I must admit. For years now, I have suffered from a terrible addiction to Vega Sport Acai energizer. I usually add a generous scoop to my morning elixir as soon as I wake up. I've finally come to the point where I don't want to do that any longer; I don't want to feed my body artificial powder that contains additives and sugar. Despite the fact that I feel amazing after drinking it and have the best workouts ever, this is definitely not the most natural way to achieve this.
FINALLY this year, in fact last week, I came up with my own version of a morning energizing beverage. I love it! I am trying to mimic the aspects of what a good energizing drink should have.
Stimulation
– This is coming from yerba mate and green tea. This provides a boost of caffeine, but it’s not an aggressive hit. It is a bit more subtle but still gets you going. Yerba mate has vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and antioxidants and we all know that green tea has profound health benefits including antioxidants, while protecting against cancer and is an excellent metabolism booster.
Antioxidants + Superfoods
– Find foods that will give this juice a powerful punch of extra nutrients. I chose to use Goji Berries and Hibiscus Tea, both have loads of vitamin C and give this drink a beautiful red glow.
Anti-Inflammatory
– For this I am using Ginger and Turmeric. When you exercise, the body is produces lactic acid and other waste build up. There is also the added stress on your muscles and joints that can cause micro levels of inflammation which can build up in our cells and tissues. So why not help to protect them before you work out?
Natural Sweetness
– Most pre workout mixes have added sugars or are sugar free and have an strong after taste. Luckily with the addition of hibiscus and goji berries – a natural sweetness come through without any impact on your blood sugar levels (or very little). This is a good thing!
So with all of this in mind, I took the liberty to make myself an epic brew of goodness that I can sip on first thing in the morning before I tackle the gym, a spin class, yoga or just doing free style resistance training in my home. It’s a hydrating and refreshing way to start the day, naturally!
This Super Brew Has:
- 2 tea bags of yerba mate
- 2 tbsp hibiscus leaves (in teabag)
- 1 tbsp green tea with goji berries (in teabag)
- 1 tsp powered turmeric (organic traditions)
- 1 tsp ginger powder (organic traditions)
Steep the tea bags in a large pot hot water (approximately 8 cups) and then let it cool. Pour into a tall glass water bottle or jug that can seal air tight.
From here I mixed this with 1 scoop of Sunwarrior’s Ormus super greens, Thirsty Buddha coconut water and some drops of Giddy Yoyo reishi. This has now become my new morning pre workout fuel. So far I have tested it out with spinning, yoga and going to the gym – and it has been a success!