Blog - Scott Klasen

1132 Days

June 8, 2022

This past February, we loaded up the car and all drove down to Tennessee for a two-week stay in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To knock the trip out in a day and not arrive too late, we woke up at 4 am so that we could be on the road by 5 am. Besides the restaurant forgetting to include the pork sausage in my bbq combo takeout meal after a very long day, the trip went about as smoothly as possible. It wasn’t until the next morning that I realized that my streak had come to end. Before

Chicken Marsala

May 13, 2022

If you happen to be in a chicken rut where you find yourself doing the same thing over and over, I just might have the recipe for you. And if you like mushrooms and sage, then I definitely have the recipe for you! I’ve been making this every month or two for probably the last 10 years, so it’s one of those recipes that has stood the test of time for me. Besides the fact that I enjoy this dish, the other major plus is with a little practice, you can whip it up pretty quick on a weekday night

Only One Body

April 18, 2022

Today I’d like to introduce you to one of my mentors – Mike Boyle. Over the length of my career, it’s quite possible I’ve learned more from Mike than anyone else in the field of strength and conditioning. Mike has that special gift of taking complex stuff and making it simple. That’s probably what drew me towards him as I was getting my start as a personal trainer. Always pushing the staus quo, he’s a lifelong learner who I continue to learn from this day. Oh yeah, the guy gets results too. Mike is the owner of Mike Boyle Strength

Tailgate Turkey Chili

April 1, 2022

I just realized that I haven’t posted a chili recipe yet this year! So before the weather warms up and we’re not thinking chili anymore, that’s what I’m going to do today. If I remember correctly, this was either the first or second recipe I ever posted on the old website years ago. To this day, I still hear clients mention things like “I made your Tailgate Turkey Chili last night. My family loves it.” Since you can put this together ahead of time and let it sit finished in the crockpot, it’s perfect for when guests come over.

Exercise and Fat Loss – What You Need to Know: Part 4

March 11, 2022

Before I go any further, I hope you’re asking yourself, “Isn’t this the guy who wrote in detail several months back about how there is no one best of anything”? Yes, that indeed was me and it’s still true. However, please keep in mind that everything that I have shared and am about to share with you over these last four articles (part 1, part 2, & part 3) is aimed at those looking for the best way to lose fat. Not everyone is. Some are focused on athletic performance, while others are seeking stress reduction, pain

Chicken, Andouille, & Kale Stew

February 18, 2022

In an effort to compile the ultimate complete one-pot meal, I present to you my Chicken, Andouille, and Kale Stew. I’ve sampled quite a few stews during my time, and what I have for you today is the resultant final product of my favorite bits and pieces of the various stews I’ve sampled. Seeing that we’re still deeply in the throws of winter (it’s cold and snowing as I write this) I can’t think of a better meal to warm you up and satisfy you on a chilly evening. Allow yourself roughly 20 minutes of prep time in the morning

Exercise and Fat Loss – What You Need to Know: Part 3

January 28, 2022

By now you should have an appreciation of how resistance training contributes to fat loss, so my objective for today is to cover the second big rock in this process – interval training. Please note, before I go any further, it would be helpful to check out part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t done so already. When you hear the words “interval training” it might be helpful to think of it as a time-saving type of exercise with a huge bang for your buck potential, at least in comparison to traditional “cardio” or steady-state aerobic exercise. To

Rosemary Sun-Dried Tomato Meatballs

January 7, 2022

I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I really love my slow cooker. Spend a little time in the morning, and then have nothing to worry about come dinnertime. It’s a beautiful thing. I also appreciate the fact that I can often double the batch. This not only means that I can enjoy it twice, but also means that it saves me time later in the week! I’ve been making this recipe for quite a while and it’s a big-time favorite of both Stacy and me. If time allows, make a salad to go along with it and you’re all

Exercise and Fat Loss – What You Need to Know: Part 2

December 17, 2021

In my last article, I made the statement that exercise alone is a poor choice if your main goal is to shed fat and lose weight and that aerobic exercise was specifically unimpressive in this department. Today I would like to discuss a better way. If aerobic exercise or “doing cardio” is not the best way to burn fat and lose weight, then what is? I bet you think I’m going to say some type of strength/resistance training. If so, there would be some truth to that statement, but there is something that is more important. DIET. There

Apple Carrot Superhero Muffins

November 26, 2021

The Superhero Muffin is back! Last time I shared the Beet Blueberry Molasses recipe with you and just over a year ago the Pumpkin Spice. This time around, it’s the Apple Carrot. Stacy and I have some friends who happen to have a bunch of apple trees in their backyard. They were more than generous in sharing their bounty with us this fall, and as a result, we’ve been eating apples like crazy. Since we’ve had so many, I probably close to doubled the recommended amount of apple in the recipe this last time around and they came out the

