I was finally able to sleep semi-normally through the night.  I went to bed around 9-9:30pm, had a little wake up at 2am and then I officially woke up at 5am.  I know that sounds early, but while working on the cruise ship I was waking up at 4:30am…so I guess my body is back on track!

I jumped out of bed feeling great and ready for the day to begin, which was a much needed feeling since I have been so jet-lagged the past couple of days.

Immediately I started my day with a bowl of oats with Sunwarrior protein powder mixed in with some apple, strawberries, and a little bit of peanut butter. Lately, I have been experimenting with pea protein supplements, but I have read so many things about Sunwarrior protein that I had to give it a try, and I like it!  It has a slightly different after taste than the pea protein, but both are very low in carbohydrates and fat so that we are only getting the protein from the powder and we are able to get the carbs from foods like fruit, vegetables, and oats and fats from things like nuts, seeds, healthy oils, fish, and avocado.

I have never been one to have protein powder, and was always very skeptical and did not understand the reasoning behind eating protein powders when we could get things from our food.  After asking Claire from Fitting It All In what her opinion was on protein powders and why she used them, she gave me a very simple and clear explanation.  She uses it because she likes to eat foods (smoothies, oatmeal) that don’t have a high protein content, and this just gives those foods a little boost and help where needed.  That totally makes sense!

While I was on the cruise line, I did a lot of experimenting with my exercise routine and eating habits.  I have always been one for eating tons of fruits and veggies and things that are “healthy”, but I have never had a very structured diet in the sense of how many carbohydrates, proteins, and fats I was actually eating versus how many my body actually needs and my energy expenditure.  Once on the ship, I adopted the regiment of eating breakfast as my biggest meal to fuel me for the day within one hour of waking up to kick start my metabolism, and have 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day.  So far, I have found that this diet, along with an increased emphasis in strength training is changing my body in ways that I have never seen before!  I am building muscle, strength, and overall fitness and totally loving it!

I can’t wait to experiment with new recipes that focus on the balance of carbs, protein, and fats, and to share my new outlook on fitness and health with you!

Things of Possible Interest:

• Wake Up Energized (fitsugar.com)
• Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables