Momma knows best. You can’t do anything on a empty stomach.

Early morning workouts are the best thing ever or the bane of my existence, depending on how much sleep I had the night before. During the school year, it’s easier for me to get up and workout because so much prep goes into the workout, I make sure I get good sleep. I work 10 minutes from the gym and both places are 30 minutes from home. When I leave the house at 4:45am, I won’t be back until 5pm or later.

One of the hardest things for me to figure out was what to eat before hitting the weights at the gym. Because I lift heavy,  I need to have something in me before I do such a strenuous workout. And with diabetes, it’s an even more important factor. I can’t just wing it.

It took me about 3 months to find the PERFECT nutrition before working out AND post-run recovery. It’s double duty. It’s easy to digest. It’s not expensive. It can keep in the fridge overnight. It’s a protein smoothie. But not just any smoothie.

Why a smoothie? Two reasons. 1) I can’t eat very early in the morning. I get very nauseated if I eat food very early. I can drink anything, but even crackers make me queasy. And 2) It’s quicker on delivering the nutrients, carbs, and protein I need. I start drinking before I pull out of the driveway and by the time I get to the gym 30 minutes later, I’m ready to workout and I know that my sugar levels should be in a great range for that workout. After I’m done, I finish the rest for a post-workout drink. Muscles need a rush of protein within 30 minutes of being pushed to exhaustion. That shaky leg feeling? Hit them with protein and quick carbs.

Mocha Muscle protein smoothie. This is adapted from Mallory at Tuscaloosa Adventure Boot Camp for Women. I’ve been using this recipe almost a year and it is the only thing I can drink each day of the week.

This makes 2 servings.

• A few ice cubes
• 1 cup skim or soy milk
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 2 Tbs natural peanut butter or almond butter.
• 1 banana
• 1 scoop chocolate flavored whey protein powder
• 1 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• OPTIONAL: I add some chocolate flavored Amazing Grass. Love the added nutrients!

Blend, pour, enjoy!

Today, I ran 5.4 miles. I drank about 1/4 of this before running and the rest after I was done. I knew I would sweat out a lot of electrolytes and needed to replenish them. I also knew that I would be way too hot with temps in the 90s’. This was again, the perfect solution for quick nutrients without stomach issues. I ate a solid food lunch a couple of hours later after I cooled off.