Watermelon Workout & Recovery – Day 2 #LivingOnTheWedge

Watermelon for Exercise and Recovery

Even though it’s summer, I’m keeping up my fitness routine – in fact, I’m having a lot more fun with my workouts now that I my running season is finished until fall. The summer has always been a great time for me to cut back my mileage and focus on getting stronger – plus, I like to take my kids along to the gym for some family gym bonding time that features lots of barbells and burpees. But, it’s not always so fun to be stuck in a gym when the weather is wonderfully warm – so this week I’m grabbing a watermelon and heading outside.  Yes, you heard me right – WATERMELON! Who needs fancy equipment when you can use a watermelon for exercise? I’m dishing up a Watermelon Workout, are you ready to get served?

exercises with watermelon as the wieght

exercises with watermelon as the wieght

watermelon should feel heavy

A 35 pound watermelon! Glad I workout!

I dare you to do my Watermelon Workout, it will get your heart pumping and your muscles moving once you get into the rind, err . . .  I mean, grind! Choose a seedless watermelon that you can handle comfortable, but is still a challenge.  The one I’m using is about 18 pounds – but I’ve brought home watermelons as big as 35 pounds, but that bad boy was really too unwieldy to use in a workout.

 

Watermelon makes a great piece of impromptu workout equipment – as you can see from the Watermelon Workout photo, you can lift it, swing it, jump over it and more. Most importantly, you can eat it as a nutritious snack afterward!  Made of 92% water, watermelon is obviously hydrating. But did you know the fruit can help you with workout recovery? A recent study in the Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry reports that drinking watermelon juice before a hard workout helps to reduce an athlete’s heart rate and next-day muscle soreness. Why? Well, watermelon has an abundance of an amino acid called L-citrulline, which the body converts to L-arginine, an essential amino acid that aids in blood vessel dilation and improved circulation.

eat watermelon after you workout

watermelon and mozzarellaI love this idea for Gluten-Free Watermelon Mozzarella Sandwiches from Watermelon.org. Just pop this grain-free recipe in a to-go container and you’ve got a protein-boosted, post-workout recovery snack that helps your taxed muscles repair themselves in time for the next session. Plus, the salty pickles sandwiched between the layers will help get your electrolytes back to a healthy balance. Remember, you should always eat a mini-meal with a 3:1 to 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio within a 30 minute window after intense workouts and runs.

Do you have any watermelon inspired workout ideas or a refreshing watermelon recipe to share? If so, post in the comments or join my group #LivingOnTheWedge Pinterest board.

Follow this watermelon board on Pinterest

win a watermelon prize packAlso, check out my all the other posts on watermelon I’m featuring all week and don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a great Watermelon Prize Pack! 

The National Watermelon Promotion Board is providing me with compensation to share my love of watermelon. However, the opinions and content (unless otherwise noted) shared are my own and NWPB did not tell me what to say or how to say it.

Refuel & Recover – Easy Protein Snacks for Athletes

Yup, I’m a serious snacker. But, I try my best to stay away from the sugary, salty, highly-processed stuff. Instead, I recover from my workouts, give myself an afternoon energy boost, and treat my late-night sweet tooth with small, protein-rich meals. Compared to carb-only snacks, higher protein options offer longer-lasting energy, regulate blood sugar and moderate hunger. Protein snacks are also super important for athletes; a 4:1 to 3:1 ratio carbohydrate-to-protein snack is what most experts recommend consuming within a 30 minute window of intense exercise. That’s because the amino acids in protein help to rebuild damaged muscle tissue while encouraging the hormone activity needed to stimulate muscle growth. Aim for about 20 grams of protein at a time (or a little more depending on your size); anymore at one sitting and your body can’t really process it all.Jennifer Fisher thefitfork AFMI explain all this in more detail and share five portable protein-packed snacks in the March 2014 Issue of Austin Fit Magazine — pick it up on stands here in Austin or read it online.  As a preview, I’ll share one of these pumped-up protein snack that your mouth and your muscles will love.

greek yogurt with hemp and raspberries

Hemp Heart & Berry Greek Yogurt

This is a go-to snack for me, there is absolutely no cooking – just a little stirring! Take a 6-ounce cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt and stir in ¼ up of your favorite berries like blueberries, strawberries or raspberries. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of raw shelled hemp seeds on top for a nutty, crunch protein bonus. If you’ve never munched on hemp seeds, you should start now. Hemp seeds lend a nutty flavor and robust texture to foods and provide a plant-based, complete chain of amino acids. Each single serving of this yummy yogurt snack has 184 calories and 23 grams of protein.

Check out my other healthy snack recipes at AustinFitMagazine.com

  • Garlicky Chili Chickpeas
  • Chocolate Almond Java Truffles
  • Blueberry Flax Microwave Mug Muffin
  • Lucky Lime Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

So, seriously, I need a lot of protein to pull off stunts like this at my age. Every Thursday, my friends and I think of a new challenge for our weekly “fit, fearless and forty-something” photo.

yoga pyramid

What protein snacks have you munched on this week? What have you done this week to get outside your comfort zone (and yet still have fun) this week?