Essentials

These are just some of the items I've latched on to over time that  make exercising and cooking a little more doable and enjoyable.

Movement

Plyo Platforms

I have the 12" & 18" platforms and love them.  Because they're so stable they've also become household step stools. Adding the 30" next.

Adjustable (4"-8") Workout Step 

I love my plyo platforms but sometimes I need a smaller step. This one let's me choose between 4", 6" or 8" height.

Extra Large Yoga Mat

I have this jumbo yoga mat and love it. 6' X 4' and extra thick at 1/3"

Sturdy Bamboo Balance Stick 61.5" long

I looked for this for a while and really glad I found this one. It's great when you need a little help maintaining balance while working on a new range of motion or difficult exercise. It has allowed me to access some exercises that were out of reach previously.

Yoga Block

Handy tool for stretching and mobility work.

Kettlebells

Kettlebells are like the swiss army knife of fitness.  So much more than kettlebell swings.

For the heavier bells, I use powder coated.

Exercise Balls

Exercise balls are great for building core strength and wonderful for stretching.  Real happy with my Trideer Exercise Ball.

There's a reason that you'll find TRX in better gyms and countless physical therapy clinics.  They work! They allow you to train across a greater range of motion with increased control and confidence.

Pull Up Bar

This pull up bar and pushups were where my return to exercising started. Mine has weathered the Texas weather for 2 years with no issues.

Resistance Bands 

These are great for resistance training but also incredibly versatile when combined with the pull up bar.

Mini Resistance Bands

These are pretty much an exercise essential. They're a great way to target specific muscle groups with a minimal amount of equipment or set up.  Rotator cuffs, ankles, shoulders, glutes, wrists - you can put the band somewhere where it will remind you to knock out a quick exercise snack.

Weight Bench

The Barwing Weight Bench is adjustable, sturdy and out of the box to assembly in 5 minutes.

Sliders
Sliders offer tremendous versatility for body weight exercises and a great variation for Romanian Deadlifts.

NordStick Nordic Hamsting Curl Strap

This is one that you'll love to hate.  It is easily the hardest hamstring work that I've done. 

Slam Balls

Weighted Slam Balls are great for training explosive strength but they are also helpful for myofascial release and functional resistance training.

Balance Pad

I'm always surprised how smoked my legs get when I use this balance pad.  We all could benefit from better balance.

Split Foam Roller

Because balance, strength and mobility are so essential as we age, I'm constantly looking for new ways to challenge balance. This split foam roller is great for balance.

Wobble Cushion

Balance and stability training are important enough that I added this one to my assortment.  It's a different challenge than the balance pad or the split roller.

36" Foam Roller

Aches and pains just come with the territory, but a foam roller can help tame some of that.  They're also great for stretches and working some of the kinks out.

321 Strong 12.5" Foam Roller

Sometimes you don't want to try to navigate a 3 foot foam roller. Plus the lugs on this one are great for helping to gently coax the drama out of trigger point.

Muscle Max Massage Ball

Aches and pains just come with the territory but this little beast helps me get some of the knots to calm down.

Indian Clubs 

Indian Clubs are a great way to improve shoulder strength and mobility

Sandbags

I've used these sandbags to help anchor my pull up bar and they're excellent for functional fitness.

Theraband Resistance Bands

I first used these in physical therapy and they give you a lot of home exercise options. Always inspect your bands for wear or tear prior to using.

EverStretch Door Anchor

I just added this to the mix because it felt more secure than the one I originally bought with the Therabands.  Always inspect your bands and your anchor prior to using.

The Supple Leopard

This is what put mobility and stability training on my radar.  It helped me understand that I needed a more functional type of strength if I wanted to age ably.

Knee Ability Zero

Most of us have heard the "don't let your knees go over your toes" warning for years but the guidance on that seems to be changing. Ben Patrick shows us how to use knees over toes to strengthen our knees.

Food & Kitchen Essentials

The Food Lab

I recommend three food books to all of my coaching clients.  This is number one because it's the foundation to cooking more intuitively.  And that's where the magic starts!

The Flavor Bible

This is book number 2 because it supports your journey to becoming a fearless cook. Someone that can open the fridge and build a meal and know that it's going to be delicious.  That's a wonderful feeling.

Salt Fat Acid Heat

This one rounds out the culinary trinity.  This book helped me understand how to use ingredients to build layers of flavors

Wusthof Classic 8" Chef's Knife

There's not a day that goes by that I don't use my Wusthof chef's knife. There are a lot of cheaper knives but this one feels like it belongs in my hand. This and my teak cutting board do the heavy lifting. 

