Credit goes to brains and balance for this hearty, nutrient-dense beef stew. It’s a high protein comfort food with plenty of vegetables. Bone broth and arrowroot starch add protein and slight thickening, while fresh herbs enhance flavor.

Yield: 6–8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: ~6 hours (slow cooker / stovetop / Instant Pot)

Estimated Nutrition Facts (per serving)

(Approximate—will vary with exact cut of meat, proportions of veggies, and portion size)

Calories: ~500–580 kcal

Protein: ~30–46 g

Fat: ~17–31 g

Carbohydrates: ~30–56 g

Ingredients

• Beef & Liquid

  • 2½–3 lb chuck roast — cut into 1” cubes, trimmed of excess fat

  • 1 × 16 oz container beef bone broth

  • 1 cup beef broth

  • 1 tbsp arrowroot starch dissolved in 1 tbsp water

  • 1–2 tbsp liquid aminos (Whole30-compliant alternative to soy sauce)

• Vegetables

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

  • 1½ lbs yellow potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces

  • 4 stalks celery, diced

  • 1 large onion, diced

  • Frozen peas (quantity added later — see instructions below)

• Flavor & Seasoning

  • 1 × 6 oz tube tomato paste

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 tsp fresh thyme

  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Season the Beef:
   Liberally season the beef cubes with salt and pepper.

2. Sear (Optional but Recommended):
   If using an Instant Pot or Dutch oven, heat over medium and sear the beef in batches until browned (~2 minutes per side). Skip this if using only a slow cooker.

3. Add Tomato Paste:
   Add tomato paste to the hot pan and cook ~1 minute. If using slow cooker, just add it in without browning.

4. Deglaze:
   Pour in liquid aminos, bone broth, and beef broth; scrape up browned bits from the pan bottom.

5. Combine Ingredients:
   Add garlic, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley (reserve peas for later) and stir.

6. Cook:

   • Slow Cooker: Cook on high for ~5 hours or low for ~8 hours.

   • Dutch Oven: Simmer on low ~3–4 hours; check for tenderness and continue up to an additional hour if needed.

   • Instant Pot (Pressure Cook): Cook under high pressure for 45 minutes.

7. Add Peas:
   With about 1 hour left, add frozen peas:

   • Slow cooker / Dutch oven: continue cooking until done.

   • Pressure cooker: allow a natural pressure release, add peas, then simmer or slow cook ~30–45 min.

8. Finish & Serve:
   Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Skim excess fat from the surface if desired. Serve warm.

Optional Notes & Tips

• Thicker Stew: Removing excess fat or skimming fat off the top can concentrate flavor and texture.

• Non-Whole30 Serving: Pair with crusty bread.

• Texture Suggestion: Brown the beef before slow cooking to enhance flavor and color.

Here’s a great recipe for a high protein cake that will satisfy that sweet tooth, while being macro friendly. Recipe credit to: the Protein Chef https://theproteinchef.co/easy-greek-yogurt-cake-recipe/

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs

• 1 cup Greek yogurt (preferably high‑protein; low‑fat or nonfat works)

• 1–2 tablespoons sweetener (optional)

• ¼ cup all‑purpose flour

• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoons corn starch

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ to 1 scoop protein powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 °F (≈176 °C).

2. In a bowl, blender, or food processor, combine eggs, Greek yogurt, sweetener (if using), flour, vanilla, corn starch, baking soda, and protein powder (if using). Mix until smooth.

3. Prepare your baking pan (bread pan, cake pan, or muffins) by spraying with cooking spray or lining with parchment paper.

