Arin Lindauer

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry mixed colored quinoa
• 2 cups chopped broccoli (frozen is okay to use)
• ½ chopped red onion
• ½ chopped red bell pepper
• 3-4 cup baby kale (remove any large stems)

Dressing:

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tbsp mustard (regular or Dijon)
• ½ a lime squeezed
• Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare your quinoa according to directions on your package.
2. While quinoa is cooking, add your chopped broccoli, onion, pepper to a skillet pan (sprayed with non-stick spray first) and let cook on medium to high heat for about 12 minutes stirring frequently. Then, add your kale to the sauté pan with veggies stirring until kale is wilted (about 1-2 minutes).
3. Prepare dressing by adding olive oil, onion powder, mustard, lime juice, salt and pepper to a bowl and whisking it together, set aside.
4. Once quinoa and veggies are cooked, serve separated, or toss everything in a large mixing bowl and stir in the dressing!

Nutrition Facts: Calories Per Serving: 396; Fat: 25g; Carbohydrates: 37g; Protein: 8 g

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cups bottled lite Italian salad dressing
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. honey
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lbs. chicken breast tenderloins
• 10 oz. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, honey, and crushed red pepper. Set aside
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning once. Add half of the dressing mixture to the skillet; turn chicken to coat. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; cover and keep warm.
3. Add asparagus and carrot to skillet. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender; transfer to serving platter.
4. Stir remaining dressing mixture; add to skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Drizzle the dressing mixture over chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with tomato.

Nutrition Facts: 269 calories per serving; 12 g fat (2 g saturated fat); 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber; 27 g protein

How’s your week this week?

I have seen some folks have a doozy of a week and I have see others absolutely conquer the week!

It’s a true testament that life is going to happen when we are trying to win, but you have the power over your reactions.

Being happy is a choice.  It is not always an easy choice but nonetheless a choice.

When we started these last 6-Weeks in our programming I was all fired up with deadlifts until one workout I thought I seriously did something.  My body seized me, glutes locked up to protect, and to be honest it left me a little rattled.

I worked through lots of soft tissue: muscle activations, heat, ice, massage and worked with a chiropractor.  To be brutally honest it was awful.

The one movement I felt like an absolute beast with failed.  I felt like I failed.  Then I got scared.

But I did not let this cripple me.  I lowered my weights (literally used a 40 lb. kettlebell vs warming up with 135!), worked through my soft tissue, chiro, etc.

I did find out that my pelvis was twisted; most likely from after giving birth, things just did not go back exactly they way they were before, and it caused lots of dysfunction.  Once I started to load the dysfunction, I quickly became aware of the problem.

Ever start pushing hard at something and you keep hitting road blocks?  You try to do everything in your power to get the results you want but something keeps holding you back.

This was what I was feeling.

Those first few weeks back at the “bar”, deadlift bar, I was nervous, scared to feel that same feeling.  My trust started to waver, but I kept going back and appropriately navigating the movement.  (Along with lots of muscle activations, hot bath, massage/stretching, ICE and chiro)

The thing about soft tissue work is it has to be done daily; its not when you feel like it, it is not only when it hurts.

Have you been here before?  Are you here now?

I am a firm believer that we are going to struggle, and it is absolutely part of the process.

Giving up is easy.  I wanted to write off deadlifts, but with my background I understand how foundational this movement is.  We “deadlift” so many things in our everyday life!  But I also believe in doing what is best for your body given what’s going on.  (Side note: Deadlifts are not always appropriate for everyone.)

Slowly over these weeks I have regained confidence and strength in the movement.  It also felt right.  I was able to engage my core properly and the movement just felt good.

Now today was the last day for this programming.  Sure, when we started I had all kinds of cool thoughts of the numbers I would put up, I was hoping for somewhere between 175-200 on my 4-rep deadlift.

I did 155 for 4 reps.

But the huge lesson for me was I left that bar satisfied.  It was enough.  Sure, I will always want to do more, but just a few short weeks ago I was deadlifting a 40lb Kettlebell.   Perspective.

We are all going to struggle.

It is part of the process and is an opportunity to learn and grow.

I am a huge fan of Mother Teresa.  She said, “Be happy in the moment, that’s enough.  Each moment is all we need, not more.”

Take your struggles and look at them from a bird’s eye view, not down playing anything because sometimes we are in true crisis, but when life is giving it to you, choose your reaction.

Heal and grow through each struggle and choose to win.

Find out everything you need to do to get through the struggle and consistently do what you need to do.  Nothing ever is a one and done and your are cured, I wish!

Winning will look different for each of us, but define that win!

I encourage you to look back at this week and see what was good about the week.  Evaluate what was not so good.  Look at next week and define what it means to win each day.  Write it down.

Keep pushing my friend… it will be worth it!

Have a great day and if you need help, simply reach out .

When it comes to fitness and nutrition programs, it’s amazing how all over the board our industry can be.

How do you know one program works over another?

