3 Bean Turkey Chili

Let me just start by saying that I abolutely love chili!  This is a chili recipe that I got from a very good friend of mine, thanks Berta, that I could definetly use on this cold and crummy Minnesota winter day...wait, winter's APPARENTLY supposed to be over.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Crockpot 3 Bean Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped chilies, drained
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, undrained
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, undrained
1 (15.5 oz) can dark red kidney beans, undrained
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Brown turkey and onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain any fat remaining and transfer to crock pot.

Add the beans, chilies, chickpeas tomatoes, tomato sauce and all of the seasonings, mixing well.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Photo & altered recipe: smells-like-home.com

Recommendation for Exercise Per Week

Good morning everyone!  How about I one up this statistic?  How about 2% of your day?  Does that sound more appealing?  The American Heart Association suggests at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of both) to improve overall cardiovascular health.  If you do the math, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week will give you that 2% or your day! :) 

So if you're having a hard time setting aside an hour a day to get your workout in, take this 30 minute approach to get that 150 minutes in a week.  You're heart will thank you for it! :)  Have a great day everyone! :)


Photo: pinterest.com

Home Resistance Band Workout

Sometimes we're just not able to make it to the gym, but still want to get a workout in. Resistance bands are great way to get that workout in.  I wasn't able to make it to the gym today myself, so I got my workout in at home using a full body resistance band routine so that I can keep going with the great results I'm having!  These exercises are simple to get the proper form down and they will give you that workout you're looking for.  Keep up the good work everyone!  :)

The Simple Things

Happy Friday everyone! Normally I post about workouts, motivation, recipes...but today I'm just going to give a quick shout out to the simple things in life. Too many times we get so caught up in our busy schedules that we sometimes just fail to see the little things that can put a smile on our faces or give us that happy feeling.

Every time I pick up my daughter from daycare she comes out of the room with her arms up in the air, BIG smile on her face and then she gives me a big hug. This little moment fills me with joy every single time it happens...no matter how my day went.

So I hope that you all can take the time today to notice the simple things in life that make you happy and cherish them. Have a great rest of the day everyone, I'm going to get back to enjoying more of these simple moments with my daughter, and why yes, we can watch Frozen...again. :)

Jumping rope isn't just for kids!

Good morning everyone! A little workout tip for anyone looking to add a little variety to your workouts...the jump rope. This piece of equipment you can purchase for $5 or less, if your gym doesn't already have some available, and it does wonders for you. I've recently started a new HIIT routine and I'm jumping rope between my sets (30 seconds) and let me tell you, it's a workout!

A tip on selecting the ideal length for your rope is to step one foot in the middle of the rope, the handles should come up to approximately armpit height.

So if your looking to add a little variety to your workouts with some cardio and toning benefits, I highly recommend incorporating the jump rope into your routine. Have a great day everyone!

Muscle of the Week - Biceps

Hi everyone!  It’s that time of the week again.  It’s the ‘Muscle of the Week’.  This week I’ll be talking about the biceps.  The biceps make up the region between your shoulder and elbow and these muscles are what you use when you are flexing your elbow.  The two main parts of the biceps that most people know about are the long head and the short head.  But there are two other muscles that make up the biceps region.  Those two other muscles are the coracobrachialis, which helps stabilize your upper arm and keeps your humerus (the upper arm bone) within your shoulder joint and the brachialis, which also aids in flexing your elbow.

Since there are opinions and debates about grip placements, inside/outside shoulder width, palms facing toward each other, palms facing up, I’ll provide some exercises that will incorporate all of them.  As always I’ll state 8-12 reps, but if you’re looking to tone more, then bump your reps up to 12-15.  Hope these exercises help and if you have any questions feel free to message me.  Have a great day everyone!

Barbell Curls  (3 sets  8-12 reps)

Alternating Hammer Curls  (3 sets  8-12 reps)

Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curls  (3 sets  8-12 reps)

Wide-Grip Standing Barbell Curl  (3 sets  8-12 reps)


Photo: mensfitnessmagazine.com

 
 

Kettlebell Exercises

Looking for something a little different to add to your leg routine?  Kettlebell exercises might be something you could try to throwing into your routine.  Not only are Kettlebell’s a great way to burn fat, but they’re also a great way to add strength.  Bodybuilding.com has some great Kettlebell exercises that you can add to your routines or set aside a whole routine dedicated to just Kettlebell’s.  Here’s just a few Kettlebell exercises to incorporate into your leg routine that just might be the ticket spark some new gains.

Front Squats with Two Kettlebells

Kettlebell One-Legged Deadlift

One-Arm Kettlebell Swings

Kettlebell Pistol Squat


Photo: muscleandfitness.com

Muscle of the Week - Chest

Hi everyone!  It’s that time again…the muscle of the week.  This week I’ve chosen my favorite, the chest.  The pectoralis major and pectoralis minor are what I’m going to focus on.  The major muscle of the chest is the pectoralis major.  This is the larger muscle of the chest.  It’s a fan-shaped muscle that stretches from the armpit up to the collarbone and goes down across the lower chest, connecting at the sternum, or breastbone.  The pectoralis minor is a thin triangular shaped muscle that is under the pectoralis major and it runs up and down the upper ribs.

If you recall my previous muscle/muscles of the week were the shoulders.  The pectoralis major plays a major role in the movement of your shoulder joint and is responsible for four major actions.  First is the flexion of the humerus (the bone of the upper arm), as in lifting a child.  The second, it adducts (moving the arm towards you) your humerus, as if you were flapping your arms.  Thirdly, it rotates the humerus medially, such as arm-wrestling.  Lastly, the pectoralis major is responsible for keeping the arm attached to the trunk of your body.

Though the pectoralis minor is the smaller of the chest muscles and doesn’t seem to get a second thought when it comes to working it out, it is indeed important because it keeps the scapula steady during exercising.  You can exercise it without additional effort because pretty much every workout you do for the pectoralis major, also works the pectoralis minor.

Listed below are three common exercises that I do to work the chest.  I would like to note that on the incline bench press, I choose a shallow angle setting on the adjustable bench, such as a setting less than 45 degrees.  I do this because if you get any higher on the angle you tend to work the shoulders more than the upper chest, which is what the incline bench press is meant to work.  Hope you guys enjoy the routine and if you have any questions about the movements, please feel free to contact me and I will do what I can to answer your questions.  Thanks everyone and have a great day!

Flat Barbell Bench Press  (3 sets  8-12 reps)

Barbell Incline Bench Press  (3 sets  8-12 reps)

Dumbbell Flyes  (3 sets  8-12 reps)

 

Photo: muscle&fitness.com

Working out at home

Do you know what the No. 1 excuse is as to why people don’t workout?  It’s time.  People say that they don’t have time in their busy days to workout.  I understand that we all may have things going on that can at times make it difficult to get to the gym.  Whether it’s being trapped in your driveway from a huge pile of snow left courtesy of the snow plow or being tied up at home working on some projects, whatever it may be that gets you thinking that you just don’t have time to leave the house to get to the gym there’s a solution to that.  You don’t have to go to the gym to get a workout in when you can workout at home.

You can get a good workout in at home with just a few pieces of equipment, and the best part, it’s all for less than $50.  There’s always exercises you can do at home that don’t involve equipment that you would need to buy like just doing push ups, chair dips, sit ups or crunches, lunges, wall squats…there are plenty of options to get you that workout from your own home.  But I would recommend picking up some resistance bands for a great workout and also a stability ball for your core exercises.  These two pieces of equipment are relatively inexpensive and can give you many different exercise options.



Photo: pcmag.com