4. Pour the batter into the pan. Optionally top with sugar‑free chocolate chips, cinnamon, or other toppings.

5. Bake for:

   • Bread pan: ~25 minutes

   • 6″ cake pan: ~30–35 minutes

   • Muffin pan: ~10–15 minutes
     (Oven time may vary depending on size/shape—check doneness)

6. Let cool (it tastes better when cooled). Store in the fridge once cooled.

Nutritional Information

Without added protein powder (per slice — recipe yields 2 slices)

• Calories: 307 kcal

• Fat: 9.5 g

• Saturated Fat: 2.7 g

• Sodium: 151 mg

• Carbs: 28.5 g

• Fiber: 0.5 g

• Sugar: 3 g

• Protein: 27 g

Whole cake (without protein powder)

• Calories: 615 kcal

• Fat: 19 g

• Saturated Fat: 5.5 g

• Sodium: 302 mg

• Carbs: 57 g

• Fiber: 1 g

• Sugar: 6 g

• Protein: 54 g

With 1 scoop protein powder (whole cake)

• Calories: 736 kcal

• Fat: 20 g

• Saturated Fat: 6 g

• Sodium: 570 mg

• Carbs: 61 g

• Fiber: 2 g

• Sugar: 7 g

• Protein: 78 g

A professor at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Steven Blair, has reported that “cardiorespiratory fitness” is a greater risk factor for cardiovascular mortality than any of the more traditional risk factors that our medical profession typically focuses on” In a review of over 53,000 medical patients, Dr. Blair found that the most common factor leading to death was poor cardiovascular fitness; beating out factors such as hypertension, obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, and diabetes^[1].

As a marker of health, the American Heart Association recommends VO₂ Max be tested regularly in addition to resting vitals such as heart rate or blood pressure.

What is VO2 Max?

VO₂ Max is the maximal rate of oxygen consumption during exercise. Expressed as the total volume (V) of oxygen (O2) consumed per minute, (L/min) the number represents the maximum amount of oxygen you can uptake and utilize when breathing. It is common to see VO₂ Max written as a relative score, such as 65 mL/kg/min, which is found by adding body mass to the equation. It is in this way that we often see VO₂ Max scores for athletes. As a comparison, the score of an average person can range from 30-50 mL/kg/min, while athletes have been tested as high as 90+mL/kg/min.

Not to be confused with lung capacity which simply represents the amount of air you can take into the lungs with each breath. While both can be improved through training, VO₂ Max has more to do with the efficiency of the lungs than the amount of air they can actually hold. Someone with a low VO₂ Max for example might be able to breathe in 6 Liters of air in a full breath, but will only be able to uptake 2 Liters of oxygen over the course of 5 to 8 breath cycles, wasting a great deal of O2 on the exhale.

Testing Your VO₂ Max

Finding your true VO₂ Max requires participating in a graded test using aerobic exercise equipment such as a treadmill or cycle ergometer. During a test, the participant wears a mask connected to a device which measures ventilation, and the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the expired air. The test begins at a mild intensity, and gradually progresses up to maximal intensity. If you’re a serious endurance athlete or exercise physiologist, you’re likely familiar with this test, as it is a staple for assessing athletic performance.

While the test is the most accurate way to find your VO₂ Max, it requires a lot of specialized equipment, and can be relatively time consuming. It can also be risky to participate in maximal testing if you are in poor health. Luckily, there are a few alternatives for estimating VO2 Max which have been found to be very accurate.

Estimating VO₂ Max

If you want to know your VO₂ Max, but aren’t interested in getting tested at a sports physiology lab, you’re in luck. There are a few simple tests which you can self administer to find a close estimation of your VO2 Max.

• Queens College Step Test
• Cooper Test
• Rockport Walk Test
• Uth–Sørensen–Overgaard–Pedersen estimation

Improving VO₂ Max

Now that you know a little about VO₂ Max and how to find yours, you might be wondering how to improve it. Although a small percentage of the population (~10%) seems to have a fixed VO₂ Max, most people can improve theirs by simply participating in cardiorespiratory exercise ^[2]. All it takes to improve your current level of fitness is to push yourself slightly beyond your current limits. For those with low level of fitness, simply walking or performing other low intensity exercise is usually sufficient to improve VO₂ Max. If on the other hand you’ve already got a moderate level of fitness, it will take a little more than simply walking. The list below has a few great exercises for improving aerobic capacity. Try them out next time you go out for a cardio session, and if you train hard enough, you might just be the next Bjørn Dæhlie.

