Here it is January 2 and one of the most common New Years resolutions is to “get into shape,” “eat better and work out more,” “to get fit and get healthy.” These intentions make it one of the busiest times for personal trainers across the country. Because of this, January 2 is celebrated as: National Personal Trainer Awareness Day. National Personal Trainer professionals help make our promises from our resolutions, a reality. My personal trainer has played a major role in helping me achieve my health and fitness goals. I’m not done yet and still have a ways to go, but my trainer keeps me accountable and on track. I’m not someone who really enjoys working out, but I do love feeling fit. So I walk, swim and row almost daily and add in the obligatory weight time two or three times each week with my trainer coaching me to do more weight and reps. With my trainer, 2019 will be the year my health and fitness goals are reached and exceeded! Do you have a personal trainer or do you work out on your own? https://hayseedscreative.com/

(BPT) – How are this year’s resolutions doing? Chances are, you may have fallen off the resolution wagon, especially if you were overly ambitious. Fear not — it’s never too late to make small, sustainable changes in your lifestyle that result in big health improvements. Review your hardest-to-keep resolutions and adapt them into goals you can easily maintain. Here are five common resolutions transformed into small, healthful changes that can become part of your life — for good. 1. Your resolution: Exercise one hour every day Realistic goal: Add movement every day in 5- to 10-minute increments. Take a short walk around the office, stroll outside during the lunch hour or after dinner, jump on that exercise bike in the basement for a spin each morning or dance to music while you’re getting dinner ready. Sticking to a short period of movement a few times a day is a great way to boost energy and start building the exercise habit. While most of us find it hard to commit to big chunks of time, it’s tough to say no to 5 or 10 minutes. Arrange to walk with a friend if that helps keep you on track. 2. Your resolution:…

Step 1: Prep Veggies and Soak Lentils If you’ve ever cooked with dried lentils, you know how longggg of a soak time and cook time they have. Not with the Instant Pot! Soaking your lentils in one cup of your broth while chopping and preparing the other ingredients is all the soaking these dried lentils need before dropping the rest of your ingredients into the Instant Pot together. Step 2: Turn on Saute Feature on Your Instant Pot In many of our other Instant Pot recipes, we have warned you guys about preheating your Instant Pot using the saute feature and getting the burn message, BUT with this chili, there will be adequate liquid to avoid the burn message often seen in newer Instant Pots. Step 3: Mix Vegan Chili in Your Instant Pot Place all your ingredients in the Instant Pot and set the cook time. The most important thing to remember about this step is to make sure that all your ingredients are mixed well. While the cook time on this is truly only 7 minutes, it will take longer than other recipes for your instant pot to build pressure, so the cook time starts. Grab a glass…

Bake up your best batch of holiday cookies yet with these pro tips (BPT) – It’s the time of year when home bakers shift into high gear, creating delicious cookies to share with family, holiday parties or cookie swaps. Some bakers dare to experiment with new recipes, while others stick with old favorites. Yet, even the tried-and-true recipes don’t always turn out right. Experienced bakers know how to achieve perfect cookies every time. But don’t worry! There’s no need to buy high-priced equipment or enroll in culinary school. All you need are simple tools, practical know-how and the best tasting, highest quality natural ingredients, including the holiday staple Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon, to make cookies that will please everyone. Here are a few simple tips for delectable holiday cookies. * Invest in a food scale. Baking is all about chemistry. For consistent results use a simple food scale. This is important when measuring flour, which settles and varies in density if scooped. The rule of thumb is: Every cup of white flour equals 5 ounces, though some sources may recommend less. Many recipes indicate required ounces or grams. The right amount of flour is needed to absorb the ingredients, and…

(BPT) – You have a lot of choices when it comes to Medicare. And the most important might be choosing to take charge of your Medicare decisions in the first place. Medicare Annual Enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, is your chance to take charge. Here are five common mistakes that you don’t want to make during this time. 1. Allowing automatic plan renewal to make your choice for you Your Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan renews every year on Jan. 1, unless you decide to change it. Automatic renewal may be easy, but it might not be the best way to make your Medicare decisions. Plans may change what they cover from year to year, including what you will pay in deductible, premium, copay or coinsurance amounts. Insurance companies review their plans each year to make sure they’re still viable. Shouldn’t you do the same? 2. Ignoring your plan’s Annual Notice of Changes (ANOC) Each fall, you receive an Annual Notice of Changes (ANOC) from your Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan. (It should have already hit your mailbox.) This document explains any changes in your plan benefits or costs for the upcoming…