Tag Archives: water

Alcohol, chocolate, water OH MY!

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Here’s a little bit of information if you are wondering if you can still incorporate chocolate into your diet:

Fitness Facts: CHOCOLATE:
🔹Excessive consumption of Chocolate can definitely be counter productive to a healthy lifestyle, but when added to a diet in small amounts it can provide benefits to both health & fitness!
🔹Most of the benefits from chocolate come from it’s primary ingredient cocoa, so the more cocoa in the chocolate the more benficial it can be. Out of the main 3 types of chocolate (dark, milk, & white), dark chocolate contains the most cocoa.
🔹Chocolate contains notable amounts of Potassium, Iron, & Magnesium, which help with muscle function and preventing cramps.
🔹Chocolate contains the flavonoid Epicatechin, which binds to muscle receptors and may help them resist fatigue.
🔹Chocolate increases blood flow to the heart as well as to the brain, so it can help improve cognitive function and muscle memory.
🔹Chocolate can decrease levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL), as well as decrease blood sugar levels.
🔹Eating a small amount of chocolate 2-3x/week can help lower blood pressure, as well as help prevent Type 2 Diabetes, blood clots, stroke, and arteriosclerosis.
🔹Dark chocolate contains caffeine! A 1.5 ounce bar contains about 27 mg.
🔹To add healthy doses of chocolate into your diet, you can add chocolate chips to trail mix, or add a few scoops of cocoa to your protein or meal replacement shakes to increase the flavor and health value!

Additionally here is some information pertaining to alcohol consumption while dieting:
Fitness Facts: ALCOHOL:
🔹Excess amounts of alcohol can definitely be hazardous to the health & well being of the consumer, but in moderate amounts alcohol can be beneficial!
🔹Moderation with alcohol is defined as no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. One drink can be a beer, 6 fl oz of wine, or shot of liquor.
🔹Moderate drinkers tend to live longer than people who don’t drink at all or those who drink in excess.
🔹Low amounts of alcohol can increase levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).
🔹Alcohol acts as a blood thinner, like aspirin. So when consumed in moderation, it can reduce the likelihood of developing blood clots or coronary heart disease.
🔹If your goal is to gain muscle, don’t drink alcohol immediately pre or post-workout since it causes a drop in testosterone levels while increasing cortisol, a hormone that destroys muscle.
🔹When it comes to alcohol & weight loss, moderate drinking should be cut back to no more than 1-3 drinks/week. Not only does alcohol contain calories (7 calories per gram- that’s more than protein or carbs), but because it takes longer to metabolize in the body than other substances it can slow the metabolism down.
🔹The best way to minimize caloric intake in alcoholic drinks is to either drink the liquor straight, or use a low calorie mixer such as tonic, club soda or watered down fruit juice.
🔹To minimize the damaging effects alcohol can have on your body, drink 1 glass of water for every drink you drank. Especially if you drank close to bedtime! The digestive process slows down when you sleep so diluting the alcohol will ease it’s absorption. And of course this will also make for a less intense hangover 😉

Lastly I will expand on the subject of water consumption:
1st topic of many Fitness Facts to come: WATER:
🔹The human body is 50-65% water. Men contain more water than women.
🔹 Drinking a full glass of water before a meal has been proven to increase weight loss.
🔹 Warm water makes you feel full.
🔹 Ice water boosts your metabolism & immune system.
🔹 Cold water stimulates your brain to release mood-boosting endorphins.
🔹 Dehydration is one of the leading causes of headaches, cramps, lack of energy, constipation, and high blood pressure.
🔹 If you’re thirsty, you’re probably already mildy dehydrated. Don’t wait to be thirsty to drink water- drink it throughout the day.
🔹 Divide your weight (in pounds) in half= that’s at least how many fluid ounces of water you should drink a day.
Example: If you weigh 150lbs, 150/2= 75 fl oz (about 4.5 average bottles of water)
🔹 When consuming protein powders to build mass, you need to increase your water intake.
🔹 Excess protein puts extra stress on the kidneys and liver, and water helps the filtration process.

6 Pack of….Abs or….Soda?

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So I am pleased to report that after my lady friend has come and gone I’m back to my weight of 120lbs. I now have 10 days remaining on the challenge and I am determined to lose as much as possible in those 10 days. Granted I’m still only cleared to walk on the treadmill and not strain myself, but it’s something…right?

This morning before the gym I decided to use the last 4 bananas we had in the house and make some banana muffins.

These look yummy don't they!

These look yummy don’t they!

In keeping with the Primal/Paleo diet I substituted a 1/2C up the flour it required for almond meal instead. Almond meal is a fantastic substitute for flour however, I have yet to perfect pancakes with it. They all fell apart and it was not a pretty sight in the kitchen!

Now for the fun part of this post: Water VS Soda. So I stumbled upon a little post on FB earlier today and felt compelled to share it via my blog:

WATER
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 30%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

And now for the properties of COKE

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

IMPORTANT INFO

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a glass of water or coke?

Too many people make the mistake of thinking that Diet Soda or Coke Zero is a better alternative to regular Coke. While it might not contain any calories but it is still filled with chemicals that only poison your body.

On a separate note, my personal 6 pack is starting to come back which is a fantastic milestone. I also received a package in the mail today from my friend Cat with some samples of Rehydrate:

Rehydrate powder and Gel! Can't wait to try!

Rehydrate powder and Gel! Can’t wait to try!

Lastly lunch today consisted of baked chicken thighs from yesterday that were cooked with pepper, salt and paprika and some left over broccoli. I personally think it tasted just as good if not better than yesterday.

Today's lunch!

Today’s lunch!

Recipe:
2 packages of boneless chicken thighs
salt to taste
pepper to taste
paprika to taste
Coat a baking dish with olive or coconut oil and place chicken thighs in the dish. coat top of chicken with some olive oil
Preheat oven to 400F and place dish in oven and cook for approx 30 min. If you like your chicken with skin and bones you might have to cook it longer.
Steam or cook broccoli in a cast iron pan, using a little coconut or olive oil to prevent sticking. Enjoy!!