Protein Powder Review and a Fierce Workout

A BIG hello and hugs to all of my wonderful readers! How was your Sunday? Mine was superb. I hit up the gym early this morning, did some major studying the rest of the day, ate some tasty food, chatted with my Mommy over the phone, painted my nails, and attended a student council meeting this eve.

I am so excited to do this protein powder review! Especially because I have been waiting for months to get my hands on this protein I literally have been waiting for months to try About Time protein powder. I first heard of this type of protein powder when Naomi posted about it on her blog way back in June! I went to their website to make an order, but was disappointed to find out that they do not deliver to Canada I was crushed. Of course, I searched every store that offered protein powders near me, but I had no luck coming across any About Time products.

Everything changed when I moved back to London in September, though! As I mentioned yesterday, my favourite store, Homeopathy London, carries About Time protein powders! You can only imagine how thrilled I was when I found this out (Picture me bouncing up and down). I had a lot of protein powder at the time, so I decided to wait until I made ‘the purchase’ And I guess ‘the purchase’ was made yesterday YAY!

Unfortunately, Homeopathy London only carries About Time’s chocolate and vanilla flavour and are not able to order in any other flavour other than cinnamon (due to the supplier they are dealing with). I had my heart set on trying their peanut butter flavour, but I wasn’t going to let myself get upset seeing as how any About Time protein powder is better than no About Time protein powder at all Am I right or am I right? Read my review to find out!

About Time 100% Whey Protein Isolate

About Time protein powder uses 100% whey protein isolate and only natural ingredients such as Stevia.

Nutritional Profile

The nutritional profile is amazing since About Time only uses all natural ingredients! I always look at the label before buying my supplements and was really happy with what About Time protein offers!

Taste

Even though it is made with Stevia, there was definitely no apparent “Stevia” taste that may turn some individuals off.

Personally, I do not like extremely sweet flavours of protein powder, but I do not want the flavour to be bland either. I think this protein had a perfect level of sweetness. I tried the chocolate flavour and was very happy with it; it actually tasted like chocolate.

There was no “chalkiness”

Mixability

I have only tried to mix it into my yogurt so far; it mixed well and it didn’t clump.

Smell

This was the first thing I checked out after tearing off the plastic! YUM! Very chocolatey!

Overall Review

I am really happy that I purchased this yesterday I actually made an order after I purchased the chocolate… they are bringing in the cinnamon for me to try I give this protein powder 5/5! Three cheers for About Time protein!

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With all of this protein powder talk, I thought that this would be a perfect time to share a new PWO recipe with you all  
Ever since I created my sweet potato pudding, I have been enjoying it ever since to fuel my workouts! Seeing as how I ran out of bananas yesterday, I had to change things up and create something new! Yay for new creations! This is what I came up with

Extra Thick Sweet Potato Cranberry Pudding

5 oz. sweet potato

1 – 2 Tbsp dried cranberries (or fresh; I had dried!)

1/3 cup greek yogurt

1 – 1.5 scoop protein powder (I used vanilla)

Cook potato
Blend all ingredients together once the potato is cooked! Add cinnamon if you want  
This turned out extra thick I was lovin’ it

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So, this morning I rocked an amazing leg workout But it seemed as though everyone in the gym was getting a good workout in today! There was a lady doing triceps pushdowns and her face was mean! I LOVED it! I totally knew the burn she was feeling I felt like saying “you go girl!”, but contained myself…
Things might have got a little awkward… haha

So I went into this workout determined to get a sweat on I used to dread leg days. Last year I actually never even incorporated leg training into my weekly routine, but that was way back when I was a total newbie to lifting (now I am just somewhat of a newbie haha)

This year is much different I have been noticing changes like none other, but still have some things to work on that’s for sure!

Currently, I am doing two leg days per week. For one of my leg days I focus on quads (Wednesday) and for the other leg day I focus on hamstrings and glutes (Sunday). Since I am a perfectionist (something else I need to work on), I have been constantly switching up and changing my leg workouts to make them ‘perfect’! The constant switching of routines has gotten me really frustrated because there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ routine. Another reason I am frustrated is because I want to stick to one routine for at least a month until I switch it up a bit.

