The muscle pain- buster smoothie bowl, years in the kitchen, and muscle soreness. I have been cooking all of my life; running, lifting, and standing on tile floors all day long. There have been many long hours and many 6 days a week. I remember working the split shift in Switzerland; working breakfast and lunch, taking a break, and coming back for dinner service. Forty-five great years of cooking around the world brought me a lot of satisfaction and success.
As I “get older” I get more and more convinced that professional cooking is a young chef’s game.
Lately, I have experienced severe muscle leg pain, something that is new to me and has slowly crept into my life. However, I don’t believe muscle soreness and pain are necessarily all age-related. I have seen the young guys hurting and I’ve heard the battle cry; the pain is no joke.
Let’s be real, standing or walking on tiled, none cushioned kitchen flooring for extended periods of time can cause sore muscles, swollen legs, deep muscle, and back pain. Along with durability, tiled floors are designed for easy cleaning and to take a beating; not for a leisurely afternoon stroll.
I realize I’m getting older, but sometimes I want to crawl rather than walk to my car, eager to get home and take off my shoes and relax. After realizing that I cannot change the floors I work on, I started to look into pain recovery.
Fact:
Tiled floors will beat and chew you up and when your legs and feet begin to bother you, the rest of your body will start talking to you.
Let the anti-muscle pain battle begin:
Shoes:
There is some basic homework that needs to be in place. Get a good pair of solid, safe work shoes and spend some money on them. Good shoes and insoles will take care of a lot of problems.
Food:
First of all, I never realized that magnesium was so important. It seems like I focused on everything else in the nutritional department and forgot about magnesium. Muscle cramps and severe muscle pain can be a sign of magnesium deficiency. Sometimes it can be hard to meet your magnesium requirements with food alone. However, eating the right food can have a big impact on your magnesium intake.
Pay attention to your diet:
There’s a direct correlation between what we eat and how we feel. Eating natural magnesium-rich whole foods on a regular basis, such as green leafy vegetables, legumes, unprocessed whole grains, nuts, seeds, and some types of fish, will make a difference. For example, white rice and white bread contain four times less magnesium than brown rice and whole wheat bread. Most seeds are rich in magnesium, a 1-ounce serving of pumpkin seeds contains an astounding 37% of the recommended dietary intake.
The Tub:
Magnesium is nature’s answer to sore tense muscles and taking a long soak in a tub of warm water diluted with 2 cups of Epsom salt will relax your muscles and make a difference. Epsom salt, the chemical name is magnesium sulfate, is considered safe to use and to treat sore muscles. It’s also easy to find and inexpensive. Many people swear by this folk remedy and use Epsom salt for many different applications. It works wonders for me with sore leg muscles and stiff joints. With very few downsides of an Epsom bath, try it and relax. Enjoy the benefits of a soothing Epsom soak. If you have never had an Epsom salt bath consider testing a patch of skin with magnesium sulfate and water first to make sure there are no allergic reactions.
Supplements:
Although magnesium occurs in the foods you eat, you may not be getting enough especially if you travel and eat on the road.
Studies show that without sufficient magnesium intake your body cannot function properly. Magnesium deficiency is a widespread health problem, research suggests that about 50% of people in the US and Europe get less than the recommended daily amount. Lack of magnesium makes your body work harder to accomplish even low-intensity activities. After extensive research, I have been adding Natural Calm in powdered form to my diet. Natural Calm’s creator states that the product may be good for painful, tense muscles. My daily routine is to have 1 teaspoon of Natural Calm mixed with water in the morning and 1 teaspoon in the evening. Several times a week I make a smoothie bowl or just a quick smoothie with Natural Calm for breakfast. I have to say, for me, it speeds up the recovery process of my sore leg muscles tremendously and works really well. You can start taking a regular magnesium supplement today and see results pretty fast.
If you add a magnesium supplement like Natural Calm to your diet, it is recommended to add about two teaspoons a day. The daily recommended calcium intake for 50 years of age is about 420 mg for males and 320 for a female. My muscle smoothie bowl recipe with the added Natural Calm supplement has about 300 mg of magnesium for an 11-ounce serving,
The Muscle Pain-Buster Smoothie Bowl
The Taste
Great berry flavor and full of goodness.
Add any topping you desire. Any fruit, nuts, or seeds will only enhance the smoothie bowl.
Make sure to use only ripe bananas or the smoothie bowl will taste starchy.
The Process
This recipe comes together quickly and makes the perfect smoothie or smoothie bowl.
Having a good blender such as a Vita-mix helps.
The Verdict
So just how simple is it to make a smoothie bowl?
It is extremely easy and if you’re like me, you already have most of these ingredients in your kitchen.
You may not be getting enough Magnesium, so adding a natural supplement makes sense.
Of course, you can make the smoothie bowl without the Natural Calm supplement.
Chef Tips
Any seasonal fruit will make a great smoothie.
Don’t be afraid to play with different fresh or frozen fruits.
Did you know frozen fruits are better for you?
They are picked and flash-frozen at their peak so they contain more vitamins.
The Muscle Pain-Buster Smoothie Bowl
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Natural Calm
- 1 tsp water cold
- 1 each ripe banana
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries
- 1 1/2 tbsp almond butter
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp fat free yogurt
- 1 tsp flax seeds
Instructions
Blend Natural Calm
- Simply blend 1 teaspoon of Natural Calm with 1 teaspoon of cold water. Let it fizz, then stir until dissolved.1 tsp Natural Calm, 1 tsp water
Blend until smooth
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend at medium speed until smooth. Place in a bowl and garnish with fresh fruits, nuts, etc to your liking and serve.1 each ripe banana, 1 cup spinach, 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries, 1 1/2 tbsp almond butter, 1/2 cup light coconut milk, 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp chia seeds, 2 tbsp fat free yogurt, 1 tsp flax seeds
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate