Hey Folks,
Welcome back to Life Ingredients , the place where we take care of the whole person - spirit, mind, and body. Every edition is a reminder that real health isn’t about chasing perfection, but about building habits that make you stronger and more capable of creating a life you love.
We start the way we always do, by moving. Now let’s get to work!
LIFE INGREDIENTS FITNESS The Everyday Athlete's Functional Runner Workout There’s an interesting paradox I see at play in the fitness world. Lots of people want to look like athletes, but aren’t willing to train like them. The great Ronnie Coleman, an 8x Mr. Olympia champion (yes, I’m actually a big bodybuilding fan) perhaps put it best when he famously said, “Everybody wanna look like a bodybuilder, but nobody wanna lift these heavy-ass weights.” Always makes me chuckle.
Lucky for you, I’m not asking you to lift those heavy-ass weights. I am, however, asking you to think a bit more like an athlete as you approach the gym. The bodies of athletes, after all, aren’t built on comfortable machines that isolate a particular muscle. They’re built with dynamic movements that build strength, stability, and balance by putting you in challenging positions. Sorry, but this can’t be done from a cushioned seat.
This is a terrific workout that my trainer Steve Wrona just put me through.
Click the video and he can put you through it, too.
View Complete Workout LIFE INGREDIENTS FOOD Chestnut Soup Festive and comforting, this chestnut soup works great as a first course at any holiday gathering, or just as a special seasonal treat any night of the week. There are layers of flavors here that reveal themselves as you work your way through a cup or bowl, and despite the cream base, it’s not too heavy. You’re gonna love this one, whether you roast the chestnuts on an open fire or not. (Bacon not pictured. Please use your imagination. And… go! Doesn’t that look delicious?)
View Complete Recipe You might be saying, “Robert, come on. We were just talking about how overwhelming the holidays can be and now you want me to tackle my resolutions at the same time?”
In a word, yes. If you spend the next few weeks eating cookies, pie and drinking egg nog and then walk into the gym on January 1st, it’s going to feel so overwhelming. If instead you can start to manage your calories to plan for those holiday parties and carve out some time to hit the gym at least a couple times a week, then whatever your resolutions are, they won’t feel so daunting on New Year’s Day. Ditto any other resolution, whether it’s to read more, put down your phone and spend more time with your family, or to be more responsible with money. Whatever it is, take one, small concrete step toward it TODAY. If you can manage that, you’re going to cruise into the new year that much better off.
As an added bonus, doing it now is actually going to be good for your mental health by lightening the stress that the rest of your busy load is putting on you. You’ve got this. I just know it.
Enjoy the holidays, and cheers to a blessed new year.
As always, remember the words I live by:
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
