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#017:Breakfast of Champions: Create Your Own Super Star Smoothie

October 21, 2013________________________________________________

Introduction

●The 5 am Miracle - Episode #17

[Intro Song]●Good morning and welcome to the 17th

episode of The 5 AM Miracle.● I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast

dedicated to dominating your day before breakfast.

●My goal is to help you bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary energy.

●The 5 AM Miracle is not necessarily based on your ability to wake up at sunrise, but rather the true miracle is the intentional development of fruitful habits that lead to the achievement of what you want most out of life.

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●Here on the The 5 AM Miracle Podcast, we discuss early mornings, and we also dive deep into the topics of daily habits, productivity, personal development, and plant-based health and fitness.

●When you excel in these areas, you establish a strong foundation for a more purposeful start to your day, which compounds into a highly successful life.

●In today's episode I share my super secret all-star breakfast smoothie that starts my day with a bang!

●Okay, it’s not really a secret, but it is really awesome and I’m sure you’ll enjoy today’s topic.

●But first, let’s begin with the Tip of the Week!

[Musical Interlude]The 5 AM Tip of the Week

●Today’s tip is why I believe well-selected quotations and positive affirmations are more important than you may think.

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●One of my favorite all-time personal development speakers is the late Jim Rohn.

●Jim often spoke about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who would inspire you, encourage you, and lift you up - people who never drag you down, but instead would go out of their way to help you achieve your goals.

●For many people, the best solution is to have a mastermind group.

●A Mastermind group is a private club of people with similar interests and goals who get together to help each other grow.

●Most people are not involved in mastermind groups, and many of us are just too busy to get involved in anything else!

●For me, some of the best inspiration I get on a daily basis actually comes not from other people, but from well-selected quotations that rotate as needed.

●You might be thinking that I am referring to those really hokey Inspirational Posters with pictures of boats that tell you to “set sail on your destiny.”

●And yes, those could fall into this category. ●BUT, the difference is that 99.9% of those

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posters have meaningless sayings that are not helpful -- they are generically motivational.

●They are not tailored to your life right now. They are intended to appeal to a massive audience, to be hung in corporate conference rooms, and often used by managers who don’t know how to lead their staff.

●No, what I am envisioning is what I use every day -- quotations that I chose on purpose to help me with my current project or season in life.

●Let me give a great example.●A few months ago I read the book, “Insanely

Simple” by Ken Segall.●I mentioned this book previously on the

podcast and I will mention it again because it’s just that good.

●Seriously, you should read it.

●When I read Ken’s book I was looking for inspiration and information to help me simplify my life.

●I wanted to reduce the number of projects I was working on and eliminate physical and digital junk.

●While reading the book I was reminded of one

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of my favorite quotations from Albert Einstein: “Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

●I have referred to this quote many, many times over the last few years because the last line of the quote: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” was on display on the wall of my first job after college.

●I was working a direct door-to-door sales job and my manager was fascinated with this quote to the point that he paid to have the quote hung on the wall with huge 3D metal letters -- the kind of words that pop out of the wall so it’s impossible to ignore them

●Anyway, Einstein’s words about finding simplicity and reducing clutter spoke volumes to me.

●So, I typed up the quote, printed it out, and pinned up the piece of paper on a corkboard next to my desk.

●Now, whenever I am working and need a reminder to stay focused on the simplest answer to a problem, I simply read Einstein’s words and my focus returns.

●I was in a season of simplicity and I wanted to

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have a “North Star” (so to speak) that would help me stay focused on my current major project.

●What I have found over the last few years is that when you choose specific quotations that are meaningful to you, they are very likely to get you moving when nothing else will because they remind you of your purpose -- your mission -- your principles that you live by.

●Nothing is more motivating than a deep principle -- one that speaks to the core of how you view yourself.

●I view myself as a person who values simplicity, so having a quote like this on the wall reminds me every single day what I believe in

●Now, you might think this is overkill. I mean, do I really need a constant reminder to stay focused on simplicity?

●YES! Holy Cow YES!●There are so many distractions, so many

possibilities, so many roads to go down that having a “North Star” quotation like this ensures that I am always heading in the right direction.

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●Many people may choose a verse from the Bible, or from their favorite book, or they may use something smart a teacher once told them.

●It doesn’t matter what words you put on the wall.

