Welcome to our journey!

Well, it all started with a Fitbit.

Actually, it didn't just start with a Fitbit, but that's what seems to have got us into high gear.

Just for a little background, my husband and I are in our '50s (though that shouldn't matter too much for what is to come) and, although we're relatively active we needed a push to start really looking carefully at how our diet and exercise programs were helping or hindering our quest for good health.

We work out twice a week with a personal trainer, and that's a real boost to our physical health, but at some point we hit a wall - the little improvements to our weight and body measurements just weren't happening any more. We had been talking with our trainer, Eric, about nutrition but didn't have a convenient resource to help us track what we ate and its nutritional value, positive or negative.

Then along came the Fitbit Flex. We ended up with one by default (we, being the newbies to fitness trackers that we were, bought our nephew a whole unit instead of just the wristband he needed) and started fiddling with it. The whole system is so easy to use and gives you great information back about your exercise (i.e. step count) and calorie intake. Of course, the calorie intake part all depends on you being extremely honest about everything you eat and drink....

We were so impressed with it that a few days after I started using one, my husband bought himself one too, and now we're both competing for the higher step count every day, taking more walks (to get that count up), working a little faster on the elliptical (to get that count up) - do you see a pattern developing here???

Awareness is a wonderful thing, and it has prompted us to start making some changes to our exercise regime and, mostly, our diet. Small, easy steps make the going a lot easier and we're already starting to see some positive effects.

Our first change actually predated the Fitbit. I started making my own 'Pull Anything Out of the Fridge' Smoothies in early summer, and soon had both of us drinking them to give our mornings a boost. This is our recipe, but you can make up your own with whatever fresh fruit and veggies you have on hand. Experiment! You're sure to find something you like.

Before...

And ready-to-drink

It takes a few minutes to load the blender with the ingredients, but the result is quite tasty and you can make enough for more than one day at a time. Just keep the extra in the fridge in a sealed container or a mason jar and try to finish it in a day or two.

'Make Your Own' Smoothie

3/4 fresh Banana
1 tbsp fresh Gingerroot cut into strips
5-6 pieces frozen Mango
1/2 cup frozen Berry Mixture (like Nature's Touch Pomberry from Costco)
1/4 Granny Smith Apple
1/4 regular sized Pear
1" chunk of Cucumber, coarsely chopped
1/2 Kiwifruit
1 tbsp Milled Flaxseed
1/2 cup Plain Greek 0% fat yogurt
Small handful fresh Cilantro and fresh Parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh Baby Spinach leaves
1/2 cup fresh Kale, coarsely chopped
About 1 cup cold Water
About 1/3 cup Orange Juice

Throw everything into the blender and process on the highest liquefying setting until it looks smooth. The recipe above will make about 5 cups worth. Pour into glasses and enjoy.

I will say that the smoothies look much more appetizing if you can include the berry mixture. Then at least it comes out purple. But feel free to leave them out or substitute something else; just know that the colour of your drink won't be quite as appealing, but still very nutritious. And don't mind about the spinach and kale - you really can't taste them at all but get the vitamins and minerals anyway.

Nutritional Values per 8 oz glass:
140 Calories, 2.1 grams Fat, 4.7 grams Fibre, 32.4 grams Carbohydrate, 6 grams Protein

I've spoken to a few people who seem to think that smoothies have to be made with yogurt and fruit, but from our experience we've found that all sorts of combinations work, and that a base of water and a bit of fruit juice works great.

Most of what I'll be posting has to do with food, always the most difficult aspect to change. But we've found that incorporating these changes a little at a time and doing our best to make every meal interesting and appetizing as well as nutritionally satisfying is a great way to Get Healthier!