Week 13/Meal 13

Steak and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Free range grass fed steak!  Season with sea salt and coarse black pepper.  Grill for 5-7 minutes per side or cook on high heat in an iron skillet on the stove.   

Slice Brussel sprouts thin.  Put in oven at 350-400 degrees.  Season pyrex or iron skillet with olive oil and one clove of garlic crushed but left in skin.  When the Brussel sprouts are fork tender season with sea salt and black pepper.  The sprouts should take about 15 to 20 minutes.  

Enjoy! 

Week 12/Meal (Snack!) 12

Quick and simple - rinse a can of chick peas in a colander.  Throw them in a blender, with a a garlic clove, pinch of sea salt, black pepper, parsley, lemon juice and blend with olive oil.  Just add olive oil until you get a good puree going.  

I enjoyed the hummus with carrots and celery but it is good with bell peppers of various colors, apples, steamed broccoli and much more.  Give it a try!

Broccoli and Deadlifts...

A good friend of mine from college Martin Rooney has quite a resume.  He has lectured to Olympic coaches and athletes all over the world, he has trained football players for the NFL combine, he is a co-founder of the Parisi Speed School, and now he has begun a new venture Training for Warriors.  He recently posted a blog that I really liked.

He poses the question: Why do we have to make things so hard in fitness and nutrition?  There is so much misinformation, so much great information, and so many experts.  It can be very confusing.  I have always hoped to help people see how simple it really is.  

Many people are struggling with their health.  It may be you or someone you care for.  Martin says, “you don’t have to give someone a rocket ship when all they need is a row boat.”  You have to start somewhere.  I totally agree. Martin says there are two basics he knows have worked for him - Deadlifts and Broccoli.  

Why deadlifts? It is a super functional movement that is easy to perform.  It will make your whole body strong from your feet through your finger tips!  You have to be able to bend and pick stuff up so you might as well deadlift.  You can keep setting personal records for a long time.

Why broccoli?  Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and cruciferous vegetables are arguably the most healthy plants we can eat.  Broccoli is a major cancer fighter full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, vitamins and minerals.  Maybe you think you don’t like broccoli.  Try some steamed to fork tender, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and season with sea salt.  Just ask my son if you don’t like it... just add olive oil and salt and you will like it.  Give it a try! 

So, how do you get started?  As Martin says, “add more weight to your bar more and more broccoli to your plate!”  It is not the end all, be all, but is a starting point and the most important thing is getting started! 

Week 11/Meal 11 - Hunting and Gathering at the Baylor School

I also work at the Baylor School as a strength & conditioning coach, football and track coach.  A simple way to keep healthy is to pretend you are a hunter / gatherer when you are at a restaurant or a cafeteria.  

The hunter searches for meat that is not processed and not fried.  Choose one serving of meat that is in appearance as it would be if you hunted the animal and butchered it yourself.  I hunted baked chicken this time.  

Then I began gathering.  I took every plant I could find.  Eat all the plants you can as a gatherer.  You cannot eat too many plants.  With the chicken there is steamed broccoli and an Asian slaw.  The side plate is roasted potatoes, baked spaghetti squash and steamed spinach with cherry tomatoes.  

Hunt and gather and you will stay healthy!   

Week 10/ Meal 10

Dinner Time!  

Italian sausage from Main St. Meats cooked on the grill!  Roasted potatoes quartered and drizzled in olive oil and Frank's Hot Sauce baked at 400 in the oven until a good crust is formed and fork tender - usually 30-40 minutes.  Steamed asparagus with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt.  Salad of mixed greens with a dressing of sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Dessert of fresh mangos!  

Enjoy! 

Week 9/Meal 9 - Sunday Brunch!

Sunday Brunch - 

Omelet with spinach, red and orange peppers cooked in olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper.  Sides sliced tomatoes, avocado, string green beans, butternut squash and a grapefruit.  The tomatoes and avocado simply seasoned with sea salt.  The green beans were steamed and mixed with finely chopped fresh garlic, olive oil and sea salt.  The butternut squash was quartered and boiled.  Then seasoned with olive oil and sea salt.  

Smoothie - 1/2 cup frozen pineapple - 1/2 cup frozen blueberries - 1/2 cup Fage yogurt - 1 banana - 1/2 cup water and ice.  Mix in Vitamix.

Enjoy! 

Week 8/Meal 8

A quick and healthy breakfast - I am a first generation Italian, and I grew up eating eggs with tomato sauce.  It is delicious.  The first time I saw someone eating their eggs with ketchup I thought it was so sad they were not using real tomato sauce.  Give it a try!  

Two fried eggs in olive oil.  I use crushed San Marzano tomatoes.  Simply warm a few spoonfuls of the tomato sauce in a pan, and put them over the eggs.  Season with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper.  Can tomatoes are very good for you, and my children love eggs this way.  

