If you are in the mood for a sweet and spicy smoothie, this is the recipe for you!

Cozy up after your workout with this nutritious protein smoothie from Alive Magazine!

There is something especially appealing about chai teas during the cold winter months. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the warming, spicyness of the aromatic herbs that mix together to create the chai blend...Or maybe it is its exotic origins of the far and warm east that gives chai its appeal. Whatever it is, chai tea is my favourite tea for the cold weather!

But even in cold weather, we need to keep our bodies moving and exercising! So why not go, workout, sweat and then recover with a tasty and nutritious Banana Chai Protein Shake?! With all the flavour kick of chai and the health power of protein, post workout, you really can't go wrong with this recipe. Try adding some PGX Daily Singles (2.5 grams or 1 stick per shake) and get your fibre in there as well!

Get this Banana Chai Protein Shake recipe and all the nutritional facts for this smoothie from Alive Magazine.

Doesn't that look yummy?! Enjoy!

Image and recipe source: Amy Wood, Alive Magazine

Spice up your PGX SatisFast smoothies with some of these great ideas for both chocolate and vanilla flavours!

Sometimes, the hardest part of making a smoothie is coming up with additional ingredients to add to your base flavour. Maybe you've tired of plain chocolate or vanilla on it's own, or you like your smoothies to be a little bit more flavourful and interesting. But whatever the reason, you need ideas and you need them now!

So, we went to our Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Kristin Metvedt, and asked her for some recommendations. Kristin happily obliged and provided us with a detailed list of spices, nuts, fruits and herbs that compliment both our Rich Chocolate and Very Vanilla flavours. Yum! Find the lists below.

SatisFast Rich Chocolate:

• Nuts: Coconut water or milk, nut butters (ie. almond, peanut, hazelnut, etc.)
• Fruit: Banana, orange, blueberry, raspberry, fresh or frozen, kiwi, mango, papaya or pineapple
• Herbs: Fresh grated ginger, minced mint leaves, cayenne powder (just a pinch!), cinnamon powder ... experiment!   

SatisFast Very Vanilla:

• Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger
• Nuts: Nuts butters like almond or cashew
• Fruit: Cherry, mango, banana, all berries, or citrus fruit
• Herb: Mint or green tea (cold)

Let us know what your favourite ingredient combonations are in the comments below!

Enjoy!

Image source: Michelle Foster

Build the Perfect Smoothie with PGX!

Read on and discover what goes into the blender!

This image says it all! When I make  smoothie, I always put in frozen berries, plain Greek yogurt, orange juice and PGX Daily Singles for fibre. But sometimes, I just want a different flavour! This infographic is full of options to pick from and will inspire a whole new smoothie, tailor made just for you!

Don't forget to add PGX to that list of smoothie power boosts! Give your smoothie a fibre boost! Don't know how much to add? Check out our post from the past, How Much PGX Should You Be Adding to Your Food, for more info!

Oh and one more thing! Right now you you can get a free BONUS pack of PGX Singles with purchase of PGX Daily in Canadian stores! Have a great Tuesday! Blend on, my friends.

Image source: Super Skinny Me

Feeling thirsty PGX'ers? Drink water!

Skip the sugary drinks!

When you are really thirsty, what better drink to quench that thirst but water? As delicious as juices and sodas can be, they are almost always loaded with sugar. Check out this visual comparison! From left to right: soda, fruit nectar, sports drinks, orange drinks, juice punch, and water!

Muscles cramping after your workout? Drink more water?

Just the other day, my dad mentioned to me how he woke up in the middle of the night with a severe leg cramp. It didn't sound like a lovely way to wake up and roll over for a new comfortable spot on the pillow, that's for sure! Why did this happen? Well, here's a little back story to the midnight muscle cramp episode...

My dad exercises regularly and like any good workout, it leads to a healthy sweat. Post workout, he, like anyone else who exercises, feels thirsty; that need to replenish the water and electrolytes the body looses. He would satisfy that thirst with water and cue end of workout session. So what went wrong? Why did that severe muscle cramp happen? I suggested to him that he was short on electrolytes in his system due to his vigorous exercise routine and needed to replenish them. As excellent as it is for you, water just isn't enough when you need electrolytes.

What can you do to get more electrolytes? There is the usual option of sports drinks such as Gatorade. But these drinks, as our visual diagram shows, are full of sugar. If you want to replenish your electrolytes without all the excess sugar of sports drinks, try to get them through nutrition! Make sure you are getting enough potassium (banana's anyone?), calcium and magnesium by eating the right foods.

For potassium, try eating bananas. Potassium is an excellent mineral, promoting a healthier metabolism, balanced blood pressure and better nerve health! Since my father increased his potassium intake by adding more bananas to his diet, he has been able to avoid episode two of severe muscle cramps without affecting his exercise routine! Did you know that baked potatoes can be a good source of potassium as well?

Calcium and magnesium-rich foods are also useful in restoring your electrolytes and can be included in your diet by drinking milk and by eating more leafy green vegetables, cheese, kale, broccoli, nuts, and avocados (just a few examples).

Want to learn more about restoring your electrolytes the natural, less sugar-laden way? Check out LIVESTRONG's article, How to Restore Electrolytes in My Body Naturally.

Image found on Tumblr. Original source unknown.

It's the weekend and PGX wants to help you spice up your exercise routine!

Lately there have been several new fitness activities trending in the Health & Fitness blogs. These new activities have us intrigued and here at PGX we want to try a couple out this weekend. We've gathered a few of our favourites that we've discovered on the web and would love to share them with you. It's a great way to add some fun to your regular workout and you might even end up loving it and making it a regular occurrence!

Hot Trends To Try:

• Have you been inspired by the recent Tour de France? Find all the helpful basics here.
• Standup Paddling is the newest trend this year - a great workout for your core.
• Have you heard of Cross-Fit? It's an intense workout but with great results. Here is a Q&A all about it.

Your Fitness Goals:

• Triathlons appeared in the Olympics in 2000 and have become even more popular with beginner/intermediate fitness lovers over the past few years.
• If running is more your thing, there's an enormous amount of marathons, half marathons and runs offered. Check out how to pick the right race for you.
  

And after all that sweat and hard work, it's nice to cool off with a healthy treat!

Are you planning on trying a new activity or creating a major fitness goal this weekend? We would love to hear about! Let us know in the comments.

img source via: The Color Run