●What matters is that the words matter to you and help you stay focused on your current major objective, whatever that may be.

●I will also mention that my quote on the wall changes fairly often. Sometimes every week, other times only once a year. It totally depends on what the quote means to me and if I still find it relevant and helpful.

●Now, if you have a favorite quotation that you have used in the past, or that you are using now, I would love to hear it.

●Feel free to leave a comment on the show notes page for this episode of the podcast at JeffSanders.com/017 as in Episode 17.

●It would be great if everyone could leave their favorite quote and we could all be inspired by what inspires you.

●On that note, I will leave you with one more quote I love that I have recently added to my wall of inspiration. And yes, it’s from Jim Rohn.

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●“Don’t ask for the task to be easy, just ask for it to be worth it.

●Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better.

●Don’t ask for less challenge, ask for more skills.

●Don’t ask for less problems, ask for more wisdom. It’s the challenge that makes the experience.”

●And Now it’s time for the Feature Segment!

[Musical Interlude]●About four years ago when I began my

personal health transformation, I used smoothies as the primary vehicle to get tons of healthy food in my body.

●Why smoothies? Great question.

●Smoothies are the first recommendation I give to anyone who wants to improve their health and here are a few reasons why.

●#1: Smoothies are Tasty!●The primary ingredient in most smoothies is

fruit, which is full of natural sugar.

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●The last national survey I saw concluded that most people love sugar. :)

●#2: Smoothies are Easy to Make!●This is the best talking point because the first

reason people don’t make specific foods is that it takes too long.

●Smoothies are super easy and quick to prepare. I can make 64 ounces (2 liters) in less than 10 minutes. Oh, and that includes cleanup.

●#3: Smoothies Offer a HUGE Energy Boost!

●The natural sugar in the fruit provides a great energy boost.

●And it won’t artificially spike your blood sugar because you are also consuming a large amount of healthy fiber.

●The sugar absorbs slowly, providing sustained energy that is great for exercise or a high-octane day.

●The combination of energy and fiber alone should be enough to make most people start making smoothies immediately!

●#4: When you make Smoothies, it’s very convenient to eat healthy foods that you

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don’t like!●We all can name a dozen vegetables we never

eat because they taste like dirt.●We know they’re healthy for us, but unless

someone is going to dump a gallon of salad dressing on top, it’s unlikely we would ever eat the foreign object on our salad.

●With green smoothies, as they’re called, you can blend together all kinds of stuff that tastes bad, as long as you include a bunch of tasty food along with it to drown out the bad taste.

●#5: Smoothies are Filling!●Salads are healthy, but the average person

doesn’t order a salad for their entire meal. ●Salad, or a side of fruit, is just that -- a side.

They’re rarely viewed as the meal.●With smoothies, you can make them as filling

as you want by simply adding in more filling ingredients -- or just by eating more.

●As an example, I drink a half gallon (or 2 liters) of smoothies every morning for breakfast. Some days drink twice that amount. It just depends on my exercise schedule and what fruit is in season.

●#6: Smoothies are Quick and Easy to

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Consume!●This is a major advantage over eating a salad.

In fact, the next time you decide to make a salad at home, skip the salad dressing and, instead, dump the salad into your blender along with some fruit and water.

●Blend it up and chug it down. It’s that easy.●I can drink 2 liters of smoothies in about 30

minutes and that includes an incredible amount of nutrients.

●#7: Smoothies are Easy to Transport!●All you need is a Thermos, which you can store

in your freezer, and then use it to carry smoothies with you wherever you go.

●I almost always bring a large thermos full of smoothies with me when I travel or go to work.

●I drink as much as I can before I leave the house and then I finish the rest off later in the day.

●Finally #8: Smoothies Can Become a Healthy Addiction!

●If you have the choice to be addicted to a harmful substance or a fruit smoothie, it makes sense to crave the smoothie.

●Besides being tasty, smoothies are endlessly

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healthy because you can include any ingredients you want.

●I often use kale, spinach leaves, garlic, ginger, and freshly brewed kombucha.

Okay, now that I have you convinced that Smoothies are the way to go, lets discuss the equipment and appliances you need to get started.

●#1: A High-Powered Blender●When I first started making smoothies I used a

Cuisinart Duet Blender, which is around $90 USD.

●It was a great blender, easy to use, and lasted a long time.

