How to Burn Extra Calories Just by Drinking Water

This is great for someone trying to lose weight, or for someone who is simply cutting for the summer months. I do have to say though that this will not dramatically change your life, and it's not a way for you to splurge on food simply because you're burning more calories. But it would be nice to burn a little more by doing something you already do anyway! First, some background:

Remember way back to high school science class. That may be longer for some of you, but bear with me. A full explanation is coming! A calorie is the energy to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. When most people refer to Calories, they are actually talking about kilocalories. So when you eat that Hardee's Monster Thickburger, you are actually eating 1,420,000 calories! And when a 150 pound person runs 3 miles at 10 minutes per mile, they burn 324 Calories, or 324,000 calories.

So, considering that the definition of a calorie is based on raising the temperature of water, it is safe to assume that your body must burn calories when it has to raise the temperature of water to body temperature. Since your urine is not coming out ice cold, your body must be raising the temperature; therefore, calories are being burned. But by how much?

Let's take a tall glass of ice water (most glasses are 2 cups, so 16 ounces). Here are the facts: 

• The temperature of the water is 0° C
• Body temperature estimated at 37° C
• 1 calorie to raise 1 g of water by 1° C
• There are 473.18 g in 16 oz. of water

So your body must raise 473.18 grams of water by 37 degrees Celcius, which burns 17,507.66 calories. Remember the difference between the two? That means it's approximately 17.5 Calories your body burns every 16 oz. of ice cold water you drink.

Doesn't seem like a lot, does it? But wait! That's only 2 cups of water! You drink more than that (or at least you SHOULD be drinking more than that). Daily recommended water intake is 8 cups, and a cup is 8 ounces (I believe that active people should drink at least a half a gallon though, especially if trying to lose fat). So that's an extra 70 Calories you burn every day just by drinking ice water. If you drink that half a gallon every day, that's 280 extra Calories burned! Over time those extra Calories really add up too! 

Worst Sandwich Ever

I don't even know what to say to this!  I almost puked by just simply reading about it. This cheeseburger has WAY MORE THAN HALF of your daily needed calories. It really is a "monster."

Hardee's Monster Thickburger

1,420 calories

108 g fat (43 g saturated fat)

2,770 mg sodium

230 mg cholesterol

To get that many calories, you could instead eat 6 McDonald's hamburgers! Try eating 43 strips of Oscar Mayer bacon if you really, really wanted that much saturated fat. And 84 saltine crackers is surely a more satisfying way of getting that much sodium. Don't you think so?

Anyway, here is the whole post I found on Yahoo! health about the worst drive-thru foods in America (and supposedly what to eat instead, but I wouldn't go by that too much):  http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/30464/the-worst-drive-thru-foods-in-america-and-what-to-eat-instead/

10 Commandments of Weight Loss

1. Thou Shalt Not Starve. Cutting too many calories per day will decrease your energy levels and increase your hunger, which makes you more susceptible to not exercising and splurging on high-calorie foods.
   
   
2. Thou Shalt Not Skip Breakfast. You should eat within two hours of waking (I eat within 30 minutes). Your body needs energy right from the start. Even if it is as small as a protein shake or a bagel, eat it.
   
   
3. Thou Shalt Eat More At Breakfast. Eat more at breakfast than you think you should. Try trading dinner calories for breakfast ones.
   
   
4. Thou Shalt Not Be Hungry. Don't feel hungry. Eat at least every four hours. This will keep your energy and metabolism high so that you don't sabatoge your weight loss. This doesn't mean you eat 5 BIG meals a day. This means smaller portions more frequently.
   
   
5. Thou Shalt Eat These Foods. Try to eat breads, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish and nuts. Watch out for High Fructose Corn Syrup though!!
   
   
6. Thou Shalt Take Small Steps. It won't happen overnight. Your body will adapt and change, but it doesn't like to do it all of a sudden. You are more likely to regain the weight if you drop it too quickly. You might even gain more than you lost!
   
   
7. Thou Shalt Drink Water. If you don't drink enough water, your body will not burn the fat. Period. Not only that, but liquid calories add up fast! Pop, juice, sports drinks, alcohol, coffee, etc. Replace these with water and you'll be well on your way.
   
