Vegetarian Eating for Extreme Fitness

What to eat with the changing seasons for health, vitality and pleasure

Living in New England, the produce I eat changes with the seasons and so does my fitness routines in nature. I like to joke that my front yard is my own gym. Splitting wood and hiking on the trails out my back door in the fall and spring. Organic gardening in spring, summer and fall, while nibbling on fresh greens, berries and edible flowers. Winter can mean snow shoveling, cross country skiing, snow shoeing or hiking. Long simmering stews, roasted vegetables from my local organic farm. Summer always means long distance swimming in nearby clean water ponds, and eating my way to my secret spot , snacking on hand fulls of wild raspberries and blackberries adds to the fun.Besides all this delightful snacking, as a vegetarian I make sure I eat lots of high quality organic proteins: hemp seeds and chia seeds, beans and whole grains, grass raised dairy and eggs, nuts and seeds, sea vegetables, land vegetables: roots. green leafy and wild greens, too like nettles. And while it is not a protein, cacao is high in magnesium and great for keeping up my energy and stamina, mood and then some. Healthy fats like avocados, virgin olive and coconut oils, to name a few.

Here are a few photos of the paths I shoveled today to my wood shed, clearing my 200 square foot cedar deck, paths to the compost and also round the house and then some clean up from the man that plows my driveway. A four hour work out with breaks for lemon water, citrus and some leftover Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Brownie leftover from Saturday’s Nourishing the Heart, The Contemplative Feast. I am too social to relish these solo workouts, and hope that tomorrow, I will find a friend to play with outside for a cross country ski. This is the moment the snow is fine and with the possibility of freezing rain in the forecast, I must seize the day and take time outside to get my Vitamin D, exercise and socialize. Hope you are enjoying your workouts as much as I do.

Please let me know what you like to do to stay fit in the outdoors and what you eat with the changing seasons as a vegetarian. You can email me: [email protected] or leave a comment on my website www.lesliecerier.com