Victorinox 8" Chefs Knife

Life is too short to prepare food with a lousy knife.  It doesn't have to be expensive, but it needs to be sharp and it needs to hold an edge and feel good in your hand. Victorinox has gotten top marks for inexpensive chef's knife from America's Test Kitchen year after year.   

Heavy Duty Poultry Shears

Once you experience a roasted spatchcocked chicken or turkey you'll wonder why you haven't been always cooking them that way.  These shears make easy work of something that can be a struggle with other kitchen scissors.

OXO Food Scale with 11 pound capacity and pull out display

As we age one of our top jobs is to make sure that we hang on to the muscle that we have and also to build more of it.  Knowing how much protein you're eating in a day makes that job easier. A good scale makes that a lot easier. With cooking being able to weigh ingredients can be a big time saver.

OXO Food Scale with 5 pound capacity and pull out display

Same benefits as the one above, just has 5 pound capacity instead of 11 pounds.  

The Blue Towels

There's no rule that you have to buy the blue ones but I have 2 dozen of these that are just part of my kitchen set up.  They cut down on my paper towel use and I like them better than oven mitts. 

TeakHaus Edge Grain Cutting Board 24"X18"X1.5"

This lives on my kitchen island. It gets used multiple times a day and it is an essential piece of kitchen gear.

Bench Scraper

This is another suggestion that I got from Kenji Lopez-Alt's The Food Lab and it gets used daily.  It cuts down on the trail of ingredients that gets lost on the way from the cutting board to the skillet. And it works better at that than your knife blade.

Thermoworks Digital Thermometers

There's a reason that Thermoworks is so widely recommended.  They make great products. A good digital thermometer will make you a better cook.  It takes the guesswork out of cooking food to a safe temperature without forcing you to overcook you protein. Life's too short to eat overcooked protein and nobody wants to eat chicken sushi.

You want to buy your Thermoworks gear directly from Thermoworks instead of through Amazon.  You'll find knockoffs there but not the real deal.

Here's the model of Thermoworks that I use: 

Kwizing Fish Bone Tweezers

I do my best to get the bones out of fish before I cook it and these tweezers make that a lot easier to do.

Cuisinart Digital AirFryer

I used this air fryer recently and think it's a definite upgrade from the previous Cuisinart Air Fryer.  The plug melted on my older Cuisinart air fryer so I needed some convincing.

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

I bought this one about a year ago when the plug melted on my old Cuisinart air fryer.  I love this one and use it at least 4 or 5 times a week.  It's a workhorse!

Lodge 10 1/4" Cast Iron Skillet

My Lodge cast iron will outlast me.  These things are indestructible and an excellent way to sear a steak without a grill.

Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Pan 

Carbon steel gives you a durability similar to cast iron but without as much weight.  This one will also outlast me.

Vollrath 12" CeramiGuard II Non-stick Skillet

I bought my first Vollrath non-stick skillet at a restaurant supply house and finally wore it out.  These aren't bulletproof like stainless, carbon steel or cast iron, but I still love my Vollrath.

NordicWare Aluminum Baking Sheets 17.9"X12.9"X1"

If I'm not cooking salmon on the grill then it goes in the oven on a piece of parchment paper on one of these.  15 minutes later and I have a perfectly cooked piece of salmon.

I cook on the grill all the time and I love cooking veggies on my grill topper.

Anova Sous Vide Precision Circulator Cooker

Sous Vide cooking is a game changer.  I use my Anova all of the time.  It takes the hassle out of cooking and ups your cooking game at the same time.  It's incredible!

Anova Culinary Sous Vide Cooking Container with Lid

I wish they'd had this when I bought my Anova Sous Vide.  I'm using a couple of different Cambro containers but I don't have a lid or a rack.  This makes it a lot easier.

Anova Culinary Vacuum Sealer Pro

I don't have this sealer but I'll be buying this one when my Food Saver dies.  The Food Saver that I bought at Costco has been discontinued and the Anova got strong reviews by Cooks Illustrated and solid Amazon reviews. Plus I love my Anova Sous Vide.

KitchenAid Variable Speed Immersion Blender

Making your own sauces is easy and it's a game changer.  You never knew that being a culinary bad ass was so doable. I have the older version of this immersion blender and love it.

Vitamix E310 Explorer Blender 48oz Container

I have a Vitamix that I bought years ago at Costco and they are incredible.  I used to buy the cheap blenders and burn them up every couple of years.  Vitamix are built to do work.