These honey balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts are not only beyond easy to prepare, but I guarantee they will be gone in no time so make plenty! These will become your new healthy addiction.

I was never a big fan of Brussels sprouts until I tried them roasted. I always had them steamed, most of the time with just salt and pepper on top. But roasted? These Brussels sprouts are so good! 

Some may think of them as mini cabbages, they look like them, but it is a compact and flavorful vegetable that when caramelized is irresistible and you will be popping these in your mouth-one after another.

Roasting the Brussels sprouts really gives them a nutty flavor and besides being super healthy, they are tasty.

What is my secret that makes them so good? I toss these little beauties in a honey and balsamic vinegar mixture after roasting for an incredible dimension in flavor. It sealed the deal for me.

It’s a great side dish or main dish for a meal. The balsamic vinegar makes it tangy, and the honey gives them some sweetness. When tossed with the roasted, caramelized Brussels sprouts- heaven. 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ lbs brussels sprouts
• 3 tbsp olive oil separated
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp honey 

INSTRUCTIONS  

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
3. Trim off the outer, dry leaves, cut the bottom off and slice sprouts lengthwise.
4. In a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to coat thoroughly.
5. Transfer the brussels sprouts to baking sheet and roast until tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
6. Place brussels sprouts back in bowl. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil or sunflower oil, balsamic vinegar and honey and toss to coat evenly. Taste and season with kosher salt if necessary and serve.

 

That’s it! All under 30 minutes, too. Thought there was more to it? Nope, not at all. Sometimes the simplest or easiest can be so good.

 

Listen up ladies! Don’t be scared to train your chest! As a trainer, I’ve had so many women tell me that they don’t train chest or they don’t want to train chest. Reasons being they are scared that training chest will shrink their chest or even make their chest bigger. Women have the wrong idea about training chest and here are 5 reasons why I believe every woman should do chest exercises.

#1 Reason – Avoid injury and upper body balance: having developed your chest muscles will help you lift heavier on your other upper body movements and even lower body movements. When you are squatting, if you have no chest muscles, how will you be able to keep your chest up when driving out of the hole of a squat. Your chest won’t be strong enough to do that. Meaning your squat won’t be at its full potential.

#2 Reason – Burn more calories training chest than any other upper body muscle: Your chest muscles are the biggest muscle in your upper body, just like your quads are the biggest muscle in your lower body. Any time you train chest or your quads you are burning more calories than if you were training shoulders or your calves. What does that all mean? It means when you train chest you are burning more fat throughout your workout. You burn more calories and fat on chest days than shoulders day.

#3 Reason – When training chest you train more muscles than just your chest muscles: When you do most chest exercises, the chest is not the only muscle you are working. When you are benching, if you have trouble finishing your bench (locking out), your triceps need work. So, you are working your triceps. Also, when you are setting up for a bench, you must engage your lats to have proper setup and a proper bench. Meaning you are working your lats as well. The list can go on and on. But the point is when you do bench press you are working more of your upper body than just the pectoralis!

#4 Reason- Improves your posture: What’s the number one complaint people have when it comes to their body? Their back aches. Either their lower back or their upper back. We all have terrible posture and all for several reasons. But if you don’t have a strong chest to keep up than your back is going to do all the work to keep you upright. Think about the saying “Keep your chest up”. Your Grandma either told you that when you were young to help with your posture or your gym buddies will yell that at you when you are squatting and trying to get up. “Chest up!” You need to have a strong chest to improve your posture.

#5 Reason -Makes your Breast lift:You cannot train your breasts directly, because they are made up of fat tissue. You can, however, train the muscles underneath the breasts, like the pectoralis. The pectoralis muscle helps hold the fat tissue in place. When you strengthen that muscle, it will help keep the fat tissue up, meaning the breast will seem perkier. Not that they are any bigger but that they might visually look bigger because you trained the muscle to keep them more in the place they should be.

I would like to note that these exercises below are for both men and women!   Try to incorporate these exercises into your next workout routine!

1. Bench Press

 

 

Select a weight with which you can perform between eight and 12 presses. If you cannot complete eight, the weight is too heavy. If you can complete more than 12, the weight is too light. A standard barbell weighs 45 pounds. If the barbell alone is too heavy, select a lighter bar. If the barbell isn't heavy enough, you can slide weight plates onto both ends to increase the resistance.

 

Step 1:  Lie face up on the bench with your eyes underneath the barbell. If your feet reach the floor and you can keep your lower back, head, butt and shoulders pressed onto the bench, you are in the right position. If not, bend your knees and place your feet on the bench or on a box on the floor.

Step 2: Grasp the bar with your palms facing toward your feet.

