Hemp-tastic and Refueling Post-Workout

Lately, it’s been such a struggle to get out of bed and exercise early in the morning. But, I just do it, and once I finish my workout, I am happy and proud of myself. What I really need to do is remind myself of this feeling when I am lying in bed debating to get up or not. However, the comfy-bed feeling is a tough competitor to the feel-good workout feeling! I know it’ll get easier once the warm weather hits.

My workout was great this morning– much better than expected! I got out of bed with little trouble, but my body was totally dragging, so my plan was to walk on the treadmill for 30-35 minutes. Once I got going, however, I ended up alternating walking and running for 45 minutes, which covered about 4 miles. Not too shabby for an initially uninspired workout!

Run stats:

Breakfast reminded me of dessert this morning!  It was basically the same oat combo that I ate yesterday morning, but today’s batch included hemp protein powder and vanilla hemp milk, which added lots of sweet creaminess. 



In the mix: 1/3 cup dry oats, 1/4 cup wheat berries, 1/2 cup vanilla hemp milk, 1 tbsp hemp protein powder, 1 sliced banana, 1/2 of a crumbled breakfast cookie (Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk - Vegan), and 2 scoops of Barney Butter. Bites that included Barney Butter, breakfast cookie, and sweet vanilla oats reminded me of a peanut butter brownie! YUM!

Minus veggies, I have the nutritional bases covered for lunch today: leftover pizza, Chobani + TJ’s high fiber cereal, cantaloup + kiwi, and a TJ’s Chocolate Chip Fruit & Nut Bar. I’m thinking that dinner will be a BIG salad!

Q: How soon after working out should I eat? What are good refueling foods?

A: In general, my thinking is if your workout is 30-45 minutes, your daily meals will likely provide enough nutrition to refuel your muscles. However, if your workout is longer than 45 minutes or you are just truly hungry, try to chose low-cal snacks that are around 100 calories or so, such as raw veggies, a piece of fruit, or half of a Larabar (or other bar). A big snack after a workout can easily contain as many calories as you just burned off. (See “Exercise is only part of the weight-loss equation” below for more info.) However, if you are training for a race or exercise more than 45 minutes, you may want to refuel with a bigger snack– one that is a mix of carbs and protein– within an hour of finishing your workout. Your body uses carbs to restore muscle glycogen, which gives you energy, and pairing carbs with protein may help speed up this process. Some good refueling snacks for longer workouts are half of an English muffin with nut butter, 1/2 cup of yogurt with berries, low-fat cheese and high-fiber crackers, or a small bowl of whole grain cereal with milk.

Exercise is only part of the weight-loss equation

A study found that overweight women who exercised three hours a week did not lose as much weight as they could have, presumably because they replaced the calories they burned. Study participants who exercised two hours a week dropped more weight than the ones who exercised more.

Study confirms: Don’t reward yourself for calories burned

No reason to limit breakfast options

Most Americans stick to either eggs or highly sweetened baked goods or cereals for breakfast. But expanding the options to include grains with savory additions such as pancetta, greens, scallions and tapenade can be liberating and healthful.For some, artificial sweeteners confuse the body

Your Morning Pizza

For some, artificial sweeteners confuse the body

Although many people indulge in foods with low-calorie artificial sweeteners — some approved by the Food and Drug Administration — to avoid packing on pounds, new studies show that “when those anticipated calories don’t materialize, the body might overcompensate and prod people to overeat,” one nutrition columnist writes.

Artificial Sweeteners: They’re Enough to Give Some People a Headache

Just a quick reminder: Stonyfield Photo Scavenger Hunt Giveaway