Weightloss Journey Update: Tips, Tricks and Staying Hydrated

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and DripDrop®, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #DrinkDripDrop #DripDropHydrates http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

I shared with you all last week how I started my weight loss journey (again) a little bit before Christmas, but have really started to get into it over the last month or so. I am talking really watching what I eat and incorporating exercise into my daily routine. Yeah, there have been struggles, but then it wouldn't be a journey, right?

I promised last week I would share some tips, tricks, tid bits, whatever you want to call them, that I have found to be super helpful, and have kept me motivated. Because let's face it- losing weight isn't fun all the time, and it can get super frustrating! I will also share a little bit of my workout too!

~Break up your work out. I don't know if this is necessarily good or bad for you-I am not a medical professional, but I find it works for me. I notice that I push myself harder when I have shorter workouts, and I am more motivated to work out when I know I only have a short workout ahead of me. Because of that, I started breaking up my workouts as often as I can. I do a little in the morning and a little in the afternoon/evening after work. I work so much harder and feel so much better because I worked out hard.

~Replace meal sides. I love mashed potatoes. But I find that one serving turns into two, turns into three. No good. I like to have a salad with a low fat dressing instead of the mashed potatoes. I toss on a few croutons for some crunch and I find it satisfies me. It also saves me a lot of calories and fat! Something like that is so simple but can be effective.

~Over the last few weeks, I have started my day with a mug of warm lemon water. The benefits are amazing. It has quickly become part of my daily routine. I drink it while I am in the kitchen getting school lunches packed.

~Lastly, I drink lots of water. I usually do pretty well with staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water (I usually drink around 84 oz a day), but over the last couple of weeks I have noticed that it has been a little more challenging for me to get all of my water in for the day. I have been really forcing myself to drink it. Water typically isn't my first beverage of choice- it doesn't quench my thirst, has no flavor and is just blah to me-I have always felt that way. I love your typical flavor enhancers to change it up, but I know it's not great to drink them all the time. So more often than not, I have to really force myself to drink water.

I also know how important it is to drink water before, during and after workouts. That is sometimes when I find it the hardest. When I work out in the late afternoon, I am just about done with drinking water for the day- I can't force myself to take another sip!

One way that I have found helps me drink my water every day is DripDrop Hydration Powder (comes in Berry and Lemon-Lemon is my fave). It's like a flavor enhancer for your water, but better for you and actually serves a purpose. Plus, it is safe for children (older than 1), which is great. My girls always want to drink my flavored water but I am always hesitant because of the caffeine (and sometimes a lot sugar) in them. DripDrop is in the baby aisle at CVS, so it is perfectly safe for them. (They think it's a special treat to drink it..double win!)

DripDrop is a hydration powder that you add to your water, and has a lot less sugar and calories than your typical sports drinks or pediatric drinks. It also has 2-3 times the electrolytes of sports drinks and 25% more than pediatric drinks. So not only is it good to drink before/during/after a workout to stay hydrated, it's great for kids when they are sick and need to be rehydrated. I notice I get really tired when I am dehydrated (add to that working full time and having two children!). Fatigue is a pretty common symptom of dehydration-as tempting as it is to want to lay down a take a snooze or grab a Diet Pepsi (a vice of mine), drinking some DripDop and hopping on the treadmill is much better!

Here are some ways I like to incorporate it into my day:

~I like to have a little in the morning. I am not an up and at 'em kind of person. It usually takes a little to get me going. I will have this after my cup of lemon water. Having it early in the morning eases me into the rest of my water intake for the remainder of the day.

~After school with my girls is full of "no you can't have fruit snacks, no you can't have another brownie, no you can't have chips." Letting them have something like this is a treat because they think its Mommy's flavored water.

~Having this with my workout just fits. It keeps my hydrated, keeps me going and to me is just an added bonus with my workouts. Knowing that I am drinking something that is also safe for my girls just makes me feel more comfortable using it!

As far as my workout routine, I do a different workout every day. I get bored easily and when I get bored with working out I lose motivation. I base my workout on my mood usually and do anything from the elliptical, treadmill (Couch to 5k app is great), or workout DVD's (Biggest Loser workouts are my absolute favorite- so hard). You will find me doing something different each day of the week, and I love it! We have a nice little home gym so it's super convenient for me! What will be even better is when it gets warmer outside. I love to walk outside in my neighborhood, walking at the park nearby and riding my bike.

Another thing I have really understood the importance of, besides staying hydrated, is stretching. I never used to stretch or even warm up. I used to just jump right into my workout. Now I make sure I do some sort of warm up and a cool down that involves some kind of stretching. It's so good for you! I also like to incorporate light weights into my workout as much as I can. The DVD's I do use them, but sometimes just holding them while I walk on the treadmill takes my workout up a notch!

Right now, CVS is offering a $1.00 coupon with the purchase of any ONE (1) box of DripDrop Hydration Powder. This is available until 2/21/15, or while supplies last. You can find it in the baby aisle! You can print out a coupon here!
Give it a try, it's something simple, and is an easy change to make to your daily routine. If you are anything like me, I can't deal with drastic measure with my workout/weight loss regime (which only took me YEARS to figure out). Incorporating the tips I shared with you and also DripDrop are small, but valuable!
What are some of your tips/tricks? I'd love to hear!