Only water??  You must be kidding.It is we who think that pure water is boring.  This has spond the million dollar industry of flavored water or sport water with added vitamins.  Or you can buy natural mixers to add to your own bottled water.  Flavored water encourages people to drink more water.But aren’t we becoming a little spoiled here?

In contrast to enhanced or vitamin waters flavored waters are just that, flavor and water and a sweetener if you must. We have divided the flavored waters into two subsets: unsweetened and sweetened with various natural or artificial sweeteners.

Currently on the market are unsweetened bottled water, this is water with just a hint of a flavor to make the water not so boring.  Then there are the sweetened bottled water sweetened with sucralose or carbonated sweetened bottled water.There are many on the market that are claiming for zero calories.

Before you throw out your regular vitamins, you might want to read the label on one of these vitamin drinks very carefully. Take Glacéau Vitaminwater Essential Orange Carrot. The label claims that it packs a “megadose of vitamins and minerals from A all the way through zinc.” A closer look reveals that the $1.49 bottle delivers 100 calories but only between 2 percent and 50 percent of the daily value of 12 vitamins and minerals. Essentials, like folic acid and vitamin Bi and D, are also missing.

Oxygenated water (also known as “superoxygenated” water) is offered at hundreds of Web sites and from many companies representing multiple brands. Oxygenated water is highly recommended it if you happen to be a trout or salmon and you have gills to breathe.  If you have lungs to breathe, forget about it!
All  water that has been exposed to the air is “oxygenated” to a small extent– about 8 milligrams of O2 per liter of water at room temperature– and this can be increased by pressurizing the water with oxygen gas; each additional atmosphere of oxygen pressure pumps an additional 40 mg into each liter. But what happens when you open the bottle?  That’s right, the extra oxygen goes right back out— but not immediately, so by drinking oxygenated water, you can still take in a bit more oxygen. But can any oxygen molecules that don’t get burped back out actually find their way into your bloodstream through absorption in the stomach or intestine?

The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s nonprofit fitness advocate, announced results of an ACE commissioned study of super oxygenated waters that promise higher energy, greater mental awareness and concentration and more energy to all athletes who are “looking for a competitive edge or anyone who wants to be truly healthy.The study tested the claims and compared the physical performance effects of several oxygenated water products to regular tap water.

Researchers found that drinking super oxygenated water had no measurable effect on the subjects’ resting heart rate, blood pressure or blood lactate values. The results were not surprising to researchers. Porcari said, that there are only two ways possible to carry oxygen in the blood, either dissolved in the plasma or bound to hemoglobin. In normal healthy exercisers, hemoglobin is already 97 to 98 percent saturated with oxygen. No points for guessing that, there is a little room to improve up on this factor.”

“At this time, there is no scientific evidence or logical rationale to suggest that drinking super oxygenated water can in any way increase the amount of oxygen in the blood stream,” said Porcari. “Therefore, any potential benefits of super oxygenated water would undoubtedly be attributed to the placebo effect.”

Researchers conducted a dissolved oxygen analysis on three bottles of Aqua Rush and three bottles of SerVenRich. The tests disclosed that the oxygenated waters have three times less than the amount of oxygen found in tap water-markedly lower than its advertised claims.
The study results confirm ACE’s opinion that these types of products do not live up to their claims, but water is one of the most essential components of the human body. The American Council on Exercise has always and continues to promote healthy hydration. Water regulates the body’s temperature, cushions and protects vital organs, and aids the digestive system.  And you can get that from just plain water!

Tags: bottled water, carbonated bottled water, drinking oxygenated water, New Drinks

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor. About 1.460 petatonnes (Pt) of water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, mostly in oceans and other large water bodies, with 1.6% of water below ground in aquifers and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation.  Saltwater oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%. Some of the Earth’s water is contained within water towers, biological bodies, manufactured products, and food stores. Other water is trapped in ice caps, glaciers, aquifers, or in lakes, sometimes providing fresh water for life on land.

Sometimes plain old water gets boring, and adding some flavoring can help you drink more. You can buy flavored water, of course, but I think it’s one of the most overpriced things in the store. Here are some ideas for drinking fluids that don’t include adding a bunch of sugar, or cost a bunch of money.

If you wish to stay far from the artificial additives and caffeine, you can mix some flavor to your water using the natural way:
• A twist of lemon or lime (or a little juice)
• A small piece of fruit
• A little unsweetened cranberry concentrate (look in health food stores)
• A slice of cucumber (subtle, but refreshing)
• A mint leaf or two (”bruise” them a little to release the flavor
If you don’t mind some artificial sweetener or other additives, try adding:
• A little diet cranberry juice (not “light”, but “diet” — the light kind has more sugar)
• Crystal Light, Unsweetened Kool-Aid, or other sugar-free drink mix (but check carefully for hidden carbs in some)
• Make a lemonade or limeade by adding some juice (1 gram of carb per tablespoon) and a suitable sweetening agent
• Any of the above flavorings can be added to plain club soda, seltzer water, or diet tonic water.
• Buy flavored sparkling waters at the store.

You should replace milk and soda with water to drink when you are thirsty, but do not force yourself to drink water. Overhydration can cause cramps while exercising!

