Friday--last day of the challenge

My dear hubby is a Paramedic. And my dear hubby's paramedic shift starts at the lovely 6:00 a.m. A.M. as in in-the-freaking-butt-crack-of-dawn morning. My dear hubby works this early morning shift until the following morning at the same time--yes, 24 hour shifts. And my dear hubby, like most men, likes to eat. Which means when (and if) I pack lunch for dear hubby, I have to pack it for basically three meals. When (and if) I wake up early enough to pack his lunch, I send a variety of different things, some frozen burritos, hot pockets, taquitos, etc, perhaps some homemade sandwiches when (and if) I am awake enough to make them. 6:00 comes early y'know.

One thing that has been a life-saver with his lunches (the drinks at least) are the single-serve Crystal Light packets. They contain enough for two servings, about 16 ounces of refreshment. These are perfect for my picky husband who doesn't like water. (Who doesn't like water for crying out loud?) The available flavors have grown this last year, in that there are now a dozen or so choices to choose from. His favorite? Cherry and grape. Pretty boring, but it makes him happy. And it's a no brainer when (and if) I pack his lunch at the horrid hour of 5-something in the morning.

As for me, yesterday's water challenge went better. I noticed that if I pound down the water, taking several gulps at a time, I really get through more water more quickly (duh, Amie!). Not that that is a surprise, but Wednesday when I was just sipping all throughout the day, it really felt like I was constantly drinking yet never getting anywhere in my ounce-count. Does that make sense? By the end of my class yesterday I was half-way through my water, yet I didn't feel as if I'd been nursing my bottle the whole morning. And that was a bit more pleasant.

Today will mark the end of my week-long challenge. I've done pretty well--I hit my 8-10 glasses each day, exercised three times (last night was my third) and drank no pop the entire week. One thing I noticed is that water can cure a craving. I'm a munchy-type person. I snack out of boredom. Not necessarily out of hunger (though that is most certainly the case sometimes), but just out of needing something to do. I found that drinking my water constantly kept the hunger and boredom away.

I would like to say that my skin is clearer and I lost weight and I feel healthier and so on. However, I lost no weight, I have actually broken out a little bit around my mouth (why there?) and health-wise I feel about the same. But I also know that you can't become healthy overnight, or even over five nights. ;) It's a life-long thing.

It's good to know though, that the options are there for tasty, low-calorie drinks. And whether we use it to just replace 2 of our 8 glasses of water a day, or use them in popsicles, party drinks, snack-attacks or whatever, Crystal Light is a great option for a sweet drink without all the refined sugar of other flavored drinks. And the stuff tastes good too.

What more can you ask for? :)

Thursday

So...I'm like an eternal dieter. Seriously.

I'm constantly worrying about fat, calories, sugar, carbs, or something. And I love fad diets. I'll be the first one to admit this horribly unhealthy truth about myself--a new pill? Sign me up. Nothing but cabbage soup for a week? I'm on board. Counting points? Counting carbs? Nothing but grapefruit? Cookies? Lemonade? Shakes in a can? Yes, yes, and yes. I'll try it. Anything to try something different.

One thing that has never changed is that I don't drink my calories.

And that's why one of my favorite drinks is a combination of cranberry apple Crystal Light and a 2 liter of diet lemon-lime soda in a large fancy glass punch bowl, served with a few lemon slices and sipped through a straw from a pretty glass. This is always great for holiday parties, baby showers, wedding showers, backyard BBQs, whatever. Tart, sweet (without the calories!), bubbly, refreshing, and delicious!

What combinations have you tried?

Yesterday's Day 3 of the challenge was a little bit hard. I was in and out all day, but I took my water with me. Still, by 6:00 at night, I was only half-way through my 8 glasses. Why is it so hard to consume water all day? I felt like I was constantly drinking from my bottles, but I guess I was only sipping all day, and that got me nowhere fast.

And, I hate to say it, but I'm getting a bit tired of water. That's where those 2 replacement Crystal Light glasses count and become quite the life savers.

What about you? Do you get tired of drinking water all day? Are you a sipper or a pounder? I can't really pound down the water unless it's room temperature. I'll be in class, away from home again for 6 hours during the day. I hope to do a bit better than Tuesday, yet I hate to have to leave class due to the Call of Nature.

Wish me luck.

wednesday

Like most moms out there, I try to make our snacktime healthy and delicious and full of nutritious ingredients that are going to satisfy and sustain my kiddos, not just amp them up and fill them full of sugar and then send them off to conquer and destroy everything in sight.

And being that I’m from Arizona and being that this Summer the hot hot hell weather that we experience got up to 117 degrees and furthermore being that we have 3 children age 10 and under and at the time had 3 daycare children also in our humble abode—being all that, we go through a lot of popsicles around here.

Sometimes, nothing else is going to quite do the trick like a nice frozen treat and more often than not, when we reach for a popsicle, it’s one of those sugary flavored ones with the cartoon characters on them—you know the ones, they come like 300 to a box for $4?

A great alternative to this, I’ve found, is making my own Crystal Light popsicles.  (And yes I realize that Crystal Light actually has a line of popsicles available for purchase, but in a pinch, this works)  I can make my own flavors from the variety of Crystal Light I have on hand, freeze them up, and within a few hours, voila, sugar-free popsicles that taste much much better than those cartoony doohickeys.

This is actually my preferred way to consume the Lemonade variety.  Have you tried this?

