Workouts, Smoothies, and Fresh Juice

In the interest of continuously building and working on a well rounded, healthier lifestyle, my husband and I are now two weeks into a daily workout routine which we hope to make a permanent part of our lives.

It begins by waking up at 5:30 (yes, that's a.m.), eating a light carb snack, then heading out at 5:50 to warm up. By 6:00 we either alternately power walk and jog 3.5 miles or go a shorter distance in the same fashion and then head inside to work about 20-30 minutes on strength training.

Good grief! Our first few days were so HARD, but we kept telling ourselves that each day would get easier as we built up endurance and won the mental battle each of us fights every time we do something outside of our comfort zone. So far, so good. We've managed to increase our length of running with each outing, and with both of us in our upper forties, I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment!

Since reading that high protein/low carb is important for a post workout meal, I've combined several healthy ingredients for a two person smoothie that's both quick and delicious.

1 cup of frozen blueberries
1 small handful of raw almonds or walnuts
2 Tb flaxseed
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tsp Maca
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1/3 cup dry rolled oats or 1/2 cup cooked steel cut oats
1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
ice

All of this goes into my Vitamix, set on high, and blended for about a minute. It's a complete meal in a glass and gives our bodies exactly what we need after working so hard. And because I'm using the Vitamix, everything including the flax and nuts is completely pulverized so that it's truly a smooth drink.

As we enjoy this, I begin prepping a fresh vegetable juice in my Breville juicer. Seconds later, we each have a glass of carrot/celery/red bell pepper/cucumber juice. And when my garden tomatoes are plentiful, I add a few of those, as well. For family members who request a bit more sweetness, an apple or a pear goes into the mix.

Can't think of a better way to start our day than exercising our bodies and then filling them with healthy goodness.

Hope this inspires you to start something else positive in your own lives.

Happy Eating!
Polly~ The Food Snob