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While aesthetic goals like six-pack abs get most of the attention, true fitness means having the strength, mobility, and endurance to handle life's physical demands, whether that's carrying your sleeping child from the car, moving furniture, or staying active and independent as you age.

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IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES WE WILL COVER:

Weekly Insights:

• How to Train for Life: Be Able to lift your kid up

• Article Explained Simple: How much is Too Much Sugar

• Top 3 Ways to meal prep

• Best Low Calorie Cream Based Ice Cream Recipe

How to Train for Life: Be Able to lift your kid up

The modern fitness industry often focuses on appearance over function, but the most valuable strength is the kind that makes everyday life easier and helps you stay capable as you age. Functional training prepares your body for the movements and challenges you encounter in daily life, from lifting your children to carrying groceries to getting up from the floor without assistance.

Unlike isolated exercises that target specific muscles for aesthetic purposes, functional training develops full-body strength that transfers directly to real-world activities. This approach emphasizes compound movements that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, just as most real-life physical tasks do.

The core principles of functional training centre around movement patterns rather than individual muscles. These fundamental patterns include pushing, pulling, squatting, hinging, rotating, carrying, and getting up from the ground. Training these basic movements builds strength that serves you in countless everyday situations.

For parents, the ability to safely lift and carry children is a perfect example of functional fitness. When your toddler falls asleep in the car or needs to be carried up stairs, you need the strength to lift them properly without risking back injury. This requires not just arm strength, but core stability, leg power, and proper body mechanics.

To develop this functional strength, focus on exercises that mimic real-life movements. Squats translate directly to picking something (or someone) up from the floor. Deadlifts strengthen the posterior chain for proper lifting mechanics. Carries of various types build the endurance needed to hold weight for extended periods.

The beauty of functional training is its scalability. You can start with bodyweight exercises and gradually add resistance as you build strength. For example, begin with basic squats, then progress to goblet squats holding a weight, and eventually to front squats with a barbell as you get stronger.

Core stability is particularly important for functional fitness. A strong core protects your spine during lifting and carrying tasks. Exercises like planks, bird dogs, and pallof presses build the core strength needed to maintain proper posture under load, reducing injury risk during everyday activities.

Unlike specialized gym equipment that isolates muscles in unnatural patterns, functional training often uses simple tools that allow natural movement. Kettlebells, dumbbells, sandbags, and even household items can serve as effective training implements. The emphasis is on movement quality rather than specialised equipment.

Rotation and anti-rotation exercises are often overlooked in conventional training but are crucial for real-life strength. Many daily activities involve twisting or resisting twisting forces. Training these movement patterns with exercises like wood chops or Russian twists prepares you for the multidirectional challenges of everyday life.

Balance and stability training also play key roles in functional fitness. Single-leg exercises like lunges and step-ups develop the stability needed for activities like climbing stairs while carrying weight or catching yourself when you trip, potentially preventing falls and injuries.

For those concerned with longevity, functional training offers significant benefits. Research shows that maintaining the ability to get up from the floor without using hands is associated with a longer life expectancy. Simple exercises like Turkish get-ups or practice getting up from the floor in different ways can help preserve this vital skill.

Unlike aesthetic-focused training that may peak and decline, functional strength can be maintained throughout life with appropriate modifications. As you age, the emphasis may shift from maximum strength to maintaining mobility, balance, and sufficient strength for daily activities, but the fundamental approach remains consistent.

Proper form becomes even more important in functional training than in isolated exercises. Since you're preparing for real-world movements, practising correct mechanics during training ensures you'll automatically use safe movement patterns when lifting or carrying outside the gym. This habit formation is crucial for injury prevention.

Recovery also takes on added importance in functional training. Unlike bodybuilding approaches that might isolate different muscle groups on different days, functional movements engage the whole body. This requires appropriate recovery time between intense training sessions to prevent overtraining and ensure consistent progress.

The ultimate goal of functional fitness isn't achieving a certain look or hitting specific numbers on exercises, but rather developing a body that serves you well in all aspects of life.

