one step forward, two steps ...

i hate having a desk job.

sit, sit, sit all day with no movement from the waist down.

and other than walking (very minimally) from point a to point b, i don't utilize the greatest exercise opportunity that i have within myself.

i'm working on changing that.

simply increasing the steps you take per day can really have a drastic affect on your life.

according to wendy bumgardner, walking blogger extraordinaire, you should begin by increasing "your pedometer steps by 2000 per day, up to a goal first of 6000 steps per day and eventually to 10,000 steps per day."

be sure to warm up before you walk. you need to wake up your muscles and let them know you'll be needing to use them for awhile. go at an easy pace for 5-10 minutes or so. about.com says "this will tell your muscles they can't just sit back and burn up the available sugars in your body; they need to call on the fat reserves." consider this an exercise primer.

for the next 30-60 minutes, you should walk at a "determined" pace.

(you remember that one time you were late for that one thing, and how you walked as fast as you could to get there? the sense of urgency in your step? yeah, kinda like that.)

i like to use the talk test.

taken from the center for disease control and prevention, the talk test is a simple method of measuring activity intensity. "a person who is active at a light intensity level should be able to sing while doing the activity. one who is active at a moderate intensity level should be able to carry on a conversation comfortably while engaging in the activity. if a person becomes winded or too out of breath to carry on a conversation, the activity can be considered vigorous."

be sure to give your body a cool down time by walking at a slower pace for five minutes. (it's also recommended to finish off your walking excursion with some stretching. i'm not there yet.)

something new i learned today: it is not recommended to add outside weight to your body while walking. if you do, you should add no more than 10 pounds and wear it in a backpack or at your hips so your body can remain balanced and your posture is not thrown off. walking with poor posture or adding weight to your arms or legs can lead to injury.

oops. i occasionally use ankle and wrist weights to add intensity ... this is a no-no now.

even if you don't have time for a regimented exercise plan, try implementing a few of these in your life:

• park your car farther from the store, work, etc.
• use part of your lunch break as a chance to walk around the block (or building)
• take the dog around the block a few times
• (for those in apartments) walk to get your mail or visit the front office
• use a push lawnmower instead of a riding one!
• use the stairs instead of the elevator

and finally, what would an informational post be without calculators?

walking calories calculator

walking calories and distance calculator

pedometer walking calories and distance calculator

go, my friends! take the world by storm!

we can do it, one step at a time.

water-logged.

there's been someone new in my life. we do practically everything together. some say we're inseparable.

friends, meet mr. bottle.

this rubbermaid® container brings me milk in the morning, and water the rest of the day.

the measure marks on the side helps mix the perfect flavored water concoction.

the fact that it's reusable really appeals to my "green" side.

mostly, though, i love it because it keeps me hydrated and healthy.

i can't say this enough: that bottle (and more importantly, what's in it) is one of the most important things i'm committed to during my overhaul.

water makes up more than two-thirds of the weight of the human body. basically, without water, humans would die in a few days—all the cells and organs need water to function.

of course, not everyone likes water. most people prefer sodas, fruit juices, sports drinks, coffee and others. according to nutritionist andrea dunn, all these drinks can help quench your body’s thirst for fluids to an extent, but they typically contain 100 calories or more per serving.

"the best alternatives to water are diluted fruit juices, non-fat or skim milk and diet soft drinks," dunn explains. "but these drinks shouldn’t supplant water. take note of how much sugar is in these alternatives. sugar slows down the rate at which fluid is absorbed into the body. If you have trouble drinking water because you don’t like the taste, try adding a twist of lemon or lime or a splash of fruit juice. and cold water tastes better."

according to this diet wiki,
"all people should consume a minimum of 64 ounces a day, and many people drink as much as two gallons daily with no ill effects. a person who is overweight should drink an additional 8 ounces for every 25 pounds over his ideal weight. intake should be spread over the course of a day ... drinking too much of any liquid at one time will make a person very ill."

another way to figure how much h2o to consume: take your current weight, and divide it by two. in my case, i'm supposed to consume about 100-oz. of water a day.

here's a hydration calculator that'll help you figure it out, based on various health conditions.

an interesting tidbit i picked up from the calculator: when eating a healthy diet (which i am), up to 20% of your water intake may come from the foods eaten. that puts me down to an average intake of 82-oz. a day.

TIP: eat water-rich fruits and veggies, like watermelon, oranges and leafy vegetables.

surprisingly, it hasn't been hard to meet or exceed that.

each morning, i drink 16-20-oz. of skim milk, followed by 20-oz. from mr. bottle, times three.

in the evening, i drink another two 16-oz. glass-fulls of flavored water, and i'm set.

i also try to incorporate a few servings of water-rich foods into my diet as well.

you do the math.

PLEASE NOTE: in very rare cases, people who consume too much water may develop hyponatremia. essentially, your kidneys become overwhelmed at the amount of water it's trying to process while your natural salt levels drop below normal. it's commonly seen among long-range athletes who don't replenish other nutrients. get more information on that here.

sure, i feel bloated a bit more than i had before, but i don't look it. my ankles are actually skinny again. my skin looks amazing.

if you can do nothing else in your own overhaul, do water.

trust me.