Today I created the routine I will be sticking with for at least a month I am sure I have said this before, but this routine seriously made me feel like I accomplished something  

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Straight leg deadlift	5	5
Walking lunges w/ barbell	4	20 (10 each leg)
Superset
Side lunge*	3	12
Jump squat	3	12
Triset
Reverse lunge off step w/ barbell**	3	10
Bench straddle hops	3	24 (12 each side)
Plié squat w/ DB	3	12
Hip thrusters	3	10 – 12
Kneeling cable kickback	3	10 – 12
Ab Circuit
V sit ups	3	15
Reverse crunch on bench	3	10

* Perform right side lunge, left side lunge and then immediately go into squat jump (demonstrated in video below)

** Perform all 10 reverse lunges on right/left leg before switching to other leg

After doing this workout I was on a workout high all day It’s been a great Sunday

Some of the exercises performed throughout the workout I just shared were inspired by one of my favourites, Aubrie Richeson  Love her. We tweet daily She said goodnight to me last night  

How did you spend your Sunday?
How often do you switch up your workout routine?
Do you get bored with workouts easily?

Talk to you lovely people tomorrow!

Love,

Meg
xoxoxoxoxo

The Question that is Currently Stumping Me:

Why is my kitchen always a disaster?

Advice of the Day:

Acknowledge and appreciate all of the amazing things that your body is able to do!

PWO Fuel and Recipes!

Oh Saturday, how I have been longing your presence…

Hello lovely friends of mine and Happy October 1st! (A special shout out to my parents today on their anniversary! I love you both more than anything in the world!) So, is everyone enjoying their Saturday? I am extremely grateful for this day! Even though it was a crazy day that caused my stress levels to rise a little higher than I like them too, it was a successful day.

The Homecoming parade took place this morning and arrived on site at 7:00 am this morning. Mornings are always easy for me as I am a morning person, but last night was a stressful one and ran later than I would have liked, so I was a tad bit more tired than usual this morning Ok, a lot more tired…

Here is a glance of one of the things I had to deal with last night while driving to the total opposite side of London than my house to pick up a generator I ordered last week, but never arrived! Inconvenient? Yes, but you just have to roll with it.

My poor Jetta She needs a good washing…

So to say the least, last night was pretty much a nightmare, but I managed and made my way to school this morning with some tired puppy eyes!

Today was the windiest and coldest day of the school year so far which made float assembly a challenge, but, once again, we managed and had a successful float and a fun time throughout the parade! I couldn’t believe the amount of people watching this year! Last year, London had a huge rain storm, HUGE, so the crowd was lacking, but this year there were so many spectators! It gave me energy to keep on moving and look beyond my aching cold fingers and toes!

Of course, the clouds totally disappeared, the sky turned blue, and the sun came out within half an hour of the parade being done. It’s funny how things work that way  

I am currently driving around with 40 + balloons in the bar of my car… The wind was much to strong to attach all of the balloons before the parade started.

You’d be surprised how difficult it is to find a large garbage bin in this city…

The Homecoming parade is the only Homecoming event I am taking part in this year. I feel extremely exhausted, so I know that I wouldn’t enjoy myself if I went out with some friends later tonight. Unfortunate in a way, but I love my time at home as well It’s been a movie day around here for me (yeah, yeah, I’ll get to my homework later…)

I have also started to read my new magazines I am currently reading the September/October issue of Muscle and Fitness featuring Mona Muresan on the cover (I posted a picture of this magazine in last night’s post).

Speaking of last night’s post, I am so thankful for all of your supportive comments! It is nice to hear that many of my readers appreciate the bodies of healthy women. It was a hard post to write and I knew it may become upsetting for some, but I was willing to take the risk.
I am sorry if the topic or any of the pictures I posted offended anyone, but the point of my post was to share the women who I find inspirational, attractive, and model-like. I wanted to distinguish my old opinions from my new ones. I didn’t state that the two models who were noticeably thin were unhealthy because I do not have any proof to back that statement; I only stated that I found the women with more mass to their frame as being more attractive. I didn’t mean to compare one to the other, all individuals are beautiful in their own way, but personally I wanted to share the women that personally give me inspiration and motivation

I love Tabitha Klausen-Leandri I follow her on Twitter and we often have chats!

