Food Friday!

Smoothie Friday

aka: Food Friday. 

Today I thought it would be fun to set up a little smoothie tasting post workout for my 6am class.  I am planning on rotating these around my classes so stay tuned to my other classes if you are reading this:) 

I always get asked about new ideas and flavors for smoothies, what protein I use and what is the best to use.  There are so many protein powders on the market and I have a new love for Vega Nutrition. Vega nutrition offers pure protein from plant based sources. It does not have additives or artificial sweeteners in it and having since moved away from meat it is a true source of plant based protein.  I will often use Egg White Protein on occasion but Vega Nutrition has been my main source and go-to product.  I will give you a breakdown of my other favorites from Vega next week but for today here are three new smoothie recipes you have to try! 

(left) Pumpkin Pie (center) Berry Bliss (right) Chocolate Fun

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1 Serving of Vega All-in-One Vanilla flavored

1 Scoop of Pumpkin spice flavored greens

1 frozen banana

1 handful of strawberries

1 serving of chia seeds

Pumpkin pie spice

2 cups of water 

Blend away and enjoy! 

Berry Bliss

1 Serving of Vega All-in-one Berry flavored

1 serving of Chia seeds 

1 cup of frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana

2 cups of water

Blend and enjoy!

Chocolate Friday Fun

1 serving of Vega Nutrition Chocolate Performance Protein 

1 frozen banana

1 serving of Chia seeds

2 Tbls of sunflower butter

2 Cups of water

Caco Nibs added at the end for a little crunch and fun. 

Blend and enjoy! 

The classes loved them all and we even ended the week with a little Friday Fashion as we had local fashion connoisseur Jill Hansen in class showcasing her fun and functional threads!  It was a great way to kick of a Friday Funday! 

Want to learn more about Vega Nutrition. Visit their website at myvega.com or shoot me a comment here and I can help.  Also check out their other fun recipes on the Vega online Recipe Center.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Food (and drink) Friday!

Food Friday or in this case Hydration Friday!

The Water Challenge is back!

I want to circle back on a topic and challenge that I launched this past summer. It was hot and working out, outside I was trying to make sure everyone stayed hydrated in the summer heat. We had a ton of fun with the challenge and got the competitive juices flowing.  Now that the colder months are upon us and we are entering into winter I thought it was just as important to be reminded about just how important hydration is in the colder months. 

If you are like me, I am always cold. Drink cold water doesn't always sound fun nor does staying cold all day because of it. This is my excuse half the time and in talking to others this seems to hold true for most.  

I am re-lauching my water challenge to my classes next week in hopes that we all keep one of the most needed essentials to our health at top priority. 

Here is why water is so important: 

Life: We lose water daily so think of water as being an essential to help you keep your vital organs hydrated as well as your skin and hair. It also aids in digestion and helps keep your mind clear and sharp but most important it helps with circulation and body temperature. So going back to the excuse of being cold is not a good enough reason to stop.  We have turned on our heaters and things tend to dry out so keeping our body's full of the essentials is key. 

Muscles: Water helps energize muscles. When our muscles don't have proper hydration they can't perform like we want them to.  It is just as important to drink prior to working out as it is during. If you need something to give you a little pre-workout hydration my go to choice is the Vega Pre-Workout Energizer.  It adds just enough flavor to your water but includes natural key ingredients such as coconut oil, green tea, yerba mate and ginseng giving you a little push to start off your workout.  

 

Your skin: with your skin acting as a protective barrier against moisture loss it is one of your vital organs that truly benefit from hydration. Drinking water helps your skin maintain a youthful glow and also helps to eliminate dryness and wrinkles.  

Kidney Function: Your kidneys help to eliminate waste and without water this would not be possible.  Water soluble waste is passed through the kidneys thank to the help of fluids serving as a transporter and will definitely be key in keeping the bad stuff pass through. Not enough water can often times result in kidney stones as the waste is not able to properly pass through. This is reason enough. 

About 20% of water intake comes from foods (fruits and vegetables) but it is up to you to get the rest. I challenge you to begin upping your hydration this winter, keeping your body happy and healthy.  

Your goal:  90+oz of water a day!  Make this a new day and a new way to challenge yourself to a better you.  Let me know how you are doing and as always comment below if you have questions or comments.