We're about 3 weeks into the new year already! How are you doing with your resolutions? We've found that this is about the time that people start to struggle with their fitness resolutions. We've been there! So, we thought it would be a good time to share with you our secret weapon... ;)
This secret weapon gives us:
We (my brother and I) have always been big on working out and playing sports. At one point several years ago I was trying out conventional pre-workout supplements and liked being able to work out harder and feel super energized, but I hated the way it made me feel and the crash I often experienced after. Conventional pre-workout supplements can have 100-300mg of caffeine! So insane. We figured there were natural ways to boost our workouts and get the same benefits. Matcha Fuel is the outcome of that curiosity.
The best part of Matcha Fuel is that it's entirely plant-based. The only caffeine in this comes from the matcha and is roughly 25mg per serving. If you've been following Amoda for any length of time, I'm sure you have heard us go on about how l-theanine in matcha interacts with caffeine to give you a zen-like energy. If you haven't, you can read about that here. In Matcha Fuel, it's the combination of all the superfoods that provide most of the energy. Read on to learn about each ingredient.
One other great thing about taking your pre-workout as a powder - you can take the right amount for the type of exercise you're about to do. You can't do that with pre-workout capsules!
Matcha Fuel is a proprietary blend of six organic ingredients: maca powder, spirulina powder, cordyceps powder, matcha powder, pine pollen powder and Siberian ginseng powder. We don't want to overwhelm you with information, so we're keeping these to brief bullet points... after we answer two common questions.
What's a superfood and what's an adaptogen?
Superfoods are nutrient-dense foods that have a highly positive affect on the body. Adaptogens are herbs that are safe and non-toxic. They protect the body from the toxic effects of stress, toning the body and bringing it back into balance. The really cool thing about adaptogenic herbs is that they don't do one thing for all people, they adapt to what your body needs in particular when faced with something stressful. This could be a stressful situation, heat and cold, a crazy schedule or the first time meeting their parents :)
Matcha - powdered green tea
- Increased and sustained energy
- High in antioxidants
- Boosts concentration
- Shown to raise the body’s thermogenesis (rate of fat burning. More here)
- High in chlorophyll (more here)
Maca Root - Peruvian root (Adaptogen)
- Raises anaerobic exercise
- Supports cognitive function
- Increased stamina
Pine Pollen - pollen of the pine tree (Adaptogen)
- Balances hormones
- Increased energy
Spirulina - blue green algae
- Power output
- Increased endurance and time to exhaustion.
Cordyceps - fungi
- Enhanced endurance
- Resistance to fatigue
- Anti-inflammatory
Siberian Ginseng or Eleuthero - herb native to S.E Asia (Adaptogen)
- Increased cardiovascular exercise performance and fatigue reduction.
- Fat oxidation during exercise.
- Increased oxygen uptake.
How to use Matcha Fuel
Before a workout, you can put half to a full tablespoon of Matcha Fuel into a shaker cup. We like to add a half cup of juice and a half cup of water, shake it vigorously and drink it 15-20 minutes before exercise. Start with a small amount and see how you feel. Work your way up to a full tablespoon. You can use all water too if you want.
Matcha Fuel can also be added to overnight oats or you could try this recipe for Matcha Superfood Energy Bites.
So, what do you think? Will this help you with your new years resolutions? You can get Matcha Fuel here and a workout sampler kit here.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19107823
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25567297
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21977053