I was asked a question by a reader last night regarding consuming protein powder after a workout:

“On a side note, could you do a post (or just message me) about protein powder? I am not a big gym rat (yet.. I hope i become one soon but the UWO gym is just WAYYY to busy for me right now) so i’ve never felt that i burn enough to compensate for adding it it (and i don’t lift enough weights to need it for my muscle)? Is this silly distorted thinking? Let me know!!”

Since I am not a personal trainer, RD, or training consultant of any type, I will answer this question by providing you with my own experiences, what has worked for me, and why I did what I did.

When I reached my ideal body weight after my ED, I was given permission to begin physical activity again. I was not resuming physical activity in order to burn calories and please ED because I was done with making bad and harmful decisions; instead I began physical activity, such as lifting, in order to promote a healthy lifestyle, gain confidence in myself, and pursue a passion. Striving for a healthy lifestyle was definitely first on my list because I was very concerned about my health after the years of abuse.

My activity began very light. I did not do anymore cardio than a walk around the block with my Mom, but I enjoyed pilates, so I would do my favourite pilates DVD. I gained balance, abdominal, arm, and leg strength from this DVD and began feeling much more confident in myself as well After the 50 minute DVD I would have a glass of chocolate milk because I needed to maintain the weight I was at.

Slowly, I put on more body weight and was able to do more exercising if I wanted to. I went to the gym, but not frequently. At the gym, I would do mainly ab workouts and a few leg exercises. After a gym session such as this, I would still have a glass of chocolate milk. I knew it was important to refuel after any type of exercise that I did because I couldn’t afford to lose any weight.

Protein powder was added into my diet in the summer before I began lifting heavier weights. I started doing more research and learnt about daily protein requirements. At minimum, individuals should be consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Since, I was looking to gain muscle, my body required more energy, so I increased my carbohydrate, protein, and fat needs in order to achieve my goal of muscle gain.

Protein powder is not necessary in order to gain muscle; however, protein is. So, any type of protein whether it be poultry, fish, egg, red meat, whey, soy, etc. provides the protein needed to build muscle, as long as you are consuming enough of it. I have many friends with amazing muscle definition and tone who do not consume protein powder after their workouts; however, they do consume a post workout meal involving both carbohydrates and protein. It is important to fuel your body after a workout, but it is not crucial to consume protein powder. Any type of protein can meet your needs as long as you are consuming enough. The reason there is so much attention paid to whey protein powders is because of whey protein’s ability to quickly digest. It is said that after a workout, one should consume a protein that digests quickly; however, it is not necessary.

In my opinion, protein powders should be used more or less for convenience purposes. They are perfect for taking when traveling! It is very important to be prepared throughout the day with snacks that consist of some source of protein  
I also like the taste of some protein powders and many of the high protein recipes you are able to make with them which is why I use them, but I am currently concentrating on consuming more whole foods than a liquid meal such as a protein shake.

Take one my new favourite post workout (PWO) meals for an example:

I like to call it, High Protein Apple Crisp

Start by chopping up your favourite apple and placing it in a microwave safe bowl…

Sprinkle with cinnamon…

Top with rolled oats…

And heat in the microwave until the apples are nice and soft (you will be getting a great aroma at this point, too! yum!)

Add 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and Greek yogurt…

Stir, stir, stir, and you will be left with a delicious PWO meal that contains carbohydrates and protein (both necessary for proper muscle recovery!)

YUM! I have been enjoying this after my workouts lately and am loving it

Another snack that I have been loving lately is my overnight chia pudding. I have been making this the night before school and enjoy it while I am in class It is so satisfying and incredibly tasty. It’s also quite the conversation starter Not too many people I sit beside have tried chia seeds before! They are one of my favourite things Definitely a staple in my diet!

Combine the following into a bowl:

1 oz. chia seeds

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder or 1/2 scoop protein powder

1/2 cup milk (I have been using almond)

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Stir and place in the refrigerator over night…

In the morning you will be greeted with a high-volume bowl of chia pudding

Definitely a current obsession of mine right now

More recipes coming for you tomorrow friends!  

Lots of love,

Meg
xoxo

Are you loving anything in particular lately?
Have you tried chia seeds before? How do you use them? I love to add them into my oatmeal
Have you had a “movie day” lately?