• Steady State Cardio
• Interval Training and HIIT
• Pace/Tempo Training
• Fartlek
• Circuit Training

For the rest of us, here are the three keys to winning the resolution game:

1) Start gradually, and ease into a routine

One of the best ways to disappoint yourself with a new year’s resolution, is to make one that’s overly ambitious and unrealistic resolution. We’ve all done it. “This year, I’m really going to do it. I’m going to watch everything I eat, cut out junk food, run, and hit the gym 5 days a week!” While setting big goals can be fine for some, many of us need to stay grounded in order to succeed. Our natural tendency is to lean toward an “all-or-nothing” mentality. Even though we start with the best intentions, as soon as we slip up even a little it feels like we’ve failed, and next thing you know all of our goals go out the window.

What’s the solution? Always ease into training gradually. Even if you used to be a serious athlete, take an honest look at what you have been doing over the last couple months. Try adding just 1-2 training days a week to your current schedule. This change is manageable, and not at all overwhelming. As you become comfortable with the routine, try adding one more day. Eventually, exercise will become a natural habit, and your progress will multiply over time. The key here is to be patient and enjoy the process.

2) Make SMART goals

SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. An example of a SMART goal looks like this: “I’m going to drop from a size 36, to size 32 by April 1st.” Notice that this meets all of the criteria for a SMART goal listed above. Once you have made your goal, lay out an action plan to guide your success: “To reach my goal, I’m going to walk 30 minutes a day on my lunch breaks, and do full body circuit training for 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Making clear, actionable plans will help you stay on track. Remember to write down your goal, and look at it often as you’re training. This is helpful when you start to lose motivation. It is especially helpful to set a completion date that has emotional significance to you. You might try a birthday, an anniversary, a vacation, or any occasion that you want to look or feel your best for.

3) Don’t be afraid to seek help

Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to get after a new years resolution, especially if working out is something you haven’t done in a while. Going it alone is especially challenging, so one of the best ways to ensure success is to find a support network. Talk to your friends, family, or co-workers about joining a gym or starting a walking group. If you are looking for something a bit more structured, find a weekly group exercise class or seek the help of a certified personal trainer. When you know somebody is there to back you up, training feels like less of a chore, and becomes something you really look forward to.

A New Year’s Resolution doesn’t have to be hard. Remember that big change is the accumulation of small change over time. Adding even a little exercise to what you’re doing now is a step in the right direction. Keep to your resolve, and we know you’ll see amazing results.

Genetics tend to be one of the biggest contributing factors in any individual’s metabolic rate, but if yours is slow, don’t worry; there is still a lot of room to rev it up. Follow these simple hacks, and you’ll start burning some extra calories in no time.

1. Move More

One of the most simple and effective ways to boost your metabolism is to start moving more. Exercise is the obvious example, but even something as small as fidgeting can help you burn a few hundred extra calories a day. A few hundred calories a day might add up to a pound a week, so the small things do matter. When it comes to more structured exercise, take a look at your current activity level. If you aren’t getting at least 30 minutes of meaningful activity on all or most days of the week, it’s time to add some more exercise to your life. Even something as simple as going for a walk will help you tip the scale in your favor. The harder you work, the more energy you’ll need to burn to sustain the activity, so challenging workouts are definitely ideal. Just be careful not to overdo it on the volume, duration, or frequency of training, because that can lead to it’s own problems.

2. Eat Breakfast Early

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but to those of us who want to speed up our metabolism, a good breakfast is paramount. When you’re in a fasted state, your body will try its best to stay as efficient as possible; ie you won’t burn a lot of calories. This is likely a defense mechanism to prevent us from using all of our energy up and dying in times of famine. Although it’s unlikely that you will have to go weeks without food, when you get up and start doing things without eating first, your metabolism will go into slo-mo. The only defense, is to eat something right away, especially if you plan on exercising. Waking up and eating isn’t always easy, but if you can get at least something into your belly, a banana, an apple, anything; it will kick start your metabolism for the rest of the day.

