December 6, 2022

Hi Amy,

Here we are, smack in the middle of the holiday season! My kids are coming and going, we have parties to attend, presents to purchase, rooms to decorate, and cards to write. With all of this going on, I am trying to stay on track with my health goals or, at least, not steer too far off course! That feels like a ton of pressure!

So, here’s how I’m trying to manage it - I am choosing one aspect of my health to focus on this month, which feels manageable! My goal for December is to STAY HYDRATED. This might seem simplistic, but it is something that I feel confident I can do and it will have a positive impact on my overall health. Don’t get me wrong, I know that staying hydrated this time of year is hard - it’s cold out, it’s dark, and I’m tempted to drink more alcohol than usual. But, I also know that the downstream effects (no pun intended 😉) are well worth the effort!

Standing for your very best health,

Amy & Fran

Healthy Living Coaching
HealthyLiving.coach

Drink Up!

Our bodies need water to function properly. In fact, we should drink half of our body weight in ounces every day and add 20-40 ounces if we work out during the day. Starting the day with 12 to 16 ounces of water is a great way to set your body and brain up for success. When we sleep, our bodies are working hard repairing damaged cells and forming new cells. This leads to a lot of cellular waste that needs to get flushed out of our bodies and drinking water as soon as we get up in the morning is a great way to jump start that process. Additionally, drinking water before we eat anything ensures that the water is quickly absorbed into our system and works to clear out our colons, hydrate our skin and energize our muscles and brain because, remember, our cells need oxygen and water is the thing that carries oxygen to our cells.

Our bodies are 60% water. This water helps with the transmission of hormones and neurotransmitters throughout our body. Without these circulating around, there would be little communication between the cells, tissues and organs. In the brain, water helps to keep the hypothalamus running smoothly. The hypothalamus is basically the balancer in our brains - it regulates things like hunger, body temperature, thirst, emotions, and sleep (among others). Clearly, if this is dysregulated in any way, things can get out of whack quickly.

One of the first things we may notice when the water in our body gets low is that our brains start to get a little foggy. We might get a headache, start to feel anxious, lose concentration, feel more mentally fatigued and even notice a decrease in working memory. Also, be aware that we may notice the impact of dehydration even though we may not even feel thirsty. Honestly, we often identify thirst as hunger–we think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty!

For those of us who work out, we know the impact dehydration (even a little) has on our physical performance. We get winded more easily, have a hard time staying motivated and eventually will have difficulty with temperature regulation. These are all our body’s way of signaling to us that something is not quite right so pay attention!

And drink up! Drink water first thing in the morning, throughout the day, with meals, during a workout, and definitely while drinking alcohol! It’s an easy thing to do and the positive implications are enormous.

Cheers! 🥂

Cool Tool, Tip or Resource

Sawyer Products MINI Water Filtration System. Sawyer's lightest and most versatile personal water filtration system, the conveniently compact, award-winning**, high-performance Sawyer MINI Water Filter is perfect for everything from camping with the kids to traveling abroad where tap and bottled water cannot be trusted.

The versatile MINI attaches to the included drinking pouch, standard disposable water bottles, and hydration packs — and you can drink directly from a water source with the included drinking straw.

Healthy AF Podcast

Atiba Johnson

Join Amy and Fran as they talk with the incredible Atiba Johnson. This man has followed his heart and his vision of what Wilmington and all of its residents can be, and has brought hope, connection, health, and community to many who are historically underserved in the Wilmington area. Through his multiple businesses, including Front Street Market and the OOPS Foundation, Atiba has utilized his resources, connections, and wisdom to change many people’s lives. He has so much to share with all lucky enough to listen. You don’t want to miss this episode!

👉 Listen to the podcast here

Atomic Habits

“Atomic Habits“ by James Clear is the basis for this entertaining and informative podcast with Amy and Fran. Join them as they talk about their own habits (good and bad) and how they use the information in the book to create better habits in their own lives. You will be blown away by how powerful it can be to make just one small change in your daily routine! Listen in and, if you have not already read “Atomic Habits” you will definitely want to after you hear this podcast!

👉 Listen to the podcast here

Coach Amy Chang

Amy Chang, MS, RN, NBC-HWC is a health coach who works with people struggling to lose weight, have enough energy, and choose better health to create healthy bodies, feeling more confident and empowered with peacefulness and ease.

Amy knows that people can accomplish more than they think they can, and with a little coaching people can have the health they really want to do all the stuff they want to do with all the people they love.

Amy is a board-certified health and wellness coach through the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching

Coach Fran Paradine

Fran Paradine, LCSW is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who partners with women and men to overcome the mental and emotional roadblocks that stop them from reaching their optimal health.

She has counseled hundreds of individuals, mentored many more, and has created a podcast focused on the multi-faceted world of wellness called Creating Wellness.

Fran has a Master of Social Work degree and a Certification in Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching.

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