• 30Nov

    Healthy Holiday Habits

    The holiday season is notorious for temptation…From second helpings of holiday dinners to endless cookie baskets in the office break room, most of us find the pounds packing on from late November through the end of the year.  While I never advise anyone to miss out on the richness of flavor during the holiday months (Pumpkin Pie is a staple in my holiday diet), we do need to find balance. Remember, we can enjoy seasonal treats by burning those calories off in fun and festive ways!

    Calories Consumed Vs. Calories Burned

    Apple Pie (1 slice = 300 calories) –> Putting up/decorating the Christmas Tree (151 cal/hour)

    Egg Nog (1/2 cup = 180 calories) –> 1 hour of cooking (180 calories)

    Candy Cane (45 calories) –> 15 minutes of cleaning up (62 calories)

    Honeybaked Ham (1 slice=209 calories) –> 35 minutes of stacking firewood (206 calories)

    Hot Chocolate with Whip Cream (12 oz = 250 calories) –> 1 hour of shopping for presents (249 calories)

    Sweet Potato Soufflé (121g = 511 calories) –> Shoveling snow off the drive and sidewalks (700 cal/hr)

    Roasted Chestnuts (100g = 220 calories) –> 30 minutes of sledding (242 calories)

    Gingerbread Man (1 cookie = 76 Calories) –> Wrap presents for 1 hour (99 calories)

    *calories estimated for a 145lb. woman.  Increases of weight will increase the calories burned.

    In the end it is all about balance and knowing that you can enjoy the holidays to the fullest if you remember to also get a little activity in there.  So next time you reach for that second slice of pie, follow the sweet treat with a family outing to the skating rink and maximize the holiday fun!

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  • 19Nov

    Power Up With Breakfast, Good Measure Style!

    Breakfast is an essential component of a balanced diet, and not only provides your body with the energy that you need to function throughout the morning, but also assists with weight management by jump starting your metabolism!  I will admit that I have always been a breakfast eater, but until I started on my Good Measure Meals™- I usually resorted to a grab and go item or a bowl of cereal if I had the time.  I knew that I should be eating a more nutrient dense morning meal, but who has the time to whip up and perfectly balance breakfast?

    I have GMM to thank for my new morning routine, that still manages to keep my mornings quick (I really do enjoy hitting the snooze button in the A.M.!) and provides me with the protein and energy to make it through the day!  In honor of breakfast, I wanted to write a quick blog post about one of my favorite breakfast entrees, the Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bar with Cranberries and Walnuts!  We all love the taste, but in GMM fashion, there is a lot of great nutrition that goes into the recipe, so I thought I would break down some of the ingredients for everyone, to show you why our culinary staff includes certain items in our menu!  Here it goes…

    Pumpkin: A naturally low fat and low calorie food, pumpkin is packed with disease fighting nutrients like alpha and beta-carotene, fiber, vitamins C & E, potassium and magnesium. The carotenes are converted into vitamin A once eaten and promote healthy vision immune response.  There is also evidence that pumpkin helps reverse skin damage caused by the sun and acts as an anti-inflammatory.  The Carotenoid properties of pumpkin also boost immunity and lessen the risk of heart disease!

    Oats: A great source of soluble fiber, oats have been proven to help lower “bad” cholesterol (LDL), boost “good” cholesterol(HDL), maintain a healthy circulatory system, and help prevent heart attacks!  Not only do they provide these heart healthy benefits, they are also jam packed with a wide range of vitamins and minerals including vitamins B and E, magnesium, iron and calcium!  They are also low on the glycemic index, so for folks managing insulin resistance, oats are a great addition to the diet!

    Cranberries: They may be small, but this tiny fruit is a powerhouse for health!  Cranberries are high in soluble fiber and protect against heart disease.  Because of their quinic acid content, they are one of the best treatments for urinary tract infections and help prevent digestive disorders and stomach ulcers

    Walnuts: Nuts are notorious for their high fat content, but walnuts are much richer in polyunsaturated fats than monounsaturated fats, boasting an unusually high content of omega-3 fatty acid.  This makeup proves walnuts to be helpful in the prevention of heart disease, cancers, arthritis, skin problems and disorders of the nervous system.  There’s more too!  Walnuts have been should to lower “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure, while increasing the elasticity of the arteries!

    Cinnamon: Did you know that cinnamon has an anticoagulant compound (cinnamaldehyde) that can help protect against strokes?  It is also an anti-inflammatory, shown to relieve symptoms of arthritis and asthma…hard to believe, right?  The benefits don’t stop there though, cinnamon also functions as a digestive aid- relieving bloating and flatulence, and reducing heartburn… maybe that’s why it is so abundant in the holiday feasts!

    Now that you know some of the health benefits of this morning treat, get excited about Monday morning, because your GMM breakfast kicks off the week with our very own Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bar goodness!

    What’s your favorite Good Measure Meal™ Breakfast?

