Grocery Shopping Experiment

My wonderful hubby, who is my personal chef, is going to take some much needed time off. After a discussion of how much time we both don't have, and time he spends slaving in the kitchen prepping our food for the week, we (he) decided to take a different approach.

Several years ago he and a buddy worked out like mad men and were on a mission to put on muscle and in the fastest amount of time. His food was very regiment and he ate a lot of the same things day in and day out. Oatmeal loaded with protein powder, eggs, eggs, and more eggs, cottage cheese with fruit, baked potatoes with tuna fish on top, and TONS of chicken breast. To eat the same thing every day for me is not an option. I bore very easily. I also love foods which are easy to prepare and are a "grab and go" type item.

Our shopping is now going to be very different. I want to share this experiment with you and let you know how it goes. As many of you may not be able to do the same thing, some may be inspired to try.

When we go to the store, starting this next week, we are splitting the grocery money in half. (We are strict budgeters). David will then be able to shop for the items which will work for his diet and me for mine. We don't agree on milk for starters. I like 1/2% and he likes 2%. I tend to hog the yogurt and string cheese so I guess its even to labeling items with a marker. Our cereal choices are also extremely different. Now one box for him and one for me. We could just do lots of protein shakes and bars as they are easy to grab, but yet again, or flavor choices do not line up.

Even our fruit choices can be somewhat different. I love pears, green grapes dipped in peanut butter, and blueberries blended in my shakes. David loves bananas, apples, and pineapple. Yuck on the pineapple for me.

So with this new shopping strategy we hope to only share meat products which we can still toss on the charcoal grill on sundays and the rest is up to us individually. We will eat to fuel our bodies. When we want to come together for a meal, it will be a nice dinner out as a treat. But then again, ordering our own choice in dishes.

Happy 2nd Year Anniversary to YHH.com

June 26th marks the two year anniversary of our first post. Thank you to all those who have subscribed, sent products for review, our advertisers, and readers who have kept us up and running for this long. YHH plans to keep going for years to come.

With time, comes change. There have been so many changes to the site from day one. Starting out being written by someone who knew nothing about blogging, or fitness for that matter, posting under a nick name and finally revealing her true self. To finding different templates and sites to help build YHH. Ideas and suggestions by readers were presented and YHH always tries to keep up. YHH started by reaching out to women and being a very "pink" site. We then went black, to attract men readers, we posted every day, we then posted once a week, now we post when we feel like it. YHH this past 8 months made the move to a summer beach theme to inspire you to achieve the "beach body" we all desire. Now comes another change!

YHH is built with Google Blogger and Google continues to grow and update as well. With new layouts and features, YHH has decided to do one more change. With a new logo, new image, and new slogan, I pray this is a direction for the best and we will continue to grow for this next year.

The word "Happy" in Your Happy Hearts has now been changed to an acronym. Here's the breakdown for you.

Healthy: Making better choices every day and being aware of what you eat, taking time to workout and using products which are natural and/or organic to give your body the best you can.

Athletic: Striving to be more active, participating in sports and/or outdoor activities, working out with cardio and weight training, and trying new adventures whenever it presents itself to you.

Passionate: When it comes to weight loss and fitness in general, you must be passionate about what you are doing or you won't succeed. This has to become a lifestyle and every day choice to continue working hard at your goals and dreams.

Powerful: With everything, the more you give the more powerful you become in that area. The more you run, the more powerful you run, the more weights you lift the more powerful your muscles become, the more you make good choices in food the more powerful your mind becomes on the subject of healthy living. Be Powerful!

Youthful: By taking control of your body weight, your eating habits, and making a healthier lifestyle for yourself, the more you turn back the ticking clock which is that of your heart. You add years to your life by watching what you eat and working out. You will be amazed at your new found energy and how "young" you feel. Become youthful again and live life to it's fullest.

Now that you know what H.A.P.P.Y stands for in Your H.A.P.P.Y. Hearts, become a subscriber if you are not already and join this incredible community of health and fitness nuts. Once you are subscribed, you will receive free email updates and are then entered in all of our giveaways for the life of your subscription. Many have been chosen based only on their subscription.

Find Your H.A.P.P.Y Hearts now on FB. Here you can ask questions, be involved in conversation with others who share your same interests, get up to date notices of what's coming, and daily encouragement. "Suggest to Friends" YHH.com on FB, have them post on the wall you sent them, and you could be entered in a mystery giveaway!

Thank you for the past two years. We pray the next two are even better!!

Accountability

Accountability is a very important factor in the daily choices we make. If we know we must justify tomorrow, what we ate today, we will less likely pick up the fritter or eat an entire bag of Oreo cookies. (Yes, I am talking to you).

