Mom to Supermom (Week 2)

At the end of week 1, my trainer Matt Clarke, suggested I start to keep a food log. Having food allergies, this is nothing new to me. He did suggest I pay extra attention to the times that I am eating. Well, what I discovered is that my eating patterns are currently horrible. I didn’t eat breakfast until 11am one day. That’s unacceptable! As a sports nutritionist I know better. As a mom, I know things happen, and time gets away from you. So, aside from focusing on getting out of bed to get to the gym this week, I made meal prep a priority, fueling and refueling, and BREAKFAST!!!!

Let’s talk about breakfast. It’s never a good idea to skip breakfast. If you skip it, you are telling your body to conserve energy rather than burn it. You want to eat to get your metabolism fired up and ready to burn calories aka energy, for the rest of the day. Even though you might be taking in fewer calories in a day, you could potentially have a higher body mass index, according to studies at Rush University Medical Center. If you skip breakfast, try not to next week. Do a little meal prep. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Avoid picking up fast food on your way to work. Put whole foods into your body and see how good you can feel, how less likely you are to reach for sugary snacks later in the day, and how much clearer your thoughts might be. Try one of my favorite breakfasts!

I have three go-to breakfast meals. My favorite is scrambled eggs with bacon and green veggies. If I need extra fuel for the morning I might put it on whole grain gluten free toast with a slice of dairy free cheese.

My second is my green drink paired with two hard boiled eggs. My green drink is spinach, banana, apple, pear, celery, lemon, avocado, spirulina and a few sprigs of cilantro. I make one batch for about three days worth of green drinks. So you truly can grab and go. I also have a dozen hard boiled eggs on hand, depending on how the chickens are laying, so they are grab-n-go as well. Check out 7 Reasons To Drink Your Greens.

My third and final go-to breakfast is a strawberry protein shake. I use one scoop of vanilla vegan protein powder, half an avocado and a handful of strawberries. It’s a great combination of protein, carbs, amino acids and PH balanced. Perfect for fueling or refueling post workout. All of my favorite sports nutrition convenience products are featured on the Things I Love page.

This weekend I took and hour to prepare some roasted veggies, crock-pot chicken, green drinks and baby food for the next 3 days or so. I throw the veggies in the oven, chicken cooks itself, and it takes me 5 minutes (max) to make green drinks and baby food. Don’t like leftovers? You don’t even have to cook anything. Make sure you have fresh, whole ingredients on hand, wash and cut fruits and veggies, put it all in the fridge. Make it more convenient to throw REAL food in the oven, than order a pizza. It’s really a very simple concept. I of all people know how hard it can be to keep up with everyone and all the “things” we do throughout the week and weekend, BUT I’m choosing to make our health a priority. It’s so much easier to get through the week if we are fueled properly, and running at peak performance.

Part of running at peak performance requires me to improve upon my physical strength. During my sessions at Rise Up Personal Training, I was pushed to my physical limits, and continued to face struggles with vertigo. I am pleasantly surprised that at week 2, I am noticing my limits are changing already. Weights are increasing, stability, balance, and endurance are improving. I’m starting to feel a bit more of that “super” attaching to the “mom” role. This “mom to supermom” transformation is going to continue to grow into an (even more) amazing journey.