Step 3: Position your hands slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart

Step 4: Push up to lift the barbell off the supports. Inhale, bend your elbows and lower the bar toward the middle of your chest

Step 5: Allow your elbows to drop lower than your sides. Exhale, straighten your elbows and push the barbell up.

Step 6: Keep a slight bend in your elbows at the top of the movement.

Step 7: Repeat the process to complete 3-4 sets hitting around 10-12 reps If you are lifting heavier weight than you are use to (with good form). Aim for 3-4 sets hitting around 4-8 repetitions.

Step 8: Place the bar back on the rack when the exercise has been completed.

 

 

2. Incline Bench Press

 

 

Select a weight with which you can perform between eight and 12 presses. If you cannot complete eight, the weight is too heavy. If you can complete more than 12, the weight is too light. A standard Olympic barbell weighs 45 pounds. If the barbell alone is too heavy, select a lighter bar. If the barbell isn't heavy enough, you can slide weight plates onto both ends to increase the resistance.

 

Step 1: Lie down on an incline bench. Gripping the bar with a medium-width grip, lift the bar off the rack. Hold it straight, keeping your arms locked. This is the starting position for the exercise.

Step 2: Inhaling slowly, move the bar down toward your upper chest.

Step 3: After a slight pause, push the bar back to the starting position. Exhale while doing so. Arms should be locked. Squeeze your chest and hold for a second before bringing the bar down again.

Step 4: Repeat the process to complete 3-4 sets hitting around 10-12 reps If you are lifting heavier weight than you are use to (with good form). Aim for 3-4 sets hitting around 4-8 repetitions..

Step 5: Place the bar back on the rack when the exercise has been completed.

 

3. Middle Cable Fly

 

 

Use lighter weight- Don’t try to be a hero with cable flyes. The point is to burn out the muscle, which works best with a minimum of 10-12 reps. This applies especially if you pair the exercise with push ups.

 

Step 1: Set the pulleys to the middle position on both sides

Step 2: Stand upright with a handle in each hand and your arms extended out to the sides

Step 3: Keep your arms only slightly bent, head forward, reach your arms together horizontally across your body while maintaining your posture.

Step 4: Complete 3-4 sets hitting around 10-12 reps.

 

 

4. Push-ups

 

Step 1: Begin in a plank position with your arms straight. Your shoulders should be over your wrists and your body should form a straight line from head to toe. Keep your core engaged and don’t let your hips sag.

Step 2: Slowly bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the floor

Step 3: Press upwards back to plank position. You can start on your knees or try it against a wall or bench to modify this exercise.

Step 4: Complete 3-4 sets hitting around 10 or 12 reps

 

 

5. Standing Plate Press

 

 

Step 1: Stand with your feet slightly wider then shoulder width apart and your knees bent slightly as well.

Step 2: Pick up a weighted plate and hold it at chest level with your elbows bent.

Step 3: Push the weight straight out and lock your elbows out.

Step 4: Bring the weight back into your chest. This completes one repetition.

Step 5: Complete 3-4 sets hitting around 10-12 reps.

 

Checkout out our exercise library for more great workouts.  Or go straight to our chest workouts page. 

Need help getting started?  Our highly trained and certified staff would love to help you reach your goals.  Click on the button below to request a trainer.  Don't wait, start today!

 

 

 

These chips are a guilt free snack to keep you happy and on-track with any weight loss goals. They are filling, and can be spiced up with different herb combinations, even salt and vinegar, to keep you interested, satisfied, and happy with your snacks!

Pro tip: I like to get perfect chips by using a mandoline slicer, on the thinnest setting possible. Creating very thin chips is the key to getting a good crunch-as well as an extended cooking time. While the cook time might intimidate you, don’t let it! We’re going to slowly bake these-almost like dehydrating-to reduce moisture in the sweet potatoes so we can get a good crunch. The actual prep just takes minutes-and after that you’ll just be monitoring your chips so they don’t burn.

 

 

Servings: 5 cups (approx.)

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium sweet potatoes thinly sliced
• 3 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for brushing
• Salt
• Pepper if desired

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Rinse and scrub sweet potatoes. Thoroughly dry before proceeding. Thinly slice potatoes (The best methods are either a food processor with a slicing blade or a mandoline slicer). You want the potatoes to cook evenly so be sure to make them as uniform as possible while slicing.
2. In a medium sized bowl combine olive oil and sweet potatoes. Stir to combine and coat evenly.
3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Very lightly brush olive oil on parchment.
4. Arrange sweet potato slices evenly on baking sheets. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (if desired).
5. Bake at 250 for 1 hour, until crispy
6. Turn oven up to 350 and let chips brown very slightly. Watch chips and make sure they do not burn
7. If you’d like them cool, place on a cooling rack and let sit 10 minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy!
9. Extras can be stored in an airtight container. Will last for up to a week.

**If you’re craving some chips fast, you can bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, but you must flip and rotate the chips to ensure they don’t stick or burn. This is a bit more complicated, but will still get you delicious crunchy chips

These energy bites are no bake, super easy to make and take less than 10 minutes to put together. Loaded with protein, fiber and healthy fats to keep you full and loaded with energy throughout the day. Made with only 5 ingredients: peanut butter (you can also use almond butter!), old fashioned oats, flax seed, honey and chocolate chips. Everything gets combined in one bowl.

 

The best thing about this recipe is that it is super versatile. If you do not have flax seed on hand substitute with wheat germ. Try dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet. Add in shredded coconut, cranberries, or cocoa powder.

 

These Peanut Butter Energy Bites could easily pass as dessert. They are the perfect mix between a granola bar and cookie dough. Great to curb the afternoon munchies and the dreaded mid afternoon energy slump.

 

You can even freeze these Peanut Butter Bites if you don’t eat them all within a week.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• ½ cup ground flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons honey

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes so they are easier to roll.
2. Roll into 12 bites and store in the fridge for up to a week.

 

When you started your exercise program, whether to lose weight or improve your overall health, your enthusiasm and motivation were high. Even though exercise wasn’t the most exciting activity you had experienced, you began feeling better and seeing results from your hard work. You managed to get yourself out of bed early, to squeeze in a little gym time each day, and stick to your plan without much effort. 

But then slowly, all of it began to wear off. You started finding reasons to sleep in and found “better” things to do with your time. Then before you realized it, you had missed a whole week and your drive to continue was missing.

Is this common scenario just another motivation issue? Probably not. Could something else be getting in the way of the excitement and effectiveness of your previously-rewarding workouts? The answer is yes!

Luckily, you can learn to identify the signs that it’s time to shake-up your workout routine so you can remain consistent and enthusiastic about exercise. Here are four of the most common signs it''s time to change your workout routine and what you can do to get back on track!

 

Top 4 Signs Your Workout Isn’t Working 

 

 

1. YOUR WORKOUT IS NO LONGER CHALLENGING. 

            Running a 10-minute mile, for example, becomes easier as time goes on. If your workouts aren't challenging you anymore, it can be helpful to wear a heart rate monitor.

Your heart rate will change over time as you become more fit. By using a heart rate monitor, you'll know to change up or intensify your routine, and ensure that you're working in your target heart rate zone.

Challenging your body improves your fitness level and can also provide a sense of accomplishment as you become stronger and work toward your goals. Get a MYZONE heart rate belt today and save $50.00. 

 

2. Your workout isn’t giving you results anymore. 

            Someone who does the same activity all the time is likely to plateau much sooner than someone who varies his/her workouts. Just as you can get bored by always doing the same exercises, your body can also adapt to these exercises so that they don’t offer the same benefits that they once did.

A little variety might be just the thing you need to get the scale moving again or bust through that strength plateau. “Variety” means either changing something about your current routine (adding speed, distance, hills, resistance, etc.) or trying a totally different activity.

If you like some consistency and don’t want to change your workout each time you hit the gym, change your routine at least every 4-8 weeks (this includes incorporating changes to both your cardio and strength training exercises). This will keep your muscles challenged, your body guessing, and the results coming!

  

3. Your workout leaves you more tired and sore than before 

           

Exercise should give you more energy, not leave you feeling rundown. If you're feeling overly tired or perpetually sore, you could be overtraining. Your body needs time for rest and recovery. It is during this down time that you build strength and endurance by allowing your muscles to rebuild and repair.

If you don't give your body ample recovery time, you'll become weaker instead of stronger. If you have been overtraining, your first priority should be rest. You might need up to a week off to recharge mentally and physically.

Once you are feeling better, start back slowly. Reevaluate your workout program and find ways to make changes that will prevent this from happening again.

 

4. YOUR WORKOUT BORES YOU.

            You used to like walking on the treadmill, so why do you dread your workout each day? It’s easy to get bored if you sick with the same routine for too long.

Sometimes it helps to add variety to your walks. For example, try adding speed intervals, putting new music on your phone or bringing a friend along. If all of that isn’t enough, then maybe it’s time to try a new activity.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to work with a personal trainer or are interested in trying a class at your gym. LivRite Fitness offers a wide variety of workout classes to try.  Find your class and try one out today!

Change can help keep your workouts fun and interesting, giving you something to look forward to. And this is exactly what will keep you coming back for more.

Changing your workout routine whenever these signs arise will help keep your motivation high as you work to improve your fitness level. The key is to pay close attention to how you're feeling both physically and mentally.

Exercise shouldn't be a chore that you dread, but something that makes you feel good about yourself!