True functional strength means never having to say "I can't" to physical activities that matter to you, whether that's playing actively with your children, participating in recreational sports, or maintaining independence as you age.

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Top 3 Ways to meal prep

These expert meal prep strategies will save you time, money, and stress while keeping your food fresh and delicious all week:

1. Keep beef fresh and pink

   1. Undercook beef slightly during initial preparation, leaving it medium-rare if you plan to reheat it later in the week.

   2. Store properly-cooled beef in airtight containers with a paper towel at the bottom to absorb excess moisture that would otherwise speed up bacterial growth and colour change.

   3. For ground beef dishes like meatballs or burgers, adding a small amount (1-2 tablespoons per pound) of tomato paste to the mixture helps preserve the pink colour due to its natural antioxidants.

   4. If preparing steak for the week, slice it thinly against the grain after initial cooking, then when reheating, quickly sear the slices in a very hot pan for just 15-30 seconds per side to warm without overcooking.
      
      

2. Focus on foods that improve with reheating

   1. Some dishes actually taste better after a day or two in the refrigerator as flavours meld and deepen.

   2. Stews, curries, chilli, and braised meats improve significantly after 24-48 hours as the spices and seasonings fully integrate into the proteins and vegetables.

   3. Soups, especially those with beans or lentils, develop richer flavours after resting in the refrigerator, with tomato-based soups showing the most improvement.

   4. Casseroles with layered ingredients and sauces reheat beautifully as the flavours marry during storage, often tasting better on days 2-3 than when freshly made.
      

3. Keep rice and pasta fresh

   1. Cook rice and pasta just slightly al dente (about 1-2 minutes less than package directions) since they'll soften further when reheated.

   2. After cooking, spread rice or pasta on a baking sheet to cool quickly before refrigerating to prevent the gummy texture that comes from continued cooking in its own steam.

   3. Toss pasta with just a small amount (1-2 teaspoons per pound) of olive oil after cooking to prevent sticking, and store rice with a lemon wedge in the container to maintain freshness.

   4. When reheating, add a small splash of water (1-2 tablespoons per cup) to rice before microwaving, covered, or quickly reheat pasta by dipping it in boiling water for 30 seconds, which restores the original texture better than microwave reheating.

Best Low Calorie Cream Based Ice Cream Recipe (makes 6 servings)

This guilt-free ice cream delivers the creamy texture and satisfaction of premium ice cream with a fraction of the calories.

This recipe was created in 2 minutes with the BusyBody App. Click the button for free access to the app.

Macros per serving

• Total Calories: 120 kcal

• Protein: 10 g

• Carbohydrates: 12 g

• Sugars: 8 g

• Fat: 3 g

The Ingredients

• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk

• 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yoghurt

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese (1-2% fat)

• 1/3 cup erythritol or monk fruit sweetener

• 2 scoops (about 60g) vanilla protein powder

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

• Optional: 1 tablespoon vodka (helps prevent ice crystals, alcohol burns off)

• Optional mix-ins: 1/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries, cocoa powder, cinnamon, or anything else you like as a fla

Instructions

• In a blender, combine the almond milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, sweetener, protein powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 1-2 minutes.

• While blending on low speed, add the arrowroot powder/cornstarch and xanthan gum. Continue blending for another 30 seconds until well incorporated.

• Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly (about 5 minutes). Do not boil.

• Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then stir in the vodka if using.

• Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 4 hours or overnight until completely chilled.

• Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions, usually 20-25 minutes, until it reaches soft-serve consistency.

• If adding mix-ins, fold them in during the last 5 minutes of churning.

• Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover the surface with plastic wrap (to prevent ice crystals), and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

• For best texture, remove from freezer and let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping.

• No ice cream maker? Pour the chilled mixture into a shallow container and freeze. Every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours, vigorously stir or blend the mixture to break up ice crystals. It won't be quite as creamy as machine-churned, but still delicious.

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