   
8. Thou Shalt RESIST Fast Food. This is an important one. Not only is fast food a lot of calories, it is a lot of unhealthy calories. If you absolutely MUST (and only if there is NO other option), try to stay away from "fried," "crispy," "special sauce," etc. My choices would be salad or grilled chicken.
   
   
9. Thou Shalt Count Calories. You don't need to carry around a pad a paper and write down every calorie you eat, but you do need to have a ballpark estimate. How else will you know if you're eating too much?
   
   
10. Thou Shalt Exercise. This is even more important if you do not have an active job in which you inherently burn calories such as working at a desk. Simply put, you need to burn enough calories so that you are using more than you are taking in (output>input).

How To Drink More Water.

Last post I talked about why you should be drinking more water. Today I'll give you some tips that will start you on the path of being properly hydrated.

• Take Small Steps. Don't go from no water a day to a gallon of water a day overnight, especially if you normally drink a lot of caffinated products. Start by drinking one or two a day, and work your way up to at least eight. I personally drink up to sixteen in a single day!
  
  
• Drink When You're Hungry. A lot of times thirst disguises itself as a fake hunger. If you're feeling hungry and it's not meal time, drink a cup or two of water and it will make you feel full.
  
  
• It's Cheap! Save money at restaurants by drinking water instead of other beverages. You can even ask them to put a lemon in it for free, that's what I do. Makes it taste great. That brings me to my next point
  
  
• Add Some Lemon. Squeezing lemon into water gives it some kind of taste. Also, a glass of water with some lemon squeezed in first thing in the morning kick starts and warms up your digestive system.
  
  
• First Thing In The Morning. Usually people wake up dehydrated, so just drink 1 or 2 glasses of water right when you wake up. Add that lemon if you want like I said in the previous step!
  
  
• Set A Reminder. Use your phone, computer, or watch to go off regularly so you don't forget to kepe drinking water.
  
  
• Keep It With You. Carry a water bottle with you or have a glass close by when you're working. That you you can mindlessly sip on it while working, just go fill it up when it's empty.
  
  
• Keep It Clear. When your urine is dark yellow, you're definitely dehydrated. When it's slightly yellow, you might be dehydrated. When it's clear, you're properly hydrated without a doubt. Be safe and just keep it clear!
  

Hope these tips help you to drink more water because bein hydrated is no joke and not a lot of fun. Please tell me if you have any tips I missed and as always let me know of subjects you want me to talk about. 

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

The military has taught me hydration is very important, and it's something I personally believe is a priority! We were told all the time to sip water, drink water, empty your water bottles, etc. You can never drink too much (well... technically you can, but that's hard to do, haha). Water is essential to life and roughly 70% of your body is made of water. Here are some great reasons to drink more water:

• Weight Loss. Water is great for weight loss for a few reasons. First, it has no fat, carbs, calories, or anything. You can drink a gallon of water a day and not be worried if it's putting a damper on your calorie limits. Also, many times when we feel hungry, we're really just thirsty! I can attest to that personally. Another great reason is that it replaces drinks like pop, alcohol, juice, and a lot of other things that have high-fructose corn syrup or other bad things for you (btw, not all juice is bad).
  
  
• Better Exercise. You sweat a lot during exercise and need to replace all that water. Being dehydrated can severely hinder your athletic activities by slowing you down and making it harder for you to lift weights. If you're dehydrated while you exercise, it will stress your cardiovascular system and you could be at greater risk for heat stroke.
  
  
• More Energy. Even mild dehydration can zap your energy and make you feel tired and fatigued. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated leading to things such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and other symptoms. I always, always, always feel sluggish if I'm dehydrated and haven't had enough water that day.
  
  
• Cures Headaches. You know that feeling after a night of heavy drinking? That's right. A hangover is actually caused by dehydration! There are many causes for headaches, but often it's simply a matter of not drinking enough water. It's done wonders for my crazy nights ;).
  