Who to be accountable to: It should be someone, or a group of someone’s, who you can trust. They should never rain on your parade or bring you down with negativity. They should be able to say “good job” on the positive and “you can do better, I believe in you” on the negative. And most importantly, they should be sharing the same thoughts and values as you when it comes to healthier life choices. They should also be treating you with “tough love” and telling you how it is. If you shouldn’t eat it, they have to tell you.

Where to find accountability: Choose wisely. If you have good relationships at home, you can find accountability in a parent, sibling, or partner. Even your children, if they are adult enough to know how important this roll can be. Sit down with your accountability partners and explain what your goals are and what they should be looking for in regards to your weaknesses. If you are trying to give up pop, then they should help you make other choices. Maybe they will even give it up with you.

Another good place is in your work/office. After talking about health and fitness for so long in the office, others asked me and one other coworker, to start up a group. We meet every Wed. during lunch. We talk about what we missed or failed to accomplish the previous week and what we want to achieve for the next week. We share our weight loss and workout achievements and have incorporated a gold star system. Sharing recipes, different workouts, and encouraging magazine articles, are some of the things discussed. Pointing out excuses is another great aspect. When you are on the outside it’s easy to spot an excuse. When it’s your excuse, it doesn’t appear to be one. Believe me you, will come up with a lot of them.

Goals for accountability: Set up a timeline for your goals. Figure out what your group, or you alone, would like to lose in a set amount of time or whatever your personal goal may be. Have your goals all figured out prior to your “meetings” and ready to share. Tell them to hold you to it. Thus the accountability.

Working out together: Try to set up a time which you and your partners can workout together. Then you can see each other in the gym, on the street running/walking and know for sure what the intensity levels are at. You can then encourage each other to step it up and burn more. Walking with a partner will make the time go by so much faster as you won’t be so focused on just walking.

Start today by finding your accountability partner. Interview people, if you have to, and find someone like minded. It will help you take your fitness and health journey into a place of success.

And is none of that sank in, take a look at this funny video!

Breakfast Ideas

To me personally, beating the breakfast blues is so important. I struggle with breakfast. Not that I don't want to eat it, but I can't seem to find the right thing to eat. With my hour commute to work, usually coffee is the first thing in my mouth. We make a good coffee and use 1/2% milk for creamer and honey or real sugar for sweetener (none of that fake stuff for me).

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! You are "breaking the fast" of your bodies starvation of 7-10 hours. You should be consuming healthy calories to get your body off to a great start.

The first thing you eat in the morning, your body will rely on for starting energy. As happy and energetic as this donut looks here, believe me, it is not how your body will feel. Resist the office donuts at 8 AM and reach for something your body needs.

I did a poll on Your Happy Hearts.com Facebook (please join us by clicking link) on what people liked to eat for breakfast. These were some answers:

Michael wrote: Cheerios, juice and coffee. Jamie wrote: Smoothies with Greek yogurt; and Tina wrote: Greek yogurt, agave, fruit, nuts or protein shake with flaxseed banana or almond milk. These are all really good suggestions.

So what's my real problem with breakfast? I can't stand oatmeal, which is one of the best sources of energy for the morning. I don't like scrambled eggs. I can eat them, but gag after about five bites. Also, with a work refrigerated shared by several people, stocking up on items can be tough. I have hard boiled eggs and put two each in a ziplock. This is something I can grab easily in the morning, takes little fridge room, and can have with my breakfast or a midmorning snack.

Some additional suggestions were from my wonderful husband, who told me to eat a piece of toast with peanut butter (protein), yogurt and fruit. This has been a great start for me in the morning. I put a piece of bread in a ziplock, keep real butter at my desk, and a jar of raw peanut butter.

Another suggestion came from my friend Caroline, who told me breakfast doesn't have to be typical breakfast foods. She many times has a salad for breakfast. She also suggested with limited room at my work refrigerator, to purchase a small cooler and keep foods chilled at my desk. I love this idea. With two ice packs, I can have one in the work freezer and the other in the cooler. Every morning swap out the two.

So think outside the breakfast cereal box and come up with something you like to eat whether it is a traditional breakfast food or not. Remember, it is the most important food of the day. Don't skip it!

If you have suggestions on eating or any other topic please join us at Your Happy Hearts on Facebook and leave your comments. You can also post links to websites, videos, or any other health and fitness related subject.

Repost on HFCS

HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup). YHH has talked about it several times in the past. I was turned on to this study by and it comes from the Princeton University official website.

When you have the time to read this article check it out. Or just breeze through for the pertinent information. Simply put: HFCS "causes significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States."

