The No Excuses Smoothie

When you are injured, all you want is to get better. It's all you can think about. You search for anything that might give you some relief. All of a sudden, those tiny decisions you didn't even realize you were making - what you eat, how you move, what you wear - take on a new weight. Because you don't want to hurt anymore. Something that before seemed so innocuous, so insignificant - now makes you wonder whether it's worth the risk. The tiniest bits of progress feel like incredible victories. A single step feels like crossing the finish line at a marathon.

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For me, being injured means that I am doing everything I can to not be in this place again. The hard truth is that regardless of the technical aspects of my degenerating discs, the extra weight I carry isn't just a nuisance, or something that prevents me from wearing the latest styles (or at least looking good in them).

It's actually hurting me.

It's constantly tugging on my spine and weighing down my joints and testing my heart. It's shortening my life. And it's making the amount of life I do have left less enjoyable.

It's got to go.

Since I can't move much, every bite I take has to mean something. There is no room for frivolous treats. There is no room for empty calories. There are no calories "earned" by working out. There are no more excuses.

I start each day with a Nutriblast (or smoothie, if you don't have a NutriBullet). I start off with the wheatgrass we grow in a long row on the makeshift indoor garden next to our glass dining table. I gather a bunch of blades in my hand and cut it with kitchen shears. The cats have noticed this routine and sit expectantly on the table, waiting for me to snip off a few blades for them, as I always do.

I slice up a banana, willing the potassium to rush into my cells and help my muscles move more smoothly.

I cut into an apple, visualizing the vitamin C neutralizing free radicals and boosting my immune system.

The spinach will strengthen my blood and my bones with iron and calcium. The flax seed and walnuts and chia seed, rich in fiber and Omega-3, will lubricate my system and reduce the inflammation plaguing my lower back.

Every ingredient means something. Every ingredient matters.

As I drink it, my body sighs in relief and says, "Thank you".

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The No Excuses Smoothie

2 Tbsp chopped wheatgrass
Handful of baby spinach
½ each banana and apple (chop and freeze the other halves for tomorrow's smoothie)
1 Tbsp each flax seed and chia seed
Small handful walnuts
Veggie-based protein powder (I use My Victory from Pharmanex)
1-2 cups unsweetened almond milk or water (or some combination of the two)
Pinch of cinnamon
Stevia
1 or 2 ice cubes

Blend everything together. If you don't have a very powerful blender, I recommend wheatgrass juice instead of straight wheatgrass.

Eat well.