Breakfast Foods to switch up, workouts, and update

To my friends, family, and any others reading this blog.  I promised you I would give you some more tips on healthy eating and living, so here it goes!

Last summer I discovered Oatmeal.  I honestly never used to eat the stuff, I am a texture girl when it comes to food so when I found out you could add your own level of water to make it mushy or chunky (which I prefer) I finally gave it a try! I had been reading how healthy it was to get your day going and I was working very hard to avoid the fast food drive thru's in the morning. So we started getting the lower sugar apple and cinnamon oatmeal (Quaker Oats brand).  I don't know if you all know this but cinnamon is great for your body and  also kick starts your metabolism.  We got a bulk size of 40 packets (cost $7.79 a box which lasts us a month plus) still in the Lower Sugar variety from our local wholesale store and it comes with 20 of the Apples & Cinnamon packets and 20 of the Maple Syrup & Brown sugar packets.  When I do have the Maple & Brown Sugar brand in the morning I put a half of fresh diced apple slices in with it and also add some Cinnamon from my spice bottle.  I keep a spice bottle at my work desk to sprinkle additional Cinnamon on my oatmeal as well as we keep another spice jar of Cinnamon in our pantry at home.  You can find the spice cheap at your local grocery store especially if you go with the store brand.   Now some knowledge time on Cinnamon!!


Here are some other health benefits of cinnamon:
 - 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol
- cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections
- In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation ofleukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
- It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
- In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
 -When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.
- One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
- Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.
- It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.
-  the combination of calcium and fibre in cinnamon can help to remove bile, which prevents damage to colon, which helps prevent colon cancer.
**(Credit to: Eat this website.  There is also a small list of interactions/side effects if you are taking certain medications- so take the time to view this since I don't want anyone to hurt their bodies.
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/side-effects-of-cinnamon.html )

Now onto the other thing I traded/discovered for breakfast last summer.  I tried out Turkey Bacon.  It was difficult to change from regular bacon at first, but I am used to it now.  We also get this at the local wholesale   food store after I noticed it was a few dollars more to get 4 packages in one which lasts us alot longer. We freeze the other 3 till we need them and when ready/out, we put the next package in the fridge.  The local grocery store wanted @$4.00 for one package when it wasn't on sale and at the wholesale club we get it for about $7 for 4 packs in one which is a better deal and it lasts longer for us.  I put up a picture of the one we buy.  It's simple to cook when you're in a hurry too.  For me in the morning I put two slices on a paper towl and heat it in the microwave for about a minute and a half (they come out crispy- that's my preference).  If you want them more mushy then do less time.  Figure out what works for you. 2 slices of Turkey bacon are 70 calories with this brand.  I also use it on salads and egg sandwiches.  I will save my egg sandwiches in under 5 minutes for breakfast for my next blog :) So I munch on these in the morning before I get to work and then eat my oatmeal when I get to work.

Okay, that's all for the food section this time.  I will discuss a new lunch item and my breakfast sandwiches in the next blog post

So I want to stop for a minute and put down my stats for myself as to where I am today.  I am down 36.8 pds.   My sub-goal is 5 pds away ( which is 41.8 pds) .  After that I will figure out if I want another 10 pds but I think I will to get to my final goal weight.

I have gotten back to my running training.  I had a great time at the park near my home this week.  I am trying to work up to running 3 miles so I can do a 5k.  It felt great to be outdoors and it is a lot different then running on the treadmill.  So I am doing both treadmill and outdoor training now that the weather is getting warmer.  I did 2.6 miles in 45 minutes running and walking this week.

Beginning marker and end marker at the park (which the trail is 2.6 miles in total)  I was by myself this day, so I wasn't in the picture, but I will have an updated one soon with that when I end a 5k.  That's my goal to run one of those and accomplish that challenge!!! I WILL DO IT!!!! 

Tonight at the gym I did the 2nd week of the C25K app.  If any of you reading this are interested in starting to run I highly recommend it.  It is a 9 week program to get you from the couch to running a 5k.  You can download it on your Android phone, Ipod, or Iphone.

Leaving you last with some workouts . You might have to google some of these to find out what they mean, but that's okay, I had to as well.  These don't take a lot of time and its something you don't need the gym to do, you can do them anywhere! Enjoy and let me know how you liked them, I would love to see comments.  Try at least to do 20 mins a day of exercise and if you can do more, do it!

Ending with Motivational Quote: