NEW YORK: This week we want to do something in particular for ourselves. Let’s feed and fuel our body as we have never before. I looked at some super foods while I was in New York last week and I found out that the better your body is trained the easier life can get. No more exhaustion or tiredness and not only that you feel amazing all day long, you will also be able to rest much better. It makes sense to invest in the best available food and apps that make exercise fun and a great investment into your body, a great treasure.
SUPER FOODS
Dark raw chocolate is one of my favorite snacks, it even comes with coconut sugar or agave syrup instead of sugar. It is loaded with antioxidants, good for your skin and energizes your body and mind. When I crave something sweet in the afternoon, I make myself a raw chocolate smoothy.
IRMA’S RAW CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE
1 glass of almond milk
2 tablespoons of raw chocolate powder
1 spoon of matcha powder
1.5 bananas
Mix everything well in your blender
Barley grass is perfect to balance the PH level in your body. I put one spoon in my muesli or fruit salad to take away the acidity and to neutralize the sugar level in my blood. You can also put a tablespoon in your smoothies or yogurt.
Liquorice & peppermint are the perfect mix for my herbal tea. After a heavy dinner or just before going to sleep, the natural sweetness of liquorice calms your nerves and enhances digestion.
IRMA’S ICE TEA
1 sachet of herbal tea brewed with some hot boiling water and infuse the teabag for three minutes. Let it cool and add some lemon or lime zest. There is no need for sweetener as the liquorice and peppermint give the perfect balance of sweetness and freshness.
Almond & fennel chocolate
Yes, more chocolate because for me it is the king of superfoods as long as you choose a dark one. The combination of fennel and almond is just too good and the fennel takes the heavy aspect of chocolate away. The fact that the almonds are slightly roasted makes it even more delicious.
IRMA’S TOASTED AVOCADO SPREADS WITH BROKEN CHOCOLATE
1 slice of your favorite bread, toasted
1.5 avocado, ripe enough to make a spread out of it
almond & fennel chocolate broken into bits and bites
Toast your slice of bread and let it cool. Meanwhile make a mousse out of the avocado and spread it thickly over the toasted bread, top it with as much chocolate split as you like to taste. Enjoy!
SUPER APPS
Now that we have nourished our body with all the good foods, we are ready to work out and enjoy it even more. Here are my favorite apps which make sport a little easier:
HEALTH MATE: The Health Mate goes with Withings’ various smart trackers, such as a watch that records and evaluates body activities such as weight, BMI, activity, heart rate and sleep all in one place.
DAILY YOGA: More than 50 yoga sessions and hundreds of workout poses for various yoga styles (Hata, Ashtanga, etc). A great coaching app to take along on your iPhone when you are traveling.
7-MINUTE WORKOUT: With seven-minute high interval trainings, this is the perfect app for everyone who wants to stay fit but doesn’t have much time. The exercises may be short, but they are highly efficient.
THE MINDFULNESS APP: Guided 20-minute meditation helps reduce stress and find more balance. The app lets you choose between different types of guided meditations, or if you want to meditate in silence.