Fit Friday - Let the Mornings Begin!

Welcome to our first official Fit Friday... did you see last weeks exciting announcement about Fit Friday with healthy recipes from me and awesome workout tips from my favorite trainer and friend Nichole from Pure Clean Fitness! The best of both of our talents brought together for you every week! Awesome :) Nichole is inspiring us with a healthy life style....

I am big believer in morning workouts. Mondays and Wednesdays I work early in the morning and don’t get to start my day with a workout, not my favorite days. On the other days I have the opportunity to start the day with my heart pumping. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t easy and there are plenty of mornings I would much rather curl up for an extra hour. When those mornings hit I remind myself that I will be frustrated and moody the rest of the day. Generally I wake up pretty fast once my feet hit the floor. By the time I am dressed and downstairs I rarely regret that decision to listen to my alarm clock.

For those that have a hard time converting to that belief here are a few reasons why and tips to get it done.

First the WHYs:

1. It gets your metabolism jump started for the day.
2. Exercise is considered a cornerstone habit that other habits are built upon, in this case I am talking nutrition. Starting your day with exercise makes it easier to make good nutrition choices.
3. Scheduling conflicts rarely come up. Not many kids have to be to soccer practice, piano lessons, school, etc before the sun is even up.
4. You will start the day in a better mood. Exercise releases endorphins, which make us happy.
5. It makes you smarter. Exercise allows for better brain synapses later, which help you learn and remember better. There is an amazing book out there called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. If you want to learn more on this or have a great reason for early morning workouts ready this book!

Now the HOWs:

1. Set out your clothes ahead of time
2. Preplan your pre-workout meal. Be sure to coordinate this with what you are doing. A 20 mile training run will not go well on half a banana and a glass of juice, but for a short training run that may be all you need.
3. Go to bed earlier. Staying up all night to watch the latest craze on Netflix will not help you get up with that early buzzer.
4. Warm up a little longer. I watch so many people wander into the gym at 5am, eyes barely open, sit down on a random machine and just start going. That is not the way to do it! Warm up! A few minutes of walking or jogging, some dynamic stretching, easy weights, then get into the bulk of your routine.
5. Lastly; get a partner! If someone else is waiting for you to workout you will have an extra incentive to get out of bed.

 

You have the whys and the hows….now go do it!

  Ruthie's healthy recipe... I love a good smoothie! They're super quick and easy to whip up the mornings or for an awesome snack anytime of day! I like to mix them up with whatever I happen to have around the kitchen at the time- usually consists of some seasonal fruit and my favorite way to make them more filling is with dry whole grain oats or adding in some protein powder. I love this Apple Cinnamon Smoothie it's so fun for fall when the fresh from the tree apples are available everywhere you turn! This recipe uses fat free vanilla greek yogurt for a boost in protein. Check out all of my Smoothie creations and don't be afraid to mix and match to make your own too!

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

Recipe Type: Beverage

Author: Ruthie

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla fat free greek yogurt
• 2 yellow delicious apples, cored with skin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

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  Hit the road for an early morning workout inspired by Nichole and then bust out that blender for an Apple Cinnamon Smoothie as a delicious workout recovery beverage!   Happy Friday! Much Love and Peace~ Nichole and Ruthie Show original message