Temperatures have dropped overnight – and just like that – we’re only three months out from kicking off a whole new year. ABSOLUTELY NO COMPLAINTS FROM ME. See Ya Summer!
Fall has pushed its way into our lives, along with all the cool weather rituals that come with it. This includes everyone’s favorite autumn trends, like:
Neighborhood yards morphing into small wheat farms, overrun with straw bales and cornstalks.
Losing an hour at night, but somehow gaining lots more sleep.
Orange sweaters and Ugg boots…need I say more?
Soup becoming a main course instead of a snack.
The fashionable return of baggy clothes to cover up summer overindulgence and holiday throwdowns.
And of course, we can’t forget Halloween! It’s the one day when you can transform into someone or something else, and no one judges your style. It’s like a hall pass on life. There’s no pressure about who’s house you need to be at and how long you must stay. Instead, you get to visit everyone within the perfect time limit – knock, candy, go! And when it comes to satisfying your own guests that night, there’s never any stress preparing them a big meal. Hell, store-bought candy is acceptable and bite size recommended.
With all of these amazing traditions, what’s not to LOVE about fall? Well, I’ll tell you… Pumpkins!
Hear me out, guys. Around mid-September, we start to hear whispers about pumpkin-spiced lattes, muffins, sauces, pastas and all the other orange-gourd creations that come out, along with the flannels. Everywhere you look, it’s pumpkin this and pumpkin that. Food that shouldn’t taste like pumpkin becomes infused with its flavor – like some harvest hybrid nightmare. Before you know it, we’re being sold on a pumpkintopia!
With so many great veggies and fruits at their peak this time of year, why does this one, certain squash get to be the center of attention for two months? Isn’t it enough that we’ve devoted a whole damn pie to it and made it the symbol of an entire holiday?
For me, 2020 is the beginning of a boycott… No orange Jack-O-Lantern for Red! I know, I know. Last year I filled my recipes with it, but enough is enough. I’m not one to follow basic, and I love to fight for the underdog. So, I’m booting played-out pumpkin for all my OTHER fall veggies!
Yeah, this won’t be easy. It’s a big undertaking to quit anything cold turkey. But with baby steps, we get there. Here are few other AMAZING, fresh ingredients to consider throwing into the kitchen mix in the chilly days ahead.
Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash
Spaghetti Squash
Beets
Kohlrabi
Radishes
Turnips
Parsnips
Rutabagas
Fire up the stove and use this month’s recipes as a starting point. It’s time we show Jack what’s up!
This one’s for all you ladies looking to knock out a quick cardio workout without slowing you down from your day-to-day hustle. Below is a simple but effective treadmill interval workout. Or you can download the PDF.
Bodyweight Squat This one uses your own weight – along with gravity’s pull – to build resistance. Just spread your feet apart so they’re aligned with your shoulders. Next, lower yourself into a crouched, seated position (until your booty is about 12 inches from the ground). Lastly, raise back up into a standing position. With each squat motion, you’ll feel it in your quads, hamstrings and glutes!
Bodyweight Jump Squat Ready to get some air and power-up those calves? This Jump Squat will do the trick! Again, stand with your feet shoulders’ width apart. With your head up, arms down by your sides, and your back straight, jump up and squat back down in one motion. Swing your arms upward as you jump, lowering them back to your side as you land into a lower-squat position.
Split Squat Jump Don’t let the name scare you… You don’t have to be flexible to do this one! Instead, put one leg out in front of the other, with your arms by your sides. Jump – raising your arms over your head (shoulders’ width apart). Land in a lunge position, like a half split of sorts. Alternate legs, switching without stop between front and back with every jump.
Narrow Stance Squat To master this static squat, begin with your feet firmly together. Imagine them being cemented in place and slowly lower into a deep-seated position, keeping your head up!
