Nothing Beats Water as a Drink to Your Health

This week (10-24-13), Jennifer presented us information about the health benefits of water.

Jennifer presented a program about the health benefits of water at our 10-24-13 meeting.

Did You Know…

Jennifer told us that some interesting facts like the following:

• The human body is about 60 percent water.
• Dehydration affects many bodily processes.
• Humans can survive only about 1 week without water.
• We get only 80 percent of our water through liquids. The other 20 percent is obtained through food we eat.
• Some common causes of water loss include illness, and exercising, we as well as other factors.

TOPS 10 Reasons to Drink Water

1. Water can replace higher calorie drinks
2. Water helps suppress appetite. Sometimes we think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty.
3. Water has no fat, calories, or sugar.
4. Water is good for the heart. Some research has found that people who drink water are less likely to die from a heart attack.
5. Water keeps up our energy and mood; thus you will be more likely to exercise.
6. Water prevents headaches and migraines.
7. Water aids the digestive system.
8. Water cleans the body of toxins, which can be wastes that are natural byproducts of metabolism. The body metabolizes food more efficiently when these wastes are not present in high concentrations.
9. Water reduces the risk of several types of cancer, including colon and bladder cancer.
10. Water reduces fatigue while exercising.

How to Incorporate Water in Your Day

• Make drinking water a habit.
• Keep a water bottle with you.
• Drink water infused with fruit or other infused flavor for variety.
• Buy a filter. These can be purchase as a separate faucet on your sink or simply as a pitcher. Gallon for gallon, there is less cost and less work hauling cases of water from the store to your house.

Member Ideas

Darcy mentioned that she has a bead bracelet to remind her to drink water. During the day when she drinks water, she slides a bead. This helps her keep track of her water intake.

When Linda taught, she noticed that the students had difficulty getting enough water from the fountain at school. Thus, she would buy her students water bottles to refill.

Great job, Jennifer! You presented some important information to help us on our weight loss journey. Thanks!

Betty led us through some fun games of BINGO.

This week’s program was BINGO. Betty led us through several games, and we were all winners. Great fun, Betty!

We were all winnners at BINGO!

Jennifer talked about emotional eating.

This week, Jennifer led a discussion about emotional eating and how to overcome triggers. Often, we connect memories with eating. Jennifer shared that she connects summertime memories with popcorn jelly beans. Patty added that having after school snacks while growing up sometimes led to her eating without being hungry.

We don’t have to be a slave to our emotions.

Trigger #1: Stress

Another cause of emotional eating is stress. While sometimes, we can’t avoid stressful situations, there are strategies we can use to combat eating because of stress. Here are some examples: deep breathing, music, and time management.

Trigger #2: Sadness and Loneliness

Sadness and loneliness often lead to a depression-eating cycle. To combat these emotions, we can exercise, play with a pet (yours or someone else’s), stay connected with friends, and volunteer.

Trigger #3: Boredom

Boredom is a big trigger for many.  When grazing, we often eat mindlessly and don’t pay attention to portion sizes, calories, etc. Some ideas to avoid eating because of boredom include the following: don’t eat in front of the TV, develop a new hobby, read or join a book club, and play a game.

Whatever your trigger, remember: emotional eating can be overcome. Planning a strategy is key.