A Spirulina Experience

On Halloween my overly kind little sister bought me an expensive bottle of spirulina powder. As far as tricks and treats go, spirulina is not a treat. Not even close. But I asked for it, so I guess no one was tricking me but myself. As I mentioned in my smoothie post, I first heard about spirulina in an article from Men's Fitness. In addition to being a good source of protein, B vitamins and iron, WebMD says the algae is used to treat... well, just about everything.

Yeah. You read that right. Algae. Most sane people don't ingest algae unless they're drowning in a lake.

"If only Hamlet would take me to Whole Foods."

Burpee Blast

Tuesday night I did 60 burpees. If you know what a burpee is, you probably think I'm an idiot. If you don't know what a burpee is, you still probably think I'm not that bright, but for totally different reasons. Anyway, for the uninformed, here's a gif (pronounced gah-if, and not like the peanut butter) I found.

AKA, how to swim on cement

Three Reasons Why I'm Choosing Body Weight Fitness

While adjusting to a new job, with a new schedule and new sleep patterns (and actually being able to sleep again!), I haven't been getting all the exercise I want. Do I get up early and knock it out first thing? Do I follow recommended guidelines and work out in the early afternoon? Or do I make myself do it after I get home from work at 10 o'clock at night? There are pros and cons to all of those, and I confess that I'm still weighing them.

But enough with my excuses. I know what I want to do, and how I'm going to do it, even if I'm still figuring out when.

The deciding factor for me when choosing any sort of lifestyle change is, "Does this make sense to me?" With something as controversial as fitness, all I can do is look at the arguments and decide what seems most logical as I understand it. What makes sense to me might not make sense to you. And as long as we aren't doing ourselves great bodily harm, I think that's okay. I figure I'm more apt to stick with whatever I believe in most and enjoy. That might be different for you, and since we aren't arguing moral issues, I think there's room for personal preference.

I've chosen body weight fitness, and here are three reasons why.

1) Your Body Is Always with You

The Tao of Buckaroo Banzai

I don't want to have to go somewhere and pay to do something I can accomplish for free at home. Or in a motel. Or at a park. Going to the gym just sounds like an extra hassle, and thus a convenient excuse. But more than that, why rely on extra equipment when I don't need it? That's not to say that I won't occasionally use equipment, but I want to know how to use my body first and foremost.

Power Smoothie

Before we get started, keep in mind that I'm just a guy with a blog. I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist, physical trainer, or expert in anything other than classic television. As such, these statements have not been approved by the FDA, the APA, the MLA, or even the RCA. Consult a doctor before doing anything crazy, and if you do hurt yourself don't say that I didn't warn you.

Breakfast is my favorite meal. I used to make this killer breakfast sandwich with bacon fried eggs, bacon fried buttered bread and cheese, bacon fried bacon, and a side of bacon fried potatoes. It was awesome. Unfortunately, that doesn't really fit in with my health goals right now. Last summer I started concocting a breakfast smoothie that's a little more helpful and healthful.

Men's Fitness magazine recently posted on article on The Top 10 Smoothie Ingredients for Guys. I'm pleased to say that half of those were already part of my smoothie (plus a few other things), and since reading the article I've added more. Note, they never suggest putting everything in a single smoothie, but I don't think it tastes so bad.



Even though it's not on Men's Fitness's list, I put oatmeal in my smoothies. I use about half a cup of uncooked old fashioned oats. Grinding it up into a powder probably robs it some of its stick-to-your-ribness, but it's still good fiber and protein.

Next, I add milk. Yeah, I wish it was a milk substitute like almond or coconut milk, but moo milk is cheaper. Lately I've been using 2% because it's actually supposed to be better for your cholesterol than skim. My doctor tells me I have a genetic disposition toward high cholesterol, so I don't take as many chances anymore.

We're supposed to get something like two cups of fresh vegetables every day. I figure starting first thing makes getting that much more likely to happen. Believe it or not, getting vegetables at breakfast isn't that difficult. It is weird, though. Once I throw a handful of spinach into the blender, I try to forget it's there and just enjoy its Popeye powers.

I mean, who wouldn't want to look like this?

Once upon a time, I hurt a girl's feelings by declining a banana smoothie. I really liked her, but I disliked bananas more. Things never were the same between us. Now she's happily married, and I shed tears of regret as I choke down half a banana in my penance smoothie every morning. The other half I eat, because it'd be shameful not to. Mashed bananas also add a nice texture, and of course, a good amount of potassium.

Protein powder can be something of a controversial topic. I use whey protein because I've seen more arguments for it than against it. Vanilla is a good flavor, because it mixes well with just about anything (including baking cocoa for tasty post-workout smoothies).

Finally, I add cinnamon (blood sugar balancer, nice spice, and appetite suppressant), blueberries and raspberries (reputed power foods that help to mask the banana and spinach flavor), and chia seeds. The raspberries are especially important, as they turn the green sludge pink letting me know when everything is completely blended. Chia seeds are also pretty cool. Not only do they expand after eating them to keep you feeling fuller longer, they're also packed with all kinds of nutrients.

Someday I really want to try spirulina. It's a powdered algae that supposedly tastes absolutely horrifying. So it must be good for you.

What do you eat for breakfast? Also, what's the most unusual thing you've put in a smoothie?