The Magic Drink That Boosts Energy

It quenches your thirst, it's practically free, and it gives you energy to boot. What's this magical energy drink? It's water.

That's right. A new study shows that slight dehydration can send your energy into a nosedive. And it puts people in a foul mood, too. So turn on the tap.

Thirsty, Tired, and Grumpy
When water was withheld from a group of college students who were working out, they reported not just greater feelings of thirst but also more fatigue, anger, depression, and confusion than the group of well-hydrated exercisers. And the researchers suspect that dehydration would probably cause these same side effects in folks who aren't exercising but are water deprived -- although more study is needed to say for sure. Bottom line: Check your fluid intake if you need a pick-me-up.

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I have been immersed in an all out exercise/fitness blitz and have lost 13 lbs and my endurance and strength grows daily. It's empowering and liberating, baby!

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My Two Special Diet Substitutes

I want to keep boldly claiming good health so I'll shame myself into sticking with it this time.

I got off to a great start last year but started straying by the summer and fall. Oh hell, by the holidays I was the Tasmanian Devil slamming into the refrigerator and shit, leaving nothing behind but a greasy spot.

Not this time. I've been making fairly good choices and substitutions over the past years but now there is no room for being an idiot anymore. There's just not.

So no more cola. That's a tough one. I've always loved Coke. (Both kinds.) But now I just drink diet coke.

No more alcohol. Which hasn't been a problem in years and years but even having one cocktail a week is off.

So sugar, no fat, and no Cheerios.

Now, those two special diet substitutes?

1) Stevia - Stevia is a South American herb that has been used as a sweetener by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for hundreds of years. The leaves of this small, green Stevia rebaudiana plant have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar. It's the best sugar substitute I've found and even my podunk grocery sells it and I've just started on it this week.

2) Brummel and Brown - Instead of butter or yucky tasting low-fat margarine, this has ½ the fat and calories of butter, no cholesterol and 0 g trans fat per serving. It's made with yogurt but it just tastes like your regular Parkay or Land O' Lakes margarine. Half the calories and tastes the same? I've been using it for maybe 10 years now.

What are YOUR healthy eating tips?

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quit smoking widget

THEN:



NOW:

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Painted ceiling of a smoking area

Painted ceiling of a smoking area someone sent to me. Still not smoking. =)

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Still On Track

Still On Track

I'm still amping up to my big Quit Smoking Day on August 9 and have cut down 90% on smoking already. I've been feeling foggy headed but that's pretty much all that's bothering me besides slaying these dragon urges. And I'm really beginning to get irritable.

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Kombucha Tea

Kombucha - Soft Drink for the 21st Century?

Popping the cap off a bottle of Kombucha — or "mushroom tea" as it’s known by some — is a complete sensory experience. There’s the snap, crackle, fizz of carbonated bubbles, the mysterious slimy globules that slow-float like a psychedelic lava lamp throwback, and the sharp vinegary tang that hits the nose like a slap.

While fizzy, vinegary and slimy are not exactly the most tantalizing food descriptors, this trendy tea has a peculiar allure that’s winning devotees nationwide. At Google’s California corporate headquarters, the cafeteria slings upwards of 100 cups of homemade brew a day, and GT Kombucha, one of the most popular bottled brands on the market, reaps annual sales in the millions.

To clarify, Kombucha is not a mushroom at all, but a symbiotic colony of yeast and beneficial bacteria that grows in sugar-sweetened black tea.

Long used by bo-hos and hippies, mushroom tea finally reaching the Google cafeteria, but actually "jumped the bong" when it became corporate several years ago. This concept has a lovely synchronization widely appearing in the news.

Related:
The Hippies Were Right / via

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