3. Build Some Lean Mass

When I’m working with a client who wants to burn some extra fat, this is my go to strategy for long term results. Although it takes a little more time than the crash diets they may be used to, adding some extra muscle mass will rev up the metabolism for years to come. Muscle tissue is much more metabolically active than adipose (fatty) tissue, and requires a lot of energy to maintain. The conundrum here is that to build muscle, you usually need to eat more (in addition to doing regular resistance training). Before you begin losing weight, you’ll likely start gaining a bit first. This is where patience and dedication comes in. When you see the numbers on the scale go up, just know that you’re doing the right thing. Before long, you’ll start losing inches, looking great, and feeling better. Remember! In order to build lean mass, you need to train regularly in addition to eating more. Don’t think you can just go buck wild on a box of Oreos and expect to get lean.

4. Train at a High Intensity

One of the most common pitfalls I see in peoples’ training regimens is that they chronically train at a low intensity. People will often spend an hour or longer doing low intensity cardio, and it get’s them nowhere with their fitness goals. While training like this might be great for cardiovascular health, it will keep you running in circles if you’re trying to burn fat. In fact, long bouts of low intensity cardio will make your body much more efficient with it’s energy usage, and can actually slow down your metabolism. Unless you’re training for an endurance event, try capping your aerobic workouts at around 30 minutes. Work close to the highest capacity you can maintain for the duration of your workout. As a test, try holding a conversation with somebody (or talk aloud to yourself) during your next cardio session. If you can get out more than a couple words without having to take a breath, you need to step it up. You can also try pace tempo training or intervals to mix it up. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to help preserve muscle mass, and will give your metabolism a serious boost.

5. Eat Before and After Each Training Session

The philosophy behind this one is very similar to that of eating breakfast. Before you start a workout, you should be fueled up and ready to meet the energy demand of your training session. If you fall into an calorie deficit, your workout will likely suffer as you begin feeling tired and sluggish. Maintaining a state of high energy expenditure while in a caloric deficit will cause your body to start breaking down protein and converting it to glucose. This is bad news for your metabolism. Not only will you lose muscle mass, but you will hold onto fat as well. Remember, you want to eat to perform your best. Before your next training session, eat a balanced meal containing a good ratio of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. After you finish, eat a snack or meal containing protein and carbohydrate to repair the muscle damage and replenish muscle glycogen. Avoid eating too much fat for the first hour after a workout as it will slow protein absorption.

Using these 5 simple hacks, you should be able to increase the amount of energy you use on a daily basis, and start burning some serious fat. Remember; eat well, train hard, and you’ll reach your goal in no time.

As a general rule, successful people don’t just shoot from the hip. They know exactly what they should be doing and when it needs to happen. They have goals, they have deadlines, and they follow a blueprint to a T. If they fall short, they’re often still better off than someone who just guessed their way through. Plans are what separate hopes & dreams from reality, and those who understand that fact are some of the most successful and influential figures the world has known. As you can probably imagine, planning applies to fitness as much as it does business, finances, or education. Do you have big dreams? Do you aspire to look like Arnold, or to perform like Hercules? Well my friend, you’ll need a plan for that.

Avoid the trap

It might not seem like it, but if you rely on your instincts and just feel it out every time you hit the gym, you’ll likely gravitate to the same few exercises over and over like a trap. After a while, training like that can lead to some serious imbalances and injuries (unless you know exactly which exercises to compliment with each other). Hurting yourself will set you right back to the beginning, and after a lot of hard work it’s just not worth the risk. Do yourself a favor, and find yourself a solid plan.

Track your progress

There is a little jewel of wisdom that asks, How can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been? I’m sure you’ve heard it, and it’s certainly applicable to fitness. Having a training plan and recording each workout is crucial for knowing where your limits are. When it comes to exercise, knowing your limits is the entire basis for making progress. When you make a habit of recording your workouts, you’ll be able to watch your progression know exactly which areas are up to par, and which are lacking. You can also begin to make safe progression, which leads to the next point; the principles of resistance exercise.

