Do you guys remember yesterday when I finished up my workout and said I’d probably be feeling it today? Boy, was I right on the mark. YOWZAS! :shock: I started feeling it in the middle of the night when I had to try to move from one side to the other, but when I actually got out of bed — holy moly! My sides, back, glutes, chest, calves — they’re all having a great time reminding me that they’re still here. Don’t get me wrong…I love a little muscle discomfort when I know I worked hard for it. :-D
Unfortunately, along with all the good muscle soreness, comes some not-so-fun pain in my hips again. I didn’t want to aggravate them any further by running, so I decided on a pleasant power walk this morning. Seeing Tina’s post yesterday reminded me that power walking really does have great benefits, and why bother pushing myself further and risking injury? I walked a brisk 33 minutes @ 4.5mph (about a 13:25 mile, I think?) and it felt great to loosen everything else up a bit. I may try to incorporate a little yoga later…we’ll see. ;)
Breakfast
This morning’s meal was pretty darn amazing. Yes, we were a match made in heaven. I started off with a packet of this:
And I ended up with this:
A delicious Mocha Protein Smoothie! I paid close enough attention to what I was adding to give you the recipe – it’s totally top notch!
Mocha Protein Smoothie
1 packet Starbucks VIA Ready Brew
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 scoop Chocolate Whey protein powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 packet PureVia sweetener
3 large ice cubes
Blend coffee packet with almond milk. Add in frozen banana, protein powder, vanilla, & sweetener and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes 1 at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Enjoy while feeling like you’re on Cloud 9.
I was quite pleased with the consistency I was able to achieve with today’s smoothie. I can only imagine what it would have been like if I had bought that xanthan gum I was eyeballing at the store yesterday?? I think I’m going to cave and pick some of that up this week. Hey, it’s a sound investment, right?
My belly is pleasantly satisfied right now, and I’m hoping the extra protein will stick with me for most of the morning. We’ll see!
It’s going to be another hot one today – and I’m going to be spending some of it poolside. 8-)
Question for the Morning:
Have you ever been guilty of pushing yourself through a workout, even when you know you should take it easy?
Heather (Where's the Beach) says
Oh that mocha smoothie sounds fantastic. Yum. I am definitely guilty of pushing through a workout when I shouldn’t. There are times when I think it’s OK and it can be a good thing. But there are those other times when it’s really not smart.
jeanine mitchell says
Yes!!! In the fall I was determined to jog my three miles outside everyday regardless of how I was feeling. One day, my ankle started to hurt a little but i kept running and ended up with tendinitis for about a month. Now i listen to my body and give it rest when it needs it. Your morning beverage looked yummy by the way!!!
Shanna, like Banana says
Ooo Via in a smoothie..good call. Via by itself isn’t so great IMO.
And I’m a big fan of power walking — really lengthens the legs!
I push myself through Bikram much harder than I should sometimes, which leads to migraines. You’d think I’d know better, but sometimes determination beats sensibility.
Courtney @ Three Months says
Oh goodness. That protein smoothie looks so good!! What a great idea adding the via brew to it! Yes, I have pushed myself through a workout. If my body is really sore, it sometimes feels good to get it loosened up…like you did on the treadmill!
Rhea says
“Have you ever been guilty of pushing yourself through a workout, even when you know you should take it easy?” Yes, story of my life! After living a relatively unhealthy sedentary life for my first 23 years, I took the plunge into fitness and had a bad habit of overdoing it. I still do, sometimes, especially when I’m feeling guilty after a week of skipping the gym. It is a constant goal of mine to truly listen to my body.
And that smoothie looks A-MAZIN’!
Amy @ Second City Randomness says
I’ve used the starbucks instant to make mocha oats before… it was a little overwhelming for oats, but the smoothie looks like it worked out well!
I’ve often pushed myself when I know I shouldn’t. That’s probably why I ended up with an injury that lasted through a good part of last winter. I like to think I’ve learned from that experience.
Fervent Foodie says
That smoothie looks DELICIOUS.
Autumn @ Good Eats Girl says
My muscles are SCREAMING at me today. I see a power walk in my future to try to loosen them up. Ugh!
Your smoothie looks GREAT!
lisaou11 says
yum!
I dont like coffee, but sometimes mocha flavored things get me! maybe i should try this!
Megan says
Your smoothie sounds amazing! I have some via packets so I should try this. And I have been soo sore today as well! I went for a quick jog and it loosened up my muscles a bit. Yoga sounds good too!
RoxyC says
Yes, I have pushed myself through a workout when I knew I should not have…..
what is this? 1 packet PureVia sweetener and where do you get it?
Courtney says
Hi Roxy! I actually posted about PureVia a few weeks back which you can see here: http://sweettoothsweetlife.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/thank-you/
I buy at either at Price Chopper or Hannaford, so it’s pretty easy to find.
Kelly says
That smoothie looks awesome! I am dying to try that instant Starbucks instant coffee…it looks so good!!!
amy says
Well for starters now I’m craving that smoothie but yes I have pushed myself through a workout when my bodys saying no!!! I’ve done it quite too often.
Kelly Olexa says
Holy Cow that looks awesome. I’m so gonna mark this down and make it. I’ve actually heard some good things about the Via, although I haven’t tried it. ;-)
Pushing myself too hard, yes….although I do tend to give in when I know I might injure myself. I fear the idea of real injury……yuk.
Megan says
This looks wonderful! I was wondering if there was something I could substitute in place of the protein. I’m really trying to drop some pounds and am trying to keep on a low calorie diet and am a little nervous to buy something like that. I usually make smoothies with a light yogurt and pack it with fruits and on occasion a handful of spinach…suggestions? I hope to try this out tomorrow!
Courtney says
Well, you still want to make sure that you’re getting some form of protein…that’s an important part! And it honestly doesn’t add all that many calories. If you’re worried, maybe try adding 1/2 a scoop? If no protein powder, try adding a tbsp of cocoa powder, but make sure you still get some protein. Maybe a hard boiled egg on the side?
Jenn says
Saw this shake on pintrest and I made it this morning and it is AMAZING! Great job!
Paula S says
Oh this is a doozy!
I dropped the vanilla extract and used my vega vanilla protein powder instead of chocolate and it still ended up delicious and creamy!!!