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?

Chocolate Week Goodies You've Likely Never Tried

The antioxidant properties of the cocoa pod are varied and powerful

I'm kicking off Chocolate Week(end) with a bang! Talk about friends with benefits, chocolate, especially the dark kind is a super food for athletes and cross trainers alike. Runners and cyclists who consumed a mere 8 ozs of chocolate milk after exercising were found to have less inflammation and faster recovery times. If you live in the northeast, you will have most likely visited Hershey, PA and taken the factory tour. They take you through all of the harvesting and processing of the cocoa pods. Chocolate was the drink of kings, especially Montezuma leader of the Aztec empire. They found chocolate mixed with chili peppers give them a lot of energy and stamina.  They needed it! Not having domesticated animals to ride means YOU will be hoofing it.  So here are some of my modern day chocolate inspired favorites:

Emmy's Choco Chili & Dark Cacao Macaroons
These raw food, vegan coconut-choco chili macaroons are about as close as you are going to get to Montezuma's recipe.  These are so light and fluffy, this recipe includes raw cacao, sweet vanilla bean, organic ground cinnamon and hot chili peppers. Each macaroon is 100 calories but trust me, the hot chilies will up your metabolism big time.

Emmy's cocao infused macaroons

Beauty Bursts in Chocolate-Mint by NeoCell
These tasty chews are loaded with easy to absorb Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C. These are perfect before and after a workout, especially if you suffer from joint pain. One serving of only 2 soft chews gives you 2,000 mg or 2 grams of both Protein and Hydrolyzed Collagen. Made with natural flavors and real cocoa, you get some of the antioxidant benefits inherent to dark chocolate.

Beauty Bursts in Mint-Chocolate

Pure Inventions Pure Cocoa Antioxidant
These chocolaty liquid drops are very easy to take with you or add to your morning water bottle, coffee or protein shake. They really have a delicious chocolate flavor. 1 dropper full is all you need as it contains a proprietary blend of cocoa extract and cocoa powder along with Lo Han fruit extract. This is probably the best way to get an instant boost of antioxidant power into the blood stream.

Pure Inventions Cocoa Antioxidant

Emmy's Chocolate Sauce Original Dark
This is the BOSS of the chocolate sauce! Drizzle it over frozen yogurt or fruit, it contains  organic raw agave, organic raw cacao powder and wild crafted vanilla bean. This is serious stuff that will definitely boost your energy level on the spot.

Emmy's Chocolate Sauce

Natural cocao pod and beans c/o CocoWell

Raising the Bar - Why You Need to Increase Your Weights

My Nordic Flex Ultra Lift Chest Press and Lat Bar maxs out at 15.  I am doing arm curls on 13 now.

I've had an epiphany. This year, I've made an effort to write down my reps and weight lifts for each session. Previously, I've just tried to rep out (blow out the muscle to exhaustion), but without recording my previous workout, I might not be moving forward. I recently moved up to doing my chest presses on "12". I could barely get the bar to move! Still, I took a breath and pushed with all I had. The first day I could only do 20 reps. The second day I cleared 30. That's progress!

So a few simple things can get you better results in your cross training routine:
 
1. Write down the results of your lift days including the weights used and amount of reps completed. A simple diary and note if the session was hard, easy or impossible.

2. On your next workout day, try to best your previous lifts either in weight or reps. Try to move up, not backwards.

3. Always include a recovery drink at the end of your session (within 45 minutes). I like Rainbow Light Protein Energizers and NeoCell Muscle Recovery Collagen Sport.

Muscle Growth Factors
In order for muscles to grow and develop, they need to be practically torn down and rebuilt. Muscle fibers, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments all need additional protein and collagen after a heavy workout. BUT... The heavier workouts are needed in order to build new muscle.

Women Don't Build Muscle Like the Men
If you are a woman who is concerned about bulking up, let me put your mind at ease. We just don't form muscle the way the guys do since men normally have about x10 more testosterone than us ladies. So unless you are doing anabolic steroids, don't be afraid of adding a little extra weight to your stacks. What you will find are smaller, tighter, firmer muscles that take up much less room in your clothes. 
 

