical side.  Let’s call them Brain and Body.  And they rarely seem to agree.

For instance, Brain really isn’t too keen on running.  Brain would rather be reading, sitting at Starbucks sipping a white chocolate mocha, watching Top Chef, or something like that.  Brain thinks running is pretty draining because it takes a lot of mental work to stay focused enough to keep going. 

Body, on the other hand, absolutely LOVES running.  Body loves running so much that it practically begs Brain to take it running.  Body loves the feeling of pushing itself to the limits and seeing just how far it can run.  Body loves sweating, moving, and any kind of activity because it makes Body feel like it’s alive!

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