Fuel Up & Take Charge: Smarter Workouts, Clean Living & Your Daily Happiness

NUTRITION
Recipe Of The Week

High Protein Chili Mac
Approx Macros per serving: 307 cal 30gP/30gC/9gF

Ingredients:
- 1 Box of barilla protein plus elbow pasta
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cans (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (15oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped green onions (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook the pasta in a medium pot according to directions. Drain and set aside.
3. Spray a large pot with nonstick cooking spray or butter and place on medium heat.
4. Add turkey, onion, and bell pepper to pot. Cook until meat is brown and vegetables are soft.
5. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
6. Mix in the spices
7. Add the tomatoes and beans. Stir and turn heat up to medium-high. Let the pot simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the cooked pasta and ½ the cheese- stir until combined.
9. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour the pasta mixture into the casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
10. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with green onions.

FITNESS
Short On Time? Tips To Lift Smarter

Back in college and even right after college, I could easily spend 1-2 hours a day at the gym… but these days??? I’m lucky if I can squeeze in a full 30 minutes.

It can be hard to make short workouts feel effective when you’re trying to lift heavy (ahem…I’m talking about YOU!)

So if you are pressed on time, here are my top 10 tips for lifting smarter:

1. Time You Warm-Up : set a timer for 5 minutes and get it done

2. Primer SuperSets: Superset 2 exercises before your heavy lift. Example: on heavy squat day- start with a hamstring curl alternated with a hanging knee raise.

3. Combine Warm-Up With Progression: start with the empty bar and incorporate dynamic mobility as you increase the weight towards your heavy sets.

4. Use Timers For Rest

5. Turn Off Your Phone

6. Use Exercise “Snacks”: like we talked about in a previous newsletter, fit in 5-10 minutes of exercise when you can - a set of lunges on your bathroom break or core activation while you brush your teeth- it all adds up!

7. Work Close To Failure: track your weights and know what’s challenging to maximize your work in minimal sets.

8. Upper Body On Busy Days: upper body workouts tend to take less time, schedule them when you know you’re extra tight on time

9. Stick To 3 Lifts Per Week: Don’t underestimate how much progress you will make with just 3 scheduled lifting sessions a week.

10. Plan It Out: know you only have 20 minutes? Write out a plan with timers and stick to it.

Don’t let time be your excuse- you can live a strong and fit life no matter how busy your schedule may seem!

HEALTH/WELLNESS
Ditch The Candles This Holiday Season

Today, we’re ditching those Bath & Body Works Candles you’ve grown to love.

I can hear you now “not my candles too!”, but I’ve got an answer for you so read on!

A pediatrician who specializes in environmental toxins, recently stated that he believes burning a candle for an hour is equivalent to smoking a cigarette. Our indoor air is anywhere from 2-8x worse than outdoor air spending on where you live, and it’s estimated that most people spend 90% of their time indoors. So when we sit down and think about it and think about ourselves, our children, and even our pets…our indoor air MATTERS A LOT.

And it’s not just candles that pollute your indoor air. It’s also cleaning products, flame retardants and off gassing from furniture and building supplies, the perfumes we where, air fresheners, and more. But today, let’s talk about our beloved candles.

Did You Know: Artificial Fragrance is harmful to our physical and mental health? 

Many synthetic chemicals in fragrances are petroleum based and shown to be harmful to our health. The chemicals found in fragrances contain phthalates- which are endocrine disruptors and benzophenone which is a known carcinogen. AKA things we don’t want to be breathing in every single day and things we definitely don’t want around our children!

Here’s what Dr Massoudi had to say about burning candles:
“When burned they release carcinogenic toxins such as benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein and soot into the air”
“The paraffin candles we tested released unwanted chemicals into the air. For a person who lights a candle every day for years or just uses them frequently, inhalation of these dangerous pollutants drifting in the air could contribute to the development of health risks like cancer, common allergies and even asthma”

Studies have even found phthalates (those endocrine disruptors) in dust. Do you really want your children in that all day long??

