I've spent 30 years in the health and wellness space, have a training certification, have competed on a physique stage and I've read more study abstracts than I can count. So when the largest evidence review on strength training ever assembled landed earlier this year, I read the whole thing. Like many studies, we didn't REALLY need a study to tell is what we already know. The American College of Sports Medicine released its first major update to resistance training guidelines in 17 years. It...
4 days ago • 3 min read
If you've ever been told that what you're feeling is just stress, or that it's all in your head, this one is for you. And if you love a woman who's been trying to explain a change they can't quite name, this is for you too. Here's the truth: the symptoms so many women struggle through in midlife are not imagined. They're physiological, driven by real and measurable hormonal changes and they're well documented in the research...I should know because I just took a deep dive into it....
11 days ago • 2 min read
In 2023, my husband had open heart surgery. When something like that happens to the person you share your life with, you start looking hard at everything that might tip the odds in your favor. Diet, obviously. Exercise, obviously. We were already very focused on both of those. But my investigation also sent me deep into the research on a habit I'd always filed under "maybe someday or when I have the money": sauna. What I found surprised me enough that we invested in a Sunlighten sauna of our...
18 days ago • 3 min read
Happy Fourth of July weekend to everyone celebrating in the US and for those of you in other parts of the world, I hope your weather hasn't been quite as crazy as ours. I know my friends in Europe have be roasting in the heat like we have in Cincinnati, so I hope you get some respite from that soon. I'll keep this one short because if you're anything like me, you have things to do this holiday weekend. There's a cooler to pack, a grill to light and people to feed. So let's get right to it!...
25 days ago • 1 min read
A quick note before we get into the new study: the July High Protein Kitchen meal plan came out Wednesday. If you already subscribe to that list, it's in your inbox. If not, you can download the free July plan right now...it includes a look at all five weeks of the July plan at a glance, plus One full recipe you can make tonight: my Smoky Grilled Chicken Thighs with charred corn and avocado, at 47 grams of protein per serving. The whole meal planner format, with breakfast, lunch, dinner and a...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Father's Day is this Sunday and I've been thinking about my dad. He passed away almost six years ago, but I still feel his presence on days like this. I thought I'd share a bit of this 21 page little handmade book I made him when I was a kid...the writing bug started early with me! Poems and sayings, hand-drawn pictures, signed "From: Cheryl Schnellenberger (classic, writing out my full name since I thought of myself as an author event then), To: Daddy." He kept it all those years, tucked...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Quick heads up before we get to the food: the US Wellness Meats $175 grass-fed meat giveaway closes this Sunday, June 14. If you've been meaning to enter and haven't yet, this is your last reasonable window. Enter the giveaway here → It takes about a minute and there's a $175 bundle of ribeye, ground beef, lamb chops, pasture-raised chicken and more on the other side of that click. I'd love to see one of you win it! Now, on to this week. I just published the Greek chicken marinade I keep...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
A quick reminder before we get into it: there's still time to enter the US Wellness Meats $175 grass-fed meat giveaway tied to my June Featured Chef spot. The contest closes June 14, so if you missed last week's email or haven't entered yet, here's the link. It only takes a minute and there's no catch. Now, on to this week. Something I read while we were traveling has been sitting with me since and I wanted to share it with you. It's actually a perfect follow-up to last week's conversation...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
We're finally home, for at least a few days anyway. After two graduations, four cities and more car time than I care to admit, it is very good to be back in my own kitchen and back to my regular training schedule. Both boys are officially graduated and I'm equal parts proud and exhausted. I'm ready to get in a little recuperation time then officially kick off summer. I have some happy news to share with you this week. I'm honored to be the June 2026 Featured Chef at US Wellness Meats. US...
2 months ago • 2 min read