Day two of the Water Challenge was definitely harder yesterday, for all the reasons I previously mentioned.  I was away from home from 9 – 3 and drank approximately 5 ounces while I was out.  I did take water to class (everyone had water bottles I happily noticed) but I was concerned that if I drank too much, I’d have that all-too-predictable effect of needing to run to the restroom every 20 minutes.  Definitely a place I’ve been visiting more since starting this challenge I admit!  But since my lab went approximately 3 hours, I didn’t want to risk it. 

So, the rest of the day I was pushing myself to drink up.  I did achieve my goal of 8 glasses and I even walked on the treadmill again because I was bored.  (Hubby was away working on shift at the Incubus concert)  Today should be easier because for the most part I will be home. 

Did you hit your goal yesterday?

Tuesday

One of the best things about Crystal Light is that it comes in so many flavors! They carry four different lines in which you can pick precisely what you need: Refreshment, Tea, Enhanced (with extra nutrients and antioxidants), and Sunrise (with caffeine if you need to jumpstart your day).

We generally stick to the Refreshment label. And the choices are: (big breath here) lemonade, pink lemonade, fruit punch, cranberry apple (my fave), iced tea, raspberry ice, pineapple orange, strawberry kiwi, and strawberry-orange-banana. We drink it usually with lunch and dinner and then my kids walk around with lovely red mustaches on their upper lips for the rest of the day.

I drink mine with a straw. :)

Yesterday when I started my Water Challenge, I have to tell you I had no problem getting in my 8-10 glasses of water. But I was home where it was very easy and convenient for me to grab, drink, and refill water bottles during the day.

Today, Tuesday, I start my college class and lab (Anatomy & Physiology II--pray that I'll have strength!) and I have a feeling that it will be a bit harder to consume my water because I'll be away from home for 6 hours. I'll have my water bottle of course, but who knows how convenient it will be to refill it during class. I don't necessarily care for the idea of sloshing up to the Science building with 3 water bottles in my backpack. (Do college students still carry backpacks? It's been a looooong time since I last was enrolled in school.)

**Speaking of water, as I type this, I just heard my 5 year old son (who is supposed to be taking a bath) yell "CANONBALL!" at the top of his lungs and then jump into the tub. This is my life.**

So far so good for the challenge. I drank 8.5 glasses of water yesterday and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. How are you doing on your challenge? You can check out other BlogHer Water Challenge participants and their stories here.

Monday

When I was asked to participate in the Crystal Light Water Way Challenge, I most enthusiastically said yes, for several reasons.

I love drinking Crystal Light--I have for years...ever since I was a teenager, in fact. It's sweet and tart and satisfying.

And of course I love that it is sugar-free! I am a big proponent of not drinking your calories (what a waste!) and so this has long-been a diet-friendly drink of choice for me.

In truth, about two months ago, my entire family made the move from calorie and sugar-filled drinks to Crystal Light. The effect? My kids didn't even notice the lack of calories. My husband likes it better than what we were drinking before. And I have the comfort of knowing I'm not pumping my kids full of sugar at every meal.

Of course Crystal Light should not replace good ol' H20. We are counseled by doctors across the globe to consume 8-10 glasses of water a day just to stay hydrated and replace the 8-10 we lose by way of sweating, breathing, and eliminating waste! However, 2 of your 8 glasses of water can be healthily replaced by Crystal Light and that's OK. Some, like my husband, have to have a flavored drink with a meal. If this is the case for you, simply drink your two glasses at lunch and dinner, and drink water the rest of the day. You'll feel better and healthier for staying so well hydrated.

Try joining the Crystal Light Water Challenge here!

I never say no to a challenge! (especially if it's going to make me healthier)

Monday's blog.

Tuesday's blog.

Wednesday's blog.

Thursday's blog.

Friday's Blog.

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and the Crystal Light Water Way Challenge.

I was asked to blog for a week on the benefits of adding Crystal Light to one's diet and challenging myself to drink more water. This is a great opportunity for me because Crystal Light is a staple in our house. I've drank (drunk?) it for years and recently my entire household made the switch from sugary flavored drinks on over to nearly calorie-free crystal light without even noticing. My hubby even takes the single serve packets along with water bottles to work--they are muy conveniento! *a little spanish lingo for you there*

So I checked out the website, joined the challenge, learned what I'm doing right (not consuming lots of caffeine and sugary drinks), what I'm doing wrong (definitely not drinking enough water) and set out for a week-long challenge.

My goals:

• drink 8-10 glasses of water a day (2 can be replaced by Crystal Light)
  
• drink no soda pop for one week (this isn't a biggie for me, but I will do it just to prove I can)
• dust off my treadmill and use it thrice this week!
  

You too can join the challenge and conversation going on at BlogHer. Just join here! You'll need to create a blogher.com profile with just an email and a username. That's it.

I took the Crystal Light Water Way challenge on their website and learned a few things. If you'd like to check it out and perhaps join this challenge, take the Water Assessment and get your own widget for your blog by registering at the Water Way Challenge site. First, create a login at http://deliciouschange.glam.com/ and then go to http://deliciouschange.glam.com/water-wisdom-assessment/. The widget is located on the right hand side of the screen in a yellow box, and is called "Water Way Challenge Widget".



You can get one of these cuties to stick on your own blog as well.



For more information, please visit Crystal Light's main site.

I'll be updating this blog all week--please come back to follow along with me in my effort to be a bit healthier and hydrated!

Let's do this together! Let me know if you're up to the challenge yourself and count those water glasses this week. Feel free to leave your own updates in the comments or keep the widget tracker on your blog. Good luck!

and the winner of the Ritz $100 Visa Card is...

Rita from wonderful-mornings arochel52@hotmail.com!

Thanks for entering and thank to Ritz and BlogHer for sponsoring this contest!