Carcinogenic compounds released into the air, lead contaminated wicks that cause neurotoxicity, as well as toulene being neurotoxic, and then the hormone disrupting effects of phthalates? Nope, not worth it.

Most of the parrafin wax in candles is sourced from China, soy candles source their soy from the U.S. are soaked in glyphosate, a known carcinogen and hormone disruptor.

NOT worth it!

So what can we use in place of our favorite toxic candles?

Since embarking on my own health journey and scrutinizing the products I bring into my home, I have stopped burning candles- but truthfully this one hurt and was one thing I really missed.

Here are some ideas to replace your candles:
1. Flameless battery operated candles
2. Diffuse essential oils
3. Non-toxic candles like these

Personally, I love a high-quality essential oil blend in my diffuser. Just a few drops and your entire home will smell great!

MINDSET
Owning Your Own Happiness

It has taken me a long time to get to and understand this point- the ONLY person responsible for your happiness is YOU. Not your spouse, not your partner, not your parents, not your friends. Just YOU.

Happiness looks different for everyone and what matters is that you know your own personal happiness.

By taking responsibility for your own joy- your life will transform.

Happiness is a mindset.

While we can’t control everything that happens to us, we can control how we respond. Recognizing that you have the power to choose your response and thoughts over a situation is the first step to owning your own happiness.

Happiness truly is a choice, although at times it is hard to remember this. Parts of our lives contribute to our happiness (careers, friends, your partner), but it’s your mentality behind them that counts the most. Ultimately, you get to choose things like your career, partner, and friendships, and if you want to build your happiness you have to get to know yourself and be selfish. You have to respect yourself enough to choose YOU. Let’s break it down:

Get To Know Yourself- Ask yourself questions like “how am I feeling?” “What do I need today?”. Check in with yourself often and take note of how you’re feeling. Try this: set a timer for 5 minutes. Now, let your mind wander through what your life is at this moment. Now, check how your body feels… what about your mind?

Be Selfish- This one’s hard, but you have to choose yourself first. Choose things that light you up, that get you excited! Set yourself up to thrive and find success at what you LOVE! Schedule regular “me” time- a quiet cup of coffee, a solo workout, or a quiet dinner alone. Recharge your soul so you can show up as your best self. Keep the promises you make to yourself.

Make Changes- Change is hard, but change is necessary. Get out of your comfort zone. Get out of your “safe” routine. Maybe you start getting up an hour earlier, implement a new workout program, or sell everything and live in a van for a while. Changes lead to reaching new goals and living the life you truly want.

If you hate your job you have two options, figure out a way to like it or change jobs! It’s that simple but I know it’s not ‘that easy’. If you know for a fact that your job/career is completely draining you ask yourself, “What is step 1 to getting out of this situation?” Maybe it’s looking for a totally different job to just get you out of the industry, maybe it means finding an online program or night classes to take to increase your education. Chances are it starts with a decision and a google search. 

Make A Plan- Make a plan for what you truly want and let your closest support system know. Just because you are working to make yourself happy, doesn’t mean you have to go at it alone. You have people who care about you and want you to be happy too.

Take Control- At the end of the day, you’re in control of your life. Start with being conscious of small choices you are making in your day to day life such as your mood or your reaction to unfavorable situations happening. Are you choosing to let it ruin your entire day or are you able to move past it and continue on creating a happy mood again? This is so important, remember – happiness is a choice and it is YOUR choice.

Obviously not everything can always be about making you happy so sometimes you need to involve your partner, family, kids in the plan. Others need to know why a decision is important to you and what you need them to do to help you get there but also what they need from you while you are getting there. They also have stuff that makes them happy so find a system that satisfies all parties but does not hold anyone back.

But in the end, it’s your life. You have to be happy with the decisions and choices you are making each day.

Tips for Living Happy

• Practice gratitude & forgiveness

• Find quality friendships 

• Exercise & move your body

• Enjoy sunshine 

• Laugh

• Communicate with others 

• Journal your feelings, thoughts, emotions

Make yourself Better Today.