Keep on Chuggin' - Week 6

It is no secret that I love me some green juice...



(Romaine - apple - celery - cucumber - mint - lime inspired by One Lucky Duck)

And after last week's challenge, I felt great after juicing every day again! I feel so great when I juice every morning. My hair and my nails thrive and I love starting my day with a healthy dose of green stuff.

While it's not officially summer yet, the temperature is certainly rising, hitting 34 degrees in Toronto today, feeling like 40 with the humidity. And while I'm a fan of beating the heat with gelato... I've also been striving to get in lots of water! Green juice definitely has its place, but sometimes we just need to go back to basics, y'know? That's why this week we're talking about oh-so-refreshing...

WATER!

While water is not a magical substance, it is definitely important. Our bodies are composed of up to 70% water and your water needs depend on how much you're losing through your life and day-to-day activities and with this heat it's even more important to stay hydrated. I personally like to go for a minimum of 2L (8 glasses) each day and challenge you to do the same this week.

"But Ashley, I hate drinking water"

Here are my top 5 tips to make water consumption easy-peasy:

1. Start early - have a glass of water first thing in the morning (add some lemon and cayenne for some extra cleansing love)



2. Take it with you - bring your water bottle everywhere you go! Make it a super pretty one and you'll be even more likely to tote it along. Leave it out on your desk or workspace so you can see it



3. Change it up - I've become a big fan of sparkling water lately (VOSS is my fav, with grapefruit Perrier a close second) or try adding lemon, lime, cucumber or something fun to your usual glass



4. Make it tea-rrific - homemade herbal iced tea is delish. I became obsessed when I was doing my Fringe show last year and we had to drink "sangria" daily. Make a big batch and keep it in your fridge. You'll feel extra fancy (and possibly very Southern) when you can offer your guests iced tea when they visit



5. Use a straw - I leave a glass straw in the drawer at my office and I swear I drink water faster when I use it! Check out Meghan's super pretty signature straws - I picked one up at ReBoot and love it!

Do you have any tips to get in those 8 glasses a day?

Week 4 Update: There have been a couple of great posts in the blog world since our positive self talk challenge in week 4. Loved Ali's post on setting yourself free through choosing to love yourself and Sheryl's body image reality check post on Monday (can't wait to share with you guys how awesome Sheryl is in real life - NYC post is coming!!) I went back to bellydancing last week and for the first time in a long time I felt really great physically. So excited to be dancing again and so excited to be feeling the self love as well as thinking it.

In other fun news...

The Weight Watchers 2nd annual Walk It Challenge is taking place this Sunday June 12th at Running Room locations across Canada! I'll be doing it at the Beach location (1977 Queen Street East) alongside a lot of my members from my groups at Carrot & Trinity. We had a ton of fun last year and I can't wait to do it again! The walk starts at 8:30 and it's totally free to sign up. I didn't make a group this year as it didn't really do much last year (the Running Room wouldn't even tell me who was in my group) so sign up as an individual and come walk with us on Sunday! If you're heading to the beach location be sure to come say hello!