Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Excuse the title, this song has been stuck in my head ever since I started thinking about this blog post. And I only hope to share the stuck-in-headedness with the rest of the world!

Hellooo summer.

That's what Philadelphia's looking like for the next couple of days. And from taking a gander at the map of the country, it seems that way for most areas in the States. I rode my bike to school today for an 8:40 class. It's only a twenty minute ride, but by the time I got there...oof. I was feeling a little lightheaded! So today I'm going to talk about hydration. If not for anybody else, then for me!

In general, drinking a few glasses of water today is not going to keep you functioning at 100%. Especially if you're planning on exercising even a little bit. Which I hope you are! Keep it inside during the peak hours of the day if you can!

(From Pinterest)

I found this wonderful, wonderful idea on Pinterest to help keep track of your water intake! If you're clueless about how much water you need, take your weight and then chop it in half. That's how many ounces of water you should drink! I know for certain that Tone It Up supports this ideal, but seen it popping up other places as well. Also, you should hydrate before you go to bed as well! You'll have less of a deficit that you have to make up in the morning and you might feel more ready to go when that alarm goes off. I know I can definitely tell the difference.

EAT! According to WebMD, 20% of our water intake over the course of a day comes from food. I know, I know. It's hot. You don't feel like eating. I don't blame you!! But how awesome would it be to take a bunch of fruits (bananas are 74% water!), blend them all together, and sip on a cool refreshing drink? Yeah. I thought that would sound pretty awesome. Who doesn't love watermelon?

Especially this one! (From pinterest)

So you're finally exercising, you're hydrated and ready to go. The humidity is not going to do you any favors. I used to be very against drinking while running because I thought it caused my stomach to hurt. But if you drink the right amount of water at the right intervals, it shouldn't be too bad! FOR ME, I like to take a couple sips every fifteen minutes or so. Again, this is FOR ME. You need to find what works best for you!

My anatomy professor said something during the spring semester that I think is especially important now! Thirst is a delayed signal that you are getting dehydrated. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Maybe not to an awful extent, but you're dehydrated nonetheless. You wouldn't not eat until you're stomach is clenching from hunger. So drink before you get thirsty!

Can I drink sport drinks, Amanda? Water is just as good as any sport drink if you aren't spending more than an hour outside (WebMD again!). After that, you're going to want to start putting different electrolytes back in ya. The Tone It Up girls SWEAR by coconut water, but that can get really expensive. It also turns out it isn't a miracle drink as people are trying to claim. So find what works best for you!

Abby Wambach seems to prefer Gatordade. ;)

When all else fails, look at your pee. I know. It's gross. I said it. But taking a peek can indicate whether you need to step up your hydration game! Let's just say, it should be on the paler side. If you want to know more about pee or what YOU know about hydration head over to this quiz on WebMD. Stay watery, my friends!!

Do you have any tips for hydration?

Teacher Tuesday: Talking About Labels

It's back! It's Tuesday and I'm teaching you something once again! Because I love alliteration. And also sharing some knowledge.

Teach Me About: Nutrition Labels

I know I've mentioned how I went to this thing called Be Well Philly Bootcamp on more than a billion occasions. But now I'm going to share some information that I learned during the Nutrition discussion! The session featured Candace Robertson-James and Stella Lucia Volpe from Drexel University highlighting some important nutrition information that a lot of people don't know about.

One of our activities was learning how to read a nutrition label. A lot of people seemed surprised at some of the facts, so I decided to spread the word! I'm not going to go into all of the components, just three areas that I found interesting.

The Anatomy of a Nutrition Label

Just from Google images! Nothing specific.

Reading nutrition labels in grocery stores is going to take up more of your time, yes. But it's going to inform you what you're eating. And that information is POWER when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle! When you're wandering down the aisles, a very good place to start is the top.

Serving Size: Always, always, always pay attention to serving sizes! There are a lot of products (trail mix, I'm looking at you!) that have serving sizes that nobody would know. One bag of trail mix that we had at the session, for instance, had SIXTEEN servings in it. Nobody I know would ever be able to stop at one without specifically measuring it out, so just be conscious of that! Especially with snacky foods. 

