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1. Add green veggies to your smoothie/protein shake.
If you have yet to give this a try, do not hesitate any longer! Mixing green veggies into your smoothie is a great way to sneak them into your diet early on in the day. Not only does it provide numerous health benefits, but it also still keeps your smoothie tasting delicious!
Below, you will find one of our favorite green smoothie recipes. Make sure to give it a try:
GREEN NUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE
Blend the following:
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (coconut milk/coconut water/water work as well)
- Large Handful of organic spinach, preferably frozen
- Small handful of organic kale, optional; preferably frozen
- 1/2 – 1 organic zucchini
- 1 small banana, preferably frozen
- 1 tbsp. organic peanut butter/almond butter/cashew butter
- 1 scoop protein powder, optional
- Ice
Enjoy!
2. Mix them in your eggs.
Add green veggies to your skillet with sunny-side-up eggs, scrambled eggs and omelets. You can even add them to your egg muffins! These are all great ways to enjoy your traditional egg breakfast, along with the extra health benefits that come along with eating green veggies!
On that note, have ann eggcellent day and eat your green veggies!
Happy Hump Day, everyone!
Caroline Kolowich
“How do you train in Atlanta for a high-altitude race? I tried an elevation mask.”
September 8, 2017
Christine Van Dusen
Click the photo below to visit atlantamagazine.com for more about Christy’s experience training in an elevation mask in preparation for the Spartan race in Colorado:
Photograph by Christine Van Dusen
We are so proud of your hard work and dedication, Christy!
The Studio Team
Check out Brad’s interview with Megan Kober, known for “The Nutrition Addiction,” by clicking the photo below:
For more on Fitter Faster: The Smart Way to Get in Shape in Just Minutes a Day, check out FitterFasterPlan.com!
Enjoy!
Make sure to check out this amazing article below, The Sneakiest Strength Exercises to Do at Your Desk, by Elizabeth Millard, adapted from MyFitnessPal.
The Sneakiest Strength Exercises to Do at Your Desk
By Elizabeth Millard
Picture adapted from MyFitnessPal
In many workplaces, being sedentary is the default. Even with standing desks, parking at the other end of the lot, walking to meetings and trying to walk at lunch, most people still spend the majority of their workdays sitting.
Fortunately, there’s a way to sneak muscle-building exercises into your 9–5 — even if your day is packed with meetings. The trick is using isometrics — moves that use contraction and relaxation to engage muscles.
HOW ISOMETRIC EXERCISES WORK
On a basic level, muscles contract in three main ways. Concentric contraction happens when a muscle tenses as you’re shortening it. Eccentric contraction occurs when that muscle tension is prompted through lengthening — such as resistance or lowering a weight.
For example, with a bicep curl, you’d have concentric action as you bring the weight toward you, and eccentric contraction as you lower the weight.
With isometric contraction, muscles tighten without changing length, and there is no movement in a joint, according to Australian-based strength and conditioning coach Andrew Read. He notes that examples include pushing against an immoveable object like a wall or holding plank pose — you’re in one position without movement, but still doing plenty of work.
Sometimes called “static strength training,” isometric exercises can be so effective they bring muscles to fatigue quickly, Read says. The effects last long after they’re done. “Isometrics work, just use them like any other high-intensity method,” Read says. “A little goes a long way.”
TARGETED MOVES
Try peppering these isometric exercises into your workday. Although they seem like modest moves, they can help to keep your muscles working:
HAND PRESS
Clasp your hands or press your palms together in front of your chest, elbows bent, exerting equal pressure in both arms. Hold each press for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat 5–6 times. This will work your biceps, chest and triceps — perhaps while you’re reading emails
AB HOLD
Sit up straight in your chair, with shoulders relaxed. Breathe deeply and engage your abs as if you’re bracing for a punch. Hold for 5 seconds, then breathe out while “crunching” your abs upward as if you’re doing a sit-up. Exhale completely, take a few breaths, then repeat. This can be an especially good exercise during boring meetings, since the action is subtle and no one will know you’re doing a major ab workout while you’re taking notes.
GLUTE SQUEEZE
Strong glutes help to protect your back, especially when you’re chair-bound for most of the day. A simple isometric exercise is to squeeze your glutes and hold the contraction for 10 seconds, then release.
WALL PRESS
To get some movement in your shoulders and engage your core, stand about 3 feet from a wall and place your palms against it at shoulder height and width apart. Press firmly against the wall for 10 seconds, then release. You can also make this into a push-up by lowering your torso toward the wall and pressing back up.
PUTTING ISOMETRICS TO WORK
Keep in mind that the main benefit you’ll see is stabilization of the muscles, according to Edward Laskowski, MD, of the Mayo Clinic. “Since isometric exercises are done in a static position, they won’t help improve speed or athletic performance,” he says. “Isometric exercises don’t effectively build strength but can help maintain muscle strength.”
He adds that isometrics are often used in physical therapy to rehab injured muscles, so if you’re trying to bounce back after injury or other issues, putting some isometric exercises into your everyday schedule can be useful.
There’s also another advantage, especially for work: Isometric exercises can help lower blood pressure, Laskowski notes. That means you might de-stress and sneak in some workout moves at the same time.
Read’s recommendation is to incorporate a few exercises per day, and do them at about 30% of your max effort. From there, you can start to build more into your workdays and increase intensity over time.
Adapted from http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/sneakiest-strength-exercises-desk/
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