notes, quotes & anecdotes of a year fast passing

i’ve been participating this month in dani’s #100ozchallenge, a healthy pursuit challenge on twitter to - you guessed it - drink 100 or more ounces of water per day. of the 11 days i’ve participated, i’ve hit my goal of 100+ oz eight times. not too shabby!

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typically, it’s recommended that you get 6-8 eight ounce servings of water a day, which adds up to just 48-64 oz.  the mayo clinic suggests a bit more - but keep in mind, water makes up a lot of the food we eat and that counts toward their total recommendation, as well. a lot of people have trouble hitting that benchmark, so imagine my surprise when i got past 150oz. one day! before i get to the how, let’s touch on the why…

the health benefits of water are really fantastic. the best part? it’s not trendy or expensive or hard to get. it’s free, environmentally friendly if you use a re-usable water bottle, and crazy healthy. if you don’t mind a few extra bathroom breaks throughout the day, that is!

health benefits of water:

1) drinking water before/during/after meals can help you lose weight by keeping you fuller longer and therefore helping you to consume fewer calories (more on this in the tips!). lots of times your body confuses hunger for thirst and if you’re craving an afternoon snack, you might be just as satisfied by drinking a couple of glasses of water, waiting 15-20 minutes and realizing that your hunger has subsided. ALSO, by drinking water instead of sugary beverages, you’re saving calories for filling foods rather than drinking empty calories that won’t fill you up.

2) by the time you’re thirsty, they say you’re already dehydrated, so drinking lots of water regularly helps to keep you hydrated, healthy and energetic.

3) i’m finding it to be true, but who knows if it’s a coincidence - they say water is great for your complexion. avoiding breakouts and evening skin tone?! i’ll take it!

4) water helps to keep everything err - moving - throughout your body. this helps you to get rid of waste and toxins. you know how they always say to drink lots of fluids when you’re sick? this is for the same reason. it flushes out all the bad stuff much faster!

5) water’s sort of a cure-all. not REALLY a cure-ALL, but lots of ailments that we’re so quick to grab advil, caffeine, etc. for can be remedied by staying hydrated. crashing energy levels, headaches and more can often be fixed just by gulping some water.

6) water has been proven to lower people’s risk of cancer and heart disease. this might not be a DIRECT result of water - but linking together all of the other benefits of water (weight loss, hydration, cleansing, etc.) all help to decrease risk factors.

7) it gets you moving! i don’t know about you, but the bathroom and water dispenser (?) are about 1-2 minutes away from my desk, so every hour, whether i’m grabbing a refill or taking a bathroom break, i’m up out of my seat a couple of times and moving around for about five minutes. they say for every hour you are sitting at your desk and being sedentary, you should get up for at least five minutes and this really helps to accomplish that.

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okay enough of that, we get it. water is great for you. now HOW can you gulp down that many ounces a day?! i’ll be honest. on days when i’m out and about, i struggle lots and those are the days that i didn’t reach my 100 oz goal. but days that i’m at the office? easy as pie. here are my tips…

1) drink with a straw! i find that any drink with a straw gets sipped down a lot faster for me. (read: alcoholic beverages + straw = bad news but water + straw = throwing back waterbottles in no time!) see below for a picture of how FUN straws can be ;)

2) get a water bottle. not only is this more environmentally friendly, but you can easily grab a water bottle that’s 20-32oz that you’ll only need to refill 4-5 times throughout the day, rather than getting up every 15 minutes to hunt down a little 4oz cup next to the water fountain.

3) drink with every meal/snack. especially if you’re trying to drink water to shed some pounds, i recommend drinking 16 or so ounces (2 cups or one bottle for me) with breakfast, one with a morning snack (or if you don’t have a snack, just between breakfast and lunch), one or two at lunch, one or two in the afternoon and one at dinner. all of a sudden, the day is over and you’ve met your goal!

4) stop drinking after dinner. this might seem counterintuitive, but unless you want to get up in the middle of the night while you’re trying to snooze, i wouldn’t drink much past 7pm. trust me on this one!

5) keep a tally. when i’m midway through the day and i realize all i have left to beat my goal is a couple of measly refills of my water bottle, it’s great motivation to keep chugging along (literally!). once you get in the habit of drinking this much water, it gets a lot less overwhelming and much easier. in all the health goals people set for themselves in the new year, this one is pretty darn attainable!

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(okay, i probably wasn’t drinking water there, but hey. it was my birthday, gimme a break!)

let me know if you have any questions or concerns and if you’re interested in joining the challenge, just get drinking and start using the hashtag #100ozchallenge! i’m sure dani will welcome you to the challenge with open arms :)

xxoo,

eliz

another month has come and gone and i’m reminded that the title of my blog is so true - notes, quotes & anecdotes of a year fast passing. where did 2011 go and hello, 2012! i’m so excited for this year, but am so thankful for all the great changes, events and people that made 2011 such a great year. rather than recapping the entire year (because i don’t have the memory for that!), i’ll take a look back at the past month, instead.

1. finally bought myself a gift in a little blue box. a silver pendant necklace inscribed with an “E” and a note that read, “my ‘why not me?’ philosophy began” was my holiday gift to myself for a year of hard work. i love, love, love it and it was worth every penny.

2. holiday cheer makes december one of my favorite months of the year. from holiday cookies (i made these puppies for my work holiday potluck), my christmas movie marathon (always includes love actually, dr. seuss’ how the grinch stole christmas, home alone and elf), christmas tunes or lots of red, it’s such a happy, fun time and i can’t get enough! i made the cupcakes below with my mom and brought them in for everyone that had to work christmas eve at my office!

