Energy Drinks - Good, Bad, Ugly?

Energy drinks are concocted, chemical garbage.

Their ingredients are a laundry list of sugar and fake sugars, petroleum based artificial colors, synthetic vitamins and added minerals.

I don't ever recommend them to my clients and audiences because they're a chopshop type of fuel that taken on a basic level can do much more harm than good.

A more effective energy drink is one that I've concocted based on my own nutritional research and years of running. It is completely natural, won't give you the stomach ache some drinks do and works better for replenishing than all the other energy drinks out there.

Here's the recipe:

12-16 Oz. Filtered Coconut Water
1-2 Tablespoons RAW Honey
3-4 Slices of Lemon or 2 oz Lemon Juice (Fresh)
3-4 Pinches of Celtic Sea Salt

Mix it up and drink throughout your workout, marathon, triathlon, or whatever else you're training for.

In this homemade, super energy drink, the cococut water hydrates and is a perfect natural electrolyte solution. The sea salt provides minerals that are needed for muscle firing. The lemon brings taste and acid to the mix which helps with hydration. The raw honey supplies sugars to replenish glucose stores as well as amino acids--it also does not create acidity in the body like processed sugar does. This is good because processed sugar and exercise create excessive acid.

It's not for diabetics, but I don't think any energy drink is!

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To find out where to get some of these ingredients and more on save and chemical ways to reach optimal fitness and health, visit LiveAwesome.com

Overcoming Diet Plateaus

Hey Kevin! How do I get through a plateau? I've been stuck at 230 for about 3 months now?

Diet plateaus are disheartening at times and one of the best ways to get through them is to smile, lighten up and know that you're going to lose the weight. Your body makes constant adjustments, particularly while you are dieting, and if you are sticking to your plan the plateau will eventually pass.

When I deal with my clients, I always recommend that they don’t focus on the number at all and focus on how they are feeling and how their clothes are fitting. When it becomes a numbers game, frustration ensues and then no one is happy with the results, even if they feel better, look better and have seen other benefits.

Those that focus on the number usually haven't put the real reason they are losing the weight into perspective. It's easier to stick through the hard times knowing that you are losing the weight to be a great mother, a great career woman, or accomplish more with increased energy, than to merely focus on losing 10 pounds.

Live Awesome!
Kevin

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Kevin Gianni is founder of LiveAwesome.com, the awesome-est, no-BS resource for optimal health, weight loss tips and motivation. Visit LiveAwesome.com today for a free subscription to the revolutionary "50-Second Fitness Quick Fix" Video-zine and get health and fitness tips delivered--by video--to your inbox!

Kevin is also the co-author of "The Busy Person's Fitness Solution."

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