The greens on the side are kale greens.  I quickly stir fried these kale greens in olive oil as I finished the egg.  Season with sea salt.

Enjoy! 

Welcome 2016!

 

The New Year is here!  At this time of year most people become more reflective.  We tend to evaluate different areas of our life we would like to improve.  And for many folks a big area of evaluation concerns one’s health.  I am sure many of you reading this article had sincere plans to make 2015 the year you finally took control of your health.  Although many people sincerely felt this way, the odds are probably that only a few actually did and began a new lifestyle committed to being healthy.  Why is that???  Is it because you really don’t want to change your exercise and eating habits?  Is it because you are undisciplined?  Is it because you don’t care? 

I would say the answer to all three questions is NO! I have been training people for 23 years. I am convinced that all of you really do want to change your exercise habits.  However, there are real life reasons why it does not happen, and our busy lives are the number one reason.  Most folks are working so hard as a successful professional, busy mother, or both, that by the time you have taken care of everyone else there is no time left to take care of yourself.  Discipline is not the reason, because I bet if you look at your life you see many areas in both your professional and personal life where you are disciplined.  Finally, I know you care or you wouldn't be reading this article.

So … how can you make 2016 different???  Here are three suggestions that I know work because I have personally seen 100s of people apply these three tips and many have lost 20 - 100 pounds, blood pressure has improved, cholesterol levels have dropped, bodies are more functional, and people are eating more healthfully.  

  1. Set Exercise Appointments with yourself.  Whether you are a busy professional, busy mother or both, your day is filled with appointments with other people.  You certainly would not be disrespectful and miss a scheduled appointment.  Set exercise appointments with yourself and give yourself the respect you give others.  Don’t miss your appointment!  There are 168 hours in a week.  For 2016 you must make a commitment to set three one hour appointments with yourself per week… and keep them!  When life happens and you miss a scheduled appointment, you must reschedule to maintain your training volume.  The training volume goal for the month is 12 training sessions.  Many people feel guilty for taking this personal time, but you must remember lots of people are depending on you.  Your health is the vehicle which allows you to continue caring for others, work hard, and enjoy life.  Make your exercise appointments priorities!
  2. Set Specific, Realistic Measurable Goals.  For example … improving diet is fine as a general, long term goal, but this is not specific.  Analyze what has to be improved in your eating habits.  Maybe you are skipping breakfast causing a big dip in your metabolic rate.  Set a goal for January to eat a healthy breakfast three to four days a week and name the specific three to four days, for example, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  A healthy breakfast includes one serving of a healthy complete protein, one serving whole grain, and at least one serving fruit or vegetable.  A simple breakfast of one slice whole grain bread with an all-natural almond butter and an apple would be a healthy breakfast.  At the end of January build on your success and create a new specific, realistic and measurable goal.
  3. ACCOUNTABILITY!!!  Accountability is essential to keeping your exercise appointment with yourself.  But for most accountability to self is not enough.  It is too easy to rationalize something else is more important.  Different people are successful with different forms of accountability.  For some simply investing in a gym membership is enough, for others having a friend or a group you are committed to exercise with, and for others a higher degree of accountability is needed, for example, a personal trainer.  We all spend a great deal of money on health insurance which is not health insurance at all.  Taking care of one’s health through proper nutrition and exercise is true health insurance.  If you know you need the highest level of accountability I suggest investing in 12 weeks of personal training and then re-evaluating.  Look at it as if you are taking a class to invest in your health.  We have all invested in education to better our lives. It just makes sense to do the same for our health.  The secret is accountability to a coach, mentor, and guide … someone who is committed to your commitment and impervious to your excuses.  

We are all well aware of the health crisis in America related to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and a host of other preventable diseases.  Make a commitment to the three tips above and you are on your way to receiving the benefits of exercise and healthy eating habits.  When you are physically fit you will feel better, sleep better, overcome stress, work better, communicate better, play better and live better!  Make 2016 the year you really DO something about making a lifestyle change that will improve your quality of life for years to come!!!

Week 7/Meal 7

Taking advantage of left overs!  The other night we had a party for our trainers and grilled whole chickens.  We did not finish one of them.  I simply tore off all the meat and chopped it up for a chicken salad.  I added chopped celery, chopped green onion, chopped parsley, and minced fresh garlic.  Mix with a tablespoon of organic mayo and a drizzle of olive oil. I seasoned it with curry, sea salt, and black pepper.  It was REALLY good! 

For the side, I steamed asparagus and threw them in an ice bath to stop their cooking.  I seasoned the asparagus with a leftover vinaigrette from last night's dinner.  The vinaigrette was 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, a teaspoon of minced fresh garlic, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.  

Enjoy!