Meal Prep: It works when you do it.

We all know or at least heard that meal prepping is an important aspect of weight loss and eating healthy. Nutritionists and weight loss coaches agree this is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But... although many agree, many simply don't do it.

There are many reasons for this avoidance but they don't hold water. Time is an important factor and we can simply use the time to our advantage by simply throwing an extra piece of meat and veggies into the mix while we're cooking dinner. Then pack the extra for lunch. You can break 4 extra eggs when cooking breakfast and make mini muffin omelets in the oven for on-the-go breakfast and they also freeze well. So set aside the excuses and put forth a little more effort and put that crock-pot to use again. Don't forget that your cooked meals freeze well. So cook a meal or two, freeze and repeat.

You'll eventually have a few choices in the freezer to add a variety to your weekday lunch mix. Get all the family members in on it too and spend one day in the kitchen cooking several meals and fill the freezer. Then when those nights roll around (and you know they do) and you don't feel like cooking from scratch, just defrost a meal from your freezer and enjoy. This also works well when you're sick and can't cook or planning on surgery and won't have the strength to cook. Prepping for a couple of days is beneficial and once you get used to the ease of it, you'll do it more and more.

Now I am off to bag my crock-pot of black beans into single serving sizes and toss into the freezer. 😉

Fitbit Charge 2: A Brief Overview

Let's just jump right on it.

Their motto: Find your fit. This is a motto I can get behind because it has a double meaning and that is a good thing. The first thought is, what level of fit do I want to attain and secondly which Fitbit do I  choose to help me get there. So after some research, I chose the Fitbit Charge 2.

The Charge 2 has:
- interchangeable bands
- large OLED screen with tap display
- comes in 6 colors

Standout Features:
- PurePulse Heart Rate
- Multi-Sport Tracking & Connected GPS
- Call, Text & Calendar Alerts
- Cardio Fitness Level
- Guided Breathing Sessions

Essential Features:
- All-Day Activity
- Auto Sleep Tracking & Sleep Stages
- SmartTrack (Auto Exercise Recognition)
- Reminders to Move
- Long Battery Life (Up to 5 days)

Price: $149.95 on Fitbit.com. Cheaper at other online and brick and mortar stores.

The Fitbit App allows your Charge 2 to sync wirelessly & automatically to 200+ iPhone, Android and Windows devices.

For more details on the Charge 2 features please visit Fitbit.com Charge 2.

So why did I choose the Charge 2? The Charge 2 was an upgrade from the Jawbone Up3 in my opinion. Plus I loved the added features that it offered me such as display screen, notifications, guided breathing sessions and all the other features listed above. My first impression was wow this is so nice.

The Charge 2 is a pretty durable little device. It is lightweight yet feels solid. The display is clean and clear and easy to read and tap. All the features work nicely and it feels good on the wrist during the day and as well as sleeping. The SmartTrack is responsive and accurate. The reminder to move takes a bit of getting used to as it keeps reminding you to move every 50 minutes and can get a bit annoying. Just be sure to set your reminders during the time of day you're normally active and the reminders won't be as annoying. The battery life is fairly accurate and will vary depending on the settings you choose. The more settings you use the more battery you'll use. No worries though because the app has mobile-track that will track your steps if you leave your Fitbit at home or it's on the charger. The guided breathing sessions are personalized based on your real-time heart rate and they are quick and easy to do. You have a multi-sport mode to track specific exercises like running and workouts. This is a really nice feature that I use at the gym when I'm on the elliptical or stationary bike so that I can get real-time calorie burn and heart rate activity. The connected GPS connects to your phone's GPS to see real-time run stats on your wrist. The notifications are handy even though you cannot respond to any of them. It simply keeps you in the know so you can continue to workout or wash dishes without worrying if you've missed an important call or message. This allows you more freedom from your phone. The clock face is customizable to suit your taste or fitness band. The bands are interchangeable and you have so many to choose from all over the internet. I have 6 so far. The last feature on my list is sleep tracking. I was extremely interested in this because Jawbone's sleep tracking is amazing and I hoped Fitbit would come close and it did. Fitbit sleep tracking is great and I love the sleep stages and insight they provide. Sleep is a very important factor in our health so keeping track of it and making necessary adjustments is a must. The Charge 2 automatically senses when I fall asleep and begins recording. It also sends me notifications that is time to wind down for bed and wakes me up with a silent alarm. All in all the Charge 2 is a great fitness tracker that really helps motivate and encourage me to keep moving and get fit. The Fitbit app is the window into your device and all the fitness data it analyzes as well as allows you to track your meals, water and customize your tracker.

The one issue I had with the Charge 2 is that it sometimes would not sync with my iPhone. I would have to reset the Charge 2 and then it would sync again. It's annoying when it happens but the information it recorded is still on the band and will update your app as soon as it reconnects.

I urge you all to choose whatever brand of fitness tracker that fits your budget and your fitness goals and get fit.