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  • 21Jun

    Getting Active with Jess- The Triathlon Part 2

    So the Triathlon that my best friend researched and decided on was an All Women’s Sprint up in Acworth, GA.  This race benefits Ovarian Cycles, Inc., a charity that promotes ovarian cancer research.  I tend to gravitate towards activities that support the health of our community, as this is my passion(Just like Good Measure Meals Supports Open Hand!)!  The Acworth Triathlon is good start for beginners.  The distances are shorter and limiting the gender makes the race a little less intimidating to me.  It starts off with a ¼ mile swim, which is equivalent to 8 laps (there and back) in a Junior Olympic Pool.  Sounds doable, but after my first few swim sessions, I am realizing that this challenge is going to give me a run for my money and I have a new found respect for Olympic Swimmers!  After the swim, we have a 13 mile bike ride.  Although I haven’t really ridden a bike in years, I am confident that this will come back to me fairly easily.  I live near the Silver Comet Trail, so I have a built in training route in my backyard-so no excuses for me!  Once the bike ride is completed, we have to run a 5K.  Now on any normal day, I would think a 5K would be the extent of my exercise, and while challenging, I know I can complete it without too much problem.  The trick here is having the energy left after a tough swim and long bike ride to get my legs moving.  I hear that it can be a difficult transition from the bike to the run because your legs still want to move in a cyclical motion… that will be a funny sight!  I have to make sure that I am consuming enough calories and water before and during the race to supply the energy that will get me through the day.  For training, I have opted to increase my daily intake to the 1700 calorie plan, due to all the training I am doing.  This still gives me a calorie deficit to lose weight, but ensures that I am not starving my body while participating in intense training!  It is always a good idea to meet with a dietitian when wanting to change your eating behaviors to understand what your optimal intake is to reach your goals.  Luckily for me, I share an office with 5 Registered Dietitians that help answer my questions about staying healthy while taking my fitness to the next level.  If you are looking for a consultation, check out the Dietitian Consultation page on the Good Measure Meals site.

    The Triathlon is August 8th, so I am really starting to ramp up the training with the help of my friends, but would love advice from anyone out there that has completed one before, especially tips on the swimming! 

    If you are interested in participating in a triathlon, check out:  http://www.trifind.com/ga.html They have all the triathlons in GA posted so that you can find one that fits your experience level.

    If you are a true beginner like myself, there is a site specifically for us: http://www.trinewbies.com/ that gives tips on starting your training!

    Click on this image to find more great Triathlon Training Tips!

    My advice?  Find something that motivates you to become physically active over a set duration of time.  By registering for a race, exercise class or sports league- you commit yourself to continual training and possibly an end goal.  This is a great way to build a habit!

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  • 10Jun

    MedGem Testing-Do you know your RMR?

    It’s 10 days into the healthy challenge and I have successfully lost 2 pounds, which is right on target!  I will admit that I took a day off from exercise yesterday and might have had a small cup of ice cream as well. I am a huge advocate for moderation, and after the intense week of exercise and eating very healthy thanks to my Good Measure Meals™, I figured I was allowed to reward myself and take a day off!  Remember, being healthy shouldn’t be a punishment, so don’t set yourself up to resent it!  Enjoy the little things in life and when you do indulge, just pay attention to portion size and duration!

    I want to focus today’s blog on a really cool tool that I used to help gauge how many calories I should be consuming based on my personal metabolic rate.  The MedGem™ is a handheld device that measures (very accurately!) your resting metabolic rate (known as RMR) and oxygen consumption (VO2). RMR can be accurately determined by measuring the amount of oxygen a person consumes. Through this method, called indirect calorimetry, the amount of oxygen consumed represents the exact number of calories a person needs at rest each day. Metabolism is the body’s energy conversion process, turning food into the energy that our body needs to function. For those of you that have never taken a physiology or health class, resting metabolic rate represents the amount of calories that your body uses to maintain vital body functions like breathing, brain function, and heart rate.  For a completely sedentary person, the RMR accounts for 100% of total metabolism, but since I am active and constantly moving, my RMR is probably around 75% of my total metabolism (the remaining 25% comes from the walking, running, and exercise that I do each day!). GMM has a staff of Registered Dietitians that can provide this assessment, so if you are interested, please contact me at jparsons@goodmeasuremeals.com. 

    Me getting my RMR Evaluated on the MedGem!

    So there’s me, getting my RMR measured using the MedGem.  It is a relatively easy process.  I simply have to breathe into the little machine for around 5-10 minutes and then voila, it gauges my RMR.  There are several other conditions of testing, which can skew the reading.  We refer to these variables as the 4 C’s: Cardio, Cigarettes, Calories, and Caffeine.  All of these variables must be completely absent from your systems for at least 4 hours before you test, or you will have an inaccurate reading.

    I get my RMR: 1670.  I am pretty surprised and honestly delighted, as that is higher than expected.  This means that my body, if resting an entire day would burn 1670 calories to stay alive.  I know that partnered with my active lifestyle I am burning a total of at least 2000 calories a day(you can calculate the calories burn during different exercises at: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc); more on the days with soccer and ultimate Frisbee(around 2700 calories according to my calculations). Remember that my weight goal required me to have a calorie deficit of 758 calories/day, so 2000-758 = 1242, so I am right on target with my Good Measure Meals!  On days with more vigorous activity I often add in a protein or high fiber bar as well, to ensure that I have enough energy to make it through my exercise.

