I Am My Own Science Experiment
Before I recommend anything, I need to try it out first and make sure that it does what it’s supposed to be doing. I tried the Paleo Diet and Raw Living, before I would even recommend it to anyone. I saw changes in myself and my health and so did people that I would come in to contact who knew me prior to making the changes. My arthritic pain is gone and my stamina and energy are off the charts. People want to know what I’m doing, so that’s how this blog was born! Do I recommend eliminating foods in your diet that make you ill! Yes! How do I know? Because I was my own science experiment. And it works!
Once my pain was gone and my energy increased, so did my workouts! And I worried about that. I worried if I was eating enough calories to sustain me during my workouts. And I worried if I would be able to recover well after my workouts. But even though I had increased energy — by 4:00 p.m. I was usually zonked. I wake up every morning around 5:15 so that’s almost 12 hours of being awake and on the go! And my Zumba class is at 7:00 p.m.! HELP!! How am I going to do this? I’d brew some tea and hope the caffeine would wake me up. Sometimes it did — most times it did not.
And Then I Found It . . . . .
Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I had the answer in the palm of my hands the whole time!!! All I had to do was “click my sneakers” together and say, “I want more strength, I want more strength”! And “Poof”! I got more strength! Okay — not really. But almost!! It seems that one of the books that I’m constantly recommending had the answer in it all the whole time!!! Ani Phyo had the explanation and the answer that I was looking for.
Ani explained that for optimal energy, you need to pair sugars with fats 20 minutes before you exercise. This is the most important lesson I needed to learn.
She goes on to say that you should eat higher sugar, higher calorie fruits (dates, bananas, plums, pears, pineapple, orange, mango) with a fat source (nuts, seeds or nut butters, coconut oil, or coconut milk) for longer, sustained energy. Try to eat these sugars 20 minutes prior to a workout for a longer performance. She then goes on to recommend that you add green tea or cocoa because the caffeine inside both of these are a known physical performance booster (but don’t overdo it — you’ll blow out your adrenals). She also recommends other tips for maximizing endurance and energy, but we can touch on those another time.
So the point of all of this leads me to this . . . what I’m now calling “The Magic Elixer”. And how do I know it’s a Magic Elixer? Because I am the science experiment who’s been trying this out for about 5 weeks now AND IT WORKS!! My stamina and recovery have been unsurpassed!!!
Here’s the recipe for Ani Phyo’s Banana, Spinach, Chocolate Power Smoothie now known as my “Magic Elixer”!
2 cups bananas, from about 2 whole (I use 1 – 1 1/2 bananas)
1 cup spinach leaves, washed well (I use Kale)
1/4 cup almond butter, raw (I use 1/2 cup almonds)
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 teaspoon spirulina powder (or wheat grass powder)
3 cups Thai baby coconut water, or filtered water
1 cup ice, optional
Place all ingredients, except ice, into a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Add ice, if using, and blend to mix well. Enjoy immediately.
Ani Phyo’s Banana, Spinach, Chocolate Power Smoothie
Will keep for 1 day, sealed tightly, in the fridge.
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* A note from me . . .
Ani recommends doing this 20 minutes before a workout. I recommend drinking it at least an hour before so it will be settled in your stomach and you don’t feel sick.
I can’t stress the importance of the above smoothie recipe if anyone wants to “up their game”. I started drinking this an hour before my workout and found my endurance to be off the charts. The science experiment worked!!! I feel like I know a dirty little secret – especially when I hear people around me saying things like “they’re off their game today”, or “they’re just out of it today” and here I am — ready and willing to keep going! I knew it was time to share it. I totally recommend that everyone who works out, include this recipe in your diet! I also highly recommend drinking water before and during your workouts to keep hydrated.
The most important thing that one can do when drinking this smoothie and working out is to . . .
Enjoy!
Michele ♥
