Green Tea Sports Drink
It is about a month into the new job and I think I finally have the routine down pat.
I wake up in the darkness at what most humans call Stupid O’clock and put on my running shoes.
It’s go time.
I eat like a teenaged boy, so it is the first thing I do after putting on my shoes and head for the door. If I am teaching a class, I often have an apple and a Genuine Health activfuel to get me going, but occasionally, I like to switch it up.
I used to head to the gym on an empty stomach. I figured that working out empty would allow me to go harder but looking back, I cannot even understand how I managed it. Here’s the thing:
You are sleeping all night and if you are the average person, you are not up to eat during those 8 or so hours. When you wake, your glycogen stores are drained and you are literally dealing with an empty fuel tank. If you roll out of bed and into the gym or onto the road/trail, you have little carbohydrate stores to work with and your body will begin turning to protein stores to create that glucose that is missing. This is not ideal.
I’m not saying that you need to pre-fuel and re-fuel for every workout. The reality is, if it is under an hour and is moderate to low intensity, you should be just fine. (I mean, I still have something beforehand, but each to their own).
I like to have a sports drink of sorts before heading into exercise in the mornings to ensure that I am fuelled and hydrated until breakfast.
Recently, I stumbled across a Green Tea Sports Drink and even though I am not a big tea drinker, I was intrigued. I am constantly looking for new and effective things to throw into my training diet.
I made a batch of tea and put it to the test. I used matcha green tea for a hefty surge of chlorophyl and a reduction in inflammation, maple syrup for sugars and minerals and a bit of salt to keep things balanced. It had a great balance of flavours and it was perfect to drink on my drive into the gym this week.
Green Tea Sports Drink
(recipe adapted from Canadian Running)
1 litre of steeped green tea. (I used matcha powder stirred into cold water because I am all about life hacks)
2 tbsp of maple syrup or honey
1/4 tsp salt
If you want to go crazy, you can add some lemon or lime juice to taste.
Stir ingredients together and refrigerate until cool.
Shake well before enjoying.
What is your favourite pre-workout drink or snack?
