Many times we hear that working out and eating right is best when you make it a lifestyle. This is true, because then you don’t stress yourself out with trying to come up with a new diet or trying to motivate yourself to get back in the gym after a year of doing nothing. Thankfully I learned good habits about taking care of my health from my childhood days and teenage years playing of sports. We had a team pledge on my high school football team that was an acronym that really helped to bring out the best in me in all areas of life, even still to this day.
This was the pledge we shouted out loud before the start of every game. Just thinking about this pledge really motivated me to be great in football and in life. Plus I had a little extra motivation because my dream was to play in the NFL.
The team pledge was a set of core values that I learned at the perfect time in life. These core values along with a great head coach led me to receive a full football scholarship to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Hard work really does pay off! After college I was blessed with the opportunity to have a couple of NFL tryouts and sign with the Toronto Argonauts. Although things didn’t turn out how I wanted and my professional career was cut short due to injury, I made the tough decision to move on in life. But the journey was well worth it because I got a free college education and earned many awards playing football.
But now I’m on the other side of fitness, trying to stay motivated to keep in shape on my own. When I was part of a team, I didn’t want to let my team down, so I always pushed myself to be as great as possible for the team and also for myself. I’m realizing now that I have to literally compete against myself in order to keep in tip-top shape and not fall into the rut of laziness.
Let’s face it: being in the corporate world can be very draining. After you’ve worked a full day, the last thing you may want to do is to try and muster up some energy to go work out. Since I have fallen victim to this myself at times, I started doing my research on organic products that could help increase my energy levels. I am proud to say that I have come across a wonderful discovery called Raw Maca Powder!! It’s known to increase energy, stamina, and vitality and many other health benefits. Here’s a great article from VegKitchen that discusses the 7 top health benefits of maca.
Adding a teaspoon or two to your drink, shake or water a few minutes before your workout can be just the boost of energy that you need to ensure a powerful, energetic workout. I’ve been using Terrasoul Superfoods Raw Maca Powder for a couple of months now, and to be honest I noticed the difference in my energy levels within days of taking it. As a matter of fact two days ago I remember coming home from work super drained wanting to take a nap. But I knew if I took a nap my workout for the day would be history. So I decided to add a teaspoon of maca to a small bowl of rice and peas 30 minutes before working out. Normally I add it to my shakes or drinks but I was a little hungry so I figured a little snack along with some maca powder would do the trick to get my energy up. (Now you may be thinking rice and peas is not a snack… hence the small bowl! Haha!) Sure enough 30 minutes later, I was off to warming up and getting ready to run 100-yard sprints.
I ran 8 of them and felt great after the last set. I was able to maintain good breathing even though I was a little winded. I definitely had the energy to run more but decided to call it a day and figured I would challenge myself more next time.
Raw maca powder is certainly worth a try if you’re looking for some assistance with your energy levels in training. You don’t have to worry about the extra additives that are included in most of these supplements out here. Why not go the natural, organic route when you have the option to?
PS: Here’s the inside scoop on my sprint workout! Also check out this post on why including different kinds of running is great for any exercise routine.
The sprint sets I did were a total of 100 yards in length. The first 20 yards were downhill running, the middle 60 yards were across flat ground, and the last 20 yards were all uphill. The change of terrain provided both sprint assistance and sprint resistance running all in one workout. Sprint assistance is gravity-assisted running, which helps improve your stride rate as you pick up speed going downhill. It is important to note that you should focus on maintaining proper form and running mechanics even with the extra momentum from gravity. Sprint resistance goes against gravity: running up stairs, uphill, etc., which helps improve explosive strength and stride length.
This is a great workout to do in a park outside, but you can even do it on a treadmill. Just change the incline as you go or select a hill running program!