Good Friday morning everyone,
Our morning smoothies this week have been fruit based. We wanted to start our mornings with food that are easy to digest because we were doing our workouts in a few hours.
Pineapple, apple, blueberry smoothie...our new fav
Although today we had large green smoothie to get us going for the day
Green Smoothie
We have been doing a new workout for the week (except for yesterday we had no time to workout) which is WALKING! We have always loved walking but after reading the THRIVE book we wanted to re-train our bodies to use fat as energy. But before I get more into walking, here is an overview of what we have been eating. We really have been working hard making sure we are eating the proper foods before, during, and after our workouts.
For instance Wednesday we went for an 2.5 hour walk outside (yes in the middle of the afternoon with the full heat and all)
We made lemon sesame coconut oil bars from Thrive, although we did not bake it, instead we tried dehydrating, only to find out that didn’t work. No worries though we just had to eat with a spoon : ) It was not transportable, so half way through our walk we came back to finish the “goo” off, but we ended up blending it up with some coconut water, more dulse flakes…it was pretty good!!
What an energizer!
Both the coconut water and dulse flakes are natural electrolytes which is needed when working up a good sweat. Sesame provide calcium which is important to maintain smooth muscle contractions! The agave provides the fuel to keep going due to its high amounts of fructose.
Then we headed back out to finish our last hour of walking.
Our post workout meal for the week has been juice. Just like with starting our mornings with simple easy to digest food, the same concept here. Juice is quickly is absorbed into our blood stream providing us with nutrients without all the fiber, which would slow down the process of supplying our body with nutrients!
Dark green juice....darker the better!
Dark greens are the best thing you can eat…at any time! The are naturally full of everything you body needs to live, to function, to heal, and to thrive!
Now back to our workout: Walking
Some people do not see walking as great exercise but actually it is great for fat burning. This is the very reason we love walking besides the fact it is low impact and is great for people of all ages. The reason why walking is great for fat burning is because when exercise is done slowly to moderately majority of energy is taken from your fat stores. Though, the key is to be effective is long-term consistency not intensity! Most people do not realize is that walking produces a greater percentage of fat loss as opposed to jogging or running.
One of our older sisters was into body building when she was in college, and we remember she would always be walking or running a bike. She told us she does it for fat loss, which is important for body builders so they can show off their muscles, but it is a great exercise EVERYONE should do.
Many people trying to lose weight will often preform an exercise that they think burns the most calories and start to question why they see no results. It is not about burning calories, especially at the beginning of your training, but fat takes time to come off. Walking is the best way to get the results because it burns fat for energy to keep you going doing your workout. If you started your weight lost journey with running and other high intensity exercises, your body burns carbohydrates for energy not FAT! As always please check in with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
Here is what the twins recommend to get your started:
Start with a easy pace for about 10 minutes. (if you feel tight, please stretch your body before continuing)
Depending on your fitness levels, beginners should try to go for 15-20 minutes, and over time increase your time. If you exercise pretty regularly, try to go 30-45 minutes, and then for the more advance try to go for an hour. As the more fit you get then start to incorporate other exercise activities, such as jogging, running, yoga, spinning, etc. We feel variety is the best way to keep you body looking good without getting bored!
For us, this week we have tried to be consistent with our long walks and simple meals. We have been feeling good in terms of energy. We have started to notice small changes in our appearance based on how some clothes our fitting, but we know it takes time. It is important to stay mentally focused on your long term goal and to start picturing the “new you”.
Till next time, from our walking shoes to yours,
The Raw Twins
L&M
{ 2 trackbacks }