The Magical Running Shoes

An unreasonable boss, long hours of work, a meddling sister, fears of the future and independence temporarily stripped from her. This little princess had had it. She stormed through the door, looked into the mirror and looking back at her was none other than a big bad green monster with bulging red eyes and flames shooting out of her nostrils at intervals. No longer did her hair fall against her shoulders or caress her neck. No longer did her jade eyes shine bright. The insanity of life had created someone that she no longer recognized. Hands trembling, she unsteadily ran her fingers over the bumpy green skin and began to panic. She knew there was only one thing to do...

Taking to the stairs in loud thumps cracking the foundation beneath her, she tripped over her large green tail and broke the banister in the process. Finally making it up to the top of Mr. Soprano and Mama Bear's castle, she found her saviour sitting encased on a beautiful Indian satin pillow...her magical running shoes. Yes, they were a little worn in, but they were magical.

Awkwardly opening up the case with her large three finger claws, she grabbed the shoes and squeezed them close to her scaly chest. She knew they were her saviour. Sitting down and partially breaking her bed in the process, she managed to squeeze only a toe into her magical running shoes. Tears streamed down the green mogels that covered her face and she thought, it's hopeless, I can't do this...I just can't do this. Things will never change. However to her surprise, the toe in her shoe was enough to initiate change. Working it's way up from her feet, smooth silky legs appeared and she could feel herself coming back. Finally, she was able to slip her delicate feet completely into her shoes. Now she was ready to take her first step, but didn't want to run through cookie cutterville. Looking over she decided that she would take on the treadmill.

Beginning with a light jog, she intensified it and soon, this little princess was sprinting with sweat trailing down her temples and the nape of her neck. The once frustrated, stuck energy that laid in her system like a couch potato was now on it's feet and coursing through her system. She closed her eyes and thought of Italy...only 16 days away now...I can get there...I can do this. Suddenly she was alive and no one could hold her down. No one could catch her. Looking down at the time she realized she had been at it for almost an hour. Feeling like a child who wanted another quarter for the horse ride outside the grocery store, she realized that her bank was empty and it was time to get off.

Time to refuel...

SEXY RECOVERY GREEN SHAKE

2 organic oranges

1 organic lemon

Handful of red organic grapes

1/4 cup coconut water

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 E3 Live frozen cube

1 handful fresh organic parsley

1 handful organic kale

1 scoop vanilla whey or rice protein powder

1 tbsp Vega Antioxidant EFA Oil

1 package stevia (optional)

Combine citrus fruit, grapes, coconut water, vanilla extract and E3 Live in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add in remaining ingredients. You may need to add in a bit more coconut water if you want the smoothie less thick. Whatever you don't use, pour into a mason jar and refrigerate.

The little princess is a little anti-juicing and more so about pro-blending. With little in the bank, this recipe could easily be done in your average blender, plus it's easier to clean than a juicer. After a workout, it's important to rehydrate and the coconut water does just that. Also the protein here will help to rebuild and prevent muscle breakdown. Whey has a full amino acid profile, but if you have allergies to dairy, you may want to opt for rice protein instead. However, what most muscle bound ogers in all the land don't realize is that you need to alkalinize your body which becomes acidic after a workout. The perfect way? Greens and lots of them. Plus the vitamin C from all the citrus fruit provides a good antioxidant punch that will easily scare away even the hardest productive stress a body can muster. By blending you get the entire food and it's fibre. E3 Live, a type of blue green algae is a princess favourite since it speeds up recovery time, balances stress levels and increases stamina and endurance. Simply thaw out the frozen bottle and pour into an ice cube tray. That way you can easily consume one ice cube per day in your shakes. From a Chinese Medical standpoint, it's cooling, and it pulls dampness out of the body. It's excellent for those who have heat symptoms, are robust, overweight or have other signs of excess. And this little South American princess is as fiery as it gets. Perfect food.

Sipping back her last gulp of green juice, she took a deep breath in and smiled...Ahhh yes, I feel better now.

Turning on the shower and seeing the steam lift from the faucet, she peeled off her sweaty clothes and looked into the mirror once again. Jumping back, she thought that for a moment, the big bad green monster was back. Laughing at herself, she realized it was just a green moustache from the juice that hugged the top edges of her lip.

And just before she stepped into the hot shower her phone chimed...a text.

HEY ANY CHANCE YOU COULD COME BY?

And there he was...Mr. Hollywood.

To be continued...