Exercise and Fat Loss – What You Need to Know

November 10, 2021

I’m going to say something that you’ll be surprised to hear come out of the mouth of a fitness professional. Brace yourself… exercise alone is a poor choice IF your main goal is to shed fat and lose weight. There I said it! Might not be my best marketing tactic, but at least it’s out in the open. So why would someone who sells exercise for a living make this statement? Because it appears to be true and I always aim to tell you what you need to hear and not just what you want to hear. Not only

Grilled Chile Lime Chicken Thighs

October 18, 2021

A while back, I brought up the importance of having go-to meals and shared my recipe for Honey Dijon Wild-Caught Salmon. As a refresher, a go-to meal has these three basic elements: It’s super quick and easy. For me, that means I can put it together in 10 minutes or less and it takes absolutely no brainpower. I always have it on hand. For example, it’s already in the freezer or it’s something I always pick up during a weekly grocery shopping trip. It’s healthy. Now that we’re into October, grilling season is slowly winding down where I live

Is the Keto Diet Best for Me?

September 22, 2021

Chances are, you’ve probably purchased a dietary supplement or some piece of exercise equipment that promised an appealing result. Or you tried the latest diet and exercise program making the rounds because it was billed as “the best.” If this sounds like you, don’t feel bad. I’d be willing to bet each one of us has fallen victim to “the best” of something mentality somewhere along the line. Quick question – have you ever wondered who exactly deemed something to be the best and why? And, if it was truly the best, how come it’s still not the best a

End-of-the Garden Zucchini Skillet

September 1, 2021

This past spring I got inspired and decided I wanted to plant my own vegetable garden right here at the house. Fast forward a few months and now the tomatoes and zucchinis are free-flowing! If you’ve ever had your own garden you will already know this, but it gets to a point where it’s vegetable overload and you have to do something with it…like right now. So that’s what I’m going to help you with today. I stumbled upon this recipe eight years ago and it has remained one of my favorite ways to quickly use up a bunch of

You’ve Been Lied To

August 11, 2021

Recently I talked about the prevalence of “should goals” I tend to see in the area of health and fitness. While I believe I have said enough on the topic of goals lately, I have yet to discuss the various factors associated with why these goals are chosen and I feel that this is worthy of some attention. I’m going to come right out and say it, you’ve been lied to. You have always been lied to. And, you will most likely continue to be lied to. The best diet. The best exercise program. The must-have piece of exercise equipment.

Thai Quinoa Salad

July 22, 2021

From the very first bite, this recipe became an instant favorite of ours. What stood out to me was all of the different flavors popping all at once. When you try it out for yourself, you’ll see that this dish has a whole lot going on. According to the original recipe, this was intended to be more of a side dish served cold. However, the first time I made it, Stacy and I were both so hungry that I decided to skip the step of allowing it to cool and instead just ate it warm. Were we ever rewarded! In

Thank You Coach

July 1, 2021

It was the first week of August 1994 with a car packed to the gills, I made the trip down to Normal, Illinois to begin the next chapter of my life. However, only four short weeks prior, I was planning to make a much longer drive west to Lawrence, Kansas instead. For some reason that I can’t quite explain, I had still yet to sign the athletic scholarship papers that were sitting on my kitchen table that would officially make me a member of the University of Kansas’ cross-country and track and field teams. I think I was “getting around

Are You “Shoulding” Yourself?

June 21, 2021

After writing last month’s article on goal setting, I thought I had wrapped up everything I needed and wanted to say concerning the topic of goals. Then I realized I had left something out. Something important. If you have been following along, you now know that when someone finally uncovers their true “why” for wanting to accomplish something, and when that goal is in line with their personal values and priorities, goal attainment increases significantly. The problem I routinely face is that most folks are not in this boat. Instead of having goals that run through the above filter, they

Beet Blueberry Molasses Superhero Muffins

June 1, 2021

I promised you another version of the Superhero Muffin and here it is! If you happen to be a fan of beets and blueberries – this one is for you. It is the least sweet of them all, so if you tend to prefer things on the sweeter side, consider adding some raw honey or maple syrup to the blackstrap molasses (1/2 cup of total sweetener would probably do it). This too came from the Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. Quick-fix Recipes for Hangry Athletes cookbook. In case you might have missed it, here’s the recipe for the Pumpkin Spice

This is the Last Step in Goal Setting

May 10, 2021

I wrote this series of articles because I keep seeing the same thing happen over and over again. Well-meaning individuals attempting to achieve some health and/or fitness-related goal, and in the end either coming up short or quitting entirely, and I want to help. If you happen to be starting here, please go back and read part 1, part 2, and part 3. There are some very good reasons why I didn’t just start here in the first place. Today I’m going to talk about the final piece of the puzzle – the actual process of setting goals. Research tells

