Your Weight! Your Health! Your Skin!

I bet you have read or heard somewhere that water can help you with your weight loss, right? And we need all the help we can get to get the ball rolling for us to achieve the weight loss results we want. Weight loss is all about consuming fewer calories each day than what you burn up. This sounds simple enough doesn’t it? So where does water come into play?

Unlike other beverages like sodas or beer, water contains no calories, so you can drink a lot of water and you will not gain any weight. It is possible however to drink more water than is good for you. For people who have issues with water retention, it is best to have your doctor recommend the amount of water that you can consume in a day.

For most of us it is recommended that we drink 8 glasses of water a day and to start each day with a glass of water. This is connected to your brain function as water gets your brain active. Water also flushes your system and keeps you hydrated. For someone who is trying to lose weight, substitute whatever beverages you consume with water. These other beverages could be the reason of your gaining weight.

It is also recommended that a glass of water be consumed before you eat, this is only to help with overeating. Water should never be used as a substitute for food. It should only be used as a beverage substitute and to keep you hydrated throughout the day.

If you find that tap water tastes ‘bad’ for you, then try bottled spring water.  Tap water is different from place to place, and so is bottled water from brand to brand. Try different brands until you find the one you like, and stop coming with excuses about why you are not drinking water.

So, substitute those beverages with water. It might take time to get used to drinking the water if you are not a water lover, but you will reap the rewards.

Between our lives, families, children, jobs and all the other stuff that takes up our time, it becomes difficult to have the time to eat healthily and squeeze time for gym or exercise. In trying to juggle everything that life throws at us, and trying to maintain our bodies, or lose weight, a lot of food has become forbidden.

The trick is not to follow fad diets but rather making good nutrition choices. Also life and food are here to be enjoyed. Don’t stop eating all your favorite foods, just eat them in moderation. Make sure that whatever you eat contain great nutrients and try and watch the calories that you consume. Here are 7 great food commandments that if followed will put your body in great shape:

• Stay hydrated. Drink water throughout the whole day, preferably filtered, and try to reduce your caffeine consumption. Drink herbal tea instead of coffee. Aim for 8 – 10 glasses of water daily

• Eat fresh fruit and vegetables. This will ensure that you lower your intake of processed and packaged foods, thereby ensuring your body is getting all the benefits of the nutrients found in fresh foods
• Stay away from saturated and toxic fats like trans fatty acids. These can be detrimental to your health. Instead use olive or canola oils and make it a priority to reduce your total fat intake

• Substitute your red meat with white meat. I am not saying do not eat red meat completely but if you do so, do it in moderation and trim the fat off before you indulge in it. Go for fish (e.g salmon has great health benefits) and chicken, and make sure you remove chicken skin before consuming it.

• Grill your food instead of frying. This way you not only are not using oil in the cooking but you are removing excess oil from whatever it is you are grilling

• Incorporate fiber into your diet. Legumes, nuts and pulses are great for your body

• Reduce the amount of refined foods that you eat. This include refined sugars, cakes, biscuits and white flour , if you have to eat them do so in moderation

Remember, you only get one body in this life. If you are good to it, it will serve you well also.