This past month of training has been all about rehab. As much as I'd like to be training like crazy with Laurel, recovering from major abdominal surgery takes time and needs to be done properly. I've been carefully working my way back to fitness under the watchful eye of physical therapist/athletic trainer/all-around guru Carolyn Mazur. Carolyn is a pro when it comes to getting athletes back on the field or race course after injuries or surgeries. I've been spending several hours each week at Carolyn's gym, Fusion Physical Therapy and Sports Performance.
A typical work day at Fusion starts with 45 minutes of A.R.T. Therapy, focusing on breaking up scar tissue and targeting the muscles and ligaments that are finally being used after almost a year off. After that I go right into a 30 minute cardio session that is like a mini duathlon. It starts with intervals on the Jacob's Ladder machine, goes right into riding on a spin bike equipped with Powercranks, and then back to Jacob's for more intervals. The effort level is almost like a race, especially since I'm convinced I'll "beat" the machine one of these days.
After the mini du, I get a few minutes break to get a drink and then go right into 45 minutes of weights. We start off with a quads, then do a hamstring circuit, and finish with upper body and core work. The "reward" at the end of all of this is electric stim and heat, followed by ice. All in, I'm there for about 3 sweaty and intense hours.
The first few times I did this workout, I tried to get through it on just a gel packet and a bottle of water. But consuming just 100 measly calories left me stumbling to the subway and completely fried when I got home. Because I can't afford to let myself camp out in Bonkville all afternoon (there's a dog to walk, a baby to feed, and more workouts to be done), I started bringing a more substantial snack to Fusion.
When I showed up at Fusion last week with this Ziploc baggie full of goodness everyone wanted to know what I was munching on. I had a handful between the cardio and weights and ate the rest while I was getting stim. Since eating this snack, along with a Chocolate ZICO coconut water, left me feeling energized enough to make it home, eat lunch and have a productive afternoon, I thought I'd share it with you. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for additional mix-ins.
--Bec
Fusion Snack Mix
Into a Ziploc baggie, mix:
2 handfuls of Glutino gluten-free pretzels
1 handful of each of the following:
roasted almonds
walnut halves
golden raisins
pumpkin seeds
cacao nibs