The principles

The principle of overload states that in order to change, the body must be challenged beyond its current ability. A well designed plan will prescribe just the right stimulus in order to overload the body without overdoing it. Again, it’s easier than you think to push it too hard and hurt yourself. Maybe you’ve experienced that yourself. You should always do the least amount of work possible to achieve your desired results. The body will quickly adapt to the new training stimuli, and when it does it will require an even greater impetus in order to cause change. For you, that means new personal records in your power, strength, endurance, flexibility, and body composition. This is what the principle of progression is all about. It states that in order to continually see results, the body must be subjected to continual and progressive overload. By following an exercise program that includes a safe pace of progression, you will continue to get better indefinitely — or until you reach your genetic potential (and let me say; if you reach your genetic potential, hats off to you my friend. You’re way past beast mode, and you probably hold a world record or two.)

There are probably a thousand other reasons to follow a fitness plan, but I hope that now you’ve got a better idea of why you should be using one. So for your safety, for your sanity, and for your gains; if you’re not following a workout plan now, you should definitely get on one and stick with it.

1. Squats

Squats are the cornerstone of every great exercise program. There are a lot of variations of the squat, and almost all of them are stellar when it comes to creating lasting change.

+ Why you can’t afford to skip them:

There is no more functional movement than the squat. As both the transition between the seated and standing position, and a rest position in itself, the squat is one of the most fundamental movements a human can perform. Squats are a compound exercise, which means they incorporate two joint actions at one time (hip extension, and knee extension). They work the glutes, the hamstrings, and the quadriceps better, and more naturally than any single joint exercise can train them in isolation. Since your legs are your primary means of getting around, and it only makes sense to keep them strong. When you squat, you also recruit a great deal of muscles in the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and core for stabilization. A lot of muscles have to fire in order to keep your body in position; which means you end up with what is arguably close to a total body workout. for that, we love the squat.

Try these variations in your exercise program to mix it up and keep it fresh:

Traditional Squat
Split Squat (a.k.a: the lunge)
Side Lunge
Single Leg Squat (pistol, and skater squat)

2. Upper Body Presses

After the squat, upper body press (or push) exercises are probably some of the more useful motor patterns you can train. Presses translate well to real human movement, making them very functional for real world situations.

+ Why you can’t afford to skip pressing exercises:

Pressing (or pushing) is another example of a compound exercise; one that incorporates movement at both the shoulder and elbow joint. Press exercises use some of the biggest muscles of the upper body, including the pecs, anterior deltoids, and triceps. Like the squat, pressing exercises recruit a great deal of stabilizers in order to keep the body in the proper position. Push exercises train the muscles that allow you to hold your body off the ground with your arms (like when crawling or laying prone). These are also the muscles which allow you to push things away from you, and lift them over head.

Here are some examples of pressing exercises that you should look for in your exercise program:

Push Up
Bench Press
The Dip
Handstand Press
Over-Head Press (military press)

3. Upper Body Pulls

Upper body pull exercises are in many cases the most under-trained movements in any exercise program. Although they are key in keeping your upper body balanced, many people just don’t put as much emphasis on them as they do on other less functional exercises.

+ Why you can’t afford to skip pull exercises:

If your exercise program lacks pulling exercises, your back is definitely not getting the attention it requires. Although it’s very common to see people in the gym doing push exercises, it’s unlikely that they are balancing their training with pulls. The primary muscles worked in pull exercises are the lats, biceps, and posterior deltoids.

As far as real world translation, pulling exercises are some of the most functional movements there are. Pulling trains the muscles that help you climb, pick things up, and do almost every type of manual work imaginable. Think about movements like shoveling, raking, hoeing, or swinging an axe. Although these aren’t things the modern person does on a daily basis, they are incredibly important skills. Without a strong back, those kind of movements can break you.

