Recovery Smoothie

The Ultimate recovery drink has a perfect ratio of Carbohydrates to Proteins. It also contains key vitamins and minerals to help your body recovery and rebuild from hard efforts.

This recipe is great after long runs, hard bike rides or any other activity your out there doing. It only takes a few minutes and tastes awesome!


What you need:
1/2 banana
1 Cup dark berries (frozen cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or Strawberries) I like a comb of blueberries and cherries because I always have them stashed in my freezer, but whatever you have access to is great. 
6oz plain yogurt
3/4 cup Soy Milk
1 TBL almond Butter
2 TBL wheat Germ
1 TBL honey *optional


Blend together and enjoy! Makes 2 servings!



This recipe combines protein from the yogurt, soy milk and almond butter with carbohydrates in the fruit, healthy fats from the almond butter. It also has crucial vitamins and minerals like vitamin E and zinc from the wheat germ, and pro-biotic in the yogurt to keep your immune system kicking.

GRIZZLY TRIATHLON! 4/20/13

Half way through a 20 week training program, on my way to my first half Ironman distance triathlon on June 23rd. This past weekend was the Grizzly triathlon in Missoula MT, and a great tune up race to see where my fitness level is.

Its great to be able to get outside and have a real race experience this time of year in Montana. The weather can always be iffy in April. The day started out around 40 degrees and rainy, but slowly warmed up. By the time I was cruising down the highway on my bike in nothing but a bathing suit and helmet, the sun was shining. The wind was gusty on the bike course, which made for a tough bike back into the wind, but the sun stayed out for the remainder of the day.

The race has a pool swim, rare for major triathlons, and I hoped in at 1:10pm. I swam a 16:06 1000M swim. exactly what I predicted and hoped to do. I jumped out of the pool second in my lane and on to my bike and took off for the 12 mile canyon ride. I had the wind at my back going out which helped my keep my speed up. After the halfway mark and turnaround the wind picked up and it was a battle all the way back. I handed my bike off, slipped on my running shoes and off I went for the final segment, a 5K run. I started strong, but felt that my legs were lead weights. I pressed on for the finish for a final time of 1:22:12, good enough for a second place age group award.


Training and races takes up a lot of time and so it need to be fun. I was having fun. There were moments, the last lap in the pool, when I was having type 2 fun (fun after the fact), but the race itself as a whole was fun. The crowd, the atmosphere, the local support and the positive attitudes of other races made for a great day all around.

Snack Time

#1- Cucumbers: I just love this green Veggie! sliced thin, topped with salt, garlic and pepper, its a quick snack that satisfies crunch, salt, and is mostly water so your not undoing your workout or diet for the day.

.

Most days I don't eat just three meals a day. I usually have a small snack every few hours between meals to stay energized.

In order to stay away from the ice cream in the freezer I have a few go to quick snack ideas to will get you through the day

#2- Fruit plate: Cut up 4-5 strawberries, 1/2 apple, and 1/2 an orange. full of color, vitamins and minerals there is nothing better than fresh fruit. 

 

#3- PB&J: Half a PB&J on whole wheat bread is more than a snack and less than a meal. I  eat one 45 min before a workout or  30 min after. I'm big on flavors and textures and this tasty treat satisfies your sweet tooth, your salty and your crunchy sensations (if you use chunky PB)

#4- Greek Yogurt: Not just a breakfast food. Yogurts are great for days on the go. Greek yogurt is packed with protein, just watch out for the one's with lots of added sugar. 

#5- The good 'Ol Cheese and crackers: I'm not big on most cheese, but when I really want something salty (do you see a theme here) I will dig out the sea salt and cracked pepper Triscuits crackers and dig into some cream cheese. I could eat the whole box like this, so I'm careful to pour out just a few crackers into a bowl and eat away. 

#6-  Water: Many times when I think I'm hungry all I really need is some quality H2O. I'll pound down a 1/2 liter and instantly feel better. Add a hint of lemon for flavor without the artificial stuff.

These are just of a few of my favorite. I try new combinations and ideas all the. To stay current with what looks good to me follow me on Pintrest as well: http://pinterest.com/culvie26/

 

Balancing Act

Between a full time job, part time school, a relationship, 8-10 hours a week of training, a dog and trying to manage a social life, my days are packed.

How do I fit it all in you might ask. Well work is self explanatory, I have to work to pay bills, no questions asked. In order to have quality time with Josh, give trapper enough play time and get my training in I sometimes combine two components of my life. I will take trapper on my run's or trail rides, a win win for both of us. Josh and I also find quality time by training together. We will go to the gym and pool together, do separate workouts but be together, and then after we have time to enjoy a recovery meal together, usually before I rush off to work for the evening.

The couple that plays together stays together

Every athlete, working mom,  stay at home dad and anyone else with any sort of goals knows, there has to be sacrifices in order to be successful and accomplish those goals. But I feel pretty fortunate to be able to combine my personal, professional and relationship commitment into one successful well balanced lifestyle.

Most Important meal of the day

The Most important meal of the day for me is breakfast. Starting your day off well helps fuel your mind and body for everything you will encounter.

This morning I was a bit rushed (I slept in) and so to get going I threw together onions, broccoli, green pepper and spinach, sauteed for a few minutes, topped my veggies with 2 over easy eggs, and a 1/2 a bagel with cream cheese.

In under 10 minutes I have a filling healthy breakfast. Bam!

Finish it off with 16oz of water with some lemon and off to the Pool I go.