Hydration Station

This week I discovered Lime Cucumber Gatorade!!!!!!!! Omg, by far the best Gatorade flavor EVER. If you're not a cucumber water type of person or cucumber martini type of person (I am both), this is not the sports drink for you, but if you are... I may have just changed your whole world. I had lime cucumber Gatorade during two workouts last week, and it was so refreshing, not sugary, and had all the good electrolytes, etc that I needed. With that shameless promotion, let's move on to ways to improve hydration.

1. You should not drink sports drink like they are juice or water. Save them for pre, post, and during workouts.

2. Beware of sugar levels in all sports drinks and juice. When you're in the middle of a rough workout, sugar can help your body's energy levels in the short term, but unfortunately, if you don't balance your sports drink and water intake, the same sugar that gave you a boost, will dehydrate you and lead to muscle cramps.

3. Look for beverages high in potassium. Potassium will increase your energy level without the negative effects of sugar, and it will help ward off muscle cramps. A good example is coconut water. If you're not a fan of coconut water, try orange juice, but look for ones that have no sugar added (oj is notorious for adding lots of extra sugar). I would stay away from orange juice during a workout or immediately before (too much acidity).

4. If you are the type who says, "but water is so bland..." please try something other than crystal light packets. It's too easy people! While flavor enhanced powders may claim zero carbs and little to no calories, you are putting a very processed and unnatural substance into the purest natural beverage you can put in your body. Instead, try to infuse water at home. Take a pitcher of water, add fruit to it, and let it sit over night in your fridge. Too easy! You can leave the fruit in the water as long as you want... the longer the time period, the more intense the flavor. I do suggest taking the rinds off fruit. I had a failed attempt at lime infused water which tasted solely like lime rinds only after a day. Here are some of my favs for infusing water:

• Lime or Lemon
• Oranges
• Cucumber
• Grapefruit
• Mint leaves

If you are exotic and ambitious, you could try Rose, or Hibiscus and Mint. Be creative, see what works! WATER is so good for you and such a necessity; you might as well make it enjoyable.

On a side note you also should drink extra water (try 3 glasses more) after a massage, or any physical therapy. Different types of physical therapies (electric stem, needling, micro-current), especially massage, help release toxins that build up in your muscle (think of knots or cramps), and drinking extra water helps flush these toxins out so they don't re-settle into your muscles.

Happy Sweating,
Dominique

Date, Shallot, and Rosemary Chicken

 Here's a healthy recipe I am trying out tonight! I thought I would share since I get a lot of questions about diet and nutritional planning :)

 

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 large chicken breasts
• 2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 5-7 medjool dates, pitted and diced
• 3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Pull out a large glass baking dish and place chicken in it.
3. Top chicken off with your sliced shallots and dates.
4. Pull the rosemary off the sprigs and toss over the chicken, then place a few extra rosemary sprigs around the chicken.
5. Finish the chicken off by pouring over olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar and top it off with  ground pepper.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
7. Consume.

Watermelon Smoothie

My friend Katie is a yoga instructor (Katie Marie Yoga and Holistc Nutrition) as well as a great resource for nutritious and delicious all natural snacks! Here is her watermelon smoothie! I made it today and it was out of this world!

Recipe:
I filled my blender with cut up watermelon,
blended until I had room to squeeze a few more pieces in,
added 2 juiced limes
sprinkled in some ground cardamom.

Vitamins

Vitamin supplements are essential when you are on a strict workout regiment. Well actually, vitamins are important all the time, but their importance multiplies when working out. I am sure you are aware of the benefits of vitamin C, or taking a Calcium supplement, but have you walked down the vitamin aisle and asked, "what are all these other bottles for?" Here are a few supplements I recommend adding to your diet:

• Multi Vitamin: If you are not already taking a multi, I beg you, start! Multi vitamins, as well as, vitamins C and B all help build your immune system, fight fatigue, boost energy levels, and strengthen your cardio vascular system. Remember, a multi vitamin needs to be a daily addition to have the most effect. 
• Fish Oil and Flax Seed Oil: Both of these provide the "good fats" your body needs to repair muscle, fight soreness, and reduce inflammation. Taking these will help you during and after your workout because they help speed up the healing process. 
• You could simply eat a lot of fish (salmon for example), but you would have to eat a lot of it to match the amount you receive in a pill. Furthermore, all the goodness takes longer to process in your body then when you take it in the pill or liquid form. 
• If you are already in the habit of adding flax seed to oatmeal or in breads you bake, or even in almond/peanut butter, that's great! However, make sure you use ground flax seed. Your body does not process flax seed in its whole form, so you lose the benefits. 
• Cayenne: If you are in to spicy foods like we are at my house, you may have enough of this in your diet, but if not, consider this tiny pill. It helps increase blood flow, reduces inflammation about to 50%, and speeds up healing. You can take cayenne regularly or only post tough workouts; the effectiveness remains the same.

Happy Sweating,
Dominique

Post Workout Snacks

Do you eat right after your workout? Did you know that you should! Consuming calories within 30 minutes of working out is a MUST to help build muscle and aide recovery. It is essential to refuel with carbs or protein, in addition to electrolytes. Of course, you must consider which post workout snacks are the best. Here are a few suggestions:

• Coconut water and a bagel or low sugar granola bar
• Beef jerky and Gatorade (although beware the amount of sugar; you don't need to chug a gallon of it)
• Almond butter and apple slices
• Bananas (however, coconut water has more potassium in it than bananas, if you're prone to muscle cramps)
• PB&J sandwich
• 1 glass of chocolate milk (it has the carbs, protein, and fats your body needs to repair and build muscle)
• Pineapple or papaya (which have anti-inflammatory enzymes to help speed up recovery)
• Almonds
• Protein bars are also acceptable, but make sure to read the ingredients and carb/protein content (my favorites include... Luna bars, clif bars, Larabars, and Clif Protein Builder bars) 
• Fruit smoothie made with almond milk, honey, and fresh fruit

Hopefully, on this list you'll find something that works for you. However, do not limit yourself to this list. If you workout early in the morning, then eggs or oatmeal would be an adequate post workout meal. If you do not like almond butter, try cashew butter, or stick with peanut butter. Remember this rule: you want either a protein or a carb (both if you are doing high intensity workouts or two workouts in one day), and you want something that is low in sugar and low in fat.... so high protein - low fat, or high carb - low sugar is good way to think about it. 

Happy Sweating,
Dominique

Balanced Breakfast Suggestions

 

My friend Fletcher, personal trainer to a variety of athletes, sent me this the other day:

A low calorie breakfast should supply you with protein, healthy carbohydrates, fiber and good nutrition. If you are trying to lose weight, you will want to keep your calorie count low while maintaining high nutritional value. Here are some suggestions for healthy breakfast foods:

• ·         One serving of whole grain cereal like Cheerios or Wheaties with one-half cup non-fat milk, one teaspoon sugar, one hard-boiled egg with a glass of water. Approximately 270 calorie
• ·         One slice of whole grain toast with two tablespoons peanut butter with a 10-ounce glass of non-fat milk. Approximately 375 calories
• ·         Omelet made with two eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions, peppers and one ounce of shredded cheese with an apple and a glass of water. Approximately 410 calories

Be sure to measure your serving sizes. You can also substitute soy milk, almond milk or rice milk for the cows' milk. Almond and cashew butters are delicious alternatives to peanut butter. If you like something sweet, add fresh berries to your cereal, or sugar free fruit-only spreads to your toast.

I always like to remind people that food is fuel, so do not be afraid to eat three meals a day plus light snack; just be mindful of what you are putting into your body.

Happy Sweating,

Dominique