Hey Folks,

Before I get into my last edition of Life Ingredients in 2024, I have a quick update on Giving Tuesday. The numbers are officially in, and the Robert Irvine Foundation hit our matching goal of $25,000! I am eternally grateful to everyone who supported us. From myself, the Foundation, and so many grateful heroes, thank you!

Now, to get back to another edition of the newsletter where I share a workout, a healthy recipe, and a piece of motivational advice.

This month my trainer Steve Wrona is here to kick things off with a special workout designed specifically to burn up those extra calories we consume around the holidays. Now let’s get to work!

There are lots of ways to measure exercise: total duration, number of reps, number of steps, miles run, laps swum, punches thrown, plates spun… you get the picture. But for all these methods, none of them account for intensity. That’s why calories burned is probably the most important metric to measure by, especially at this time of year when we’re surrounded by treats and holiday parties. Calories burned, of course, skyrockets when we add INTENSITY. Note that the workout below is a tough one no matter how you slice it, but it’s a whole lot more effective when you go quicker and thus up the intensity. But that’s enough from me. I’ll let Steve explain it from here:

WARM UP

Treadmill 5-minute light effort (walk or jog)

Lunges + Rotation x 10 each

Band Pass-Through x 10

Inchworm to Plank x 5

CARDIO & ABS

Circuit 1 (3 Rounds)

Treadmill x 6 minutes (1 minute hard effort:1 minute easy effort)

Kettlebell Russian Twist x 15 each

Kettlebell Cannonball Crunch x 10-15

Plank + Shoulder Taps x 10-15 each

Rest 60 seconds between rounds

Circuit 2 (3 Rounds)

Sled Push and Pull x 90 seconds

Hollow Body Hold x 30 seconds

Bicycle Crunch x 10-15 each

Spiderman Plank x 10 each

Rest 60 seconds between rounds

Having friends over for a holiday party? Or have you been asked to bring a dish to one? Your old friend Robert has got your back with my Eggplant Caponata: It’s savory, lightly sweet, easily shareable, and delicious as a dip or as part of a charcuterie spread. Most amazingly the guests won’t know or care that it’s the healthiest dish at the party.

I feel like the old cliché that sometimes less is more could use closer examination right about now. We are a culture that is awash in talk of “abundance”. We are encouraged to aim for more, achieve more, earn more, and we are rarely encouraged to dial it back. During the holidays, the abundance mindset can go haywire, and I’m not just talking about how much we spend on our holiday spreads or how many gifts we buy. I’m talking about how many people we try to see, parties we attend, drinks we have… it’s as if the brakes can just fall right off the train and we wake up in January with everything a bit depleted: our energy levels, our social batteries, our bank accounts.

This month, I want to remind you that, as the old cliché insists, less really is more sometimes. If you’re feeling overwhelmed as so many of us are, let me be the first to insist that the only thing you need “more” of is time to take care of your mental health. Maybe it’s OK to say no sometimes. Maybe we could all use fewer holiday sing-alongs and cookie exchanges and more time in the woods, the peace of the forest being the only Christmas carol that can really lower your blood pressure and save your sanity.

There are so many wonderful things to enjoy at this time of the year, but you must also remember it’s the most stressful time of year, not to mention the darkest and one of the coldest. So while I know you have a lot to take care of, I guarantee you that the best gift you can give anyone close to you is being the best version of you that you can possibly be, and that means taking care of yourself.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and remember the words I live by:

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.