Buy a Pur filter for your tap water if you don’t like regular! It cleans out germs & makes it taste more fresh. You can buy flavors too for them like strawberry, peach, or raspberry to make your tap water fruity whenever required.

Aquafina has a product called FlavorSplash. FlavorSplash is a product that makes water fruit-flavored. Try this if you don’t like tap water!

One original way to making water more thirst-quenching is by mixing a teaspoon of honey with a Tablespoon of apple-cider vinegar to luke warm water in order to melt the honey. Stir well and add enough water to make a gallon. Chill it and enjoy after that! (There are many experts who recommend apple-cider vinegar for over-all health.)

Tags: flavored waters, Seltzer Water, soda, sparkling waters, Tap Water

Dynaflex Powerball

For more information about easy ways to lose weight and an updated version about fast weight loss tips go to Health and Fitness Tips.

Many people need to lose some weight, that’s a fact. Walk around where people gather, you’ll see it. Don’t laugh. Unfortunately you’re likely to see it in the mirror too. If you’ve made fast weight loss your goal, keep these simple things in mind to lose the pounds quickly and safely.

When people want to lose weight one of the most common things they do is to skip meals. It makes sense, right, cut out the calories by eating one less meal. Fewer calories means losing weight, right? Yes, but skipping meals is a mistake, not the right way to reduce calories. When you skip meals your body goes into starvation mode. It starts to retain fat to counteract what it perceives as a food shortage. Another problem with skipping meals is that when you finally eat you’ll be a lot more hungry. This could lead to binge eating. Skipping meals is the worst of both worlds that results in gaining even more weight. Don’t do it.

Have a plan on how much to eat. Portion control is just as important as eating the right food. Too much of even a healthy food will still result in weight gain. It’s hard to do when large portions are so common. Restaurants and even most people in home cooking serve portions far larger than needed. The FDA and other sources list recommended daily allowances. If you must eat out, keep portion size in mind. You’ll likely have to cut down on what a restaurant serves.

Eat more whole grain foods, skip the white grains such as white bread, sugar and white rice. Whole grains are lower in fat and higher in nutrients. The fiber in whole grains helps you become full faster, and feel fuller longer. Also whole grains contain many nutrients that are often lacking in people’s diets.

Consume more water. Drink it instead of juices and sodas which add about 90,000 calories to the average person’s diet each year. Drink it between meals too. The goal is 8 glasses of water each day. It seems like a lot, but it’s not. Drinking water also promotes health in general by keeping you well hydrated and cool.

Eat healthy snacks between meals. The body needs food every three to four hours to maintain proper blood sugar. Healthy snacks also help control eating at meal times.

With some knowledge and planning, fast weight loss is easily possible. Keep these things in mind and pretty soon you’ll see a slimmer you when you look into a mirror.

Tags: burn fat, fast weight loss, lose weight

Who among us has not had an experience with overeating? Stomach ache, and other digestion problems, is something we all want to avoid. But, if we cannot prevent it, we will welcome anything that offers fast relief!

Carbonated water eases the symptoms of some forms of stomach ailments as well as easing constipation. I learned this the hard way; unfortunately, this is usually how my lessons are learned.

My main symptom of stomach problems is feeling bloated or fullness in the upper abdominal region after overeating; overeating is something I do a lot. Normally, I just suffered; then I went to work for a man who would always take water and baking soda whenever he had these symptoms. One day, really miserable, I tried his remedy; after a short while, I felt markedly better.

As a result, I did some research to learn why this works so well. This was long before antacid medications were sold over the counter (OTC) and long before people became accustomed to run to the doctor with every ache, pain or stomach problem. Basically adding baking soda with water produces carbon dioxide gas with bubbles and somehow the bubbles and the ingredients form a solution that aids the movement of the digestive tract, relieving some of the unpleasantness from overeating – that bloated feeling goes away.

This adding baking soda and water actually forms carbonated water which has been used for years to treat digestive complaints, yet no research exists if it is effective or how it works. I did find some information about studies showing that both the bubbles of carbon dioxide and the presence of high minerals can make a positive difference to the digestive process. This is basically what I was making with baking soda and water. I discovered no information on whether the mineral-rich carbonated water or the bubbles are more effective.

I found some suggestions for stopping these problems before they develop, such as avoiding foods that cause your stomach problems, eating smaller meals, reduce eating a lot of fat, and if you smoke, stopping as soon as possible. Everyone should drink a healthy amount of fluids to maintain movement of the Gastrointestinal tract and preclude constipation.

I read about some devices to make homemade carbonated water, which you can use for drinking. By adding a number of flavors, a great option to regular soda pop is created, especially if you want to avoid the calories. If you make this homemade drink with water rich in minerals, you have concocted a very healthy and low calorie drink, called sparkling water, which is good for your whole family. A large assortment of calorie free flavors to flavor sparkling water to great taste is sold at allfreight.com.

My personal experience proves this: if you have overeaten but feel absolutely miserable and must work for the rest of the day, carbonated water does help.

Tags: carbonated water, digestion, indigestion, Overeating, soda water, stomach ache