Upgrade Your Oatmeal!

For many of us, oatmeal is a great way to start your day. Heart healthy oats are now easier to prepare than ever and available for you in all sorts of different ways. 

Instant oatmeal, in self serve packets can be the choice for someone who is on the go and wants to just add water, pop in the microwave, stir and viola! You've got oatmeal. My favorite is to just add a little but of pure maple syrup, stir it up and yum! 

So when I came across a few fun ways to upgrade your oatmeal in the latest issue of "Eating Well" magazine, I was excited to try them out and share the concoctions with you! All of these start with 1 cup of cooked oatmeal.

Upgrade #1: Chocolate Banana

1/2 small banana

1 Tbsp. chocolate Hazelnut spread (I used Justins) 

Pinch of flaky Sea Salt 

I had this oatmeal this morning and LOVED IT. I added a bit of shredded coconut which made it super decadent. The heat of the oats melted the hazelnut butter and it spread around so evenly it was GREAT.  So much that I took a picture to show you what it looked like before I DEVOURED it. 

What do you think??

Upgrade #2: Coconut Chai Spice

3 Tbsp un-sweetened coconut milk beverage
2 Tbsp. toasted unsweetened coconut chips or flakes
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
Pinch of ground cardamom
Pinch of ground pepper

Upgrade #3: Fig & Ricotta

2 Tbsp. part-skim ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped dried figs
1 Tbsp. toasted sliced almonds
2 tsp. honey

Upgrade #4: Savory Cashew Curry

3 Tbsp golden raisins
2 Tbsp. toasted chopped cashews
1/4 tsp. curry powder


What are your favorite additions to your oatmeal?? Share with me in the comments!

How To Create A Healthy Meal Plan

Happy Hump Day everyone! I wanted to SHARE this article on how to create a healthy meal plan by my friend Jessica Negrini with you! I would love to hear your thoughts!

By Jessica Negrini

Do you struggle when it comes to planning meals? I thought I would share “How To Create A Healthy Meal Plan. In the past, I always struggled in this area of nutrition, and even though I had good intentions of cooking healthy dinners, time would get away from me. Work and other excuses would take over, and BAM I’d be ordering pizza for the family! Not that I’m against pizza or anything, but it’s better for our lifestyles (and our wallets) to not be ordering food out, but rather cooking healthy food at home. Besides, I LOVE to cook, and I love to come up with recipes are healthy AND tasty!

So, I figured out some tricks that work for me, and hopefully they can help you too!

Focusing on one day a week (Sundays for me), I realized I could get more done than I thought I could. I could plan, shop, AND prep, and be set for the upcoming week! Sundays may not work for you depending on your work schedule but any day off could be used.

How To Create A Healthy Meal

I start with the dinner menu for the week. As a typical, crazy-busy family, we decide what we want for dinners based around the protein, how long it needs to cook or heat up, AND what after-school activities we have that day. Then we decide what kinds of veggies and side dishes would go well with the protein. Once dinner is decided, the rest of the meals and snacks are fairly simple. Often we will have leftovers for lunch, and we always have plenty of fruits, veggies and other easy to grab (but still healthy) options for breakfast and snacks.

I check the pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what we have and what we need at the store based on our menu, and food shopping is next. Many things I buy in bulk, especially foods that can easily be frozen and thawed for future meals. This helps keep the budget on track, too.

After shopping, it’s prep time. For me, this typically means baking some chicken breasts, washing and chopping fruits and veggies, and portioning them in easy to grab plastic baggies or containers. I also make home made salad dressings. Meal prep could be different for you depending on your family size and what you eat, but portioning the food items is the biggest help to me regardless. That way there are “grab and go” items, or if we need a quick dinner, it’s all ready to be heated up and gobbled up!

Even though it took some trial and error to see what worked in my house, I now LOVE meal planning, and I’ve become really good at it! Don’t think we don’t order pizza now and again, but for the most part, we are now able to eat healthy and delicious food at home as a family! Try some different things to find what works for you, and make it fun! Happy Planning!

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/how-to-create-a-healthy-meal-plan/

Do You Know Your Family Health History?

Valid question... right? I mean I think I do. But do I really?
At least once a year at my physical, my doctors office asks for update paperwork. While I am filling it out I always think, "I should call my mom and ask her these questions".

For a lot of us, while growing up, health concerns were kept private or quiet. Every family has their own way of dealing with issues like these. The older I get, the more I wish I knew about my family's health history.  So here's my advice to you.

CALL YOUR MOM. 
Well read the rest of this post and then go call her.
Now you can have your turn giving her the third degree about diseases that run in the family.  Did you know that 5-10% of all cancers are inherited? That number may not sound big, but when looking at your overall health picture it's good to know your risk factors.

If you're like me and have trouble remembering even after your mom tells you things, somethings never change I guess, you can fill in your family members history on the U.S. Surgeon General's online family history tool (familyhistory.hhs.gov) then you can print it out and take it with you to your next appointment.

Easy peasy.

Now go call your mom.

21 Day Fix vs Chalean Extreme!

I had to SHARE my friend Mel's article with you guys. Looking for a challenging program that is guaranteed to get you LEAN? These two programs Chalean Extreme and the "NEW" 21 Day Fix Extreme will get you there and this article will help you decide which works best for you!

21 Day Fix vs Chalean Extreme

By Mel Batterman
The 21 Day Fix and Chalean Extreme fitness and nutrition programs are both high quality programs that will provide you with guaranteed results. The choice comes down to what fits your personal goals, needs, and ability to adhere to a 21 day program versus a 90 day program.