    Weight Management is a science, but there are so many tools that are available to help.  Click Here to learn more about the science behind RMR and how you can calculate your metabolic rate. As long as you have an idea of the number of calories you burn each day, and how many you consume, the science is pretty easy!

    Tune in for the next post about training for my first triathlon!

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  • 01Jun

    A Two Month Healthy Challenge…

     I am often asked what the best methods are to reach your health and wellness goals, and truth be told, there is no simple answer.  Everyone is different, and everyone is motivated by different goals, reasons, and opportunities.  As the Corporate Wellness Representative here at Good Measure Meals, I am in constant search of new resources to help the folks that I work with achieve their goals, whether it is weight loss, lower cholesterol, or increasing physical activity and fitness levels.  I decided that many of our customers might be interested in the tools that I come across, so I am joining Ashley in the social media realm to share my discoveries on our GMM Blog.  For the next two months I am going to report on my own quest for optimal health, with the help of a nifty little site I found, www.fitday.com, that allows me to track my daily caloric intake, my physical activity, journal everything from stress levels to moods, and calculate my weight goals based on BMI and the calorie deficit that I must create to get to my goals.

     I am  more successful when I am held accountable, so I am using this as a tool to help gauge the area’s that I need to focus on and to keep me on track (it actually lets me know exactly how many calories I can consume to get to the BMI that I want by the end of July!).  There are many sites out there that can help you manage your health goals and give you tips on how to avoid the obstacles that get in your way.  Find one that provides the motivation and structure that you need to make the changes and join me in my summer challenge!

    So here is the challenge… Feel free to take it with me and post your challenges and success.  I am giving myself 2 months to get to my ideal body weight (Based on my BMI).  I advise people to aim for no more than 2 lbs of weight loss per week.  More than 2lbs and there are probably negative health implications and will most likely result in only short term weight loss.  I decided that dropping 13 lbs would be an acceptable goal for me; not too daunting, but enough to really make a difference in how I feel physically. 

    So let’s do the math (with the help of the handy dandy FITday site I found): 

     It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound, so I have to either cut calories out of my diet or increase my physical activity to reach that goal.  Obviously, the combination of physical activity and proper nutrition is the way to go, so I am looking to create a daily deficit of 758 calories (again the website did the math for me!).  So now that I know I need to cut/burn 758 calories per day, I have a measureable goal to keep me accountable! YAY!  Between my exercise and 1200 calorie Good Measure Meals, I am set to tackle this new goal!

    Here are some resources that might be helpful, should you decide to take this challenge with me!

    Calorie Calculator - Scroll down to visit the calculator on the GMM Website.  It will suggest how many calories you should consume per day if you are looking to lose or maintain weight.

    -Physical Activity Caluclator-  This calculator will help determine how many calories you burn during different types of physical activity and exercise.

    www.fitday.com a great FREE resource to help you manage you goals.  You can insert the nutritional information from your Good Measure Meals in the custom food section, which will speed up your tracking time!

    Next Step:  Set your goal and join the challenge!  The more support we have- the better and sharing success helps motivate others to get started!  Good luck!

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  • 04Feb

    If at First you don’t Succeed… Try, Try and Try Again!

    A friend of mine was reading through some of my current blog posts. He said, “This is really cool, but it looks like all your new recipes are coming out perfectly. Don’t you ever have any failures?” I realized I may not be portraying the whole picture and I did agree that all my posts do have a certain trend going lately. I also couldn’t stop thinking about my most recent recipe failure!

    Yes it’s true – my recipe ideas don’t always work out how I hope. Right now I’m focusing on the new Vegetarian menu.

    The recipe in review: Provencal Vegetable Tart with Zucchini, Mushrooms, Tomato and Parmesan Cheese. It is a new dinner “center of the plate”.

    I must have been feeling extra creative and experimental when I made this the first time. I wanted to try tofu to replace the eggs that would typically be used in a vegetable tart. I got this idea from a vegan cookbook (although I still wanted to incorporate some cheese). First, I sautéed the vegetables. I always try to think about the colors when choosing ingredients. Eating different colors of vegetables increases the variety of nutrients and antioxidants.

    The veggies go into the tart crust and are topped with parmesan cheese. This is where the tofu comes in….

    I blended the tofu with a few other ingredients (all for extra flavor) and poured it over the veggies. Baked it and whala!

    The tofu didn’t do exactly what I wanted. The flavor was OKAY – but not good by any means. My taste testers all said – This could use some work! They all agreed that the tofu was not appealing.

    I redid the whole thing. Got rid of the tofu and used the traditional ingredients for a tart.

    Much better!! This one got rave reviews.

    Are any of you currently getting the vegetarian meals?? How do you like the current vegetarian menu?? Please leave your feedback!

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