Sweaty Bands — Fitness

Guest Blogger Rachel Voris, proud mom and Beachbody coach!
Summer bodies are made in the winter, so let’s dive in! We’ve all heard, “drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water” each day... But where does that come from? Honestly, there’s no exact science behind this recommendation. It’s just a fair guideline because it’s an easy formula for people to remember. A better rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. So, for example, if you’re 150 pounds, divide 150 in half, and you should be drinking a minimum of 75 ounces of water each day, and MORE if you’re exercising! If you’re less than 128, make sure to get that 64-ounces in at the bare minimum. Not a water drinker? Here are some tips to get you guzzlin’... (1) Use a straw! It goes down SO much easier with a straw. You don’t even have to pick up your cup. Just... keep... sipping! Before you know it, you’re at the bottom, and it’s time to fill’r up! (2) Track it! That’s right, there’s an app for keeping you on track with your water intake! Check out “WaterMinder” on the iPhone, or “Water Your Body” on Android. Or if you’re not a big app person, make a tally mark in your planner for every cup you drink, or set an alert on your phone, or watch, reminding you to drink every half-hour. (3) Shop for a cool cup! A new pair of sneakers gets you excited to workout, right? So a new water bottle will get you motivated to drink! Shop around... just like shoes, there’s a right “fit” for everyone. Personally, I like a 25-ounce bottle or cup with a straw.... Just fill it up 4-5 times, sip sip sip, and you’re body will be thanking you! (4) Add some flavor. It’s all the rage right now at restaurants, salons... everywhere you go, you find cucumber water, strawberry water, all kinds of combinations. Step aside, lemons... how about some watermelon-mint infused water? Talk about refreshing! Pick your favorite fruits, veggies, even spices... Toss them in, and enjoy! (For more delicious and healthy beverage ideas, check out our other post, Summer Hydration!) (5) Consider it an appetizer. Not only will this help you stay hydrated, but it could help you lose weight too! People who drink water before meals, and between cocktails, generally end up consuming less calories since they’re filling up on H2O. So, before you put anything in your mouth, make it a point to drink a tall glass of water first. Also, between courses, drink up again! Out on the town for a night out with your girlfriends?... Get a glass down in between cocktails. (I promise this will make you feel better in the morning too!) Now, go fill up that cup! And remember, every body is different, so test out these tips and tricks, and challenge yourself to drink more. As you do, take note of how much YOUR body needs to feel and look its best. CHEERS to a happy, healthy and well-hydrated body, hair, skin and even nails!


About the Author
Rachel Voris is a phenomenal mama and a rockin' Beachbody coach who loves to wear Sweaty Bands! Her strength and daily commitment to fitness inspire us every single day. Check our her instagram to connect with her!

Traditionally, heart disease has been considered one that affects men primarily, but the reality is heart disease affects men and women in the same proportions. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. February is heart month, so what better time could there be to shower yourself with love and commit to a more heart-healthy lifestyle? Here are some ways you can show your heart the love this month! FOOD Although most of us know we should eat healthier, we convince ourselves we are too busy to invest the time required in planning and preparing healthy meals. It’s time to change that mind-set. There are thousands of delicious, heart-healthy recipes out there you can prepare quickly and easily. Our heart-healthy Caprese salad recipe, for example, takes only five minutes to make and will no doubt become a favorite for lunch. A quick online search will provide thousands of heart-healthy recipes for you to explore. Try adding one or two into your cooking rotation each week. You’ll see eating healthy doesn’t have to be a chore and probably find some new favorite foods. EXERCISE Exercise is another area where most of us know what we should be doing but fall short in the execution. The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise five times per week to improve cardiovascular health. Many of us get caught up in thinking we have to join an expensive gym or go for a five-mile run for our workout to count as exercise. In reality, exercise is anything that makes you move your body and burns calories. If you’re not ready to sign up for a gym membership, search for ways you can add extra movement to your daily routine. You could dance around the house while vacuuming. Make a couple of extra trips up and down the stairs when you’re doing laundry. Anything activity adding extra movement to your life will be good for your heart. HEALTHY HABITS Habits such as smoking and drinking excessively can increase your risk of complications from heart disease, especially if you have any other conditions, such as diabetes or high cholesterol. To protect your heart, you should stop smoking and drink alcohol only in moderation. For women, it is recommended to have no more than one drink per day. Once you change an unhealthy habit such as smoking, your body immediately begins the process of healing any damage inflicted. Give yourself the gift of health this Valentine’s Day and take steps to eliminate any of these damaging habits from your life. SLEEP Sleep is another critical factor in maintaining good heart health. Sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality can lead to a host of health problems, including high blood pressure, fatigue and metabolic problems. Getting the right amount of high-quality sleep is essential to your overall health and is a key factor in keeping your heart healthy. If you struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep, you should try reducing your caffeine intake and establishing an evening routine that includes going to bed at the same time every night and eliminates the use of any electronic devices, including cell phones, tablets and television close to bedtime. It’s important we demonstrate some self-love by taking extra good care of ourselves as women. Practicing good heart health habits will ensure you have the opportunity to live a long and healthy life! Also, check out our red bands this month and wear red for heart month!

