Impulse Nutrition is a smoothie and juice bar supplied with Herbalife products that is located in the Sun Center Plaza in downtown Gainesville. It is a mystery to anyone who has never been there before, and the first visit can be overwhelming. Even though I’ll admit that I was once skeptical, I’m now hooked on the Impulse craze — and here’s why.
Impulse Nutrition is not your typical smoothie cafe; In fact, it’s not your typical anything. Before I tried it for the first time, I remember seeing endless Snapchats on my fit friend’s story of some chalkboard that had a lot of random numbers and flavors with the Impulse logo in the background – but I had no idea what it was all about.
When I made a decision this semester to focus on becoming a healthier version of myself, I starting working out with friends more. I got the enthusiastic “should we go to impulse after this??” from my previously mentioned fit friend after one early morning workout. I gave into the idea that I had always just assumed was a Ponzi scheme up until this point.
If I had gone to Impulse by myself for my first visit, I would have looked completely and utterly lost and out of place. So to save you the awkwardness, here is the inside scoop on how to order at Impulse Nutrition:
Upon entering, head immediately to one of the tables and grab a little colored sheet – this is how you will order. The traditional Impulse “meal” consists of an aloe shot, a tea (iced or hot) and a protein shake all for $8. This is what you fill out on the colored paper.
You have the choice of mango, mandarin or cranberry flavor for the aloe shot. The aloe shot provides hydration and digestive benefits. It comes in a teacup the size of a shot but is much more enjoyable to take than a real shot. It actually tastes pretty good and refreshing. My personal favorite is the mango flavor.
For the tea, you have a greater variety of flavors to choose from. Some of these include pomegranate, peach, green tea, raspberry and chai. You can get it iced or hot, but I have only ever tried iced due to the fact that I’m usually still profusely sweating from my workout. The tea has less than 10 calories and boosts your metabolism for the day.
Which protein shake to get will be your hardest decision. There are countless options that fall under the categories of either coffee-, fruit-, chocolate- or vanilla-based proteins. You can also add boosts to any of the shakes. These shakes have the perfect amount of protein for after a workout or to replace a meal, and they taste pretty damn good, too.
I personally get Jumping Monkey, which is a coffee-based shake with banana, or I get blueberry cheesecake, which is heaven on Earth. I’m not good at branching out once I find something I like, so I haven’t tried many others; However, I know that birthday cake is a favorite among my friends.
By this time, you will have consumed an immense amount of liquids you probably never thought you would consume in one sitting, but you’ll be addicted. If the satisfying, healthy drinks weren’t already enough to bring you back in, the friendly staff will. The family that owns the business will make you feel welcomed, informed and will even start to remember your name.
When I know I am going to Impulse after a workout, I push myself even harder, and I feel better the rest of the day knowing I put food into my body that contributes to my health.
Grab some friends, have an intense workout, and try Impulse Nutrition for the blueberry cheesecake, the friendly workers, the friendship and the health benefits.