Bone Density
Another major plus in upping your weight bearing exercise is that it helps to ward off osteoporosis. This tends to skyrocket once women reach menopause and a guy's testosterone levels fall off. Dairy based protein and calcium such as whey, is an excellent source of these nutrients without being loaded with fat. Running, cycling, walking and hiking are all great aerobic workouts but they are not weight bearing exercises. In order to build new bone cells or osteoblasts vs osteoclasts you need to put some weight on that bar!

Increasing Your Weights
Another good thing about proper recovery is that it prepares your muscles for increase without injury. It's one of the reasons why I'm now appreciating the NeoCell Collagen supplements. Not only do I recover faster but the next weight training day, I'm able to move ahead either in weight or reps. No matter which you choose, listen to your body. It if means grunting out only five more reps than last session...do it. Your muscles will thank you for it.

Lat bar reps result in toned shoulders, arms and torso that benefit other exercise activities.

Beauty and the Beat: Collagen and Omega 3's

NeoCell Collagen supplements and Karlene's Sea-Licious EPA + DHA Omega 3.

In addition to editing XTreme XTraining, I also blog for Best Picks Magazine and am a Lucky Contributor. This means as a fashion and beauty editor, I sometimes come across products which are designed for one purpose but are helpful in others. I've always taken a liquid collagen supplement at night but have to admit I had not noticed any definable results from it.  Then it was no longer available, (I wonder why!) so I began researching for a replacement collagen product.

NeoCell Collagen Supplements
I came across NeoCell and was impressed in the variety of collagen based products they had to offer. The first product I tried was their Collagen + C Pomegranate Liquid which replaced the liquid collagen I had been taking. Just like the previous product, I took 1 tbsp at night before bed. I had always taken my liquid collagen with 500 mgs of vitamin C but since it is already included in this NeoCell supplement, I skip that step. Within about a week, I noticed my fingernails growing faster and stronger. As I mentioned before, I hadn't seen any real change with the previous collagen product I had been taking for over 4 months.

Beauty Bursts
Needless to say I was pretty stoked about that but what I didn't expect was a lessening in lower back pain I had learned to live with. Weight lifting and cycling are part of my daily activities and each day I have noticed a lessening of back discomfort. In addition to the NeoCell liquid collagen, I began taking their Beauty Bursts.  They contain collagen 1 & 3 plus Hyaluronic Acid and are really delicious. Kind of like a high-powered Star-Burst!

Both supplements are easy to incorporate into your daily lifestyle as they are delicious and completely portable.  They also make a Keratin Hair Volumizer and Collagen Beauty Builder in tablet form. The jury is still out on those but the liquid and chewable collagen supplements are making a difference. Yes, my skin looks great but the added bonus of more flexibility in my back and joints was an unexpected plus.  That's because both collagen and hyaluronic acid diminish as time goes on. It's kind of like the mortar between the bricks in a building. Without it, you lose the necessary cushioning between the joints, bones and ligaments. I've been taking these supplements for a little over a month and can see as well as feel the difference.

Sea-licious EPA + DHA and Omega 3
While I prefer to get my Omega 3's from good old food like salmon, walnuts, mackerel, etc. sometimes it's just not practical. If you are traveling or on vacation, your meals may be as well planned as you would like so taking an Omega 3 supplement would be the wise choice. I've tried a few Omega 3's in tablet form but really prefer the liquids as I know they are going to be immediately broken down and absorbed.  I have tried a few liquid super omega supplements, (one was even chocolate flavored!) but they tended to be somewhat fishy and heavy tasting. Karlene's Sea-licious also comes in yummy flavors, (check out the Raspberry-Lemonade) but is much lighter and easier to swallow.

Sea-licious in Raspberry Lemonade

Sea Me!
This is another supplement that does double duty, giving your skin a luminous glow while doing your joints and ligaments a lot of good.  That's because Omega 3's are equally known for their anti-inflammatory effect. This is a concentrated product so only 1 TEASPOON a day contains 1,325 mgs. of Omega 3's, 700-790 mgs of Eicosapentaenoic acid and 440-525 mgs of Docosahexaenoic acid. I still prefer eating my salmon but that is a whopping amount of nutrition in one teaspoon.  It contains natural flavors, sunflower lecithin, rosemary extract and Monk Fruit.  The fish oil is derived from anchovy, mackerel and sardines. This makes the taste and texture very light and easy to digest without the fishy burping associated with cod liver oil (remember that stuff?)

