Our guest blogger today is my little brother, Ross!  He is a. funnier and b. a better writer than I am, so enjoy 😀

“Hey there, Catherine’s blog friends!  I’m excited be making my long-overdue debut here on A Two Storey Home.

Now, I may not grow as much produce, eat as many hipster meals, or run as many miles as my big sister, but I think I can still provide you all with some valuable fitness and nutrition insight.  Also, unlike some members of my family, I am not at an all-inclusive Jamaican resort without a computer.  Thus, you are stuck with me.

So, without further adieu, here we go:

Between the ages of 18-22, there are three major transitions that significantly impact a person’s fitness and nutrition habits:

1)     Freshman Year of College – While I think the “Freshman 15” is a fairly overblown phenomenon, there’s no question that the college lifestyle requires a serious adjustment. Gone are the days of strict high school athletic schedules, home-cooked meals, and childhood metabolism.  I didn’t necessarily gain weight freshman year, but I certainly replaced some of my high school muscles with some extra cushion.  All you can eat?  Challenge accepted.

2)     Moving Off-Campus – You don’t hear much about this transition period, but it’s a sneaky-dangerous time in a college student’s life.  Smaller meal plans, more than a 100-foot walk to the gym, and zero supervision.  I remember looking at my weekend’s credit card statement one Monday during my sophomore year: takeout Chinese, McDonald’s, 7-11, and Sonic.  All in one weekend.  Woof.

3)     Entering the Real World – It took nearly 250 words, but I’ve finally reached the transition period I set out to talk about in this post.  Although I’m just 14 months into this whole “adulthood” thing, I’ve found it to be the most successful health and fitness transition yet.  Structured schedules, hand-me-down cookware, and enough money to pay for the occasional fruit or vegetable…what more could a guy want?  I guess a trip to Jamaica would be nice, but who has time for that?

The real world has been an excellent opportunity to redeem myself for the “Moving Off-Campus” portion of college.  Honestly, they’re somewhat similar stages of life, just with four more years of maturity, and an equal amount of trips to Jamaica.  Rather than playing N-64 and eating fast food, now I go to the gym and make my own meals.  I’m such a young professional it hurts.

What are some of those Ross-made meals, you ask?  Great question. In keeping with the ATSH theme, here’s a quick recipe for some really solid turkey burgers.  My roommate Matt and I have made these a few times (his recipe), and they’re awesome.  It’s the kind of food I’d imagine they would serve at one of those swanky all-inclusive Jamaican resorts.

(I’m leaving out quantities; we just eyeball it, and so should you).  (Editor’s note:  This is obviously a family trait).

Ground Turkey
Diced onion
Diced jalapeño
Diced garlic
Worcestershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper
Steak Sauce
Avocado

-Mix the turkey (super cheap at the Carytown Kroger, and presumably, most places) with the onion, jalapeño, garlic, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.

– Form into patties

– Place patties on grill, on low-heat.

– It’s tough to over-cook turkey, so I’m not exactly sure how much time to cook it for.  Just keep an eye on it and use good judgment.

– Serve on a whole-wheat bun or in a wrap.  Feel free to add additional onions, jalapeños, or even tomatoes.  The avocado and steak sauce are completely optional, but both are really good to spread on the bun or the wrap.

In fairness, things like this are not an everyday occasion.  Generally, my dinners consist of a grilled chicken breast, a bag of vegetables and/or pasta, and some sort of fruit.  My meals are pretty generic, but they’re quick, reasonably healthy, and very cost-effective – all very important qualities for a 23-year-old male who isn’t in Jamaica.

This is getting excessively long, so I’ll actually hold off on the exercise portion of this post.  Thanks so much for letting me intrude on your blog world for a day.  It was nice to get back on the writing train.

Hopefully Catherine will invite me back to discuss the fitness challenges associated with being a 20-something with a full-time desk job.  That is, if she comes back from Jamaica.  Did I mention she was in Jamaica?

 Ross has been invited back to write part 2, as well as other posts in the future.  If I don’t return from Jamaica, he gains full operational control of A Two Storey Home.