Week 9 RESULTS: Drink Water

We made it through Thanksgiving and our points reflect how busy, crazy and yummy the holiday was! Haha! Thanks for still participating and hopefully this challenge made your Thanksgiving week a meaningful and well balanced one! 

Carrie
Maryjane Wilson	28
Rhonda	17
Dannette	30
Lisa Jones	25
Really Serious	30
Krystal	16
Mary Anne Koski	34
Fawn	33
Tricia	36
Hillarie	24
Cam	38
Christie	25
Karin	35
Jennifer J Robinson	30
Val	24
WenD	38
Sarah	25

Looks like the high thirties are our most successful challengers this week! Way to go!! 

Nice! We are draining the rivers and wells in our states and towns! 

Look at those answers! Most felt really good about the hydration situation... or at least they felt good about it being over and finally leaving the bathroom!

I am glad this challenge will benefit you in the future!!

water is wonderful!

I learned that I CAN drink that much every day, I just need to plan to do it. Make it happen!

The best way for me is to fill a big container in the morning then pace myself. It’s insightful.

That this is a goal I have already mastered . Woo Hoo

Water has been vital in my progress as I have been dieting since the end of January and have lost 82 lbs. Water intake is so powerful for so many health aspects.

I don’t drink enough. I noticed how often I am thirsty!

I still wait until I am thirsty :/

I need to drink more. I get busy, tried using timer to remember but also realized I have to have it flavored up. It’s a challenge for me to get my water in daily. I know I feel better on the days I was more successful.

I felt uncomfortably full the day that i tried.

I hate going potty! Its a hassle when Im busy.

I need to be more deliberate and have water available when traveling.

It takes effort. I have to be intentional to remember to do it throughout the day.

I love hearing your insight, your honesty and your successes! I am really intrigued with how drinking water really helped Melissa with her weight loss! Yay!

Thanks ladies and gents for your trust in this  process and all your guzzling last week! I hope you have watched the video(s) for this week and are learning about healing from trauma and are trying some new healing techniques yourself! Have an AWESOME WEEK!!

WEEK 10: Heal from Trauma!

 This week we will learn about trauma, how the body holds onto trauma and how to heal from it in new and effective ways! Most of what we will discuss comes from the groundbreaking book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in  the Healing of Trauma. By Bessel Van der Kolk. Here is what Good Reads has to say about him and his book:

"A pioneering researcher and one of the world’s foremost experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for healing.
 
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Such experiences inevitably leave traces on minds, emotions, and even on biology. Sadly, trauma sufferers frequently pass on their stress to their partners and children.
 
Renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring—specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, mindfulness techniques, play, yoga, and other therapies. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score offers proven alternatives to drugs and talk therapy—and a way to reclaim lives."

I made an introductory video for you to watch first and then I encourage  you  to watch one, some or all of the videos I will link to below about how to heal in a better way. They are INCREDIBLE summaries of Bessel's amazing work with great tips on how you can start to heal from trauma and help others heal as well. All of us have been touched in some way by trauma and it's effects, and behaviors that stem from these massive unhealed wounds. I hope you will love yourself enough to really dig deep this week.

Give yourself a point for each day that you either 

* study about healing from trauma in these new ways

* try some of these new ideas (yoga, breathing exercises, dancing, acting, being held by someone safe, and more) or

* help someone who is struggling! 

Here is my intro video!

Below are links to my favorite videos from Dr. Van de Kolk and about his book. All except the last one are with the expert himself!

6 Ways  to heal from trauma without medication. 8:53

What is Trauma 7:48

Healing Trauma and how the body  keeps the score. Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk & Benjamin Fry. 20:22 (start at 5 min mark)

How to Feel Safe in Your Own Body. 45 min podcast

Super cute summary of the book's main ideas 6:02

Blending Heaven and Earth breathing exercises from Camille! 6:11

The Calm app is wonderful place to go for healing meditations etc. 

https://www.calm.com/

A new one I have also used is the Oak app. 

https://www.oakmeditation.com/

Water coaching part 2

 Water  coaching part 2 (By Hillarie)

We have been focused on the physical part of water so far this week but it is SO much more.

“Total Wellness is defined as physical, mental and social well- being”.

Water is magic. It nourishes everything in us and around us.  Turn on the faucet- listen- see the flow, the droplets- it cleanses.  Step out your door and look - plants trees clouds - it is everywhere. When it rains you can smell it coming!  When you take a sip of water feel your body welcome it- can you taste it?  Touch an ice cube, touch the surface of water- what happens?

Water has been a part of this challenge already!  Photos of trees. Songs of water. Foods of nature.  It is so essential we often overlook its presence so TODAY have an active awareness of how influential it is in your world.

Here is how it has influenced me-

My Mom is visiting for Thanksgiving and she told a story last night of when I was little- she said I just went in the water wherever it was- often terrifying her -when I was 4 we were at Lava Hot Springs ID (if you ever get a chance to visit it is well worth the trip) and before they realized it I was on the highest platform and then I jumped. I spent summers at camp on the lake.  In my own recent history I have rediscovered the water through kayaking and paddle boarding. I share my journey with you because I am realizing how powerful water is in a positive way- a mental and spiritual positive.  Water is social. I hear laughter and sharing while paddling. I hear life.  I see eons of time and seconds simultaneously. I feel oneness and connected when paddling. Water is the conduit, the connecting essence, the spiritual bond, the essential element.  Celebrate you. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am thankful for each of you and for this challenge. I am so thankful for water.  It is a gift.

Water Coaching by Hillarie!

Thank you, Hillarie for taking this on! Hillarie was a swim coach and a lacrosse coach for decades! Today and tomorrow she is our water coach! Let's see what Coach Hillarie has to say...

To LISTEN to the following on SOUND CLOUD go HERE

When Sarah asked if I would coach this week my mind starting spinning and I started thinking about all the ways of water. Emotional. Physical. Mental. Spiritual. Personal. Sanitation. Conservation. There is SO much to discuss and I had to narrow it down. Water is Essential.  (Astronauts look for signs of life in far away places- yes Water!).  

“Total wellness is defined as physical, mental and social wellbeing” (definition from the WHO - World Health Organization) and wow water is it!
  

So I decided to do a 2 part series starting with the physical.  Fun facts- Did you know 60% of our bodies is water? 
Brain and heart 73%
Lungs 83%
Skin 64%
Muscles and kidneys 79%
Even bones are 30%

To keep things working, water must be constantly replaced through foods, beverages and plain ol' water consumption!
It took me a bit to find recommended amounts in a way that made sense and here is what I found- on average, a 1/2 gal is needed daily. Here is what this looks like - (the measuring cup is for reference). Try it at home so you know! 

Folks take water bottles everywhere- they are fancy these days keeping things cold or hot, we can even personalize them!  But ask yourself this- are you drinking it?!  

“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make em drink”.

And that brings us to dehydration. Dehydration is sneaky and often hard to detect- so get ready for some info (it’s personal and tricky to talk about). Here goes. First- how do we know we need to drink?

I have found these 2 easy quick ways to determine if I need to drink more- 1 is the skin test (I do this on the top of my hand in the meaty part near my thumb).  The second is the urine color test.

Check your skin.  Check your color and do it all the time!

Some tips to remember to drink water-
* Drink a glass before meals - aids in digestion and absorption of essentials. 
* Drink sips a LOT
* Become accustomed to “no taste”
* Match your water intake with whatever else you are drinking
* Drink a glass a couple hours before bed
* Drink BEFORE you are thirsty
* Change how you think about water- it is a gift you give yourself!

(More to come for part 2 tomorrow)