Trick! If you buy something like trail mix with clear packaging, you can always take a marker/tape/etc. and mark off the serving sizes so you'll have a visual! So in my sixteen serving example, just eyeball the product into sixteen equal parts! Sure, it's not an exact science and measuring is always better. But time is always good too! :)

Also, you should not be fooled by marketing. There are some crazy companies out there (Pop-Tarts, ahem) that package two pieces of their product together. People assume that the serving size would be a package when in fact, that is DOUBLE all of the numbers. They can get crazy high when you multiply it all through so pay attention!

5-20 Rule: This is something that Candace taught us. It deals with the three things people are most concerned with on nutrition labels. Sodium, fat, and cholesterol! You know the percentages on the right side? That's the percent daily value for (usually) a 2,000 calorie based diet. So first of all, always make sure to keep YOUR needs in mind when comparing it to that calorie intake. 

So, 5-20. This rule is basically that anything under 5% for these three areas (Sodium, fat, cholesterol! Don't forget!) means you are good to go. They are GENERALLY healthier choices. Once you hit 20% or above, you may want to think twice about purchasing that product. Anything above that means you aren't balancing your nutrients/fuel sources/etc over the day. And you want to eat often, right? So keep these percentages in mind when you're choosing foods, as well as planning out your day's meals! 

Fiber: We all know fiber is good for us, right? But do we know what amount is good? At the talk, it was established that anything with fiber content over 3g is a good choice. Obviously, you want to shoot for more! But 3g seems to be a good starting point if you're looking to get some fiber!

There is SO much more going on in a nutrition label than what I've wrote here. I just wanted to throw out some information, not a comprehensive guide. So don't only follow the three guidelines listed here. You have to take a lot into account, and for somebody just starting to read these guys it can get overwhelming.

If you ARE looking for a comprehensive guide or just want to find out more information, Fit Bottomed Girls had a wonderful post on nutrition labels. I suggest heading over there to check it out!

Do you have any fun facts about nutrition labels?

*I am not anywhere near a registered dietician, so please don't take this as the end-all-be-all. If you have questions regarding your nutrition, please talk to your doctor!

Pretty Freaking Rad

I'm currently waiting for my post race breakfast to be done cooking. And I thought I'd tell you all a little bit about my morning. It started pretty plain. If you ignore the tutu that I'm wearing, it could have just been a normal day.

Actually, even if you bring the tutu into account, it's still a very normal day.

Check it.

He decided not to wear one. Unfortunately.

We were up bright and early to head over to the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park to participate in the Philly Color Me Rad 5k!

After the race, a lot of people were commenting on how there was no way it was a 5k. But I just mapped it and it looks like it was. Unless my mapping skills are subpar. Which they very well may be.

BUT ANYWAY. 5K.

There isn't too much to report about this race, I guess! It was a lot, lot, lot of fun! I didn't keep track of any time or distance and it was awesome to get blasted with color. A lot of kids were running and I think they were absolutely adorable! I got a lot of compliments on my tutu as well.

And then Paul and I got into a color fight, just to make sure we were thoroughly coated. This picture was before the big color explosion celebration at the end. Also. Somehow I got a 'stache that looks very similar to Hitler's. That's embarrassing. But mine's blue and purple. So it's way better.

SO MUCH COLOR!

And then we took more pictures. Because it seemed like a picture moment. You know?

But no matter how many pictures I show you, you won't understand the amount of color on you until you do it yourself. And then try to shower it all out. It took a good half hour shower. At least. Can't wait to see the water bill this month.

So before I go, I need to make a confession. This was the first time I ran since the Broad Street Run. That was on May 6th. One month and eleven days hiatus. I feel guilty, because running is one of my "things." But I'm back. And I am ready to go! This morning felt great, and these miles FLEW by. Like. Completely. I don't know if it's the color or I'm actually a better runner...but something is working. I never thought I'd roll out of bed and go run an easy 3.1 miles in the morning and not even bat an eyelash. (Note: I think it was the G Series Chews that I won from Bess Be Fit. :))

Awesome!

And it's a good thing because half marathon training starts in a week. :D

Have you ever done a color run?