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. It’s time to close out the year strong and get a head start on our New Year’s Resolutions right now! You ready? No? That’s fine! We’re doing it anyway, baby!

Here we go!

For this month’s recipe, I wanted to focus on something besides the big holiday feast. (If you’re interested in recipes and ideas for that, I’ve got plenty to share). But for our purposes here, I wanted to elevate your game when it comes to the “casual feast” which is what I’d call the meal before or after the big holiday when you’ve got people coming into town and need to feed a big crowd in an easy way. Well, look no further than this:

When I think of closing out the year strong, I first think of my training—particularly, going hard enough to put all those extra holiday calories to good use. And trust me, I WANT you to enjoy yourself at what ever holiday feasts and parties you wind up attending. I’m just saying cardio isn’t enough right now. What you really want to do is think like a power lifter and use those extra calories to build strength and muscle that will serve you well as you get back to a simpler, cleaner diet when the holidays are over.

With that in mind, I present a barbell circuit you can do in 30 minutes. It couldn’t be simpler: just load a single barbell with some light weight that you can handle on every exercise and don’t rest until the timer is up. Advanced lifters can load a couple of bars—one for exercises using smaller muscles (curls and upright rows) and a heavier one for bigger compound movements like squats and overhead presses.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the following workout as a circuit. After a 10 minute warmup, set a timer for20 minutes. Don’t rest between exercises.

Perform 15 reps of each exercise.Continue the circuit until 20 minutes is up, then cool down.

EXERCISE

BarbellOverhead Press
Barbell Curl
Lying Barbell Triceps Extension
Barbell Squat
Barbell Row
Barbell Upright Row
Plank (60 seconds)

I don’t know if this year was everything you hoped it would be or if you were able to stick to all your resolutions you set back in January. If you’re like most people, you’d probably say the year left a lot to be desired. On that note, I just want to say… it’s OK.

Part of finishing the year strong ought to be cherishing how far you’ve already come and what you already have. In particular, I want you to hold your loved ones tight. Spend some time this holiday season really looking into their eyes and considering what a true miracle it is that you’re here and that you have each other.

It’s crucial to our mental health that we—no matter what our circumstances are—concentrate less on what we don’t have, and instead focus on and express gratitude for what we do have. Not only does it relieve stress, it might even make you happy—and recharge you to get after all those resolutions in 2024. So let’s finish strong, not just by getting in our workouts and eating well, but appreciating the love and magic that’s all around us.

I also want to thank all of our nation’s heroes and families for the sacrifices they make all year long. My thoughts our with those unable to be with their loved ones this holiday season.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

And of course, never ever forget the words I live by…

Nothing is Impossible.