How Much Water Do You Actually Need?

Do you know about all the crazy things that can happen to you if you don’t drink water when you exercise? Lots of crazy things. Many people show up at the gym without a bottle of water, and worse, some people show up for high-intensity spinning classes without water, thinking they’ll actually make it through 60 minutes of sweating without needing so much as a sip.
What could happen to these people?

• You could pass out from dehydration, which means that you’ll be known as “the person who passed out and needed an ambulance that one day” at the gym. LABELS ARE FOREVER.
• You won’t have the energy you need to sustain yourself through your workout, or to work out at the best energy level you can. In other words, your workout may become a waste of your time.
• You open yourself up to a number of ailments; I knew a woman who had a virus in her body that spread to her muscles and began eating them – simply because she doesn’t drink water during her workouts. (The woman is fine – the problem was caught quickly, but it could have been devastating if she hadn’t been encouraged to visit the ER). The virus wasn’t caused by not drinking water, but it was allowed to spread faster because she didn’t hydrate.

The standard rule of thumb is one ounce of water for every minute you work out. So, a 60-minute session means 60 ounces of water. But that’s just during your workout on a perfectly average day. There’s more to it than that:

• Is it hot out? Drink a little more.
• You really should drink (WATER) and be well-hydrated before you start working out.
• Are you thirsty already? You waited too long. Get drinking.
• Are you not thirsty? Congratulations, you’re well-hydrated! But, you know, drink anyway.
• Just because your workout is over doesn’t mean your drinking is. Continue to have a few glasses in the hours after your session, especially if it was a grueling one.
• Don’t drink too much, though – having too much water sloshing around in your belly can lead to cramps and nausea.
• Gulp, don’t sip.
• If you’re not training for an Ironman (or just acting like you are), you really don’t need energy drinks (or bars, for that matter). Water works just great, and it's cheaper. Save your money.

Glug, glug, glug.

Grilled Tuna With Asian Vegetable Stir-Fry

Stir Fry Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.
Stir Fry is 2 Weight Watchers Points; Tuna is roughly 2 Weight Watchers Points for 3 oz.; Rice is 4 Weight Watchers Points for 1 cup

If you're one of those unlucky souls who doesn't own a grill, I highly suggest you get one. Okay, I can't grill worth a damn, but D sure can. We made this meal several years ago, but it's still one of my favorites. It's so simple: seared tuna steaks, lightly coated in olive oil (so they don't stick) and dipped in festive black and white sesame seeds, with a side of jasmine rice and stir-fried vegetables that are fresh and packed with flavor. This recipe is so easy and tasty, you might smack yourself. No, really.

The best part is, you can have this entire meal for about 8 Weight Watchers Points. Make it now! Or, you know, whenever you're ready. No pressure.

Weight Lifting 101: 9 Tips to Get You Started

Some of the most frequent questions I get from my friends concern lifting weights. I get it. The gym is an intimidating place as it is, but sauntering onto a floor of thick-necked guys grunting as they bench-press 350 pounds, it's downright frightening. Plus, lifting weights isn't as intuitive as hopping on a machine is. There's a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

If you get over your fears of being mocked while lifting weights or of "doing it wrong," you'll see that it does wonders for your body shape and your weight loss efforts. So without further ado...here are some general tips and ideas for hitting the weights:

• No One Is Laughing At You. Let's just tackle this one right away, because this fear is what keeps people from going to the gym regularly or branching out and trying new exercises. No one wants to look silly, I know. But let's face it - most exercises look ridiculous. Have you actually ever watched people doing squats or lunges? It's hilarious. It looks insane. But the truth is, everyone is afraid of looking like an idiot at the gym. They're so worried about it that they're not paying any attention to you, unless you really do something nuts, like scream as you're lifting. 

• Free Weights or Machines? If you're just starting out and don't know proper form, I highly recommend machines. They will guide you on a path and keep you from overextending too much or injuring yourself in other ways. But free weights are so much better, because they call in other supporting muscles to help. This means that while you're, say, working your biceps, your shoulders and forearms will be called into action, too. It's like three workouts for the price of one. The potential for injury is a lot higher, though, so be careful. I've thrown out my back a couple times doing free squats (talk about looking like a dork). A great way to learn proper form is to take group classes at your gym; the instructors are great about giving tips. You can also opt for a personal training session - many gyms offer one free one when you sign up for a membership. Just be ready to resist a huge sales pitch when you're done.

