When I thought up this smoothie, I had one thing and one thing only on my mind. Recovery. I had done a 2hr brick session (ride then run) and weights and I was aiming to have fresh legs the next day. So I stood in my kitchen and pondered the best smoothie I could make to give my tired lil' body some love. This is what I came up with...
Super Dooper Blueberry Recovery Smoothie
Serves 1
300mls Almond milk
1 serve Raw protein powder
1heaped tsp Glutamine powder
1heaped tsp Maca powder
1/2c frozen Blueberries
1/3 Banana
1handful Spinach
Blend and serve.
The protein I used was a raw protein, meaning it is made from sprouted seeds and grains, making it alkaline, vegan and very easy to digest. I'm relatively confident that you could use your preferred protein for this. So why these ingredients...
Raw Protein - contains plant based enzymes which help with inflammation caused by exercise. It is also an alkaline way of getting protein to repair your muscles ie. it should help to decrease the amount of acid in my body after the lactic acid build up from the bike.
Spinach - Again, very alkalising and contains B vits which help to decrease buildup of some inflammatory markers
Blueberries - Super high in antioxidants which help to counteract the damage done on a cellular level. Keep in mind that you want this damage to occur, that's how we adapt and make changes in our bodies. The key is how well we repair this damage.
Banana - Good source of potassium lost through sweat and carbohydrates to replace what we have used for fuel.
Glutamine - This is an amino acid, which are the building blocks of protein. Glutamine, particularly, can aid in muscle recovery but also gut recovery. When we do long, intense sessions we can start to stress our guts and the glutamine comes in to act as food for the tiny little cells in our digestive systems that make everything absorb properly. A healthy gut goes a long way to healthy recovery.
Maca - This is a nutrient rich powder that contains over 60 phyto-chemicals (plant chemicals) that act in varying ways to restore health. One of its traditional uses is as an adaptogen, which simply put, means that it helps our hormone and immune systems in times of stress to regulate and adapt. Endurance exercise has a big impact on our hormones and immune system so the Maca can play a part in helping with this.
I'm glad to report...my smoothie worked. Next day the legs were fresh as a daisy. So I tried it that day as well...and same effect on the following day. So that, to me, appears to have been scientifically proven by science. Give it a try and see what you think!
Until next time...train hard and love life.
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