What an incredible week it’s been: Chia has turned me into one happy chica! I have energy that lasts for miles and spirits that reach the sky. More importantly, cravings for sugary and deep-fried everything no longer nags me to take a peek into the refrigerator. With my newly found zest for life, I decided to tread into uncharted territory, otherwise known as, the treadmill.
Now, whoever said the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step has clearly never been at a gym in general, and certainly not on a treadmill because the first 2 minutes feel like you’ve been climbing a mountain for days. After the numbers on the treadmill beeped signalling the end of the ‘warm up’ phase, I stopped. As I caught my breath, I negotiated with myself so well I was close to walking straight out of the gym and into the nearest cake shop. But as I took those first semi-defeated steps, in walked a sweet old woman with hair as white as snow and a smile that makes you want to melt into a big grandmotherly hug. Dressed in a pink track-suit and carrying a gym bag on her shoulder she walked in like a celebrity with employees and patrons saying hello. I had to know who this woman was!
Turns out Mrs. P is a 67 year old grandmother who had a hip replacement surgery 24 months ago. She is at the gym for an hour, 6 days a week (and in swimming class on the seventh!). An ex-athlete? Perhaps an Olympic champion? Far from it. Mrs. P took up a healthier lifestyle at the age of 50 when she decided she wanted to experience life away from the health risks that being a rounded couch potato brings with it.
What was the hardest part?, I asked. Much to my surprise, she said with a wide smile “Believing that I can. The first step wasn’t hard on my body. It was my mind that told me it was”. And with that I went right back up on that treadmill – not once but three more times – until I eventually managed to stay on steadily for 25 minutes. I am happy to report that unlike my previous predictions, I did in fact live to see the sunshine outside gym walls.
To refuel my body, Chia smoothies alone weren’t going to cut it [Want to know more about the benefits of Chia seeds? Read the second part of this series]. A burger, however, sounded phenomenal – No, no – a quinoa burger. Much like Chia, quinoa is an Aztec grain that was referred to as Chisaya Mama: the mother of all grains. This super food has some of the highest protein content of any grain with almost 14% of its mass being “complete protein”. Quinoa is also an incredible source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and calcium. When you add gluten-free and easy to digest, what’s not to love? It can even be turned into burgers and kabab skewers!
Join me next week as I chronicle this week’s trials and tribulations.
And like Mrs. P cheerily said “Keep smiling and sweating!”
Image Source: http://paleoforwomen.com/