●But, it was far from the powerhouse that I use today.

●If you are just getting started, you can use a basic blender from any major retailer, and you don’t have to spend a lot up front.

●As you progress and you find yourself making smoothies every day or at least multiple times a week, you will want to upgrade to the high-end.

●Currently, I use a Vitamix 5200. This blender has the power of a jet engine and can blend

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just about anything.●The retail price is $449 USD and it’s worth

every penny.●I previously discussed this blender in the “Tip

of the Week” segment in episode #3. ●So, you can learn much more about the Vitamix

when you listen or re-listen to that episode.●BlendTec is another company that makes

incredible blenders, so check them out as well.●And as always, I will link to these blenders in

the show notes.

●#2: There is no #2.●All you need is a blender to make smoothies,

but just for kicks, here are the rest of the supplies I use:

○Refrigerator / Freezer to store fresh produce

○A High-Quality Set of Sharp Knives○Multiple Cutting Boards○Multiple Thermoses to store my smoothies

in.○Large Beer Steins to Drink my Smoothies

out of (this is a personal preference, but I love drinking smoothies out of large beer glasses).

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Ok, now let’s discuss which ingredients are best for smoothies and optimal health.

●#1: Fresh, Ripe, and Raw Fruit●Fruit is the most obvious ingredient because it

has the best flavor.●But, fruit is also full of water, which makes it

easy to blend as well.●On your next trip to the farmers market or

grocery store, look for fruit that is the cheapest.

●I’m not telling you this because I want to save you money (although that’s also true) -- the real reason is that typically the fruit that is in season is on sale.

●Fruit that is in season is juicy, ripe, full of nutrients, and usually ready to eat the same day you buy it.

●On that note, be sure to eat your fresh fruits and veggies within 48 hours of buying them.

●Some produce can last longer if it’s not yet ripe, but when you buy fresh ingredients, they are ready to eat very quickly.

●If you wait too long you will end up with a bunch of rotten food in your kitchen.

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●On a quick side note, when I first began making smoothies four years ago I had no idea what rotten vegetables looked like.

●So, I accidentally made a smoothie with very old spinach.

●Can you guess what happened? Yes, I got very sick with food poisoning.

●Since that one first experience I have never gotten food poisoning again from my own food.

●Now, here are a few fruits that I use a consistent basis that taste great in smoothies

○Bananas○Berries (strawberries, blueberries,

blackberries, raspberries, etc.)○Tomatoes○Oranges○Pears○Peaches○Nectarines○Grapes○Apples○Lemons○Limes○Cantaloupes○Watermelon

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○Plums and○Pineapple

●I also venture out and buy other non-traditional fruit on occasion, but on an average week I tend to stick to a few standard fruits.

●Depending on my budget at the time and what’s available, I try to buy organic produce that is on sale and ready to eat.

●And yes, I spend a lot of time and money buying fruits and veggies.

●If you are new to natural health or making smoothies, you may be surprised at just how expensive healthy food is.

●I don’t want to begin ranting right now about government subsidies and the mockery of the American food system, so I’ll save that speech for another day.

●Until then, take health into your own hands and find a way to make it work.

●It’s a journey and depending on what season of life you’re in right now, buying truck loads of organic produce every week just may not be feasible.

●That’s okay.●Just start where you can today.

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●#2: Fresh, Ripe, and Raw Veggies●If you have ever heard of someone talking

about a Green Smoothie, this is it.●Blending vegetables in with your fruits will

most likely turn your smoothie green in color, which is where the name comes from.

●As I mentioned before, my health journey four years ago began with green smoothies.

●I mixed all kinds of fresh leafy greens in with bananas and strawberries to create super healthy smoothies that tasted like dirt.

●I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one -- vegetables in your smoothies don’t taste good.

●In fact, they taste terrible much of the time.

●You may have heard Matt Frazier talk about his smoothies in the last episode.

●Matt mentioned a bunch of things like chia seeds, kale, and walnuts that he uses in every smoothie.

●Matt also mentioned how he doesn’t recommend his recipes to anyone first starting out -- and neither do I.

●My goal is to get you addicted to smoothies. There, I said it.

●Now, like any good drug dealer, I want to give

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you a taste of the good stuff to get you hooked.●Vegetables are great for you -- but you will

probably never get hooked on green smoothies in the beginning.