  
• It makes your body run well. Water is used to help flush out waste products, toxins, and just general things that your body doesn't need (why else do you think you pee?). Also, our digestive systems need water to digest food properly. Water can sometimes help cure some stomach acid problems, and dietary fiber and water combined can help with constipiation (which sometimes is a result of being dehydrated).
  
  
• Healthy Skin. People often report a healthy glow after regularly drinking adequate amounts of water. After a week or two of drinking a healthy amount can have good effects on your skin and help clear it up. I can also personally attest to this fact.

What other reasons would you need? Stay tuned because next time I'll let you know of some ways you can start incorporating more water into your life so you look, feel, and operate healthier.

All about me

As promised, a post all about me.

I grew up in Aurora, IL and did sports starting with T-ball when I was 5 years old. I did several sports until high school including baseball, wrestling, football, basketball, and track. I went to East Aurora High School where I was unable to do sports for a few months because of a severe back sprain I suffered while wrestling the year before; so, I became heavily involved in the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) program instead. There I learned about the military way of life and fitness and it appealed to me as I was (and am) going into the military as a career! I became involved in the drill team (which has a physical training aspect to it) and the physical training team. I got into great shape. While I wasn't very big, I could still do massive amounts of calisthenics exercises.

The summer after my senior year I have no idea what happened. I didn't workout at all for those three months and lost a lot of what I gained! When school started again I did weight training with a buddy of mine along with my military-type workouts. I did that for a semester. After that I still worked out, but not with the same intensity, or effort, or even close to it, I missed workouts, etc. I felt like crap. 

Now I'm just as excited about it as I was before, and perhaps even more so! I have lost a lot of endurance, but fortunately not much of my strength as I said in my previous post. I'm not in bad shape, I'm in decent shape; but, I'm definitely not in great shape! I definitely want to take it to the next level and beyond. I am going to start P90X (19 April 2009!) to jump start the process because I have been hearing a lot of good things about it and peoples' results are amazing on it. My personal progress through P90X will be updated on here at the very least weekly.

I am pursing a Bachelor's of Accounting degree while doing a Marine Corps commissioning program called Platoon Leaders Class. Once I graduate I will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. I am a brother of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. I am a hardcore fitness enthusiast and that is why I bring this blog to you! Over the last several years I have gained a massive amount of experience through my own experience, my reading of articles and blogs, others' experiences that I have talked to, and others' reading of articles and blogs.

As always, feel free to tell me what you want me to write about whether it's a question you or a friend have, a topic you want to know more about, or you simply want my perspective on it. 

Grand opening!!!

FINALLY! I have been wanting to start a completely fitness-related blog for a while now, so I finally got enough articles written up that I will be posting on here over the next couple of weeks until the end of April.

A little overview for you all: this blog will be for literally everything fitness related. I have gathered a wealth of information over the past few years and am very eager to start sharing that with other people to help them acheive their goals! I have no bias towards any specific training because I think that each one has it's purpose and can help you achieve certain goals. So whether your game is strength training, body building, general fitness, running, etc, etc, etc it doesn't matter. You'll find it here. I will post tips on muscle gain, fat loss, conditioning, weight lifting, running, nutrition, sport-specific training, and whatever crosses my mind as long as it is related in some way to fitness.

I will also be using this to review beachbody's P90X and tell you all of my progress through it. I think it is a great program and I have seen others' results through it. I am not new to working out and do not need to lose weight; however, I don't look the part! I have a decently fast metabolism that allows me to eat what I want when I want without gaining too much weight, but that doesn't do me any good for my physique. I have been working out for years, but it fell to the wayside the last year and a half since I've gone to college. I'm in decent shape: I'm as strong as I've ever been (I can lift more weight), but I lost a lot of muscular and cardiovascular endurance (I can't lift that weight very many times) because of my inconsistency and low effort. BUT NO MORE! I'm hoping P90X will help me bring my conditioning back (I know it will).

COMING SOON! A post all about me including: what I do now, what I will do in the future, my experiences, etc. Also several posts that I have prepared in advance about, you guessed it,fitness.

Please subscribe and tell people you know about this blog because the more people here sharing and commenting the better. Tell me if you have specific requests about subjects you want to know more about, or simply want my opinion on them to get a fresh perspective. I don't want to give you info you don't want!