The 4 Fitness Tools You'll Find in Your Kitchen

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Alligators like marshmallows.”

That right there is a direct quote from a friend who, as a senior prank, tied up an alligator to the front doors of his school. Sorry, Greg, the truth is out now! (<–Not his real name. HA! Joke’s still on you, Louisiana High School!)

…Anyway, this article is not about alligators or marshmallows, but I thought that fun fact served as a good starting point nonetheless….

Here’s a less-fun fact and a much more common quote:

“Abs are made in the kitchen…”

Meh, meh, bleh, blah, blech.

While I would argue that, from personal experience working with clients, many people actually do NOT have abs hiding out under their belly fat. Many people, therefore, need to make their abs in the gym. (Unless, of course, you’re someone who mounted their pull-up bar in their kitchen…)

After that or during that muscle development phase, we can work on revealing them.

“Abs are REVEALED in the kitchen.”

That’ll do.

Whether you’re doing Pat’s EKC Vol.2 or you’re in his WOTF group–or even if you’re *just* following a specific diet protocol right now–you know that what you put IN your body (or, often, what you are NOT putting in your body) has a huge impact on what you can expect FROM your body.

Diet is nearly as imperative for your weightloss or fitness success as your workouts.

What are we to do with this knowledge and other fantastically wise statements such as “you can’t out-exercise a poor diet”?

We pair them with another famous quote, of course!

“What you focus on grows, what you think about expands, and what you dwell upon determines your destiny.” -Robin Sharma

Like with anything in life, we set the tone with a mindset shift FROM focusing on the negative TO focusing on the positive.

So, we STOP FOCUSING on the unhealthy foods we are trying to restrict & INSTEAD CHOOSE TO focus on the healthy foods that we enjoy.

Then, we’ll look to our kitchens for these 4 fitness tools.

The 4 Must-Have Fitness Tools You’ll Store in Your Kitchen

Note: Don’t just glance at this like a checklist. Described usage is essential.

1. Huge Mixing Bowl: If you can eat your salad out of a standard-sized bowl, you’re doing it wrong. If you have a gigantic mixing bowl that never makes its way into the cupboard, you’re on the right track.

Loads of greens. Handfuls of added veggies. Heaps of protein. ==>These things take up space.

If you’ve ever heard that the key to portion control is a small plate, reconsider that perhaps the key to portion control is controlling your portions of macronutrients (balancing proteins, carbs, & fat) while ENGORGING yourself on micronutrients. Bottom line: Eat a Big @** Salad every day.

2. Grill Skillet: Another way to get your daily dose of veggies is by grilling them using a grill skillet. Chop, slice, or chunk literally any veggie [okay, fine, not greens probably], toss it in your grill skillet, and put it on the grill to cook right alongside of your lean protein. You do not need to put anything at all on your veggies. No oil needed! Seasonings are delicious, of course, and can be sprinkled on at any point. Just stir the veggies around frequently to avoid excessive sticking or charring.

My favorite: Broccoli with bell peppers and red onion, very roughly cut so that each piece of each vegetable is practically a full bite.

3. Freezer: I’d be surprised if you didn’t have one of these already. If you don’t, though, I really recommend that you splurge! Silliness aside–just for a moment–make good use of your freezer.

Buy high-quality meat on sale and in bulk. Freeze it.
Prepare chopped veggies and cooked meats when you have time. Freeze them.
Make ice cubes out of avocado, banana, coffee, etc. Use up leftovers this way and also save yourself some time when you need a smoothie or protein shake.
Buy frozen fruits and veggies so that you have NO EXCUSES when it comes to preparing healthy meals and snacks. They are budget-friendly, too.

4. Slow-Cooker (or, ironically, an instant-cooker): Lean meats stay lean and get tender when cooked this way. Use a dash of apple cider vinegar and broth/stock to ensure moist meat, even when using super-lean cuts like chicken breast. Cook up several pounds of meat while you’re at work one day. When you get home, put half straight into the freezer (see above!) and the other half in the refrigerator (yet another very convenient kitchen appliance–highly recommend it). Dump the meat on your BAS for a quick meal any time. (When meal-prepping in advance, I like to keep veggies separate for the most part, as they don’t tend to maintain deliciousness quite the same way.)

Sometimes we need look no further than the simple solutions right ~~under our noses~~ in our kitchens–where we have the tools to chisel ourselves a new physique.

5-Minute Sweaty

A. 20-2 down-ladder by twos: bodyweight squats

B. 10-1 down-ladder (by ones): push-ups

Like this…

20 bodyweight squats + 10 push-ups,

18 bodyweight squats + 9 push-ups,

…until…

2 bodyweight squats + 1 push-up

Fill any remaining time with a hollow hold. Because abs.