●My recommendation is to start with 100% fruit smoothies and make those for at least 3-4 weeks before you begin including vegetables.

●After about a month of fruit smoothies you should be ready to take the next step.

●Now, fast forward 3-4 weeks from now, what vegetables are best in smoothies?

●Here are a few that I use regularly, but feel free to expand this list and experiment.

○Leafy Greens like kale, spinach, lettuce, and swiss chard

○Avocados○Zucchini○Squash○Green Peppers○Mushrooms○Ginger○Garlic

●Many of these vegetables will taste great later on as your taste buds change -- and they will change.

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●My cravings for health food have only increased over the last four years and I expect those cravings to continue indefinitely.

●#3: Frozen Produce●So far I have only referred to raw produce, but

frozen fruits and veggies are great too.●On a side note, I don’t used cooked fruits

or vegetables in my smoothies at all. ●Everything is raw or frozen.

●The best place is get frozen produce is from the raw produce you’re already buying.

●Simply buy a bunch of fresh, raw produce and stick some of it in your freezer.

●Then use a small portion of it every time you make a smoothie.

●Smoothies taste better when they are cold, so be sure to use frozen produce in every smoothie if you can.

●I will discuss how much raw vs. frozen produce to use in just a few minutes.

●Freezer bags are great to use, but you don’t have to use them unless you are storing the food for many weeks or months.

●Also, I would not recommend you buy packaged frozen produce unless it’s organic.

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●As a general rule I avoid processed and packaged foods, which helps to avoid any unnecessary chemicals or preservatives that may be present in foods designed to be stored for a long time.

●#4: Liquid●Fruits and veggies naturally contain a lot of

water, but not quite enough for a typical smoothie.

●So, I always include extra liquid from water, kombucha, or fresh vegetable juice.

●The most common smoothie recipes include some amount of water, but I like to use kombucha or juice as my main liquid most often.

●If you are not familiar with kombucha, I discussed it previously on this podcast in Episode #12.

●You can also read my blog post about kombucha at JeffSanders.com/kombucha. K-O-M-B-U-C-H-A.

●Now, for juice you want to be sure you are not using processed fruit juice like bottled Orange Juice, Odwalla, or Naked brand juices.

●Nearly 100% of bottled fruit and vegetable

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juices are pasteurized, meaning they have been heated up to a point where the nutrients have been killed off.

●When I say use juice in your smoothie, I am referring to fresh vegetable juice that you make yourself in a juicer.

●I don’t have enough time to discuss juicing on this episode, but I will very soon.

●To read more about it now, check out my blog post at JeffSanders.com/juicing

●#5: The High-End Stuff●You could get even more extreme and begin

using nuts, seeds, and many other high-end powders, additives, and supplements.

●As a general rule, I don’t use any supplements in my smoothies.

●I don’t use protein powders, crushed up pills, or dehydrated produce.

●I have used all of these things in the past and what I have found is that fresh produce that comes out of the ground is best for me -- not to mention that it’s exponentially more expensive once you start adding in supplements.

●Having said all that, I am NOT a doctor and everything I have talked about today

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is not a prescription.●Depending on your current state of health and

what your doctor has recommended, I’m not going to tell you to not use any of these -- but do your homework first.

●I had a blood test done two years ago that revealed I was low in Vitamin B12 (which is common for vegans) and low in Vitamin D (which is common for most people).

●So, I do take supplements for those two Vitamins, but that’s all.

●The rest of my nutrients come from fresh, ripe, whole foods.

●As I have said before (and I will likely say again a million times) this is a unique personal health journey and everyone’s story is different.

●The only way to know what works best for you is to experiment and get all of the information you need to make better decisions for you.

Okay, now for the practical implementation.●I’m now going to walk you through a simple

step-by-step process on how to make a smoothie in under 10 minutes.

●Yes, making a smoothie may sound too simple to need a checklist, but there are a few tricks that you will find helpful tomorrow morning

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when you’re making your next smoothie!

●#1: Find a permanent location for your Blender on your Kitchen Counter.

●Your blender is the core of this system and it needs a home where you can easily use it and clean it.

●My blender sits right next to the sink and that works really well.

●#2: Get out a cutting board and a sharp knife.

●#3: Get out your liquid and all of your fresh and frozen fruit and set them on the counter.

●#4: Pour your liquid of choice (water, kombucha, and/or fresh vegetable juice) into the blender.

○You should pour enough liquid in the blender to fill up 20% of the total volume.

○You can always add more later, but start with 20%.

○The more liquid you include the easier it will be to blend and drink your final smoothie.

○If you like a chunkier smoothie that you

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need to eat with a fork, then use less liquid.

●#5: Cut up your fresh fruit (and veggies if have them) and fill up the blender to about ¾ full.

●#6: Put the blender lid on top and blend your current mixture for about 5-10 seconds.

●#7: Pour in your frozen produce, which should be about 10-15% of your total volume.

○I recommend you add in your frozen fruit here because it’s easier for the blender to chop up the tough frozen food when there is already liquid in the blender.

○If you try to blend frozen fruit by itself with nothing else in the blender, you will wear out the blade very quickly and possibly break your blender.

●#8: Add a little more fresh fruit up the MAXIMUM fill line, which should be labeled on your blender.

○Word to the wise, don’t overfill your blender. You can always make another

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batch in 5 minutes.○Your blender will work better and you will

have less of a mess if you blend a smaller amount.

●#9: Put the lid on top and blend the whole mixture for 30-60 seconds.

○In the Vitamix that I use, 60 seconds is perfect for blending a smoothie and it creates a very smooth final product.

○Other blenders may have different recommended times depending on the power and sharpness of the blades.

○The goal is to blend the smoothie long enough to make it very easy to drink but not so long you heat up the food, which is possible in some high-powered blenders.

●#10: Pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy!

○If you want to store your smoothie in a thermos for later, this is a good time to do that.

○The last step is to clean up the kitchen and you’re all finished.

●Since I make smoothies every day I have refined my system to the point that I can

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complete this entire process, including cleanup, in under 10 minutes.

●It may take some practice to get that fast, but it won’t take long. Smoothies are easy.

On a final note, I want to briefly talk about how to integrate smoothie preparation into your every lifestyle.

●Smoothies really are fantastic. If you can’t tell already, I’m pretty obsessed with them.

●I try to never miss a day without a smoothie because they are just so essential to getting the best nutrients in my body.

●I recommend you make it a habit to make a smoothie every morning for breakfast.

●It’s the best time of the day to consume that much high-energy food, and it’s a great way to jump start your blood sugar.

●If you don’t currently eat breakfast, you should.●If you do eat breakfast, and it’s not as healthy

as a smoothie, consider making a switch, even for just a trial period of 30 days.

●The best way to see if this works is to experience it for yourself.

●Don’t take my word for it.●I may be obsessed with smoothies, but you will

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never share that passion unless you make them yourself, everyday, for at least a couple of weeks

● I hope you have seen the power of smoothies in today’s episode and I’m looking forward to hearing about your experience.

●Feel free to leave any comments on questions about smoothies on the show notes page at JeffSanders.com/017.

[Fade In Music]Announcements

●Just 2 quick announcements here at the end of this episode.

●The first, if you have not yet joined The 5 am Club, you can easily do so today for free.

●When you join the club you will get a free copy of The 5 AM Miracle eBook, which shows you exactly how to wake up each morning with vigor and make enormous progress on your biggest goals.

●To join The 5 AM Club AND jump start your morning - visit 5amMiracle.com.

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●My 2nd announcement is that my next podcast episode will be an interview with Jennifer Pharr Davis, the current World Record Holder for hiking the Appalachian Trail faster than anyone, ever.

● Jennifer and I discuss her 46-day journey to set the world record on the AT and her insightful thoughts on the joy of spending time in nature.

● If you have a question about hiking, running, achieving big personal goals, or any other burning question that you’d love me to answer here on the podcast, please leave me a voicemail message at JeffSanders.com/podcastquestion.

Final Thoughts

●Also, I would be grateful if you would rate my podcast in iTunes with a full 5 stars.

●That helps tremendously with keeping my podcast visible so that people who have never heard of it can discover it.

● Just head on over to JeffSanders.com/itunes

●Also, if you would like to see all of the resources I mentioned in this show, please visit the show notes page at JeffSanders.com/017, as in Episode 17.

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●Well, that's it for this episode of The 5 AM Miracle.

●Until next time remember, you have the power to change your life, and the fun begins bright and early.

[Fade Out Music]