Recipe: Beef and Brussels Sprouts

Try this- the apple adds a sweet-tart taste to this healthy meal!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. avocado or coconut oil

• 1 lb. grass-fed ground beef (mine was 85% lean)

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

• 1 9-oz. package of shredded Brussels sprouts (or shred about 3½ cups of whole sprouts)

• 1 organic apple, peeled

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• Sea salt

• Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it starts to caramelize, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks for about 4-5 minutes. Add the brussels sprouts and continue cooking until the beef is cooked through.

2. Add the chopped apple to pan and saute for 2-3 minutes, and then stir in the lemon juice. Cook for another minute or so before seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

At Performance is Haapanen, we understand the critical role of proper diet and nutrition in supporting individuals fighting cancer, including mesothelioma - a specific type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Explore this comprehensive resource to learn how a balanced diet can empower your body to combat cancer cells and aid in the healing process.

Recipe by: Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by margouillatphotos from Getty Images

Move at Work Challenge: Strengthen Your Shoulders for Summer

Move at Work Challenge: Upper Body at Gross Reservoir

As Seen in Authority Magazine: The 5 Things You Need to Do to Achieve a Healthy Body Weight, and Keep it Permanently

It was so cool to be interviewed for Authority Magazine to give my take on how to achieve a healthy body weight. In this video, I talk about 5 actionable steps you can take to reach your goals! Check it out!!

My Top 5 Tips to Achieve a Healthy Body Weight and Keep It Permanently

Before we get started, I want you to grab some paper and a pen so you can participate with me. Don’t just read these and say, “I’ll do them later”.

Decide you want to be better right now!

#1 You Need to Figure Out Your Why?

Why do you REALLY want to lose weight?

You have to know your why, and it has to be something bigger than “I want to fit into a pair of jeans”. I have my humans participate in the 5-7 “whys”. Grab a pen and paper and reflect inward – ask yourself “why” until you get to something that is truly meaningful. Something like, “so I can play on the floor with my grandkids and get up without any help or pain” or “to prevent dying from cardiovascular disease like my father”.

#2 Change Your Mindset

Change is hard. Our mind is often our biggest obstacle. Your brain has 2 main functions – to keep you alive and safe. A big part of this is automating behaviors that have worked in the past. NOT for doing the things we should be doing to lead us to success. Our brains repeat behaviors that have kept us alive, and often these aren’t behaviors that serve us in reaching our goals.

The thing is that our brains will self-sabotage us if we set goals that are different from what we have done in the past. Especially if those goals are big and scary.

#3 Discover What is Going to Get in Your Way?

I want you to figure out your top 5 roadblocks and then come up with a plan to deal with each one of these. Basically, how are you going to “decide in advance”? I call this “ 👊 your future self”.

As humans, when we want to make change, that self-sabotage is going to come up. So, I want you to decide in advance a plan to tackle all those excuses your brain is going to come up with.

#4 Take Action

Figure out what is the next SMALLEST best step? What can you do in 2 minutes towards changing your life? Then do it!

It might be just getting dressed in workout gear and swinging your arms 10 times. Now celebrate your 2-minute win.

Your mind will sabotage you if the goal is too big and scary. The only thing your mind wants to do is keep you from dying and keep you safe, and that means sticking to old patterns. I always tell my humans if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.

Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone. But with tiny 1% better changes every day you won’t recognize yourself in a year.

YOU HAVE TO TAKE ACTION, don’t just learn about this, GO DO IT!!! It is life-changing if you take action.

When you take care of yourself first, you are going to be your best self for everyone else around you too.

#5 Move Your Body and Eat Real Food

So, this one is actually 2 parts and I know it’s super broad and there are so many factors that affect nutrition and movement, but I’m quickly going to try to give you my philosophy on each.

Nutrition

First, if you want to change your body composition or lose weight, 80% of that will be done with food and 20% can be done with movement. So, focus on the food portion for weight loss.

I like to stick with that 80/20 rule. Make 80% good choices and 20% fun.

Lose the idea that there are good and bad foods. Some foods are just denser in crap. Eat less of the crap and more of the whole real foods.

Movement

I have 2 big suggestions:

1.    Strength train at least 3 times a week, because this will help build your muscles which revs up your metabolism, and your body will burn more calories just by having more muscles. Plus, it will help you feel like a badass. If you don’t like strength training – suck it up and do it anyways or your health, we can’t love everything we have to do.

2.    Find some movement you like to do. You are more likely to move your body everyday if you enjoy it. So, try it all, Pilates, yoga, walking, biking, hiking, working with a personal trainer, slacklining, swimming, trampolining, rollerblading, dancing, YouTube videos, keep testing out different things to find something you don’t hate. Recruit a friend and make a date to go for a walk. But move your body daily.

Check out the full article for exercises and actionable steps you can take to start changing your life right now!

Move at Work Challenge: Fall Upper Body and Back

Workout: Legs, Cardio, Core

Time: 60 minutes

Equipment Needed: Bench / Step and a Stopwatch

Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes

Strength Circuit #1:

Complete 3 sets. Allow 1 - 2 minutes rest between sets.

• 30 seconds Lateral Lunges - left (stationary or stepping)

• 30 seconds Lateral Lunges - right (stationary or stepping)

• 30 seconds 1-Leg Reaches - left

• 30 seconds 1- Leg Reaches - right

• 30 seconds Suicide Push-Ups

• 1 - 2 minutes Rest

Strength Circuit #2:

Complete 2 - 3 sets. Allow 1 - 2 minutes rest between sets.

• 30 seconds Step-Ups - left

• 30 seconds Step-Ups - right

• 30 seconds Bench Crunches

• 30 seconds Plank

• 1 - 2 minutes Rest

Tabatas:

Perform 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds recovery for 4 minutes for each Tabata set.. Example: 20 seconds high knees, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds flutter kicks, 10 seconds rest, REPEAT until you reach 4 minutes total.

• Tabata #1: High Knees and Big Flutter Kicks

• Tabata #2: V-Jumps and Tuck Jumps

Rest 1 - 3 minutes.

Core: 

Complete 2 sets. Allow 30 - 60 seconds rest between sets.

• 60 seconds Jackknives (switch legs after 30 seconds)

• 60 seconds Plank

• 30 seconds Quadruped (alternating)

• 30 seconds Opposite Arm - Opposite Leg

Cool Down and Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes

Workout by: Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by littlehenrabi from Getty Images

Move at Work Challenge: Hips and Balance Preview

Recipe: Lemony Haddock with Olives and Tomatoes

Simple, delicious and quick – this recipe is great for a fast weeknight meal but it’s also tasty enough to serve guests.

Little known tip, straight from the fishmonger: frozen-at-sea haddock often is fresher than other varieties since it’s frozen as soon as it is caught … and it’s often less expensive.

Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb haddock fillets

• 2 tbsp quality olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp lemon zest

• 1 clove minced garlic

• Dash of Sea salt

• 1 cup green olives (avoid jarred olives if possible)

• 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and quartered

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Pat the haddock dry and place in a baking dish that’s been prepared with a light coat of oil.

3. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and sea salt. Drizzle over the fish.

4. Arrange tomato and olives around the fish. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Check fish for doneness – it should easily flake.

Recipe by: Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by jerrydeutsch from Getty Images Signature

Move at Work Challenge: Seated Core Sneak Peek

Move at Work Challenge: Breathing & Stretching at the Beach