When you workout, keep yourself hydrated.

 Did you know that your fluid needs depend on the length of your workout?

If your working out, you know that you need to increase your fluids…that's a given.

To keep yourself hydrated, you should be drinking before, during & after your workout.

You should drink 4 to 6 ounces of fluids for every 15 – 20 minutes of exercise.

For exercise lasting less than an hour, water is best. The sports drinks will just add extra calories.

But, if you exercise longer than an hour, you may think about adding a sports drink. Sports drinks will offer you the added benefits of lost electrolytes, lost through sweating.

Then when you’re finished exercising, you should consume 16 – 24 ounces of fluid to rehydrate your body. SO DRINK UP!

FUN FACT

My hubby and I joined our local Gym. Yahoo!  I have been trying to get a work out partner for some time and I am happy to say that my husband & I will be going to the gym together. Based on this fact, I thought I would share this crazy fact.

The word Gym derived from the Greek word γυμνάσιον (gymnasion) meaning 'place to be naked' and was used in ancient Greece to designate a locality for the education of young men including physical education which was customarily performed naked as well as bathing and studies. For the Greeks, physical education was considered as important as cognitive learning. Most Greek gymnasia had libraries that could be utilized after relaxing in the baths.

Can you imagine all the people in your Gym naked?  Too nasty for me.  Some body parts just belong covered.  Thank god for Nike and Adidas designing fashionable and comfortable workout gear. I don't think I'd enjoy being 'au natural' at my local Gym.

Acceptance

I always thought when I was at my desired weight that somehow my life would be perfect. I would finally be able to accept myself for who I was. I would no longer find fault with myself. But, for some reason that hasn’t been the case and slowly by slowly my weight gets right back where I was before I lost my weight. I know this is a common thing to happen. However, I accept who I am completely. I eat healthy foods along with some of my favorite trigger foods.  I am who I am and no longer will I allow my weight or age to define who I AM TODAY!

I am not saying I don’t care what I look like. In fact, I do and I love shopping for new clothes. I am also not saying this is an excuse to not eat or live healthy. I strive to live a healthy life every day. I am going to be 49 in August and it finally struck me that I am closer to the big 5-0 than I am to 40! Looking back at photos of when my Mom & Grandmothers were 50, well to me THEY were OLD and they LOOKED OLD, too. But I don’t feel old and I refuse to be the stereotypical grandmom with the gray bun on top of my head.

Yes, I color my hair, and I have invested in some really good anti-aging serums (thanks Erin T. for turning me on to skintelligence products), but now when I look into the mirror I see so much more than my physical being--I see the person who has gained wisdom and insight over the years. And each and every day I get more confident in my own skin. I am really beginning to embrace where I am right now in my life. This didn’t happen overnight, but over a period of many months and years and it continues to evolve over time.

I think the media plays a big role in shaping our views on how we perceive ourselves? Just pick up any women’s magazine these days and all across the covers scream, “Twenty Days to a Sexier You” or “Lose Your Belly in 8 Days” or “Look 10 Years Younger without Surgery!” ….Of course this isn’t a green light to eating unhealthy foods or living a sedimentary life style. So let’s embrace the Diva that we are. Do the best you can do in eating healthy, moderate exercise and love your life, after all some of us have grandchildren and want to be able to share in their lives.

We need to accept ourselves right now—Tell ourselves that health is not a number on the scale or the size on a tag—it is about being able to embrace life and finally say I AM FINE RIGHT WHERE I AM. So, a little less weight or a little more weight.. I smile; I am just fine where I am.

So, as my sister Debbie said…..”This is this an up year or is it a down year?

In an up year did we up the calories/weight, or are we feeling up? For a down year, does that mean the scale went down or are we feeling down?

Who knows, life is what you make it whether it’s up or down…..Smile pretty like a Diva should and enjoy your day.

On the Spiritual Side Today.

 On the spiritual side today…..I think of us Diva’s as well-rounded woman. (No pun intended.)

Living a full life means being in the here and now on so many different levels. So, today I am going to take a walk on the spiritual side. I like to dabble in a bit of everything on this blog, because it all comes together to make us the person we are.

Think about it, we are no longer hunters and gatherers; we can easily find ready-made food to eat at any store. Our modern lifestyle has become more sedentary (I know, some of us exercise as much as we can) while our access to food has increased, it’s everywhere. Temptation is everywhere we turn. I have to admit I am part of the problem with this. I bring food to my employees and family all the time, sometimes pretzels, cakes, donuts, pizza..and on and on.

We need to relearn positive eating habits and remember to eat to live instead of living to eat. The spiritual approach to weight loss reminds us that we are nourished ultimately by God and that we should love God more than food. We eat for the wrong reasons. I am an emotional eater. I ask god to “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Temptation is powerful…..it’s something we face every day.

Food has become a status symbol and a form of entertainment which has ultimately made us fat. Think about how we celebrate or entertain, it’s always with food. It’s how we have been raised.

Try using prayer to reduce your weight is to realign yourself with the spiritual aspect of eating and the source of our true sustenance, which is God. Excess weight is religiously symbolic of "hanging on to too much" either physically, such as having too many possessions, or mentally, such as harboring grudges and unforgiving thoughts toward those who may have wronged you. We need to release these excessive possessions, grudges, or unforgiving thoughts and feelings…..by doing this we should feel a weight being released from our shoulders and inner self. It feels good to get rid of something we don’t need. Someone else may need what we give away and it sure feels better to give away something then to receive something we don’t need. I know I am going to start working on this………

This Post is in Memory of Toby.

I have been working on a new post for a few days and for some reason I just haven't finished it.

Since then, my sister's dog Toby has passed away and instead I am going to post a poem in honor of Toby and my sister Debbie.  My sister loved Toby more then anyone could ever imagine. He was her rock.  He was always there for her even when others were not.  He was there in happy and difficult times.  They were just so very close. To me, pets are the glue in the family structure. Always there for everyone in the family, with unconditional love.  

 BEYOND THE RAINBOW

As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.

I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free

Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side

Were meadows rich and beautiful -- lush and green and wide!

And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see

Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!

My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new

And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.

I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright

That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright Glow pierced the night.

'Twas the Glow of many Candles shining bright and strong and bold

And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.

For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,

We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.

So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart

If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart.