Ch-ch-ch-chocolate Overnight Oats

This morning was an early one.  I had a first-thing appointment that I had to get to, and have a few more this afternoon – this left absolutely no time to squeeze in a later-in-the-day workout.  So, I set my alarm for 5:30, took a deep breath, and completed a super early workout.  Now, let’s be honest, this was no earlier than I used to get up to workout when I had an office job.  In fact, I walked in the doors of the gym later than I used to!  But I’ve gotten really used to this whole sleeping later thing…it was not easy to get my bum on the treadmill by 6am!  But I did it, and that’s the important thing 🙂

This morning, I opted to do some interval work.  You may read more about Interval Training  here.   When completing an invterval workout, you should choose “comfortable” and “work” paces for yourself.  What’s “work” for me might be a breeze for someone else (Nick).  So, with that said, my early morning workout looked like this:

In total, I covered exactly 3 miles.

There are many benefits to running intervals.  For me, the main benefit on the treadmill is that I don’t get bored.  When you’re switching up the pace so frequently, you are constantly engaged.  I also feel like I push my body more by focusing on those all out sprints sprinkled in there.  But that’s just my two cents 🙂

When I got home, I took Izzie for a walk and got ready for my day.  I put in a little effort last night and made myself a bowl of chocolate chia seed overnight oats.  I was a little wary of eating cold oatmeal, but I figured I’d give it a try.  It actually turned out quite well and, while I still prefer hot oatmeal, it was a nice change of pace.  The mixture looked like this:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup chocolate soy milk (chocolate milk is great for recovery, so clearly I needed to incorporate it into my breakfast ;))

Approximately 2 tsp chia seeds

Dash of vanilla extract

Mix ’em all up, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and stick in the fridge overnight.  The oats will soak up the liquid and be ready for eatin’ in the am.  (Please note: Because the chia seeds can hold lots of water, this was not quite as creamy as I would have liked it to be.  If using chia seeds, you might want to add some more liquid to the mixture).

When I pulled the oats out of the fridge this morning, I topped them with some Kashi Go Lean Crisp for a little added crunch.

Creamy, crunchy, chocolatey goodness.

Before bolting out the door, I made myself a to-go cup of green tea, with some fresh chunk honey.

Truth be told, I did not put any chunks in my tea.  I wasn’t sure if they would melt, and figured that would be an experiment for another day!

I was lucky enough to have the time to come home for lunch today, so I’m going to enjoy that and get myself organized and ready for the late night ahead!