I heart Juice!

I cannot remember a time when I have been separated from my blender for more than a few days, at a stretch. Our love for fresh fruits and vegetables certainly seems to be on the decline, in this day and age of processed foods, quick meals and quicker decline on the weight scale (or is it the “wait” scale, as far as health is concerned??) When Booster Juice contacted me for the first time, I was sure it was a friend of mine, playing a trick on me. Could there really be someone out there, making my most favourite food type (Blended, crushed, with fresh fruits and NO SUGAR), that also recognized my triathlon achievements? I thought to myself, this is surely not happening… But, the more I spoke to Fazle, the more I realized that my hopes for finding intelligent life on this planet were far from over. Here was a brand that was smashing for two reasons, great product and great attitude. They COULD have hired an pretty model that had never run a mile in her life or a cricketer but, they were serious about hiring me… As a brand ambassador, I have two points of view: One, I only accept if there is a fit in the mind-frame (i.e, the sponsors are truly appreciative of the nature of the sport) and Two, the product is something I could use, daily if I could. Besides, admitting to the fact that my dream, two years ago, had been to buy an industrial size blender didnt seem too silly now

Most people are curious about what athletes eat and I would say its a mix of things. First, when training at peak volume, it doesnt matter what we eat, we are fueling from one session to the next. After my long rides, Ive been known to eat anything, breads, protein, sports drinks, smoothies. After my long runs, the same holds. Most of the time however, the right question to ask is, what do we eat when we are not training?

I also have a regular, day-to-day job. One that involves a lot of work, meeting clients (sometimes nice, sometimes not-so-nice), travelling (always stressful), sitting in traffic, etc. The drill is endless.. So, the best tips I can give anyone (athlete or non-athlete) is to go back to the basics:

• Eat natural produce (fruits, vegetables, spices) that has not been in a box for too long. .. and try to eat healthy by making your own food.
• Eat balanced proportions and eat frequently
• Drink more water and liquid calories. This gives our systems a break and keeps us more hydrated.
• Try to time your last meal 3 hours before bed time.

While a lot of this might sound like common-sense advice, try executing this for a week first, then for a month and so on, until it becomes a habit.

Back to Booster Juice, Ive got my ticket to awesome food products (in smoothie form) and am eager to show off to all my friends and well wishers that we have real leadership, right here in Bangalore… and more importantly, we have the CHOICE to eat healthy……. So, next time, I hope you will reach for a smoothie, rather than a coke, because it is so much better for you. At the press conference, I made a juice for the press but mostly I was drooling at the sight of the Raspberries, Blueberries and Strawberries….. What a dream come true! Watch this space….