protein

Can’t stop won’t stop over here. I literally have been non-stop the past couple of days. Friday, I headed back home to Chicago to attend my cousin’s wedding, which was amazing. Pre-wedding, I decided to test my speed a little and do a fartlek run on the treadmill. 4 miles of random speeds later and I felt good. Like really good. I feel like I’m making strides (literally) and it’s a good feeling.

Sunday was a rest day because, let’s be honest, you couldn’t pay me to workout after that wedding. But, thanks to the rise of the Pokemon Go app, I easily hit my 10,000 steps haha. My boyfriend and I went on multiple aimless walks. Gotta catch em all, obviously.

Today was a 5k. I still am taking little breaks every now and then to reassess and check my ankle, but I’m getting there. To be completely frank, it doesn’t always feel awesome. There are times when I get a little nervous, but I know I’m ready and I’ve got to keep pushing to get there. I have to say though my new supplement routine seems to helping with my progress.

I’m still on the hunt for the perfect protein powder. After talking about supplements and all those fun extras a couple of posts back, I’ve been working to try and incorporate them into my meals a little more regularly. I received a container of Amazing Grass Protein Superfood through my association with FitApproach. All opinions are my own.

Amazing Grass Protein is a blend of pea, hemp, chia, and quinoa, delivering 20g of protein per serving. But that’s not all. In each serving, you get 7 alkalizing organic greens and two-full servings of wholesome fruits and vegetables. No shame in getting a little extra goodness along with my protein. Definitely not complaining.

When I first opened the canister, I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t ready for the smell. It’s unlike regular protein powders. The initial shock of the smell didn’t dissuade me though and I decided to use it in some shakes and try baking with it. It’s a super convenient way to get the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, that’s for sure.

So, I used some in a shake and I was shocked. I expected it to be an overwhelming flavor that I wasn’t going to enjoy, but this was not the case at ALL. I think the best part about the Amazing Grass Protein Superfood powder is that it’s more than just protein powder and that makes me want to use it as much as I can. I started putting a little bit in my morning oatmeal, sprinkling it into some of my baked goods, and putting it in shakes. I even gave it to my uber picky boyfriend and he loved it. Seriously, I’m not just saying that. It gave the shakes a green tea taste almost like matcha. If you like matcha, you will honestly love this stuff. It blends really well too because the powder is super fine. Amazing Grass knows what’s up.

Best part. Macros. It’s super hard to find a low carb, vegan protein powder but each serving of this stuff only has 4g of carbs. Yep. 4. Kthanksbye. 20g of protein too.

Overall, really glad I gave this stuff a try and will be incorporating it into my rotation for sure. It’s some of the most refreshing protein powder I’ve tried and tastes great in a simple shake of just bananas and almond milk. Count me in.

-sj

A new month has started and I’m ready to kick it in to high gear. August was particularly stressful with a lot of long nights of work and moving and too many other things that I couldn’t be more thankful for the arrival of September. August was not a good month for me in terms of healthy eating, so I really want to kick it in to high gear come September. I need to get back to tracking my macros and really eating to fuel my workouts, so here is my pledge to do so. Healthy eating can be easy if you really take the time to sit down and plan it out before hand. Being a person who loves organization and lists, I am all for this. Unfortunately, it’s always sticking to that plan that causes me to occasionally falter. This month, I’m going to try and be a little more diligent about what is going into my body in an effort to produce maximum results in my workouts. I have been letting my speed on my runs dip a bit and I would like to push it back into sub-7 pace. That being said, this week was a good one in terms of workouts:

Sunday-BBG Week 17 legs & 30 min cardio

Monday- 4 mile run, 10 min HIIT, 20 min cardio

Tuesday-BBG Week 17 arms & 30 min cardio

Wednesday- 4 mile run, 10 min HIIT, 20 min cardio

Thursday-1.5 mile run, BBG Week 17 abs, 20 min cardio

Friday-2 mile run, 1000 rep challenge, 15 min cardio

I took a couple of my workouts outside this week and I am loving the feeling of breathing in the cool, crisp air while sweating it out outdoors. It’s very refreshing and revitalizes my workouts which I can’t complain about at all. It is easy to get sucked into a rut of doing the same thing every day and that can eventually be very demotivating. Shaking it off and getting outside to do something different has made me excited for my workouts again.

Here’s a quick body weight HIIT (high-intensity interval training) circuit you can take outside to really feel some burn. Complete each exercise for 30 sec. and then rest for 30 sec. before moving on to the next one, repeat 3 times for a total of 15 minutes of HIIT. All you need is these short 15 minutes and you will get an extra burn all day long:

Jumping Jacks
Jump Squats
Walking lunges
Broad Jumps
High Knees

Have a lovely long weekend, fit fam.

-sj

Love & Lunge

running here, there, and everywhere and an Amazing Grass Protein Review

let’s get down to business.