Everything around us is built up with science. There are millions of molecules buzzing around us at all times. Our body is made up of molecules, and the biggest element is H2O. Water, for all you folks who don't use the scientific part of your brain. Because of this, it is super important to keep our bodies hydrated. Today I wanted to talk about the benefits of water and why you should be drinking more.

As a society, water is often passed over for sugary and caffeinated drinks. What we don't think about is the drinks we are choosing in place of water can often make us dehydrated and sluggish. Water is needed to help flush the body of toxins, and when it's not present we aren't getting everything moving. During the day we should all be consuming half of our body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should be drinking 70 ounces of water a day or roughly 8.5 cups of water.

This sounds harder then it is. What I have done to maintain my water intake daily, is purchased a fun water bottle that has the ounces marked on it. I drink four 20oz bottles of water a day. It goes a lot quicker then I thought. I drink one 20 ounce bottle before I go to work. I refill 2 more times at work and then drink the last 20 ounces after work once I get home.

I have been doing this now for a few weeks. The changes I have noticed are amazing! I have been having a lot of trouble with acne on my face and back. My face and back are FINALLY clearing up. I notice my skin looking brighter and I look more awake. I am not as hungry so I am not snacking as often in between meals. The bloat I have been feeling is going away. So many benefits come out of drinking water.

Do you drink enough?

Welcome back to another week of Fit-Trish. A series where I show you how to live a healthy life on a budget! You may have noticed a new little tab on my home page that says "series". This is where you will find all of my posts in this series along with new series I plan to do in the future. I am in the process of getting everything organized. Once that is done you will be able to check out everything in one space.

This has not been a very productive fitness week for me. Work was insane and I came down with a bug. I managed to make it to the gym one day this week and it felt so good. I am still on the mend so I decided to share with you what I did to help my fitness and my health while I was feeling under the weather.



I did not want to totally forget about my goals just because I was feeling sick. I really upped my water intake this week. I added a half a lemon to my bottle to give me that extra boost through out the day. This helped keep unwanted snacking at bay. We all know when we don't feel good we reach for comfort foods. I also drank a lot of peppermint tea to help with any bloating. Whatever bug got me sure added to the bloating of the stomach. Not fun! I also ate lots of fruits and veggies to get all the essential vitamins.

I kept exercising to a minimum but still managed to take small walks whenever I got the chance. It helped get the blood circulating and cleared my head. Even a 10 minute walk is enough to get everything moving and it can be a real mood booster. I did some squats and arm exercises. I kept all reps to a minimum making sure not to over do it and stayed away from ab exercises because my stomach was not feeling well.

When I did brave the gym on Wednesday I mainly did cardio on the treadmill. Again I did not over do it and did just enough to get my heart pumping. Once I started to feel tired I stopped. I felt like I accomplished something even though all I felt like doing was laying on my couch with a blanket. I am starting to feel better and I am hoping I can get back to my regular schedule next week. I am sorry this is short, but I hope it helps you on your journey when sickness strikes.

Have a great Friday!

Welcome back to another week of Fit-Trish. A weekly series where I talk about getting healthy and fitness on a budget! I have covered quite a few topics already so if this is your first time, check them out, here, here, and here!



This week I wanted to talk about another important necessity for a healthy lifestyle. Hydration. We need to drink in order to keep our body from dehydration. The most important beverage we should be consuming is water! Water is a not only important to any weight loss program, but it is something we need to live. Our bodies are made up of mostly water, and depriving it of water can often cause dehydration. It is often said that one must consume 64 ounces of water a day to help stay hydrated and to flush toxins from the body.

I hear a lot of complaints when it comes to drinking water. Most people say they don't like the taste and often skip it. This leads to drinking more sugary beverages like soda and juice. This week I want to bring you a few alternative options to help you consume more water and cut out the sugar.

My favorite go to alternative when I am craving soda is a flavored seltzer. Seltzer provides the carbonation you crave when you want a soda, but without all the sugar and calories. Seltzer comes in all kinds of flavors so there is something out there for everyone. My personal favorite is Polar. They have tons of standard flavors and they also come out with seasonal flavors.


Seltzer can also be used to cut down the sugar in drinks such as orange juice or cranberry. I mix 1 part seltzer to 1 part juice and that cuts down the calories by half. My ultimate favorite is the virgin fuzzy navel. This is one part orange juice to one part peach seltzer. Speaking of fuzzy navel, you can also use seltzer in your alcoholic drinks. Replace the soda with seltzer and you will be cutting out all kinds of calories!

My next option for drinking less sugar is to use a water enhancer. These come in all sorts of flavors and formulas. Most of them are sugar free and are naturally sweetened. I have been using a brand called Stur. They have a handful of flavors and the taste is good. It helps me drink more water through the day.

No matter which way you do it, cut down on the sugary drinks and down some water. If you can't do water all the time, try these alternatives and see how you do. What is you ideal way to cut out the sugary drinks? Do you like seltzer? What about water enhancers? Let me know!