Here are some great examples of pull exercises that you definitely should not skip out on.

Pull up
Chin Up
Cable Seated Row
Inverted Row
Bent Over Row
Upright Row

I like to think of squat / push / pull movements like a training tripod. If any one of a tripod’s legs is missing or weak, the whole thing can topple right over. It takes all 3 of them to create a balanced resistance training program.

Take some time to look over your current training program. Does it include all 3 movements? If it doesn’t, it may be time to re-evaluate what you’re doing with your time in the gym. I know you work hard. Don’t let poor programming hold you back from getting the results you deserve.

What’s with that “ideal” body image sold to us by the media? You can see it everywhere you look these days. For men it’s all about broad shoulders, massive biceps, and lean six-pack abs. The media wants guys to look just like their favorite childhood superheros. As far as the ladies go, the hollywood ideal is a little bitty waist, round full hips, and long slender limbs. From movies to magazines; these unrealistic expectations of body image are all around us. Unfortunately for most of us, the media’s ideal body is nearly impossible to attain. When people can’t get there, they often spiral into obsession with their body image to an unhealthy level. So is that what fitness is all about?

Like most young men, there was a time in my life when my goal was to look just like the guys on the cover of Muscle and Fitness. My young impressionable mind just thought that was the way guys were supposed to look. I remember pressing, curling, and and pulling to no end. No matter how much I worked out, I looked like a scrawny wimp when compared to guys like Ahhnold. What I didn’t know at the time, was that it all comes down to genetics. Only 20% of men are genetically predisposed to bulking up, and I had no idea. In addition, (and also unbeknownst to me) most, if not all of those guys in M&F Magazine are on the juice… Just saying.

People are a diverse breed, and come in a multitude of shapes and sizes. This is really good news, because not everybody wants to look like a body builder. In fact I hear women say it all the time, “I don’t want to lift weights, because I don’t want to bulk up.” Well ladies, I’ve got some more good news; it’s not going to happen. Lifting weights is an outstanding way to build lean body mass, but if you don’t take steroids, you’re not going to get big. Again, only about 20% of men can do it naturally, and it all comes down to genetics. The ability to put on the mass comes from a combination of testosterone, and a high ratio of fast twitch muscle fibers. Fast twitch fibers are responsible for power, strength output, and speed; explosiveness. These are the muscle fibers can get really big, but also fatigue very quickly. Slow twitch fibers on the other hand contract more slowly, and can work for a much longer duration. They also don’t tend to get very big. Most people you meet probably have close to a 50/50 ratio of the two types. I am definitely one of those 50/50 types. This is excellent news for me, because I love to run, bicycle, hike, ride, and climb. All of these things require a good amount of endurance, and to have a good amount of endurance, you need to have a good amount of type 1 (slow twitch) muscle fibers.

Now that I’m a little older and wiser, I’ve outgrown my desire to endlessly bulk up. Looking back, it seems almost ridiculous. I’d much rather be well rounded than have — well, round biceps. A healthy level of lean body mass is definitely a good thing, but at some point it’s not going to make you any more fit. In recent years, it seems that the fitness community has also shifted to a much more natural philosophy. The focus these days seems to be geared toward function in day to day life. You can see it with the rise in popularity of “functional training” and CrossFit over the last few years. People are training to make their daily tasks easier. The question now isn’t, “How big are your guns?” but, “How well do you perform?” Personally I am very exited to see the shift, because I see fitness as being very holistic. To me, fitness extends beyond the gym, and into every aspect of being. It’s everything from what you put into your body, to the way you train, the way you treat others, and even your impact on the planet. In my mind, fitness is the ability to adapt and thrive in any given situation. If you have efficiency in movement, stability, mobility, and a good level of strength and endurance; nothing in this world can hold you back. That’s what fitness is all about. Forget about looking good, that just comes with the territory.

So what exactly is fitness? Well my friend, that’s for you to decide. I can tell you this though; If you aren’t where you want to be, it’s never too late to start training.