A Super Big Gulp at 8 AM?
We had to take Ella to the local Children’s Hospital this morning.
Fortunately not for anything major — no emergency — just a simple ultrasound because she was breech. They like to do an ultrasound of the hips to make sure everything is AOK.
And much to her credit, she behaved REALLY well (just slept through the entire thing) — must have been because she was so exhausted after being up all night last night!
So anyway, we walk into our appointment this morning and saw a dad…with his 2 kids (probably 4 & 7 years old). And EACH one of them had a 7-11 drink in hand! The dad had a SUPER Big Gulp, which is SIXTY FOUR OUNCES (or 2 liters) and the two kids each had their own, 32 oz beverage!
Now I’m not placing judgment — they could have all been filled with purified water for all I know (doubt it, though).
I’m not sure what it feels like to load up your body with 4-8 cups of soda or a Slurpee first thing in the morning, but I don’t think it would be much different than pouring mud down your throat.
Here is my morning routine — whether I am heading to boot camp or not — and also barring any Ella outbursts for a diaper change and/or immediate “hold me” cry.
1. Fill up a large (12 oz) glass with pure water.
2. Heat up some water to brew some green tea.
3. Put together my morning meal to get me started right.
I’d love to hear what you do each day? Click on the comments button above and let us know.
July 26th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Five to six mornings a week, I start my day off with exercise, either Boot Camp or when Boot Camp is not in session with great friends at the park or the gym. Exercise always starts my day off on a positive note, and it helps me mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually to face the day ahead of me. After I work out, I always eat breakfast, usually yogurt, fruit, and organic skim milk and take my vitamins and supplements. I also have 2 cups of green tea to top off my morning.
I also take time each day to list the things that I am grateful for and to talk, laugh, and share with my wonderful friends and family. For me, finding a balance in my life is a work in progress.
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July 26th, 2009 at 9:27 am
This is great, Kristi! There’s no data to say exercising in the morning is the “best” time of day to exercise, but it not only gets it out of the way, but it starts off your day on the right foot.
Keep up the great work!
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July 26th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Boy, you think that’s scary – check this out. My sister-in-law’s mother-in-law worked at a daycare way out in the country and worked with the babies and infants, and had several moms who dropped their kids off with COKE in their baby bottles – not formula, not breast milk, but Coke. She (and I) was completely horrified, but none of the other workers seemed to think it was a big deal. And you wonder why we have an epidemic of childhood obesity.
I either run at night or do boot camp in the morning, but my day is so full of GO GO GO that I need a really substantial breakfast to get me through the morning. I eat two eggs and fruit, and maybe some nuts if I’m really dragging and need an extra pick-me-up. I drink water non-stop through the day, and snack on fruit, cheese, nuts and veggies through the day. I always used to steer clear of nuts because I was concerned about the fat and calories, but I feel SUCH a difference now that I’ve added them back into my daily diet (and I get enough exercise now that I kind of don’t worry about the calories as much as I used to!)
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July 26th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Depending on my routine, but the usual start of the day is a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of psyllium husk for fiber, and the juice of one pressed lemon; followed by a large glass of cold water.
I then do my workout, and prepare and sip a coffee while I get ready for work. Of course, between shower, makeup and clothes, the coffee is cold before I finish it, but hey … you get used to anything I guess, I even got used to not sweetening it!
Drive to work, 20 minutes, ten I have my breakfast and I’m ready to attack another day at a job I honestly don’t like but which pays the bills while I look for one I’ll enjoy (such as ass. mgr. in a health club!).
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July 26th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I start my day with a protein smoothie of my own recipe:
1 med banana
1 vial liquid ginseng
6-8 oz green tea sweetened with stevia (fresh brewed)
1 1/2 T. flax meal
2 T. cocoa powder
1 T. cinnamon
4 oz fat free plain yogurt
3 egg whites (fresh – free range)
10-12 ice cubes
(if not sweet enough, I add 2 tsp. xylitol which has 40% less calories than raw sugar, or I’ll add another sweet ripe fruit like bing cherries, blueberries, kiwi, or strawberries)
This will make an entire blender full of smoothie, so you can reduce the amount of tea and/or ice to make a smaller shake. I have a relentless sweet tooth and chocolate addiction and this satisfies both. It’s good for on-the-run breakfast or after-workout boost.
But on Sunday, I treat myself to a three egg omelet (3 egg whites and one yolk for color) with organic cheddar cheese and fresh sauteed mushrooms, a sliced yellow delicious apple or fresh fruit salad, steamed broccoli with butter spray, and green tea with stevia. I think breakfast is the most important way to start the day.
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July 26th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I am usually eating within 5 minutes of getting up. Then I am off to lead a bootcamp from 5:45-6:45. The group is very fun and I tell them all the time that if I didn\’t have them to come to work for, getting up would be tough to do!
Breakfast usually includes bowl of cereal/fruit/big glass of water.
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July 27th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Almost every morning my breakfast consist of old fashioned oatmeal and banana or fresh berries. I will take some hard boiled eggs with me and eat them on the way to work.
I love my coffee in the morning but before I ‘allow’ myself to enjoy any, I make sure I fill my coffee cup up twice with water…meaning I drink around 24 ounces of water before filling my mug with coffee.
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July 27th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I am constantly on my kids to eat healthy. They used to get upset with me and say that all their friends had snacks in the house like chips and cookies, why couldn’t we? Well thankfully, my 14 year old daughter FINALLY got it! She told me 2 weeks ago that most of her friends are over-weight and tell her she is sooooo lucky that she is small. She told them it was because her mom refused to have snacks in the house except fruit and carrots! She now sees what eating all of that does to you over time. She now walks a lot and plays sports too and is finally taking notice of what she eats.
I feel really sad when I see a “food challenged” parent with their “food challenged” kids. It makes me sad to think that they KNOW what they have gone through being over-weight and all the problems, why in the WORLD would they want their kids to go through the same suffering?! I think it should be mandatory that if over-weight, nutrition and exercise classes and if you are a parent of an over-weight child-DOUBLE classes and a special class on learning the word NO.
Just my 2 cents
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July 28th, 2009 at 5:26 am
Some parents just don’t undestand how much they influence their childrens’ eating habits. Happy to say that my 16yo daughter has just started the first week of ‘Human Inferno – 99 Days To Lean. I completed the program myself 2 years ago and lost 12kg (26lbs). My daughter isn’t in bad shape at all, but seeing my results and also my focus on good eating and nutrition, it has inspired her to do likewise.
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July 29th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
And these kids with the Big Gulp, I am guessing these are some of the kids that are in other docs offices with their parents telling the doc they think they have a hyperactive disorder. Now don’t get me wrong, i have met children who are legit and need meds, but several others that just need their parents to stop giving them caffine and sugar!
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