Have you heard about the #fuelyourbetter campaign by VegaSport? It is centered on what is holding you back from better? It then gives you choices: motivation, stamina, overtraining, muscle burn, hitting a wall, fueling, muscle soreness, and body composition. You can click on what you feel is impacting you and VegaSport will recommend product for you from their product line. It is fun to look at and see the recommendations. I was introduced to this campaign through my SweatPink ambassadorship. Personally, I felt I was being held back from my better due to fueling and what I needed to do to recover between runs and yoga sessions. Since I was more focused on recovery I opted to really give their Performance Protein a try. I was not new to VegaSport and if you have been following my blog you already know that. But my go to recently has been their VegaOne all-in-one Nutritional shake. I liked this since it had 15 grams of protein plus probiotics. But it wasn't designed to be a recovery drink per se so would the Performance Protein be better for me with 25 grams of proteins? I lose my probiotics but with my diet and how I eat, would that extra boost of protein fuel me better?
I incorporated drinking the Performance Protein on my harder days and stuck with the all-in-one nutritional shakes on my easier/rest days to get some probiotics. And yes, there was a day here and there that I did no shake. Typically, I just mix the powder with water at the gym since that is convenient and I am always on the go. Every now and then I indulge and mix my powder with a banana and some almond milk when I am at home. That makes it so much creamier and so delicious!But how does the powder taste just with water? Just fine. The Performance Protein powder I received to try was vanilla. At first I thought the vanilla didn't taste like vanilla at all. After a few more drinks and really reflecting I realized yes, it is vanilla. The thing is, it isn't super sugary sweet vanilla and that was what I was "missing". And I am only saying "missing" since I noticed the flavor was a bit different not because I wanted sugary sweet. Now, I love that not-to-sweet vanilla flavor.
Am I fueling my better? I love how well my body accepts the Performance Protein meaning - I get no tummy issues. That is a good thing. And it is totally aligned with my eating preferences of no dairy. It is also soy and gluten free. The product line is 100% plant based and sustainability is important to the company. I like all these things but is it fueling my better?
It is so hard to say anything with certainty with a two week trial of incorporating the Performance Protein into my diet. In that time I had a cold as well but yes, I do believe it is fueling my better. My long runs are happening and my pace is pretty darn good. I am getting stronger and I am feeling more vibrant. I am pushing my limits, recovering, and coming back for more. But what really stands out to me is that my training plan has been essentially the same for years. Even the addition of yoga has been in my plan for 146 days now. So how I am working my body is about par for the course. But in this trial period I have had two different people I did not know come up to me and comment on my training.
The first one was a nice lady who looked at me and said I looked like I was ready to run a marathon. We were in line waiting for coffee at my daughter's school performance. Yes, I was in running gear but no, nothing on me said anything about a marathon. Second, just today as I was leaving the gym, which I have done a zillion times for years, a lady came up to me and asked what I was training for. We chatted and as I walked out I pondered, there are many people at the gym. They are all there for different reasons. Why did I stand out today as a lady training for something? My workout today was easy. Just a mile and some yoga and oh yeah, giving that crane pose another try. I am getting better! It got me thinking....is what I am consuming working to fuel my better? Is is showing through to the world beyond what I feel inside? If so, that is really cool!How do you fuel your better?
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the stars in the sky.
Daily Affirmation: I am fueling my better.
