I was diagnosed with arthritis when I was 28. That was 20 years ago, but if you are a regular reader you know that I never complain about arthritis pain. Why? Because I learned a trick that greatly reduces my pain: I stay active! It is completely counter-intuitive, but no matter how bad I feel when I wake up in the morning, I hop out of bed, stretch, and then get moving.
I have learned the hard way that if I wake up achy and decide to roll over and rest a little longer that the pain will not go away. Sometimes, I will actually end up feeling worse.
While activity helps me feel better, I have also realized that I am better off exercising in moderation and doing low-impact exercises. It is counterproductive for me to go overboard and injure myself to the point that I have to cut back on exercise until I recuperate. So I favor yoga, reformer Pilates, and power walking over other forms of exercise.
After I have finished a yoga or Pilates class one on my instructors always reminds me to go home and get some protein. My favorite way to do that is by drinking a homemade smoothie. I don't like protein powders and I am trying to get more of my protein from plant-based sources, so I use Silk Vanilla Soymilk which has 6 grams of protein per cup. You can learn more about http://silk.com/products/learn-more/about-soymilkSilk Vanilla Soymilk here.
Blueberry Spinach Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen wild blueberries
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup Silk Vanilla Soymilk
- 1 tablespoon flax seed
Directions:
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
One day after making a smoothie, I received a call to pick up my son, so I tossed my smoothie in the freezer. When I got home, I discovered it made a pretty delicious popsicle. Not long after that I was looking at some creamy fruit popsicles at the store hoping to find a healthier treat and was surprised by how little fruit and how much sugar was in the popsicles. I thought back to my frozen smoothie and decided to make a healthier fruit and cream popsicle for my family to enjoy.
I did not include the spinach or flax seed when making this popsicle recipe because even I could not get away with hiding spinach in popsicles for my family. However, I also didn't add much sugar – just 1 tablespoon. Silk Vanilla Soymilk mixed with berries is almost sweet enough to get by without adding any sugar to the popsicles. Almost.
These popsicles are a guilt-free indulgence. I enjoy having sweets in the afternoon with my children, but I don't want to undo all that I accomplished in my exercise class by eating a high-sugar, high-fat treat.
- 1½ cup Silk Vanilla Soymilk
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooh.
- Divide the mixture between 6 Popsicle molds. Leave remove at the top for expansion.
- Place in freezer until frozen solid. Approximately 3 -4 hours.
What do you do to ensure that you feel your best?
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
