Green Tea: Benefits

Over the years Green Tea has become one of my favorite go to drinks at Starbucks. It has a lot do with the fact that they carry the Tazo Zen tea. I rave about this tea brand all the time BUT that's not what this post is about. So lets get started! 

I did research this and some of the information listed below comes from credible sources like WebMD. 

Benefits:

• Fights Cancer
• Lowers Cholestrol
• Reduced plaque and bacteria in your mouth
• Prevents cavities
• Protects against heart disease
• Prevents dementia
• Full of antioxidants
• Speeds metabolism
• Prevents diabetes
• Antiviral agent
• Maintains a healthy circulatory system
• Strengthens tooth enamel
• Prevents food poisoning
• Promotes healthy skin
• Prevents bad breath
• Acts as a powerful detox agent 
• Enhances weight loss 

I usually drink one to two cups of the Zen Tea. There is something oh so relaxing about this. In the summer I usually brew the K-cups over ice! 

December Workout Update

December (2012) Workout Update: 

I continued my workout from last month, despite my Asthma concerns. This month was rough and I gave it my best but life happens .... Details below!

I always started with a warm up and it was followed with a short 20 minute walk in the treadmill with no incline. This eventually progressed into my current workout on the treadmill (listed below). Keep in mind, this is gradual. I can't stress this enough! It took me weeks to get to this point, well I could actually say months. Now before I tell you what exactly I am doing, please keep in mind that I do have asthma and am by no means lean. Having said that I am not saying that chubbier people can't run. If I can, so can you! Just do it in small sections like me. 

Total Time: 70 Minutes

Calories: Approximately 470-500

Incline 3.5 - I maintain this incline all through the workout time, including warm up and cool down. 

Repeat the following 7 times:

Minutes 1 through 3 - Speed 2.7 m

Minutes 4 through 6 - Speed 3.3 m

Minutes 7 through 9 - Speed 3.5 m

Minute 10 - 5.2 m - RUN! RUN like you see a clearance rack WITH Black Friday deals! HAHA :)

Repeat! 

I workout 3 times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am a morning person and have a pretty demanding day job so my workout time starts at 5 a.m. Yes waking up that early, even for a morning person, was a tad hard but coming home from work and being lazy is a great feeling!

December 3: 490 Calories
December 5: 550 Calories
December 7: Sick -- My Asthma decided to come visit. I had to change my workout routine. I changed it to something that didn't involve too much cardio but still got rid of some calories.
December 10: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (JM30DS) - Day 1
December 12: JM30DS - Day 2
December 16: Apartment Flooded - We lost a pantry full of food, clothes, electronics, home decor items etc. :(
December 25: Just when I thought I had the apartment organized and could get back into the working out routine, we were hit with a snow storm that knocked all the power out, cars under trees and iced in. I am telling you this was not my month!
BUT we restart!
December 30: JM30DS - Day 1
December 31: JM30DS - Day 2

In case you missed ... 

Why I started this section: 

Lets face it, no one truly enjoys working out. I didn't either! My life is a constant battle between my love of food and not wanting to get fat ... well fatter! I also love to cook and bake which doesn't help either. At some point on the battlefield I decided enough was enough! I truly enjoy walking. Yes, walking on the treadmill gets a tad boring, but trust me listening to some music or watching TV makes the time go by so much faster! As most aspects in life, people tend to do better when held accountable for things. So lets just do that! Trust me after doing it for a few weeks you will feel horribly guilty and oh-so yucky when you miss a workout! And after that, ... well you are hooked at this point and well on your way to an awesome new you! 

How I stay motivated: 

This didn't come easy! The system that worked for me was to reward myself for every successful week I had. I would grab myself a magazine or a nail polish or an eyeliner or some cheap jewelry from Forever 21. I kept it under $5 and made sure there was no food involved, it would defeat the purpose of working out. With time this gets easier and then no rewards are needed :)

To be perfectly honest I also had a great support system that kept me on track by holding me accountable. If you can get some friends to follow this with you, do it! If not, I can be your support system! 

I'm making myself unstoppable. Why don't you join me?!!

How I drink 80 oz of water daily

My story: 

Yes, that's right ... I drink 80 oz of water daily! You can too, its easy!  

Getting into the habit of drinking your daily amount of water is hard, I get it! But its oh-so crucial. I have really sensitive and overly dry skin. In addition to this, I also have a weak digestive system. After going through some major skin and hair concerns, I finally saw a nutritionist. 

The first thing he recommended was for me to evaluate my eating and drinking habits by writing everything down in a food journal. Both were bad. I was eating frozen meals and barely drinking any water. 

Frozen meals are high in sodium, which was awful for my skin and my blood pressure. I don't have any pressure issues, thank God! The next thing he asked was for me to write down (in my food journal) how much and what exactly I was eating and drinking. The water intake was bad too! I was shocked. There were days when I went on just coffee and no water. I don't drink soda so that wasn't an issue. Alcohol wasn't a problem either, I have a drink once in 3-5 months. 

This was a rude wake-up call! But on the bright side, it made me re-evaluate my food habits. I had also voiced some weight gain concerns and he told me that 80% of fat loss comes from nutrition. That's significant ... significant enough for me to follow his advice ASAP! 

The "process":

Now the "plan" to get me on track. There was a great amount of dedication involved. I did this for me and no one else! Lets face it a bald and chubby female is NOT going to attract Prince Charming! He told me the amount of water I needed to drink daily. Now this is based on my skin and digestive system. It makes sense to drink water ... I mean come on, 90% of your body is water. So this is how I get my 80 ounces. 

I have a 16 oz tumbler which I drink from, five times to be exact. Keep in mind, coffee doesn't count!

• First 16 oz - drink a tumbler as soon as you wake up. Well, brush your teeth first! Easy, right? Keep going ... 
• Second 16 oz - drink a tumbler at 10 a.m. with your a.m. snack. I sometimes add some vitamin C to this tumbler. 
• Third 16 oz - I have this at noon. I eat at 1 p.m. 
• Fourth 16 oz - I have this one at 2 p.m. I add some green tea to this one. 
• Fifth 16 oz - I have my last one at 3:30 p.m. with my afternoon snack. And you are DONE! 

My goal is to finish all 80 oz by 5 p.m. at the latest. Lets be honest here, the only reason I have a set time here is so that I don't wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. I usually have a small amount of juice or a smoothie with my dinner. 

I hope this helps, and perhaps motivates you! Stay tuned for more healthy tips and recipes. 

*HUG* 

Heeral P.