Coffee

It's commonly accepted fact that coffee is a diuretic. If you drink it, you will end up less hydrated than before. Chalk this up as a myth. Unless you're drinking over five cups a day does it become true. Since most of us will not drink that many ventis a day, we're not at risk. That means you can count your morning cup of coffee as part of your daily hydration needs.

I know that some of you are thinking about how drinking your morning coffee makes you sprint for the bathroom. That is true, it does speed things up, but it doesn't create more waste than was consumed. That is the same as drinking a glass of water.

Coffee also has benefits that water alone doesn't. The caffeine may improve brain function, prevent cancer and improve your workout. It may also help prevent heart issues, parkinson's, and diabetes.

It's not going to solve all of your health problems, or overcome any bad habits you have. That does not mean it's not good for you. If you enjoy a regular cup of coffee, don't worry about it. Drink up.

Water

It cannot be stressed enough that water is the most important thing you consume. If you're trying to lose weight, or just be more active, you need water to help you. There is no magic amount of water that you should drink. The "8 glasses a day" rule is close and easy to remember, but not accurate if you're heavier than average, or more active.

A good way to figure out how much to drink is to take your weight, divide it in half and drink 80% of that figure in ounces of water every day. The other 20% of the water you consume will come from food. This figure is just a base; you'll need to add more for your activity. A good rule of thumb is 8 ounces for every 30 minutes of exercise. If you're fully hydrated before the activity, and you don't work out for too long or too hard, this should carry you. If you're working out harder or longer, you'll need more water and something with electrolytes.

There are many benefits to staying fully hydrated:

Water helps your body remove toxins in the most efficient manner, leaving the liver unburdened.
Water fills us up without adding any calories.
Water helps a person’s ability to exercise and burn calories.
Water is used for protein synthesis which is needed to build or repair muscles.
Water is a necessary ingredient in turning food and stored fat into energy. If you can't turn stored fat into energy, you can't lose weight.
Water consumption can reduce your risk of colon cancer.
Water consumption can reduce your risk of bladder cancer.

If something so simple can reduce your risk of cancer, there seems no reason to not have a glass of water.

A simple way to tell if you're fully hydrated is to make sure your urine is light yellow, never dark or amber in color.

Day 26C--Water

I haven't been running in almost two weeks, but I have been working on my water intake. I am diligently making sure that I drink tons of liquid during the day. I have a reusable, BPA free bottle that has a reusable built-in ice pack next to the straw. It holds about 50 ounces and I try to drink a full bottle every day at work. The other 10-20 ounces that I should get during the day come from the milk in my cereal, tea and water with dinner. I really want to make the hydration habitual before I start training so it's one less thing that I have to worry about.

One thing I don't have to worry about any more is fund raising. I have raised enough to guarantee my spot in the marathon. Thank you to all who have donated. You rock. If you haven't donated already, please do. The money still goes to a great organization. My personal fund raising goal was $1,500, so I would love if I could hit that amount, but I'm not worrying about that.

Day 89--Water

I have finally found a way to get close to the 64+ ounces of water I'm supposed to drink each and every day. I bought a 56 ounce PBA free water bottle. If I use the included ice pack, it only holds 50 ounces. I make sure to fill this bottle first thing every morning when I get to work, and empty it before I get home. It's been a few weeks and I've managed to empty it every week day. I'm not as good about it on weekends, though. Weirdly, I'm noticing the lack of water on weekends. I'm drinking the same amount most Saturdays & Sundays that I was drinking every day for the last decade or so, but now that I'm fully hydrated five days of the week, the days where I'm not fully hydrated are noticeable. The only thing I really notice is feeling kinda thirsty, something I rarely used to experience.

Day 14--motivation

I did the next day's workout in the 30 day challenge. It was back to working on my legs, with some upper body work thrown in. My weight isn't moving very much at all though. After the brief drop to 132.5, I've been hovering right at 134 the last few days. That's only 1.6 pounds lost in almost 3 weeks. I know that there has been muscle gain and that I shouldn't get discouraged, but it's hard to see the number on my weight not moving even though I'm doing everything I'm supposed to.

I have also been eating more spicy foods. It's not a long-term solution, but it probably boosts metabolism about 7-8% right after eating it. I have been drinking more water, even if not the full 70 ounces. It turns out that remaining fully hydrated helps with metabolism, too.

Day 7--Diet

I'm trying to eat better and increase the amount of water I drink. On most days, I drink a couple cups of coffee in the morning and that's about the extent of beverages for the rest of the day. I know that's not healthy and that if I feel thirsty, I'm already into dehydration. On the other hand, I can't imagine drinking the standby recommendation of 64 ounces of water every day. I have heard that instead of some arbitrary amount of water, you should drink 1/2 ounce for every pound you weigh, which puts me at 67 ounces a day. I looked for "water intake calculators" online and found two. Both of them say I should drink 70 ounces a day, but one said I could get 14 ounces, 20%, of that from food, leaving me only 56 ounces to drink. 70 ounces is 2 liters. I will try to work up to that level. I'm at 2 ounces right now. :)