tips and tricks

Tonight’s guest post comes from Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn. We are doing a post swap today, so make sure you go check my post out on her site!

Hi Clean Eating Chelsey readers! My name is Katelyn and I blog over at Chef Katelyn.

I am so happy to be guest posting for Chels today! She is one of my favorite bloggy biffs and I <3 her. And clearly you do too, otherwise you wouldn’t be here
I have a crazy dog, I love to run, and I love to eat. Now that we’ve got the basics covered, we’re ready to be best friends.
Next weekend I will be running my first Half Marathon (Flower City, represent!) and I will be attending Syracuse University next year. Any Orangemen out there?!

Since my half-marathon training is coming to an end (well not really because I’m running another one at the end of May…and July!), I thought I would give you guys my favorite tips for getting your sweat on and fueling for it. Because who doesn’t like another reason to eat everything in sight?! To a healthy extent of course. No one said those Girl Scout cookies would be negative calories.
I have a crazy intense head-over-heels love affair with endorphins, aka sweating it out, and I want nothing more than to share that love with all of you. And my love for carbs.

We will begin with my exercise, running, and racing tips, and then we will get to the best part – the food. I know I am such a tease.

Tips for Exercise, Running, and Racing

First off, when you exercise you gotta be happy. No one likes a poopy face when they see you at the gym. Put a smile on! Plus, if you’re not happy when you’re working out, you’re probably doing it for the wrong reasons. If you don’t like your exercise today, you most likely won’t come back tomorrow. Work out because you love to sweat/getting an overload of endorphins:)

Truly believe that the sun shines out of your ass. Whether you are big, small, short or tall, if you truly believe this, then so will the rest of the world. Dress and act and believe you are hot stuff, and trust me, you will be.

Dress the part. Don’t go to the gym in your pj’s. Or your ratty old sweats. Yes it is tempting sometimes, but make the effort in your getup and you will see it in your performance!

Make exercise your “me” time. Make an awesome playlist. TeVo your favorite show. Pick a sunny day and go to the park. Whatever you gotta do, make that time yours to love yourself and have a mental conversation (aka daily therapy session) that will help you to be happier. Exercise creates endorphins, so make some of your own too by making it a happier experience!

Exercise near a public restroom or the woods. I am not going to divulge exactly how many times I have stopped to “use the woods”, but it is super helpful if you suddenly really have to go in the middle of your 12-miler. Or, run near your place of work and stop in if you need to. This one has helped me many a time when I’ve had too much water pre-workout!

Make a plan. Whether you are training for a race or just getting started, make a training plan. It will help you to stay on track and get more excited for your workouts you have planned. What works best for me is running every other day and cross-training on the opposite days. Hal Higdon has some great training plans if you are just starting out and need some guidance!

Take rest days. All athletes, whether rookies or veterans, need to take rest days. Most of us need a little nudge to remember that. Sometimes I just get too caught up in my love affair with endorphins that I forget my little leggies might need a break. Take a day each week to spend some quality time with Hulu, your mans, and your favorite jar of peanut butter. You can thank me later.

Don’t be afraid to pump some iron. So many women are afraid that weight training will make them look like froggy balloon animals, but prepare to see that myth shattered. Weight training makes you toned, faster, and most of all, HOT. Pump some iron and see that fat melt away and your speediness getting even speedier. I roll with 2-3 times a week.

Now onto the best part – the food!

Fueling for Exercise

Eat primarily whole, plant-based foods. This means fruit, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Having a healthy basis of food will mean a hot bod and great performance to boot. Plus the shiny hair and awesome skin isn’t too shabby either.

Eat a balanced meal 2-3 hours before your workout. Get some good carbs, protein, and fat, and you’re good to go!

If you’re mad hungs before your workout, eat carbs. Within half an hour of your workout, carbs are best. Take this opportunity to love every fruit on the planet and imagine the amazing energy it will give those little leggies of yours. Embrace the carbs.

During your workout, drink water every 20 minutes. This is crucial so that your muscles don’t cramp up! Aka, drinking water will speed you up, not slow you down.

Oh, and eat carbs too. If you’re working out for more than 60 minutes, begin to fuel with straight carbs every 15 minutes after you hit 60. This will ensure that your glycogen stores stay up so that you can be super speedy!

After your workout, drink a recovery smoothie. My classic recipe comes from The Thrive Diet and has never failed me. It gives my muscles the perfect 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein, with a bit of fat because fat makes you happy.

Recovery Smoothie
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 banana
1/4 cup dried dates (I use medjool)
1 tsp. dulse flakes
1 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)
1 tsp. EFA oil (or other oil of choice)
1 (heaping) tbsp. protein powder (I roll with Vega Vanilla Sport)
2 cups water
Directions:
Bend, baby, blend! Enjoy in a bowl, with a spoon. Only way to go.

1-2 hours after le Smoothie, have a high-protein meal. I usually roll with a Cookie Dough Bowl, my favoritest most delicious concoction of all time. It is a CK classic, not a week goes by where you won’t see one of these babies.

Cookie Dough Bowl
Ingredients:
1 serving quinoa (1/2 cup cooked)
1 scoop Vega Sport Vanilla protein powder  (or protein powder of choice)
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 tbsp. ground flax seeds
1 tsp. Navitas Naturals raw maca powder
1 tsp. Navitas Naturals acai powder
1 tbsp. roasted carob powder
Water, adding more as necessary to liquify just slightly (you still want it to be relatively thick)
Topped with: homemade raw almond butter, cacao nibs, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients in your bowl.
Add liquid slowly, stopping just as the liquid is no longer absorbed into the dry ingredients. You still want the texture to be thick, but have some unabsorbed liquid that will allow the mixture to expand and thicken over night.
Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for 1-2 hours, I checked on mine after a little over one hour and it was already all thickened)
Top to your liking and devour!

Now get some sleep. Seriously, sleep is so so important when you are exercising. Or anytime at all, actually. Get at least 8 hours and you’re a happy camper!
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I hope you enjoyed my tips! Thanks for having me today Chels, and I hope to see you all over at Chef Katelyn! It’s Indulgence Friday today over at the bloggy, so indulge big for me tonight:)

Question: What is your favorite way to fuel/refuel for exercise?

Tagged as: exercise, exercise tips, fueling for exercise, refueling