Summer Training Table Favorites - New Garden of Life Organic Vitamins

Something new on the training table!

The Rapha Women's 100 is this weekend and I have to admit that I have been traveling a LOT this spring and summer. I would usually have more road bike miles in by now but with the rain and local flooding, the last few weeks have been a wash (literally)! All the same I have been cross training with my weight machine, by taking walks/runs and laps in the pool.

Fuel for the Rapha Women's 100

Still, that doesn't stop me as I feel that I am in the best shape ever and have added a few new things to my summer training table. I was sent these supplements from Garden of Life to try, I'd say about 6 weeks ago.
They all blend quickly and easily without having to break out the VitaMix. I just add a scoop to water and a little milk in my shaker cup and BOOM, breakfast! 

My favorite is the Raw Protein Chocolate Cacao. It's absolutely delicious with no grainy texture. What makes this line different is the use of raw, sprouted grains like brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, millet, buckwheat and an assortment of bean sprouts. Added to this is high protein chlorella and mixed tocopherols (vitamin E). If I want an extra boost, I'll add fruits and garden vegetables to the Garden of Life Raw Fit which has Green Coffee Bean Extract and more of a neutral flavor. I'll also mix Rainbow Light's Acai Berry Blast and NeoCell's Collagen based powders in my smoothies. The combinations are nearly endless so I've not been bored.

I always add a scoop of protein powder to my smoothies.

Garden of Life KIND Organics Multivitamins
I've just started taking these so the jury is still out on if they are making a difference performance wise. One thing I like is that you can take them on an empty stomach without much worry of stomach upset. Sometimes even before I can down my smoothie, I want to take something when I get up. So far these have been good but most vitamins are better absorbed with a little food so I will take them with a handful of nuts in the AM.

Now these are hard pressed tablets BUT they do not contain the usual shellac, hard waxes and fillers found in cheaper supplements. These vitamins are made with organic whole foods and herbs. I especially like the women specific formulations. My preference is to take a liquid vitamin first, then a gelatin capsule and then last a hard tablet. So I will see how well these pills are breaking down and being assimilated.

Pain in NO picnic. My Turmeric Supreme formulations.

Turmeric Supreme
Something else new that I recently wrote about is the addition of Turmeric Supreme to my training table. I have much less back pain and even when I over-do it, recovery is very fast and complete. If I have any extra issues, I've used their Turmeric Pain formula for added relief. Being in the saddle for 5-6 hours to complete the Women's 100 can be a problem for your back and legs. I'm taking this ahead of time to ward off serious soreness afterward.

So that's the nutritional game plan. I've been eating lots of salmon and mackerel while taking extra Omega 3 supplements as well. The garden is coming in so lots of cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash and cherry tomatoes so far! My knees feel great and I'm looking forward to this and many more challenges this summer. See you out there!

Remember Mr. Snappy from last year's Women's 100?