Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie + My Fitness Routine Summer Tips!

Need a no-brainer smoothie recipe for those mornings that are go-go-go? I’ve got the perfect, refreshing, and vibrant recipe just for you! My Strawberry Lemonade Protein Smoothie made with freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice, fresh strawberries, Greek yogurt, and protein powder is the perfect power smoothie to fuel you through your day!

This post has been sponsored by Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes through Kitchen PLAY. All opinions are mine own.

 

This summer things have been moving at warp speed. With busy schedules, trips, and to-do lists that seem never ending, it can be easy to feel like you are falling short on the power spectrum. Routines tend to get out of whack in the summer and everyone is running all over the place. I know that for awhile my trail running and weightlifting schedule was moved to the back burner. One thing that’s helping me get back into my routine is that I make a smoothie every single morning that has protein powder in it so I can fuel my body with essential amino acids. Then, after drinking my protein smoothie I want to workout to get my mind body and mind in the right headspace to tackle the day. I was excited when Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes asked me to try their ProHydrolase ingredient and share my experience taking their supplement, because it meant I would have to get back into my routine.

Do you know what ProHydrolase is? ProHydrolase is a supplement that when taken in conjunction with a protein powder or taken in a protein powder, can help the body absorb protein better. It is a digestive enzyme that helps the body better absorb protein by helping our bodies absorb the BCAAs (amino acids) in protein powder. I typically have stomach issues after I consume whey protein, so I was excited to learn that ProHydrolase helps the body digest protein so it’s used more efficiently, rather than being excreted from the bloodstream. This in turn helps the body build muscle faster and shortens recovery time.

I trail run and do weight-lifting daily, and on the weekends you can usually find me kayaking or rock climbing. I don’t eat a lot of meat so it’s essential that I use a daily protein powder, especially with all of the activity I do. We were asked to try ProHydrolase for 10-consecutive days which was perfect for me to get back on track. I picked up a protein powder at my local Sprouts that had ProHydrolase in it. I had to pay close attention to the labels, because ProHydrolase is only included as an ingredient in certain protein powder. In my searching journey to find ProHydrolase, I discovered that not many protein powders contain this essential digestive enzyme which really surprised me because our bodies need ProHydrolase to absorb protein better.

The first day of using a protein powder with ProHydrolase in my smoothie, I noticed that my stomach didn’t bother me afterward. Normally, when I add whey to my smoothies, I tend to have digestive issues and my body takes longer to digest the protein. However, now that I’m using protein powder with ProHydrolase, I have no stomach issues at all! I continued to use ProHydrolase in my morning smoothies for the remaining nine days and it’s now a regular part of my supplement routine.

After three days of using this protein powder, I noticed my body recovered more quickly from workouts and I wasn’t sore for as long. For example, I recently got back into doing yoga daily in conjunction with my trail running to help with my tight IT-bands. Yoga is a very challenging workout for balance, and because you use your internal muscles when you do yoga, everything is sore afterward. After incorporating my smoothies with ProHydrolase for a few days into my yoga routine, I noticed I wasn’t as sore and I’m now able to hold harder poses like Dancer’s Pose and Half-Moon for longer.

I love that in taking ProHydrolase, my body is better able to absorb protein powder at a more efficient rate and that I’m able to fly through a strenuous workout with more energy and less recovery time. I also love that I can take ProHydrolase in my morning smoothie without adding one more supplement and it’s a healthy reminder to keep my mental health and fitness routine up.

My smoothie is great for summer! I created this delicious Strawberry Lemonade Protein Smoothie that I drink daily in the summer and I think you guys are going to love it! It’s made with minimal ingredients and includes ProHydrolase in it to help with muscle recovery and aide in digestion. Check out the full recipe below. I’ve used fresh-squeezed Meyer Lemon Juice for this recipe, as Meyer Lemon’s are sweeter than traditional lemons. Fresh-squeezed juice in smoothies makes all the difference so try and stick with juice from real fruit if you can. All you need for this smoothie is fresh or frozen strawberries, freshly squeezed lemon juice, ProHydrolase protein powder, and Greek yogurt. Opt for frozen strawberries if you want more of a sorbet texture and fresh strawberries if you want more of a smoothie texture.

Have you guys tried ProHydrolase? If you have, what do you like about it? Would you eat this smoothie for breakfast?