Each program provides you with fitness and nutrition that will bring the results you are looking for with a time frame that will work for you.  The 21 Day Fix is a nutrition and fitness program that makes losing weight simple with easy to follow portion control nutrition and 30 minute workouts.  Chalean Extreme is designed to help you shed weight easily through a 3-phase fitness and nutrition system over the course of 90 days.

Both programs are effective for weight loss and building lean muscle. The 21 Day Fix is quite simple.  You never have to count calories, points, or log your food.  You simply use the nutrition plan with the portion control containers and do one 30 minute workout a day.  Chalean Extreme also has a unique and effective plan that breaks the 90 days into 3 phases of progression to build optimal strength and endurance, while shedding fat.

21 Day Fix

Each program offers a unique process to bring the nutrition and fitness together for guaranteed results.  The 21 Day Fix Is the only fitness and nutrition program that truly combines a portion control nutrition system that is fool proof with world-class workouts that makes it simple and sustainable, which is why this program is often the right fit for those who are starting out for the very first time.  Chalean Extreme is unique because of the resistance cardio training that each workout offers.  This combined style of fitness allows for a greater fat loss, and increased lean muscle which burns a greater amount of fat when at rest.

Besides guaranteed results, both programs offer extreme value. The 21 Day Fix comes with the 21 Day Fix Eating Plan and portion control containers, the 21 Day Fix Start Here Guide, the 3 Day Quick Fix Guide, Six Workouts, and a Bonus Workout. There is also an Ultimate Kit which includes two additional workouts, an additional container for meals on the go, a resistance band, and an insulated tote bag.  Chalean Extreme comes with 15 workouts, Muscle Burns Fat Guide, Fat Burning Food Guide, Chalene’s Healthy Eats and Kitchen Makeover Video, Chalene’s Extreme Motivation Audio CD, Thigh Toner Band, and a Resistance Band.

The best part with both programs is that you can purchase them through a Beachbody Coach, and then have that person as your personal accountability coach.  They will help you stay committed, focused, and reach your goals.

When considering whether the 21 Day Fix or Chalean Extreme is right for you, you must consider the following.  Do you need a very precise nutrition plan like the 21 Day Fix offers? Can you adhere to 90 days versus 21 Days?  Do you want more resistance training combined with cardio like Chalean Extreme offers?  Do you want to stick to 30 minute workouts or are you good with workouts that range between 35-45 minutes?  When you consider these and other aspect of your life you will be able to commit to the program that is right for you.  Either way, both programs will provide you the results you have always wanted.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/21-day-fix-vs-chalean-extreme/

Who is JHersh Anyway?

Oh Hi there!
Thanks for stopping by to say hello and look around.

Just a little bit about me. I've been interested in health and fitness most of my life and spent many a waking hour in the pool or at the the gym. Staying in shape and current with what was trending in the industry was really important to me.  But as many stories go, there's a wrench thrown into the plot that gets the heroine into a tizzy that she must work her way out of to get to the climatic ending!

For about 6 years, I fell off the fitness train. As lots of us do when we fall in love. We get wrapped up in a relationship and let ourselves go a little bit. Or in my case about 70 pounds worth of letting go...
yikes.  Sometimes the best part about having a relationship end, is the ability for you to see yourself again. Your true self. After almost 8 years of commitment to someone, it takes a strong will (and loads of support from those around you) to pick yourself up and start from scratch.

All of the relationships that I had spent almost a lifetime cultivating reached out to make sure that I was not only okay, but moving forward. Here's a little lesson for you: Never underestimate the power of friendship.

After the dust cleared, one morning I woke up and saw a my reflection in the mirror and didn't recognize the person looking back. It was time to focus on me.

So I started small. Eating better, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, joining my friends on long walks around the river- you know all the small changes that seem easy to do but until you're ready to do them, don't happen.

With those changes I was able to lose 20 pounds.... and man was that a motivator! It was about this time that an old friend reached out to me. He knew that I wanted to get back to my old self, he had been following my journey, and never given up on me.  Now it was time to really kickstart my journey! I was added to a virtual accountability group and was HOOKED on the competitive and supportive nature that it provided. We worked together everyday through good days and bad days and after the 30 days I had seen such a difference, not only in my body but in my attitude.

About 2 years later, here I am now. 60 pounds lighter, healthier and happier.
I love working with likeminded people on a daily basis to help end the trend of obesity in this country. It's amazing how many people are not educated on how to properly fuel or take care of their bodies. But hey, I was one of those people. Plus working with others on their health and fitness goals helps hold me accountable to my own.

My mantra has been, just a few small, easy changes repeated over time add up to big results.

Thanks for being a part of my journey.

Pantry Challenge

Does anyone have a pantry that actually looks like this??? I WISH.

How many times have you sat down to decide what to have for dinner, and you stand in front of the fridge or your cupboards and you think, "I HAVE NOTHING TO EAT!!" I do this all the time. Sometimes, I'll actually plan my meals without knowing what it is I have in my pantry, so I wind up having double of the same thing. I really don't like to admit how much this happens.

Here's what I've decided, my cupboards are over flowing with food. Most of it is pretty healthy, as far as "processed" stuff goes. So I'm going to eat it all. I'm not going to buy anything except for fruits and veggies until everything in my cupboard and pantry are gone.

So for the next however many days it takes... I'll be posting pictures and recipes and general thoughts about what I'm eating off the shelves in my own little store aka my kitchen.

Wish me luck!