Hello Everyone,

Welcome to another edition of ‘Life’ Ingredients, the newsletter where I share a workout, a healthy recipe, and a piece of motivational advice.

Let’s jump right in as we always do, with a great workout!

My trainer Steve Wrona is back again, and this time he’s breaking down training to its most basic principles. Rather than think of individual muscles and how to isolate each one to create the ideal size and shape, Steve introduces the concept of movements—the kinds that each of us do every day—and all the synergist muscles, that is the muscles that work together to do that movement. In the workout described below and in the accompanying video, he explains why it’s more efficient to think of the movements like pushing (think triceps and pectorals) and pulling (think biceps and lats, or back muscles).

But don’t take from an old meathead like me! Listen to Steve!

STRETCHES

Band Chest and Lats, 30-60 seconds each side

Spine Extension/Rotation 30-60 seconds each

STRENGTH WORKOUT

Do exercises in pairs and rest 60 seconds between sets

A) Cable Row 3-4 x 10-15

A) DB Bench Press 3-4 x 10-15

B) Lat Pulldown 3-4 x 10-15

B) DB Shoulder Press 3-4 x 10-15

C) Rope Tricep Extension Drop Set 2-3 x 10+

D) Preacher Curl 21’s 2-3 x 7 reps in each of 3 positions

MAKE IT CONTINUED

4) continued… It can be hard to see because of the eggplant’s dark color.

5) After the eggplant is just cooked through, cut in half, top with basic tomato sauce, sliced sausage, and crumbled feta.

6) Place back on a low grill and cook for approximately 7 to 10 minutes.

THE MACROS

CALORIES: 302

PROTEIN: 10

FAT: 20

CARBS: 26

I recently caught up with a friend of mine I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. He’s one of those friends that I’ve known forever, and even though we don’t get to see each other very often, each meeting feels like no time has passed. After a few minutes, we fall into our old, familiar rhythms, hitting each other with inside jokes and references and it’s just a wonderful time. I hope you have at least one person like that in your life.

This meeting, however, took an unexpected turn. My friend started to tell me about a few of his recent disappointments in life. Some trouble with family members, and some more with one of his coworkers. I’m always happy to listen. Of course, what are friends for? But what struck me about his problems wasn’t that they were particularly unique or troubling. Indeed, I think if I told you exactly what was going on, you’d have had something exactly like it happen to you in your life. What worried me is how he was FRAMING these problems. In each instance, he saw the transgressors as people who had acted AGAINST him, rather than people who were merely acting in their own self-interest. The fact that he suffered from their actions is still unfortunate, still worthy of exploration, and still worthy of telling a trusted friend who could help. In this instance, my help was this: “Dude, I don’t think any of these people did anything TO you. I think they’re just like a lot of people in this world: selfish when it comes down to it. You were just caught in the crossfire.”

So, this month, I want you to think about something difficult that you’re going through. Maybe it’s trouble with a loved one, a hiccup in your career, or that damn cable company that keeps overcharging you. While you think of the problem, ask yourself if this was personal or if the other person (or cable company) was merely acting in their own self-interest and you got caught up in their nonsense. If I’m right—and I usually am—then you’re going to feel a lot better about this problem. Removing the personal from the cause allows you to remove the personal—including heightened emotions like anger, sadness, and despair—from your reaction.

Give it a try. As you do, remember that your old pal Robert is rooting for you.

And of course, never forget the words I live by:

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.

Until next time,