Another good visual is to think your body can not break down corn or any byproduct. This includes HFCS. You body becomes confused and your hormones are thrown for a loop. Corn was created for cows who are said to have four stomachs. They really only have one but four separate "compartments". They break down the corn, bring it back up, chew it again turning it to cud, and eating it yet again. All this to process corn. In my opinion, just stay away from corn or any byproduct.

To read all about the studies found and finally change your mind on processed foods, check out the Princeton Universities Sweet Problem.

Circulatory System Video

While going to school through NFPT, for Personal Trainer, I had to come to the realization I needed more visuals. This isn't the case for everyone, and the school is super informative, but in my case it's so true.

The use of YouTube has been incredible. Instead of just looking for silly videos, music videos, and exercise workouts, I discovered the world of Anatomy and Physiology. This one made me laugh more than anything else, but also very informative. So I thought I would share it with my readers. It will stick with you for sure after about the 3rd or 4th time.

Protein Shake Recipe

I made this shake the other day and all it was missing was the alcohol and an umbrella. I brought some to work and had a few taste test it. They said it reminded them of sitting on a beach. This is for sure something I will make again. The recipe will make two small servings or one really big shake.

* 2 cups of 1/2% milk

* 1 scoop vanilla Whey Protein

* 1 cup White Grape and Peach fruit juice (made from frozen concentrate)

* 1 tsp. of coconut extract

* 2-3 ice cubes

* Blend and enjoy!

Rotator Cuff Surgery Part#4

Part #4 to our series. This is where David is at the present time.

The decision to do the surgery - done, reattachment of the Supraspinatus - done, lots of rest and time off work - done, stretching exercises - done. Now it's time to start working out again. With light weights and resistance of course, but David has to start somewhere.

YHH is going to share with you more photos of the workout David is allowed to do. We continue to post these articles, as we have heard from many who this has helped make the decision if they should go through with the surgery or not.

By attaching a therapy band to a door knob (or in our case, the eliptical) David holds his arm out straight and with a slow fluid motion, pulls down.

The next move is with weights, finally. David can now do a light incline bench press. He only works the left side. He is starting with five pounds and will slowly work his way back up.

Another therapy band move is with the resistance going out and away from the "trunk of the body" (distal move). This is a great exercise even if you haven't had surgery. Working the rotator cuff is always a good idea, even with light weight, to avoid injury in the future.

The next move is with resistance also, moving toward the "middle" of the body (medial move). On both of these moves, keep your elbow close to your center, holding your core tight.

With the next move, hold the therapy band with both hands, at a length where your elbows are resting at your sides.

Slowly rotate your arms away (distal move) from the center of your body. This again is a great exercise move even if you are not in recovery mode. Never forget to work the Rotator Cuff muscles or they will fall behind in growth and strength and you will cause injury.

We suggest continued attention to this area. Most people will workout for years and never give a workout to this part of their shoulder. Even if you are dropping your weights down and using this as part of your cool down, at least your Rotator Cuff muscles will not be ignored and will thank you for it in the future.

NFPT School Update

National Federation of Professional Trainers School update:

School is slowly progressing. I have now decided to give it more time than I have been in the past. Time to buckle down and get serious.

With nfpt.com you can register for the Personal Trainer Certification course and complete it at your own pace. All you have to do is test within one year of your start date. This does take some self discipline to make yourself sit down and study. With the Distance Learning Program, which I am registered in, you not only have the physical books but online quizzes and power point presentation as well.

NFPT is continually looking for ways to improve their study materials and online support. Thus far, they have been very supportive. You can also find NFPT on Facebook. This will keep you continually in contact and updated with the school administrative staff. Some gyms will even post job openings on the wall of NFPT, so finding a job after you graduate is easy.

My books are really getting a run for my money. I have been carrying them back and forth to my full time job and they are holding up nicely. Besides the continuous note taking and hi-lighting, they are staying together with no rips or tears in the binding. This is important if they are going to be something you want to cross reference later in your training days.

YHH continues to recommend NFPT as our school of choice if being certified is what you are looking to do. I must say, obviously from personal experience, this is not an easy course. There are some schools out there where you can study in a few days and test. This is not one of them. NFPT makes sure you are getting the best information possible and when you are certified, it's not something to take lightly. You will have the best knowledge possible to start your new career. Or if you don't wish to train but just want excellent information for yourself and living a healthy lifestyle, this is also the way to go.

Email subscribers: Don't forget to check out Your Happy Hearts.com for new pages that have been added to the site. NFPT has an exclusive page, plus protein shake recipes, videos of the week, and much more. Come take a look at all of our updates.

As always, we love to hear from you. Check out YHH on Facebook for personal conversations and support. We have a group of 150. Let's try for 200! Share with your Facebook friends and have them Like us. If they write on our wall and say you sent them, you will be entered in a surprise giveaway!