Passover, Easter, and Earth Day. Find a Rainbow Day, Pajama Day, and National Scrabble Day. Warmer weather, longer days, and rain showers to bring May flowers. Ah! There is much to enjoy this month. Greetings April! Spring has arrived, ushering in the season of rejuvenation, renewal, and reinvigoration. And after committing to my March’s self-care activity, I can say I feel all three! Rejuvenated, renewed, and reinvigorated! I hope to continue on this energizing path with this month’s pick. I’ll get to that next, but now for last month’s revelations.
In March I chose to engage in a 30-day strength training program created by Adam Rosante, a NYC fitness and nutrition expert. Its purpose is to build muscle and burn fat in a manageable way, both in terms of the simplicity of movements and time. I found the eight exercises easy to do, yet quite effective. They included squats, sit-ups, overhead presses, jumping jacks, push-ups, bent-over rows, bicep curls, and planks.
I was impressed with the way each day’s routine built on the previous one. For example, I had to perform just 10 jumping jacks and 8 squats on Day 1. By the end of that week, I was doing 40 jumping jacks, 10 squats, 10 (modified) push-ups, 10 bent-over rows, and a 25-second plank. Gradually adding more repetitions and more exercises kept me from feeling overwhelmed. By the last day I completed 280 – yes that’s 280 jumping jacks, 72 squats, 72 (modified) push-ups, 72 overhead presses, 72 bent over rows, 72 bicep curls, 72 sit-ups and three 45-second planks! The slow and steady pace helped me stick with the program and accomplish all that I did. In addition, it allowed me to continue with my usual weekly cardio workouts that included walking and hiking.
To keep getting stronger, I will incorporate these movements into my regular weekly workouts. I will also continue with these exercises to find out how they’ve impacted my bone density numbers as well, and I’ll be happy to share those results with you. The most important lesson I learned this past month is that you can see and feel improvements by doing just a little each day to build on your foundation. Small steps really can lead to big changes!
April’s self-care pick is something I do, and I assume you do every day. This activity is vital to our health and in fact, our bodies rely on this to survive. Every cell, organ, and tissue depends on it to function properly. You may even be doing this as you read this post right now. I’m referring to drinking water.
Drinking water helps regulate our body’s temperature, it lubricates our joints, protects our tissues, and flushes out waste to keep us in top form. The lack of proper water consumption can lead to dehydration, which causes a number of problems. Not drinking enough water can result in confusion, short-term memory loss, low energy, irritability, and depression. It can also increase the risk of conditions like kidney stones, gallstones and urinary tract infections. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening.
From my journal: March 15, 2025, Newbury Park, California
“I am tired a lot lately and fade in the afternoon. Kind of cranky, too. Lack of water?…”
The reason for April’s self-care choice is that I had referenced my low-energy levels many times in my journal over the last few weeks. While I thought I was hydrated, after tallying up the number of glasses of water I drank daily, I realized I was falling short.
So, what is the ideal amount of water a person should drink every day? I always read that 64 ounces or eight 8 ounce glasses per day was a good place to start. However, the U.S. National Academies of Medicine suggest healthy adult men should consume 124 ounces or 15 ½ (8 oz.) glasses and fit adult women should drink 92 ounces or 11 ½ (8oz.) glasses per day. Other sources recommend water intake be based on age, activity level, and life factors. For example, 14–18-year-olds should drink 64–88 ounces, whereas those over 50 years of age need 72 – 104 ounces. If you’re active you’ll need to drink more to replace the water loss through exercise. Hot and humid weather will also require consumption of more fluids. And medical conditions and diet impact how much water a person needs to stay hydrated, too.
Because I eat fruits and veggies that contain a high-water content, I will begin with this month’s self-care activity by drinking eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day. Although I will keep in mind my physical activities, the weather, and what I eat, and will adjust accordingly. Like in months past, I will record my results and will share them with you in May.
To keep motivated I now have two new containers that I will refill each day to keep me going. One is a fuchsia Stanley Quencher 30 oz. Tumbler with Straw I just bought for less than $30. So bright! The other is a Natural Life 16 oz. glass bottle adorned with dogs my friend Nina gave me for my birthday this year. Very cute! Now it’s time to raise my glass and salute this life sustaining, refreshing, thirst quencher…water! Here’s to the true elixir of life! Cheers!
A Journal Journey 