Post baby fitness part II & why you need this cranachan protein smoothie

Time to take it up a gear…

My last fitness update was me giving myself a gentle nudge back into working out but now, at a year post baby, I do not have quite the same concerns as I had then.  My abs have married back together at last and all my pelvic floor work did the trick (although truthfully I have yet to try the trampoline test and have no desire to).  So back to it.

Over the past three months through things have started really to fall into place for me with a great mix of workouts that fit into my lifestyle right now and the results have surprised me to be honest.  I started seeing Colin once a week for an hour long PT session and that hour has changed everything.  We spend most of the time focusing on weights, not huge weights…  probably not even medium weights, but weights that I can lift and move with and he pushes me.  He pushes me way past that point when I want to give up and I think I truly cannot finish that set of reps.  And guess what?  It works.  I got results.  My only goal was to tone but that extra hour a week has seen me drop 3kg and decrease my body fat percentage by 3% as well as get in better shape than before (although, in case you were wondering, my belly button remains stubborn and confused).

I asked Colin to share a quick and simple body weight workout to get lean and toned that can be done at home with no equipment (aka no excuses).  So here you go –

20 seconds high knees
30 seconds press ups
40 seconds lunges
50 seconds burpees
60 seconds squats

x 5 rounds

(Yeah five.  Often when we start our sessions together I get one round in and think ‘pah, this is gonna be a breeze’ – if you start thinking that just go ahead and come back to me with your sweaty face when you get to round four…  or five.  Not pretty.)

Please do not misunderstand me, it takes more than one hour a week to get results and I still do at least two Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred home workouts at least twice a week as well as many, many dog walks.  Here’s what’s new though – I try to incorporate three hour long walks a week and I recently got back into tennis and I freaking LOVE it.  There is no better way to enjoy staying in shape than kicking your husband’s ass on the tennis court a couple of times a week.  I promise.

Now let’s talk about that big bowl of creamy, smooth, raspberry goodness…

If you have followed for a while you probably know that I am a big smoothie fan – one of the fastest, easiest ways to get a whole heap of nutrients into your body and you do not need to be any kind of chef I assure you.  I was so happy when Herbalife reached out to share their Pro 20 because protein powder has been such an important smoothie ingredient for me over the past ten years and I am especially keen to incorporate it when I am taking my workouts up a notch.  I tried and tested over a six week period just to make sure it really did the job and it did…

When I did a lil’ instagram survey 70% of you had never tried protein powder and a whopping 90% of you were interested to know why I did.  Well, you know sometimes you have a smoothie and an hour later you find yourself hungry again?  Protein is about to be your best friend.  You know when you finish a workout and you feel like you will never make it till dinner time?  Protein is your new friend too.  It is not just for bodybuilders, it is for you and me.  But to put it more eloquently and scientifically I asked Colin for his thoughts –

‘Protein is a macronutrient in our diet contained in foods such as fish, meat, eggs and pulses.  It is used by the body for several purposes including tissue growth and maintenance as well as an energy source.  When we are performing any form of resistance (weight) training, it is important we have a high protein intake to help support muscle repair and growth.  To ensure we are getting enough protein through our daily diet a protein shake is a great idea!  Try to pick a protein shake which is low in sugar – meaning low additional calories.  We should aim for around 20-30g of protein after a workout (ideally within the first couple of hours) for maximum effect.  Much more than this and the body will excrete excess as a waste product.’

Makes sense to me.  Pro 20 hits the mark because it is low in sugar, packed with protein, free from artificial flavours, has oodles of vitamins and minerals when prepared according to instructions and happens to be dairy free, gluten free and vegetarian if that’s your thing.  Now let’s make it look sexy too…

CRANACHAN PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1 large handful frozen raspberries (plus extra for decorating)
1/2 cup of oats
2 scoops Herbalife Pro 20 Vanilla
1 dribble of honey
200ml water*

Blend, blend, blend.  (I use a Nutri Bullet and love it because it blends anything smooth which is pretty important when you start throwing in things like oats and frozen berries…)  Aaand enjoy.

*You can alter the thickness of the smoothie by adding less water if you prefer a big ol’ bowl you can eat with a spoon but if you are more of a ‘down it in a oner and run out the door’ kinda girl then the quantities above should be spot on for you.  And you can just go ahead a drink it straight out the blender jug too.

With thanks to Herbalife Pro 20 for sponsoring this post.

 

OUTFIT DETAILS

flow vest – Sweaty Betty
zero gravity leggings – Sweaty Betty
sports bra – Panache
uberknit ghillie sneakers – Fitflop (ON SALE)

 

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3 Comments

  1. Eleanora
    24 Aug / 10:30 am

    That looks so indulgent, yet it’s so good for you!

  2. Giovanna
    26 Aug / 10:06 pm

    This looks so delicious. You look amazing and those leggings are actually AMAZING!!!

    x

  3. Gaylesbury
    28 Aug / 6:36 pm

    Looks delicious!

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