There’s all sorts of discussion flying around the internet about hydration, dehydration, etc. etc. personally having lived in Florida for a very long time I have always got a beverage of some sort at hand – or a bottle of filtered water. According to Mavea, the company that makes my favorite water filters, I run through as much drinking water as a “normal” family of 4. Against the advice of some health gurus, I enjoy slightly chilled water. BUT what I find to be really a nice treat is water that’s had something steeped in it. Maybe fruit, maybe diluted jasmine tea, maybe a few crushed pieces of dried ginger, and very often a whole lemon sliced impossibly thin and added to a pitcher of filtered water. Some folks find that drinking enough water is some kind of chore – here’s some offbeat advice that might help you, or might make you think I’m very strange. Either way — but hope it helps. While it seems the focus these days is on how to NOT do things, I like to focus on how to make the things we should be doing that much more enjoyable. In that way we’re apt to make them part of a lifestyle instead of a checklist of “shoulds” that we don’t feel like doing.
So, if hydration is a concern:
1. Slightly flavoring water (as mentioned above) with a slices of lemon/lime, strawberries, melon, cucumber, ginger slice, tangy kiwi fruit, bruised mint leaves, etc. I have a favorite glass pitcher for this exact purpose, and try to have something wonderful (and usually very simple) in it to look forward to every day. Be sure to clean it out well at the end of the day, these flavor items are very perishable!
2. Look at what you are drinking from… do you LIKE that glass/bottle/container? I have several favorite glasses and bottles — they remind me of cool certifications (like the RKC and PCC). The glasses that are on my desk have a nice weight to them and feel good in my hand. See… told you this was going to get weird. Drinking out of plastic cups is something that I’ll do if I have to, but drinking from a glass or container that is pleasing to the senses is an extra joy. Just try it — its like getting the “favorite” mug for coffee etc. The small things add up, even if it’s just to start or continue a sense of optimism for the day.
3. Take it to go! Add a slice of lemon or a few sprigs of mint to your workout water if you feel like it. Just make sure you remember it’s in there — I remember once in the midst of a very intense kettlebell workout taking a HUGE sip of water only to remember halfway through that I’d put a squeeze of lemon in there. At first I thought OH NO THIS WATER IS SOUR, but then remembered. What an odd sensation.
4. Try something new – I love SueroViv especially for during and after Summer workouts – while the natural raw honey does add some carbs to the mix, they are often actually needed if I’m cranking away outdoors in the Summer heat. Plus the probiotics and electrolytes are of an incredibly high quality. You can even dilute 1 8oz serving by drinking it from a liter bottle you’ve topped up with fresh water. Favorite flavor for this would absolutely be the Raspberry Lemonade. Don’t let the name fool you though, it’s not like lemonade at all, it has its own thing going on. SueroViv is best approached for the first time with no expectations.
5. Make it sparkle! I don’t use this for workouts, but I love sparking water at my desk or with a snack. Anyone who’s attempted to share a large bottle of sparking water at dinner with me knows this, and I apologize for monopolizing it, know in your heart that I am trying my best NOT to empty it in one fell swoop. Seriously. Catching a sale on sparking water can add a special touch to a meal or snack — especially if you’re looking to curb an appetite. The extra “mental” or sensory stimulation of a little bit of fizz can help distract or satisfy an otherwise bored palette.
And there’s no excuse for a bored palette by the way! Click around on this site for ideas and recipes to spice up your healthy eating. One of my personal theories on why people stray from a healthy eating strategy is because they are not mentally satisfied with what they’ve eaten. Look for new favorite healthy foods with a variety of colors, textures, scents, etc. Shift the focus from what you can’t have to what you can – and then get adventurous.
Enough talk… Here’s a version of the workout my small group will be doing today:
We’ll begin with our Primal Move or joint mobility warm up.
Then we’ll run through a small bodyweight combo a few times – everyone on their own time, paying attention to form. A secondary goal is to make all these moves flow together with ninja-like ease! 🙂 Newer class members might opt for more rests and fewer rounds:
- 20 mountain climbers then step back to push up position
- 5 push ups, step in to a crawling position (knees up, just hands and toes on the ground)
- 5 crawling paces forward and back then carefully thread one leg through and with control flip into a “crab walk” position
- walk the hands forward until you’re in a very low squat position (adjusting feet if necessary, keep heels down.
- Perform 10 bodyweight squats
- At the bottom of the last squat, walk hands backwards into a crab walk position, thread one leg through and with controlled movement flip into the crawling position, step back to begin the mountain climbers…
After a water break we’ll grab moderate kettlebells (Ladies: 12kg, 14kg, 16kg, Guys or ambitious ladies: 20kg, 24kg…or feel free to use a smaller kb for the lunge portion — but try not to put it down for the duration of the lunges as a challenge) for 5 rounds of:
- 20 kettlebell swings
- 10 per side lateral lunges (kettlebell held in front, close to chest as in a goblet squat)
- 10 per leg backwards lunges (kb held as described above. Just step back into the lunges)
- 10 in both directions “around the world” aka “slingshot”
- small rest/sip of water if needed – in general rest as needed for safety.
We’ll begin the chill out cycle with
- Strict form focused get ups with bodyweight only or a light kettlebell to keep us honest… 10 total
- If sufficient energy/time is left we will practice handstands with the wall (kick up and walk up varieties) along with practicing bridges at our individual levels.
Finally we’ll end with our Primal Move or Joint Mobility practice.
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