Water, H20, Hydration!

Just a quick question?

Do you ever feel tired? Even if you get a full 10-12 hours of sleep?

What about a sluggish feeling or feeling foggy?

If you said yes to the above then your answer is DEHYDRATION.

Most people I talk to think dehydration starts when your thirsty! However, that is not the case if you are thirsty that's a sign that your severely dehydrated.

Symptoms of early dehydration include:


1. Lethargic, Dizzy
2. Dry Skin
3. Headache
4. Dry Sticky Mouth


These are just some of the symptoms that come with EARLY dehydration.

So your probably wondering how much water should I drink? The answer to that is personal. The way I calculate how much water I should drink is a simple math equation.

Jess Weight: 140
Ounces of Water : 140

Of course this is the very least amount of water I should be drinking. This includes the whole day, even including meals. In actuality this amount is very easy to achieve, if your not a huge drinker like me try drinking from a straw, or use an app to remind you to drink water! Whatever works for you get your daily ounces in.

Now let me give you the benefits of drinking all this water! Here's why you should be downing it like a camel:

1. Water Helps to Maximize Physical Performance

If we do not stay hydrated, physical performance can suffer.

This is particularly important during intense exercise or high heat.

Dehydration can have a noticeable effect if you lose as little as 2% of your body’s water content. However, it is not uncommon for athletes to lose up to 6-10% of their water weight via sweat.

This can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, increased fatigue and make exercise feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally.

Optimal hydration has been shown to prevent this from happening, and may even reduce the oxidative stress that occurs during high intensity exercise. This is not surprising when you consider that muscle is about 80% water.

So, if you exercise intensely and tend to sweat, then staying hydrated can help you perform at your absolute best.

2. Hydration Has a Major Effect on Energy Levels and Brain Function

Your brain is strongly influenced by hydration status.

Studies show that even mild dehydration (1-3% of body weight) can impair many aspects of brain function.

In a study of young women, fluid loss of 1.36% after exercise impaired both mood and concentration, and increased the frequency of headaches .

Another similar study, this time in young men, showed that fluid loss of 1.59% was detrimental to working memory and increased feelings of anxiety and fatigue.

A 1-3% fluid loss equals about 1.5-4.5 lbs (0.5-2 kg) of body weight loss for a 150 lbs (68 kg) person. This can easily occur through normal daily activities, let alone during exercise or high heat.

Many other studies, ranging from children to the elderly, have shown that mild dehydration can impair mood, memory and brain performance

3. Drinking Water May Help to Prevent and Treat Headaches

Dehydration can trigger headaches and migraines in some individuals.

Several studies have shown that water can relieve headaches in those who are dehydrated.

However, this appears to depend on the type of headache.

One study of 18 people found that water had no effect on the frequency of headaches, but did reduce the intensity and duration somewhat

7. Drinking More Water Can Help With Weight Loss

Drinking plenty of water can help you lose weight.

This is due to the fact that water can increase satiety and boost your metabolic rate.

In two studies, drinking half a liter (17 ounces) of water was shown to increase metabolism by 24-30% for up to 1.5 hours .

This means that drinking 2 liters of water every day can increase your total energy expenditure by up to 96 calories per day.

The timing is important too, and drinking water half an hour before meals is the most effective. It can make you feel more full, so that you eat fewer calories.

In one study, dieters who drank half a liter of water before meals lost 44% more weight, over a period of 12 weeks.

It is actually best to drink water cold, because then the body will use additional energy (calories) to heat the water to body temperature.

- Information gathered from Authority Nutrition

Lastly get a cute water bottle! Get your favorite color, print, size your more likely to drink water when your fashion is on point ;).

My color is PINK. <3

Get Hydrated,

Jess <3

TIME!!!

The most common question I get asked is :

Do you have time?

How do you have time for working out?

When do you have time?

Honestly there are some days where it seems impossible to workout. There is work, school, family time, etc.


BUT

Here's the thing I tell myself every day; "IF I do not make time for myself to workout, I will eventually have less time in total to spend on the above. Working out is not only a chance for you to lose weight, but also to feel:

1. Healthy and Happy
2. Be more active for your family.
3. SELF ESTEEM boost.

It is proven when you workout and eat with a healthy lifestyle there will be progress, and with each progress comes with a boost of self esteem!

Below I have found a some really interesting workouts that take less than half an hour a day including warm up and stretches! The best part of all the are FREE and available on Youtube!

So whether it's in the morning, on your lunch break, at night, mid day make time for your workout and your future. Take a step towards feeling amazing and making progress.

Also remember some progress is better than none! Even if you only have time for a 10 min workout, your still lapping the people on the couch!


1. Blogilates. I really enjoy her videos because she is positive cheerful and her workouts really do work! Ask my significant other we workout to her videos together ;) She has a ton of videos available and she has really great form!  Best part its FREE and no equipment needed. Here's a link to get you guys started if your interested.

2.  Another great resource is the ZWOW's ! She is also great for a short fast intense workout but on a more crossfit style/hiit workout. Her videos are also free and give you a good workout. Before I started crossfit I did all my workouts at home. These are the two resources I tried out and loved the most.

Of course if you have any questions feel free to comment and message below! 

Bye for now,

Jess <3

Let's talk about the word... D-I-E-T

Can we just take a moment to talk about Diets!

The word in itself is described in the dictionary as:



"the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason."