About the Author: LaToya is an advocate for healthy living. She enjoys cooking up tasty, nutritious recipes and regularly practices yoga and Pilates. As a writer for eHealth Informer, she loves sharing her knowledge and inspiring others to live healthier lifestyles.

Since every month is a National 'something' month. We thought November's "National" month was too important to skip over. November is National Running Safety Month. Since we started our niche in running we wanted to share some tips with you all to stay safe during a night run. This week makes it official. You can hardly get off work in time for the sun to still be out, but you still need to get that run in that your body has been craving. Use these tips to have your safest runs while running in the dark. • Always let someone know where you are going! Before heading off on your run, always let someone know here you are headed and how long you think you will be out. It's as simple as a text to a friend telling them your route, etc. • Light up the night like the superstar you are! People at night are hard to see as it is. Runners are even harder to see at night and can easily be overlooked by distracted drivers. Wearing reflective clothing, our Reflective Runner Sweaty Band , and lights make it much easier for drivers to spot you. • Face traffic as you run! This not only provides drivers a clear view of what’s ahead of them, but also gives you a visual of oncoming vehicles in case you need to make any last-minute maneuvers. • Run with a pal! Running with a friend is not only more fun, but also safer! If you don’t have runner friends or a dog ask a friend to bike along you while you run. If none of this is an option, look into joining a running club! • Listen up! Headphones OUT. Nighttime running calls for your most alert self! Not to mention it will give you quality time with just you and your brain ;)! • Carry identification Whenever running alone, day or night, it’s important to carry identification in an emergency. • Run on the sidewalk as often as possible You should already be doing this, but always look both ways before you cross the street and stay on the side walk as often as possible! Crosswalks, especially those regulated by stop signs are the worst for runners. Drivers will pull out in front of the stop sign looking for cars, but often look right beyond runners. Always make eye contact with the driver before you step off the curb! We care about our Sweaty Family so stay safe out there! Don't forget to do your squats, as well!

November Squat Challenge Your BEST booty in 30 days! Ever since J. Lo when have we not envied having a booty?! We've got the low down about getting the best booty in town, and it includes getting low! ;) Puns never get old. We are going to have our best November and do a 30 Day Squat Challenge to get our BEST booty. We are inviting all of you to participate with us! When you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, squat. Download our PDF, print it out, and hang it everywhere! YOU GOT THIS, GIRL! Use this image as your phone lock screen: Not sure you are doing a perfect squat? Watch this video to make sure! Now, DROP IT LIKE A SQUAT!! Here's to an amazing November!

This past weekend we had the amazing opportunity to host the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University CHAARG chapters at the Sweaty Bands Warehouse! It was a fun filled day that started with a sweat session and ended with a shopping spree! Wait, you haven’t heard of CHAARG before?! As described on their website:

"CHAARG aims to ignite a passion in college-aged girls for health + fitness. Too many college girls rely solely on an elliptical. CHAARG liberates girls from the elliptical + shows them that fitness can [+ SHOULD] be fun! Since every girl has a different preference of what fun is, we create opportunities for our CHAARG girls to “find their fit.” We do this by partnering with local studios once a week to lead a workout, whether it be CrossFit, Pure Barre, or salsa dancing — and everything in between."

CHAARG stands for Changing Health, Attitudes, and Actions to Recreate Girls. We are over the moon excited that there is an organization with such passion and drive to keep college-aged girls passionate about health and fitness. Every Sweaty Bands employee wishes that CHAARG was around when they were in college! They’ve even been featured in USA Today College. (YOU GO GIRLS!) CHAARG has a presence on 23 different college campuses and if CHAARG is not on your campus (yet), there is a virtual chapter that you can join! We highly recommend looking into it if you are interested! For our Sunday Funday with CHAARG we had our very own, Kaley Zimmerman, teach her Dance Fusion class!! It is the same class that she teaches our Sweaty Bands staff on some Workout Wednesdays! The energy was AMAZING! These girls are seriously no joke, being a college student, and getting their work out on at 10 AM on a Sunday. Seriously talk about inspirational. We are so grateful we were able to partner with our two local chapters in Cincinnati. We are so excited about this organization and all they’re doing to inspire fitness and friendship in collegiate girls! Visit their website to learn more about them! Thanks for an amazing Sunday Funday @UC_CHAARG and @XU_CHAARG and happy happy birthday to @CHAARG!