I did the Rapha Women's 100 this year on July 7th and posted a personal best for my longest road bicycle ride ever. My back did not hurt during or after the ride and my recovery was instant. So if your knees, back and ankles are taking a beating during your workout, try adding these collagen and Omega 3 supplements to your diet. They are a beauty treatment for both the inside and outside.

Grilled Salmon =Delicious Omega 3's!  Sometimes getting them this way isn't practical.

 

End the Hunger Games: Avoiding Post Workout Gluttony

My Nordic Track Ultra Lift weight machine: Pigging out after sets is not an option.

One of the problems with engaging in intense exercise is thinking we've burned more calories than we actually have. There was a study which showed this: A hot dog cart was positioned outside of a fitness gym offering free wieners to people who had completed their work-out. Most stopped and had a 400 + calorie hot dog even though it was highly unlikely that they burned that much during their gym session.

We all do this!  After a little exertion, we feel almost entitled to a big meal or a rich dessert. The reality is that just like those people caught in the "hot dog trap", we can easily overshoot the amount of calories burned during an activity. Then we feel betrayed because the pounds aren't coming off but piling on.  Here are some tips to help break this post work-out cycle of over-eating:

End the Hunger Games

1.) Hydrate first. I'm not talking about Gatorade either. Before reaching for something to eat, try downing at least 12 ozs of ice cold water. This will help cool down your core while giving you time to reset your appetite. Keep in mind that oftentimes "hunger pangs" are just thirst signals in disguise.

2.) Stretch after your work out.  Rather than running to the kitchen right after your last set, try cooling down completely with a few static stretches. This will give you time to rethink your feeding frenzy mode so you can make better choices about what to refuel with.

3.) Recover with low fat protein. If you are still feeling hungry after your fitness routine, try having a protein shake specifically designed for recovery. Pick one that is low in sugar as you can add your own berries or even 1/2 banana to sweeten to your liking.  Easy to digest, whey protein shakes are a great meal replacement or snack. I am trying a new product by NeoCell, their Collagen Sport Ultimate Recovery Complex.
Made with natural flavorings, the French Vanilla tastes like a vanilla ice cream float. Very creamy.

Neocell Collagen Sport. My new go-to recovery drink.

More than just a recovery formula, this powder has added collagen to support healthy joints and ligaments, vitamins and antioxidants.  Really that's oftentimes what hurts when you're done anyway, your muscles, joints and ligaments! Try a serving of a whey based high protein shake like this and see how quickly you get a handle on things.

4.) Re-Body Hunger Chews 

Rebody Hunger Chews in Mandarin Orange and Pre-3 Max

These are simple, yummy Starburst-like little chews that you can take before a meal to help keep things from getting out of hand. They contain a natural hunger regulator, (a Saffron extract), that helps you feel a bit more satisfied with less. As you are preparing your post training day meal, pop one in your mouth. You may find yourself dropping that desire for a second helping. I like them because they put an end to all that night time recreational eating we can fall into. These really work and offer a simple, natural solution to post workout gluttony or anytime you are tempted to eat more than you should.

5.) Have a little FAT. I know this sounds counter-productive but including a little of the right kind of fat, (Omega 3's), is good for you and will help keep you satisfied without the temptation to binge.  I'm talking about real food like: salmon, walnuts, pecans, almonds, avocados, coconut oil, sardines, etc.  
 

Add some Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to your diet to help boost your fat metabolism.

Try having at least one serving per day of one of these Omega 3 heavy hitters to boost fat metabolism and you could also find your muscle and joint soreness has become a thing of the past.  In addition to helping deal with the munchies, these foods help fight inflammation. The double whammy!

The RIGHT fats can make a difference.  Grilled salmon, oven roasted sweet potato fries and organic greens make a balanced, post workout meal.