3. also in the holiday spirit: i took my mom to the cirque holidaze show at the bushnell (so many crazy acrobatics, i think my jaw was down the entire show!), we resumed our christmas day tradition of visiting our family in fairfield county (no pictures. womp womp!) AND i was thrilled to finally be home for hannukah for the first time in years. remember these baked latkes from last year? (side note… mom’s are better, albeit not baked.)

4. i am SO GRATEFUL for all of my fantastic visitors, guests and friends from massachusetts that visited me or met up with me this month. it was amazing to see them all so much and even though i’m glad i moved on from there, i still miss all of my friends. karen’s pitstop for breakfast, holiday shopping with keri in danbury, laura & pat’s espn tour, and the river hawks’ trip to storrs with sean in tow… just missing scott and my lowell family would have all been around this month! and even though she’s not a part of the lowell gang, i even convinced ccbrown to visit the nutmeg state. i’m so spoiled :)

i hope everyone had an equally happy holiday season and is looking forward to 2012 as much as i am.

xxoo,

eliz

my friend lauren sent me this list from marc and angel hack life. just had to share the reader’s digest version! i’ve bolded favorites or ones that especially hit home. for the full list, click the link above!

1. start spending time with the right people.
2. start facing your problems head on.
3. start being honest with yourself about everything.
4. start making your own happiness a priority. – your needs matter.  if you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself.  remember, it is possible to take care of your own needs while simultaneously caring for those around you.
5. start being yourself, genuinely and proudly.
6. start noticing and living in the present. – right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.  right now is life.  so stop thinking about how great things will be in the future.  stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past.  Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening.
7. start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you.
8. start being more polite to yourself.
9. start enjoying the things you already have.
10. start creating your own happiness. – if you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out.  choose happiness.  be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow.  happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it.
11. start giving your ideas and dreams a chance.
12. start believing that you’re ready for the next step.
13. start entering new relationships for the right reasons.
14. start giving new people you meet a chance. – it sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made.  people and priorities change.  as some relationships fade others will grow.  appreciate the possibility of new relationships as you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work.  trust your judgment.
15. start competing against an earlier version of yourself.
16. start cheering for other people’s victories. – start noticing what you like about others and tell them.  having an appreciation for how amazing the people around you are leads to good places – productive, fulfilling, peaceful places.  so be happy for those who are making progress.  cheer for their victories.
17. start looking for the silver lining in tough situations.
18. start forgiving yourself and others.
19. start helping those around you.
20. start listening to your own inner voice.
21. start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks.
22. start noticing the beauty of small moments. – instead of waiting for the big things to happen – marriage, kids, big promotion, winning the lottery – find happiness in the small things that happen every day.  noticing these small pleasures on a daily basis makes a big difference in the quality of your life.
23. start accepting things when they are less than perfect.
24. start working toward your goals every single day. – remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  whatever it is you dream about, start taking small, logical steps every day to make it happen.  get out there and DO something!  the harder you work the luckier you will become.
25. start being more open about how you feel.
26. start taking full accountability for your own life. – own your choices and mistakes, and be willing to take the necessary steps to improve upon them.  you are the only one who can directly control the outcome of your life.
27. start actively nurturing your most important relationships. – bring real, honest joy into your life and the lives of those you love by simply telling them how much they mean to you on a regular basis.
28. start concentrating on the things you can control.
29. start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes.
30. start noticing how wealthy you are right now.

alright, folks, i’m not going to lie. these pictures aren’t that pretty… but the meal was really quick and easy, so don’t judge the dish by the photos.  i found a variation of the recipe in cooking light, but doctored it up based on what we had in the fridge. customize your version accordingly! it’s really simple to make and since it’s a one pot meal, you won’t have many dishes to worry about after. isn’t that the best kind of dinner?!

anyways, what else is new? i hope you’re in your kitchen baking up some holiday treats to share with family, friends, coworkers and the gang. if you need any inspiration/ideas/recipes, think about gingerbread cupcakes, classic sugar cookies, hot chocolate cookies or eggnog cupcakes! and how to wrap it all up? cookie baggies, of course :) (shameless plug: if you’re looking for other recipe ideas, you can always check the recipe rundown. i’ve been very meticulous in organizing alphabetically and also by category!)

alright, after that rant, i just really want some sweet treats… but i’ll show you a nutritious and filling dinner idea instead.

ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can low-sodium chicken broth (14.5 oz)

1/3 cup lemon juice (plus lemon for garnish, optional)

2 teaspoons honey

3/4 cup orzo

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1” pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces

2 cups water

done collecting? great, let’s move onto the doing.

(ps - yes i know there’s sour cream in that picture, but just ignore it. i saw it in the original recipe, but think it’s totally unnecessary, so you don’t need to use it.)

prep by cutting your chicken, green beans, bell pepper (or whatever veggies you’re going to use) into 1” pieces.

next, pour the broth and lemon juice into a big pot or dutch oven. bring them to a boil, add the chicken, salt and pepper. cover, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked. remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside for a bit.

now that the liquid is the only thing left in the pot, bring the heat back up to high, let it cook for about five minutes and whisk in the honey.

add the two cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. pour in the orzo and cook for 10 minutes or until the orzo is tender, the majority of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is more voluminous (don’t you just love that word?! i do.)

add the green beans, bell pepper and chicken. let it simmer for about five minutes before serving.

nice and light but totally filling. enjoy!

click here for a printable version of the recipe!