Hey Folks,

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

We’re going to kick things off as we always do, with a workout from my very own trainer, Steve Wrona. Now let’s get to work!

As all the best chefs in the world will tell you, when you have quality ingredients, the job is to stay out of their way; do just enough to bring all the elements together and let them shine. Where the amateur keeps seasoning and mixing and trying to find a use for every little kitchen gadget they have, the experienced pro takes half the time and effort and delivers a superior dish.

It’s a helpful metaphor for this month’s workout. Because fitness, if you’re not training for a specific sport, is really quite simple, even if it’s never exactly easy. To wit, my trainer Steve Wrona is here with something he’s simply calling “The Minimalist Workout”. Using only dumbbells and a bench, this workout hits every major muscle group and, if you adhere to the strict rest protocol, gives you a hell of a cardio workout, too.

Let’s hear it from Steve in the video below:

LIFE INGREDIENTS JULY WORKOUT

WARM UP

World’s Greatest Stretch 1 x 5-10 each side
Bench T-Extension 1 x 30-60 seconds

THE MINIMALIST WORKOUT

Just dumbbells and a bench.

A) Dumbbell Goblet Squat 3 x 10-15
A) Incline Bench Dumbbell Row 3 x 10-15
Rest up to 60 seconds after each set.

B) Dumbbell Deadlift 3 x 10-15
B) Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3 x 10-15
Rest up to 60 seconds after each set.

C) Dumbbell Curl 3 x 10-15
C) Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 x 10-15
C) Dumbbell Skull Crusher 3 x 10-15
C) Bench Leg Raise 3 x 10-15
Rest up to 30 seconds after each set.

It’s September, and I don’t know about you, but my thoughts have turned to fall comfort foods. Specifically, I’m a great lover of traditional Oktoberfest dishes like Spaetzel, apple strudel, Bavarian pretzels, and of course, schnitzel. A lot of Americans don’t know that Oktoberfest actually starts in mid-September (a teensy bit later sometimes, like September 21st this year) and runs through the first Sunday of October. So without further ado, I say we get ready now. I want to share with you the pork schnitzel that I made a couple of years ago on Restaurant: Impossible. Served with red cabbage and mustard potatoes, it satisfies a lot of cravings all at once, especially if you wash it down with a nice cold pilsner.

September has flown by for me, I’ve been to many events supporting our heroes in many different states. But when I sat down to write this month’s Life Ingredients – as we’re closing out the month – I couldn’t help but think about the terrorist attacks that took place on 9/11. I wrote you a message on September 11th this year reflecting on the day, but today I started to think about it again. Sometimes it can feel like it happened a lifetime ago on another planet. Other times, it can feel like it happened just yesterday. The truth is, it’s been 23 years since the events of September 11, 2001. Not a lifetime ago. Not yesterday, either. This year on the anniversary of that terrible day, I reflected, as I always do, on the innocent lives lost, and on the heroic first responders who rose to the occasion, with many making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Then, of course, my thoughts turned to the price paid by the veteran community in the decades since.

This year, I also remembered a meeting I recently had in the Freedom Tower. It is beyond surreal the first time you get into that building, and you’re bound to ride the same roller coaster of emotions that I just described. But once you get through it, you are left with only the truth: Time conquers all, and life does indeed go on. We may never be whole again, but we have rebuilt. We cannot bring back the dead, but we have brought forth a new generation.

This brings me to two points I want to leave you with. First, remember that whatever pain or difficulty you might be going through at the moment, it is no match for the march of time and a hopeful spirit. Second, in recalling the heroism we saw on September 11, remember that you are never alone and that there are those in your community—people you’ve never even met—who would give their lives to save yours. That is more than an encouraging thought. That, my friends, is a reason to love this incredible life we’ve been given and to make all that we can of it.

God bless you, and remember the words I live by:

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE