Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Wishes for 2014

Here is something I am going to be doing with a few of my girlfriends as we get started for a brand new, beautiful year. 

Each person writes out 5 of each:

- 5 Blessings they've seen in the other's life this year
- 5 Talents they admire in the other
- 5 Goals they believe the other can achieve in 2014

Write it out on a piece of paper (not a text message) and exchange it with someone awesome in your life!



Here's to 2014! 


xoxo, 

- Brooke

10 Days of Healthy Habits - Day 1: Water!


This post is part of a Facebook-Series I will be doing from January 1-10th, 2014 called 10 Days of Healthy Habits. If you aren't already following me on Facebook, get your butt over there! Tips & Tricks, Recipes, Workouts + Motivation - Facebook.com/BrilliantByBrooke. On to the good stuff... 

Healthy Habit #1: WATER! 

"I know I should be drinking more water, but it's so hard" - a lot of people I know (ha ha! :))

- Set your Intentions -> If you can chug a pint of beer when you're out with your friends, you can do the same with water. Picture a plant that is watered each day, and now picture one that has gone a week without a watering can. Our bodies work in much the same way. Water is one of the most key ingredients to health. 

- Start Your Day Off Right -> Down 1 Litre of water upon waking. Use a measuring cup to measure out 1 Litre, if you don't have a large enough glass at home, make your mission of today to buy one. Fill this glass with 1 full Litre of water and leave it on your bedside table so that it is the first thing you see when you wake up.

- Know How Much You Need -> My rec is 1/2 to 1 full ounce of water per lb of body weight, per day. Read: Aim for 3-4 Litres a day.

- Pencil Yourself In -> Set timers on your phone! Litre #1 by 9 am, Litre #2 by 12 noon, Litre #3 by 3 pm, Litre #4 by 6 pm. Write it out. Follow through.

- Poppin' Bottles -> Go to 7-11. Pick out one of those big jumbo guys - I never buy water in a bottle smaller than 1 Litre. Buy a fun bottle... I know Fiji water's an extra $1, but when you really think of it... what's $1 if it is the tipping point that helps you build a new, healthy habit?

- Ice, Ice Baby! -> Add Ice to your water. In order to maintain homeostasis (our body's naturally balanced state) our bodies will actually use energy to heat the water up to body temperature. Read: Free calorie burn!

- Sweat Sesh -> Drink 250 ml (1 cup) every 20 mins of exercise. During an hour long sweat sesh, you should go through 3/4 of a Litre of water.

- Sip, Sip, Munch -> Downing too much water during a meal actually does more harm than good. When our belly's got too much extra water sloshing around, the naturally secreted digestive enzymes get diluted and our food isn't properly digested. Read: Gas, Bloating, Not absorbing all of the nutrients from the food. Limit your water intake to 250 ml (1 cup) during meals. The trick is to sip between meals.

1 Simple Step a Day... You Got This! 


Yours in Strength + Stretchiness,

- Brooke
xoxo