For me if I was in your shoes I would want to know if other people have been in the same situation and then if have they gotten the results I desire.

Pretty simple, right?

Most trainers or programs neglect to highlight the amazing stories of their clients.  These stories are inspiration of people who have been in your shoes and have fought adversity.

I still get choked up listening to them.  (Check out some real stories HERE.)

What I think fitness and nutrition programs should work on is how to solve client problems.

What do I need to eat and when?

What workout is most effective for me to get results?

Time, how to carve out time for ME?

I’m post a surgery or physical therapy; what do I need to do to keep me safe?

How do I keep it from getting boring?

TIME…did I say time already?

Listening to clients and understanding what they need is important.  Another huge spot is Accountability.  We all seem to have a decent understanding of what to do, it’s doing it.  Then doing it again and again, even when we don’t want to.

So what problems can we help you solve?

Reaching out is one of the hardest things to do but it is so worth it in the end.

I’ll go back to these amazing stories. These stories are not about me; they are about the real people who have worked through each set back, have worked through previous health issues and won.

Each person is different but we just want to know that someone cares about us and can help us win.

If you need help winning, let me know.

We can jump on the phone for a few minutes and talk about you!

Let me know how we can help.

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 12-14 lb. turkey, thawed (if frozen)
• 2 heads garlic, halved horizontally through the equator
• 1 lemon, halved
• 4 small onions, quartered
• 14 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• kosher salt
• 2 large carrots, cut into 2-in. pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-in. pieces
• 3/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• Fresh herbs, for serving

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Working on a baking sheet, remove the giblets and neck of the turkey from the cavities. Reserve the neck and discard the giblets. Using paper towels, pat the turkey dry. Stuff the garlic, lemon, half the onions and 10 sprigs thyme into the main cavity.
2. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wing tips underneath the body (this will prevent them from burning). Rub the turkey with the oil and season with 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Place the turkey neck, carrots, celery, the remaining onions and the remaining thyme in a large roasting pan. Place a roasting rack in the pan and put the turkey on top of it.
4. Roast the turkey until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (Cover the bird loosely with foil if it browns too quickly, and add the broth to the pan if the vegetables begin to scorch.)
5. Carefully tilt the turkey to empty the juices from the cavity into the pan. Transfer the turkey to a carving board. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for at least 25 minutes. Reserve the pan and its contents for gravy. Carve the turkey and garnish with herbs as desired.

Nutrition Facts: Serving size: 5 oz.; 255 calories; 9 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat; 186 mg sodium; 40 g protein; 0 g carbohydrates

We just completed the 5^th week of a 6-week program at our Training Facility, and seeing clients put up some numbers they have never done before is simply amazing.

We design these workouts with consistency, to build lean tissue (not make you big) which increases your metabolic process, burn body fat and help you move better and stronger in your daily life.

The importance with any workout program is consistency and that you are progressing.  If you came in for 6-Weeks and lifted the same weight you have not lost ground but you will not see the results you want.

Pushing yourself appropriately is important in each workout, again not making you HUGE.

Typically, if you are feeling like you are getting “big” we need you to go one step further and help you reduce your body fat which comes back to nutrition.  No crazy crash diets or changes, small insignificant changes done consistently to help you decrease the body fat while maintaining a normal life.

What we see in our industry is random workouts or, my personal favorite, workouts dubbed to cause “muscle confusion”.  What, the only person confused is the coach?  Trust me, you will not confuse your Actin and Myosin, they know what to do!

When you do workouts for 6-weeks you are able to see your body adapt to the stimulus, and each week you add a little bit of weight with appropriate increases while not sacrificing the movement/form pattern.

When you do random workouts, how do you know if you are making any progress?

Or if you have been doing the same routine for months on end, its time for a change.  Most importantly, if you are not seeing results something needs to change.  If you have been doing 3 set of 12 reps, increase the weight and see how you feel.  Lifting should make you uncomfortable, and grab a coach or buddy to spot your form.

The most important part is having a plan.

When I worked in a gym I would see someone sign up, get excited, then walk around the machines/free weights and not know what to do.

This is where a coach can come in and help.

It is overwhelming when you start looking around at all the equipment.

Or if you see a bunch of “fit” people lifting it can get intimidating.

I encourage you to talk to a coach who  has a degree and iscertified because the fitness industry is 100% unregulated, and just because that person has pics on Instagram, it does not make them an expert.

Again, I can’t tell you how awesome it has been to watch our clients in these workouts.  We can’t wait to see the assessments this month!

If you need help structuring your workouts or feel like you are not seeing results, reach out.  We can jump on the phone and talk more about your program.

The worst thing is to feel like you are spinning your wheels and not making progress.

Life is too short.  We were just reminded of this seeing a new business owner in our community pass away yesterday.

Young guy with a wife and two kids. Our sincere condolences go out to his young family.

It hits home.

Taking care of you is time you will never regret and we are always here to help.

If you are a client of ours we are so proud of you and if you are not a client, let us know how we can help or simply reach out.