Healthy Goodies to Supercharge Your Spring Workout

Some of my new favorite things this spring!

Coming into spring can be a beautiful thing! If the cold weather has kept you indoors a bit more than you'd liked, now is the time to get back on track. If things are a bit "sluggish" after a rough winter of relative inactivity, here are a few foods and supplements which have helped to jump start my program:

Matcha Powder  + Decimus & PurJus Beet Juice

Pre-Workout Drinks
I'm usually not able to eat a whole lot in the morning before heading out for my bicycle ride and run. Anything heavy really slows me down. So I like to hydrate and recharge all at once as dehydration is more of an immediate need than eating first thing in the morning. So I've been making this natural pre-workout cocktail on my lifting days. The main ingredients are:

Beet Root Juice, which I've made from raw, fresh beets in my VitaMix. This natural, organic beet juice by PurJus tastes just like the fresh version from my kitchen. So delicious! I've found that Beet Juice allows you to work out at a higher capacity and intensity, especially for weight lifting. No sugar added as beets are naturally sweet. I just add a splash as this juice is very rich and flavorful.

Raw Organic Matcha Powder is actually culinary grade and bright green in color. It is simply organic, raw green tea with very little processing. It mixes so well in nearly anything and is practically tasteless when served in cold water or juice.

Decimus Pre-Workout Powder
This powder has a light, pleasant pink lemonade flavor and is sugar free. I only use half of the recommended scoop as it has some heavy stimulants such as: Caffeine, guarana and yerba mate.
If you are cutting back on caffeine, then this product may not be for you. However, if you need a little edge to get the most out of your workout then this could be the pre-workout supplement for you.

Post Work-Out snacks: Pure Bar and Almond Milk

Post Work Out Snacks
The Pure Bar - NEW Less Sugar
Sometimes you want something to eat after your gym session, run or ride. These new Pure Organic Ancient Grains Crispy Bars fit the bill if you want something light and crispy. The only knock I have about these bars is that the quinoa seems to be dried and raw. It tends to come out the same way it went in...whole! However, they are delicious and do not offer an overly sweet end to your fitness routine. See all the varieties at ThePureBar.com

Califia Farms Vanilla Almond Milk
If you want to add extra antioxidants without sacrificing calcium and flavor,  try adding a splash of Almond Milk to your post-workout smoothie. I enjoy doing a chocolate smoothie and the almond milk sends it over the top along with a teaspoon or so of coconut oil. So good!  This variety of almond milk from Califia Farms is soy and carrageenan free. They also have an unsweetened version that works quite well in recipes which require dairy milk. One of the best things is that this almond milk has 50% more calcium than cow's milk. See their varieties online at CalfiaFarms.com

Organic Food Bar & Love Snacks Cashews

Organic Food Bars are so good and chewy! The first ingredient in the Chocolate Chip is organic almond butter. Cold pressed and 90% raw, it is full of healthy enzymes and naturally sweetened with dates. It only has 10 grams of protein however but the Protein variety has 22 grams of protein per bar. Not overly sweet but just right and simply delicious. See more varieties of the Organic Food Bar online. Also available at TheVitaminShoppe.com

Raw Cashews have been my favorite for years. The only thing is that in order to get them raw and not roasted, I'd have to head out to my local health food store and purchase them in bulk. Now you can buy them fresh and raw, prepackaged. I like to keep mine chilled in the refrigerator for extra crunchiness. A 1/4 cup serving 160 calories. See them at LoveSnacks.com or have these healthy goodies delivered right to your door by ordering online at TheVitaminShoppe.com