• The Magic Number: 15. Everyone starting out with weights wants to know how much they should lift. The answer lies in 15 repetitions - if you can easily breeze through 15 reps, your weight is far too light. If you struggle to make it to 10, your weight is way too heavy. To get the true weight you need, you have to be honest with yourself about the effort it's taking you to get there. Your muscles should burn a little. When you hit that 15th rep, you are so ready for that break. If that's not how you feel, keep adjusting your weight until you feel like you've got it.

• Doing Sets. You didn't think you were just going to do 15 reps and be done with it, do you? You're so cute! Any weight-lifting exercise should involve ideally three sets of 15, with breaks of between 30 and 60 seconds in between each set.  

• Increasing Your Strength. Carefully watch how you feel after 15 reps whenever you work out. Is it becoming easier? Are you not burning as much when you're done? It may be time to crank up the weight by another five or 10 pounds.

• Mythbusters. Ladies, you are not, I repeat NOT, going to bulk up. I know you've seen those massive women in the weight lifting competition, but there is no way you're going to look like that unless you start sticking syringes full of anabolic steroids in your arm. What weight-lifting will do is tone you. You'll see more definition in your arms, legs and abs. But it is biologically impossible for women to bulk up simply by doing 30 minutes of weights a few times a week.

• Take a Break. Never work the same muscle two days in a row. Always, always have at least a full day of rest. I'll explain why in the next bullet point. An efficient way to get a full-body weight workout each week while still getting the rest you need is by breaking it down: do upper body and abs one day, legs the next.

• What's Happening? I'm more likely to follow the rules if I know why they're the rules. So, I'll go ahead and explain what's happening to your muscles when you lift weights: You're damaging your muscles. You're creating tiny little tears. As those tears repair themselves (on your day off, you see), you're gaining new muscle tissue. If you don't rest, you risk fatigue and painful injury.

• Stre-e-e-e-tch. Always stretch the muscles you just worked, holding each stretch for 20 seconds or longer. You'll help lengthen them and minimize soreness the next day. And I know you like that.

How to Raise Your Level of Endurance

Whatever your feelings about Lance Armstrong, you can’t deny that the man is a maniac on the bike. While most of what he’s able to do is just the result of raw talent bestowed on only a few of us, there are lessons you can learn from him in order to work out better and smarter.

Yes, there are obvious things Lance does that push him to the top in terms of performance. He’s motivated, dedicated and eats, lives and breathes cycling. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got other things to do besides hit the gym and training that way isn’t realistic for most of us.

One thing Lance has is serious endurance. You have to have it if you’re going cycling in France in the dead of summer, through both mountainous villages and low-lying cities. To survive all of that, you’ve got to have endurance or you’ll never make it.

It might seem like flawless logic: to be the best, you have to go balls-out with your training, every single day. If that’s what you’re doing, I guarantee that all you’re going to have to show for it is some nasty, chronic injuries and few results. And at worst, you could burn out and lose your interest in exercise altogether.

Recover. You need to give your body a rest. You can still work out every day if you wish, but if you work out hard one day (hard being 85% of your maximum heart rate and breathing so rapidly that speaking is difficult), the next day you should take it slower. Watch your heart rate and keep it around 65% of your maximum. [Here’s a Simple Target Heart Rate Calculator.] If you can’t calculate your heart rate, use physical cues as a guide: if you need to open your mouth to breathe or you’re dripping sweat, you’re going too hard.

Endurance. Endurance refers to how long you can go at a particular activity without getting fatigued. Building your endurance is a snap, but it requires patience. First, I highly recommend getting a heart rate monitor, since it’s the most efficient way to tackle this. Here’s a model that’s going for around $30 right now – totally affordable! Second, try this: for six weeks, stay within 65% of your maximum heart rate. It’s going to get boring. Really boring. You’re going to envy the people at your gym dripping with sweat while you slowly trudge along. (Or is it just me?)

But the payoff will be worth it. You’re going to notice something really weird when you ramp up your workouts again. Suddenly, you’ll be able to go harder and longer, but you won’t be breathing as hard or sweating as much. What’s happening? Everyone has a baseline for endurance, and training this way raises that baseline.

It’s not going to turn you into Lance Armstrong, but who's got time for that, anyway?

Crazy-Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Adapted from Hungry Girl.
Also appears in Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200
2 points per serving

D and I whipped this up as part of our New Year's Eve festivities and served it with a sliced and toasted baguette. (We party hard, yeah!)

On first glance, the first thing I thought when I saw this recipe is "needs more garlic." But that's pretty much what I always think. I was skeptical of the water chestnuts. I know they add texture, but I don't particularly enjoy them because to me, they're just water-soaked bits of cardboard. But I went with them anyway.

After we polished off nearly the entire serving, three thoughts came to mind:

1. More garlic. Four cloves was not enough - for us, at least.
2. Ditch the water chestnuts. We just didn't like 'em.
3. More seasoning in general - I'd bump up the cayenne next time, or throw in some extra Mortson's Nature's Seasons. (Do you use this stuff? If not, get it now and throw out the salt and pepper shaker. This is all you're ever going to need. Trust me.)

Overall, we liked the recipe and would definitely make it again!

Frequently Asked Questions

Coming Soon.

Who's There?

Hi! I'm Heather.

The gym is my happy place.

I'll make you go there with me if you're not careful.

I love to eat.

I love music.

I love to take pictures.

This blog is all of that. I'm on a mission to make people excited about exercise and fitness and eating well.

Or at least grumble about it a little bit less.

Tips, Tricks and Ideas

Coming Soon.

Working Out

Coming Soon.

Food, Food, Food

Frozen Dinners


Recipes
Crazy-Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Restaurants

Workout Music

The best workout music is music you like. It's what moves you. It's what gets you over the hump when you want to give up and go sit in the steam room instead. Below are some of my favorite go-to workout songs and the workouts with which I think they're best suited.

Spinning and Biking (S)

Look for songs with strong beats for hills; choose fast rockers for sprints and pick anything lively when you're just pedaling.

Elliptical (E)

Elliptical workouts are similar to spinning in that you can adjust the resistance and either move very quickly at low resistance or very slowly at a high resistance, to mimic a climb. Look for songs that are similar to the speed at which you're going.


Weight Training (W)

The key word is power. Choose songs that have heavy beats and driving rhythms that push you to choose a heavier weight and do an extra 15 reps. What gets you going? Slow or quiet music will only relax you. Save that stuff for the trip home.

Treadmill - Running or Walking (T)

Since there's no rhythm to keep and you can set your speed and go, choose music that will simply keep you going and energize you. But be safe and look for songs that are close to the speed at which you're walking or running. Too fast or slow, and you risk hurting yourself or getting flung off the machine if you're not paying attention. And then you'll be known at the gym as the person who was flung off the machine. Is that what you want?

Cool Down and Stretching (C)

Look for songs that slow you down. Cool down music can have beats, but keep them soft and quiet. You want music that will help you focus on your breathing and inspire you to stretch more deeply. 

Great Workout Songs (updated January 27, 2010)

(alphabetical by artist)


Go Go Gadget Heart, Birdie Busch (E, C)

It Feels Alright, The Black Lips (T, E, S, W)

September Gurls, Big Star (C)
Brain Damage, The Blake Babies (S, E, C)

TV Set, The Cramps (W)
Rudie Can't Fail, The Clash (E, W)

Beautiful World, Devo (S, E, T, C)

Second-Hand News, Fleetwood Mac (S, E, T)
Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand (S, E, T)

Nashville, Giant Bear (C)
Sex Beat, The Gun Club (S, E, T)

I Need You Back, Ben Kweller (S, E, T)

We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!, Le Loup (S)
Kitchen, Lemonheads (E, T)
Me and Mia, Ted Leo & Pharmacists (S, E, T)

Golden Boy, The Mendoza Line (S, E, W)
Cowboy Dan, Modest Mouse (S)
Convenient Parking, Modest Mouse (S, E)

Waiting for a War, Morning Benders (S, E, T)

88 Lines About 44 Women, The Nails (S, E, T)

Big Ups, Noise Addict (S, W, C)

That's How It Goes, Noise Addict (T, C)

Shady Lane, Pavement (C)

Stereo, Pavement (T)
Young Folks, Peter, Bjorn & John (E, T)
Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me, The Pipettes (S)

Cactus, Pixies (S, E)
Levitate Me, Pixies (S, E, T)

Judy is a Punk, The Ramones (S, W)

Bastards of Young, The Replacements (S, E, T, W)
We're All Stuck Out In the Desert, Johnathan Rice (T, C)
Drunkards Worst Nightmare, The Rosebuds (E, T)

L.E.S. Artistes, Santogold (T)
Sweet and Tender Hooligan, The Smiths (S)
Take Me to the Riot, Stars (T)

Great DJ, The Ting Tings (S, E, T, W)
Shut Up and Let Me Go, The Ting Tings (S)
We Walk, The Ting Tings (E, T)

Where Do You Run To?, Vivian Girls (S)

Heads Will Roll, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (S, E, T)

Heavy Metal Drummer, Wilco (E, T)

Do you have a favorite workout song? Let me know in the comments!