Honey Dijon Wild-Caught Salmon

April 15, 2021

Today I’d like to share with you one of my favorite go-to meals. In fact, it’s probably my favorite go-to meal at the moment. What is a go-to meal you might ask? I would define it as a meal that has these three basic elements: It’s super quick and easy. For me, that means I can put it together in 10 minutes or less and it takes absolutely no brainpower. I always have it on hand. For example, it’s already in the freezer or it’s something I always pick up during a weekly grocery shopping trip. It’s healthy. In

Why You Do What You Do

April 1, 2021

Hopefully, by now you have figured out your why and have taken a deeper look at who you are as a person (your identity). If not, please go back and check out parts 1 and 2. If I were to ask you, what are your top 5 core values, could you do it? Could you confidently explain the difference between your values, priorities, and your goals? It sounds easy, but when I start to go through this with clients there is usually some confusion. My goal today is to help clear up this confusion because understanding how your goals

Spicy White Bean Chicken Chili

March 15, 2021

I got the idea for this recipe from Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant. Every month they put out a recipe in their newsletter, and over the last several years, have included a couple of different chicken chili recipes. What I did here was take parts of each and then made a few tweaks of my own. My suggestion to you is to not get bogged down in the details. As you can see, I use three different kinds of chili pepper. I do that because I’m a spice nerd. It’s not necessary to make a good-tasting chili. For example, if all

I am who I am

March 2, 2021

Recently I talked about the importance of finding your why as it pertains to goal attainment. As the saying goes, when you find your WHY, you will figure out the HOW. So let’s say you’ve taken the time to find your why but you’re still feeling like you’re spinning your wheels when it comes to achieving your health and fitness-related goals. What should you do next? When all of the fluff is stripped away, we find that every meaningful goal comes from who you think you are (your identity) and what’s important to you (your values and priorities). I

Beef Stew

February 12, 2021

I’m pretty sure the thermometer hasn’t broken 20 degrees here for at least a week now. In other words, it’s cold. And when it’s cold, I absolutely love my crockpot. Warm, hearty meals that are ready on demand for dinner are tough to beat. Since I just made it last week, the following is fresh on mind. This beef stew recipe comes from The Paleo Kitchen cookbook, the same book that brought us twice baked butternut squash. However, I have changed the recipe over the years to suit my particular taste. The original recipe calls for bacon and no potatoes

We’re Missing the Larger Issue

February 1, 2021

I have 5 questions that I’d like you to take a minute, think about, and answer to yourself honestly: 1) Are you currently dealing with any chronic pain or injuries? 2) Do you have at least one chronic disease? 3) Do you achieve at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day (walking counts)? 4) Do you eat 5-8 servings of vegetables and/or fruit everyday? 5) And, do you average between 7-9 hours of sleep each night? Okay, so how many of you can say no to questions 1 and 2, and yes to questions

Old School Meatloaf

January 18, 2021

I don’t know about you, but for some reason, I feel an intense need for meatloaf every couple of months. Kind of like chili, it’s one of those things you tend to make a little differently each time. I’ve made meatloaf so many different ways and the beautiful thing is, it’s really hard to screw up. So, feel free to experiment a little. Substitute this for that. Eliminate. Or, try adding something new if the mood strikes you. What follows is my attempt to “standardize” my meatloaf recipe. While the recipe might change here and there, the mashed

What’s Your WHY?

January 1, 2021

Given that the calendar just rolled over and many of us have been busy setting and embarking upon new goals for the year, I wanted to take a minute and share what I feel is the most important part of this process – finding your why. Simply put, what it is the real reason a particular goal is so important to you? For purposes of this article, my focus will be on one’s fitness, nutrition, and overall health related goals. However, this principle can be applied to virtually anything. As I begin my 18th year in the industry I’ve

Roasted Chicken with Fresh Herbs

December 18, 2020

There are certain meals that I tend to make seasonally and then there are those that are year-round staples. Roasted chicken definitely falls into my year-round bucket. I know what you’re thinking, “Can’t I just swing by Costco, pay my $5, and have it hot and ready as soon as I get home?” Yes, you certainly can. That used to be me too! No disrespect to Costco, but once you do it for yourself and see what I’m talking about, you’ll understand. The most important thing I can tell you is the quality of your chicken does matter. It matters

Do You Have Your Mind Right?

December 5, 2020

Several years ago, I had what you would could call a “come to Jesus” moment where I asked myself – Why do some of my clients get outstanding results, while others manage marginal results at best? Obviously this is a loaded question with literally hundreds of possible answers ranging from client effort and dedication to me being bad at my job and just about everything in between. However, when I went back and assessed those clients who were successful in achieving the results they were after, I started to see a pattern. What I found is that it had less

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