                                                                                       -Merriam Webster Dictionary 


We have to stop saying diet, diet is set for a period of time and for "special reasons." I mean the reason we go on a diet is to :

1. Lose weight
2. Get healthy
3. For health reasons

When we want to accomplish the above goals we want long term results I am assuming So instead of calling your diet a "diet," try calling it a lifestyle. It's much easier to stick to a lifestyle than a diet! Even the vocabulary gives you the assumption that your "diet" will end. BUT if we want long term results then we have to stop saying the D word! 


Jessica's RLE (Real Life Experience)


For the longest time I was a swimmer from grade 7 all the way to college, I swam competitively! Which in turn because of the calories I was burning I ate anything and everything! However when I stopped swimming the last thing to go was the appetite. In those short 3 months after I stopped I gained a whopping 55 pounds! That's right I went from 108 pounds to 163 pounds! On my 5"1 frame! 

At first I was determined to lose the weight and get to a goal weight, by going to the gym for hours at a time, eating only salad/ lemon water. And yes the pounds dropped but I was miserable, exhausted, and so focused on calorie counting. 

Fast forward to today I am healthy, happy, energetic and ready to take on life, I no loner calorie count and I love to exercise. Gone are the days I use working out as punishment, now I enjoy the exercise and look forward to it in my day! What changed the most was my attitude and my "diet" which is now a lifestyle. I have learned to balance my eating with my life and changed how I feel towards my body and the food I consume!

ME(shopping cart) at my heaviest! 163.

Now at 132! 

Wouldn't you rather have a healthy "life" than just a period of time? And honestly everyone is different no one I repeat NO ONE is a perfect eater all the time, so do what works for you whether its weight watchers, Paleo diet, zone diet, Adkins alter and create a program for you! That fits into your lifestyle! Find something that fits your goals and life! A lifestyle should also be flexible and easy not stressful and full of calorie counting, think more about the quality of your food not so much the quantity! 

Just a penny for your thoughts.


Till later,

Jess <3

Advice to the my Youth Self

As this week is approaching my birthday I often think back, about how much I have learned, experienced, and accomplished.

I would never change anything for a second. After all everything is either a blessing or a lesson? Right?

But if I could write a letter to myself at 17 I imagine it might go like this....

Jess,

Here I am fast forward 5 years!  Here are some life goals/ tips for you.

1. Never use Violence.  Always avoid violence; in this age of charity and kindliness, the time has gone by for such things. Leave dynamite to the low and unrefined.

-Mark Twain

2. Be patient and Understanding. What may seem so important now may not be as crucial later. Learn to see it from everyone's shoes. Your perspective is not the only one present.

3. Get out of the bubble. You are so young and yet you think the world revolves around you. Open your eyes and experience all the world has to offer good and bad.

4. Finally BREATHE. Things will be hard. Life is like that, but if you breathe and take it one step at a time it will be OKAY. Think of outside of the box, there is always a solution. :)

Sincerely,

Jess

So there you have it. What would be your advice to yourself if you could send a letter back to the past? Would it be funny? Sad? Let me know in the comments below.

Leaps into the future.

Soooo, obviously it is now the year 2015! And while we are still in the month of January/month of resolutions I thought of the goals I had set as well as future ones.

2015

And we thought we would have flying cars, blue-tooth devices implanted in our brains, and even self tying shoes.

Some of the things mentioned above were topics I saw on a newscast channel and it got me to thinking...


What will my Facebook posts would be like in three years?

2018????

What do I want my future to look like?  Vs.  How will it actually end up?


Which led me to conclusion of destiny. Do we control our own? Or is it just fate?

I strongly believe that people can make their own luck, or future. So hopefully and most likely my post would look something like this....

Jessica is Feeling: Accomplished :D
Just finished grad school on the way to my dream career!

What would your 2018 Facebook post look like? And if not Facebook where do you think your going in the next three years??

Comment below if you'd like!

How to get things for FREE! From target! Almost... P.S. This is not a scam!

Honestly who doesn't love samples and free things? Especially from target!?

Here is one example where if the timing is right and you have a couple tools you can actually get "almost," free items.

So body lotion most everyone uses it and here's how I got two bottles for under 2 bucks!!

  Steps:


1. I recently in the past year downloaded the target cartwheel app and previewed the ads.
2. I do clip coupons.
3. Use these two items together!

I use the Nivea body lotion. Target was having a sale. "If you buy two nivea products you were able to receive a 5 dollar gift card." Normally retailing $5.49 a bottle, I also had a coupon from the manufacturer for 5 dollars off if you buy two nivea items. Using those two deals, one from the store and one from the company I purchased the two nivea bottles for about 6 dollars including tax with my manufactor coupon. Then because I bought two nivea products target gave me a free five dollar gift card! Making that second bottle only $1.50 including  tax. So to sum it up I got two bottles of nivea lotion for under $2.00!! Saving around $11 dollars total.

So even though I did have to spend a little more time to purchase JUST lotion. As a college student who can always appreciate another dollar, it was definitely worth the effort!


Does anyone else use coupons? Or have great deals ? Let me know in the comments below!


Till next time,

Jess <3

Hello Cyberspace,

Welcome to my blog! My name is Jessica Kwong, I am a crossfit fanatic, psychology student at Brandman University, employee, and a full time friend, family member, and girlfriend! Check out my blog for my thoughts, tips, tricks, or just for laugh!