Everybody loves smoothies. They’re a convenient way of getting a five-a-day intake of nutritional goodness.
Smoothies are most popularly made with fruits. They trigger the fast digestion of carbs, which floods the body with energy, priming you for a workout. Moreover, because they work so well with a hectic schedule, very busy exercise fans indulge themselves with a smoothie on that basis too. There’s not a lot of prep required, and smoothies can still be as delicious as they are energizing.
That said, any person committed to their workout will know there are always ways to improve things. Here’s how to get the most out of your workout smoothie.
Pre and Post-Workout Options
Your smoothie intake can be a bookend for each workout session. They can fill you with energy before you begin and help your body ease and repair itself afterwards.
Do some research to see how you can tinker with the recipes for both circumstances too. They need to contain liquids to replenish your fluids from all the sweating and proteins to rebuild your muscles. Minerals, carbs, and vitamins in the smoothie rebuild your energy levels. The smoothies should help you enjoy a more sustainable, energized workout regimen.
Apple vanilla, peanut butter banana, and green monster smoothies can work well for both pre and post-workout smoothies if you’d rather not tinker with recipes overmuch, to begin with. Nevertheless, starting as you mean to go on with your regimen involves having a pre and post-workout smoothie. Look after yourself before, during, and after your efforts!
Add Supplements
Supplements can give you a much-needed boost in your workout regimen. They can also be added to your smoothie.
In answer to their question, ‘are BCAAs worth it?’, Ingredient Optimized mention that branched-chain amino acids are a critical supplement in sports nutrition, helping people reach their fitness goals. Reducing fatigue and building muscle, they also mention that BCAAs are easily added to smoothies, which will undoubtedly give them an extra kick. Use Ingredient Optimized resources to find out which BCAAs you need and how to choose between them. For example, they recommend a high-quality brand like the Ingredient Optimized ioBCAA, as it’s been independently tested and proven to be more bioavailable. Thus, you get more bang for your buck, so keep checking their resources for when ioBCAA partner products are available in-store and online.
Smoothies are nutritious enough on their own terms. However, by giving them an extra jolt of energy, your sporting potential can reach new heights. You can reach the next level comfortably, all thanks to your smoothie. Enjoy your smoothie, but also treat it as a valuable resource.
Use Surplus Ingredients
Food is more expensive and cannot be wasted. Moreover, some people scramble to put their smoothies together at the eleventh hour. Solutions almost come naturally here! For example, one person recommends adding bananas to a post-workout breakfast smoothie, with their initial writings about having a fruit surplus. If you find that some foods are favored in your household more than others, you can always chuck them into your workout smoothie.
Despite adding supplements, making a smoothie is no really precise art. Feel free to experiment on occasion and chuck in different foods, so long as they blend easily and are nutritious. You can get the most out of your workout smoothie by not wasting the groceries in your home. These efforts have extra benefits, too, such as helping the environment by minimizing waste.
Look up recipes online, too. You might be surprised that some of your unused food is recommended for featuring in a quality workout smoothie. Keep an open mind as you explore all your options.
Upgrade Your Equipment
The equipment you use matters when making a smoothie. It may be in your best interests to make a few choice upgrades. After all, some blenders are better for making smoothies than others, so do your research to find out which iteration is best for your needs. That way, you can ensure that you’re getting a smoother beverage to enjoy and one that doesn’t cause blended food to lose any nutritional value. The ideal blender will have between 3-10 settings on speed, giving you more control. Look for a pulse button too, and 500 watts regarding the power of the thing.
It’s not all about blenders, either. You may need other tools for a quality smoothie, especially if you create yours from all-natural ingredients rather than mixes. Stock up on knives, slicers, cutting boards, measuring cups, refrigerated prep tables, and juicers. It might seem like a lot, but it all gives you better conditions for your craft, which will ultimately help you make a better smoothie.
Remember, your equipment can mark the difference between you creating a lumpy soup-like texture or a soft, silky smoothie. These efforts require quite a bit of precision and expertise, so embrace that learning curve and go the extra mile if you can.