Tag: soda

Ditch your soda…here’s why!

Ditch your soda…here’s why!

You may (and should) know by now that soda isn’t exactly the best drink choice!  Or maybe you don’t, so let me be the first to inform you that you might want to reconsider next time you open a soda.  If you haven’t given up soda yet, here’s just a few reasons why you should: soda actually has lots of unnecessary calories, many sodas are loaded with sugar and aspartame, and they actually dehydrate you rather than quench your thirst.

This past week when I took a recertification class for First Aid & CPR, we began a discussion on soda.  One of the obvious concerns with soda is the high sugar content that it has.  Even many juices and sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water, etc) are high in sugar which is why it is best to stick with water.  While I know some will say they can’t stand the bland taste of water and yada, yada, yada.  If that truly is the case, I strongly suggest you buy flavor packets that you can add to water rather than turning to soda and other sugary drinks.

This may be a short entry, but it is an important one!  For all of you who wish to lose weight and increase energy one of the easiest and BEST ways to do that is to give up soda.  Soda alone will help you drop weight quickly (especially if you are a heavy soda drinker)!  So, my advice is to get off the soda bandwagon and join the water bandwagon instead.  You may hate it at first, but you will thank yourself and me later when you realize how much better you feel.

~jj

Ditch “empty” calories!

Ditch “empty” calories!

Do you ever look for shortcuts and quick ways to help maintain your weight?  Looking to cut calories?   A great way to help maintain your weight, increase your energy, and feel better about what you are putting in your mouth is by ditching the things that are not helping you improve your health, are adding lots of extra calories to your diet, and make you feel less energized.  For example, consider eliminating or decreasing candy, soda, coffee, and alcohol consumption.  While this may seem drastic, unrealistic, or even impossible you will thank me for it later (I promise you!).  If you cannot completely decrease it because you don’t have the willpower and motivation to do so, the next best thing I tell people is to at least limit their consumption.  For example, rather than allowing yourself to consume coffee all day, limit yourself to consuming it in the morning only from 7AM to 10AM for two weeks.  Next, limit the number of cups you can drink between 7AM and 10AM, such as 3 cups (same size, same amount each time).   Additionally, consider coffee 5 days of the week in the limited amount (3 cups between 7AM and 10AM) and then consider tea the other 2 days during the week.  This helps you gradually decrease the amount you consume and can help you feel less irritable and or grouchy about the change.

Another great way to help make the transition of cutting out soda, coffee, candy, alcohol, fried foods, etc (whatever you want to cut out) is by replacing the bad habit (empty calories that you want to remove) with something more positive so that your habit has something to replace it with.  For example, if you cut out soda, consider replacing it with flavored water.  Take your plastic water bottle and fill it with water and buy flavor packets that you can throw in it to make it more appealing.  If you drink coffee, replace it with hot tea such as hot green tea, hot black tea, hot camomile tea (all of which have GREAT health benefits)!  If you eat an overabundance of candy, consider making a healthy snack that you can eat such as dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate M&Ms, almonds, and craisins (divide into portions and take a small portion such as a cup to work/school).   For alcohol, consider consuming it once or twice a week in a limited amount (one cup of wine, one beer, one mixed drink) and consider virgin drinks the other times during the week (if you must).

I know cutting calories and cutting out soda, coffee, and alcohol can be a major struggle, but I speak from experience.  A great choice that I made is to give up soda during Lent in 7th grade and I never drank it again.  It was a great way to ease into the change and make the transition less painful.  Not to mention, I am so THANKFUL that I did it for myself and for my body because soda is not something that helps improve your health or has health benefits for your body.  If you have a way to decrease it for a short period such as choosing a season (spring, summer, fall, or winter months), it will help you feel more at ease about your decision.  Remember, baby steps forward are still steps and mean you are making progress in the right direction!  If I can do it, you can too!

Happy cleaning (your body and diet that is)!

~jj

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