health – Page 5 – sassyfitnesschick

Patience And Fitness

Happy “it’s a new week” boys and girls. Actually I’m writing this post on the eve of a new week meaning I am finishing out my weekend and thought I’d share some various insights and thoughts with you while they are still semi-fresh in my head ’cause we’re also dealing with the whole “time change” thing here in the USA which messes with my head for a day or two. If you don’t have to deal with that, consider yourself lucky, but I digress…..

Since we just finished off Halloween, it’s safe to say a good number of you reading this probably had a piece or three of candy and maybe some other treats as well. It’s also safe to say some of you might be going through self imposed guilt for having candy and treats.

*Stop that*

There is a candy poster that has been circulating for a while now with various candies and then the specific exercise you need to do to work it off and “negate what you ate”

I will say this again and again… you cannot go out the next day and “work off” what you ate. It’s plain crazy. And I can tell you that you didn’t pack pounds on over night from having a few pieces of your kids candy…. really.

What you can do is enjoy it, have fun, and then the next day just get right back on track with your eating and purposeful exercise. And I don’t mean crazy kill yourself workouts either, those won’t change anything but perhaps, make you sore.

So we’ve established this, right ? Don’t think you can “undo” what you did the day before… you can’t. You CAN change your next day, and the one after that. That’s what leads to success.

Ok my other thought is on our bodies and how we can build strength, endurance, and overall fitness in them through the physical activities we choose. This thought came to me today while I was riding my bike plowing out a 23 mile ride with hills, inclines and some flat roads thrown in for fun. It was a perfect and spectacular day and I just couldn’t stay inside and not be out “in it”

I was thinking how some of those hills were getting easier for me to peddle up faster, and less winded. I was thinking how when I started taking them on a few months ago they seemed harder to do….well probably because they were harder….then…

but I’ve also been incorporating this route in my long runs and my body is slowly been adapting to what I’ve put it through.

That is such a cool thing.

When I talk with people who are wanting encouragement or help on their health and fitness journey there can be frustration and disappointment because they don’t think results come as fast as they could or should.

It’s in our nature perhaps, to have high expectations or want some instant gratification. But our journey of health and fitness can be compared to a marathon and not an all out sprint.

We’re in it for the long, slow, steady haul.

In the beginning we might not even be able to run to the end of the block. We might barely be able to curl that 5lb weight for only a few sets before our muscles get shaky. The idea of doing more than one or two push ups seems almost impossible. Cycling for long rides and being able to power up big hills without feeling like you don’t have enough air or leg power seems to be just how it’s gonna be for you….

Until… one day…. you realize….

You’re running for miles now.

You can lift heavy weight for many reps before your muscles get shaky.

Push ups still suck but you’re into the double digits doing them now

Or…. the realization you’re taking on those big hills on a bike like a boss and killing it.

All of these things require time and time to allow our bodies to build and adapt to what we demand of it. The same can be said of changes going on inside of our bodies as they adjust to the physical demands we put on them. I told my husband I was feeling a lot stronger on the bike, especially taking on big hills. I think I’m pretty physically fit and I guess, other than perhaps elite athletes who I think of being in peak physically all the time, we all can continue to push and challenge our bodies to new levels of strength and fitness. I don’t think we ever really “arrive” at a level of fitness, there will always be room for more growth.

I try to remind people that even though they can’t SEE some changes for awhile, things ARE happening in their bodies.

You can’t give up or quit just because you don’t “see” things yet. You can’t measure your strength and physical fitness with your eyes but trust that the work you are doing will begin to show up when you realize you can push yourself harder and on to newer and tougher levels of physical activity.

Do you give yourself time to let your body change ? Is it hard to be patient or do you want instant, speedy results? Or can you view it as a marathon and not a sprint in your fitness journey ?

I Don’t Feel Like Working Out

Happy Weekend boys and girls =)

I shared this on my Facebook page yesterday and decided that maybe you, my 1.5 readers in blog world, might occasionally suffer with this problem too.

And the problem is? You get hit with the “I don’t feel like doing my workout” bug …. the following is how it went down….

Workout done. Soooo…..what’s new you think? You’re always working out…big deal.
Flat out… I didn’t feel like it…at all.

A restless night, up earlier than usual to get kid to first day of work, and a creepy, yucky morning had all the makings of me wanting to crawl in clothes two times to big, get a huge cup of coffee and watch mindless morning tv.

I think it’s important you know I have occasional times where I wrestle with wanting to make excuses to not get my fitness time in. I don’t always feel like being the Energizer Bunny.

Given todays weather I had decided it was strength training day. Then the ancient cd player I use out in my “gym” decided it didn’t want to spin discs which almost seemed FURTHER confirmation maybe I should be lazy…but no…

’cause now I was just …mad…. and that is definitely fire to move me.

Fine … I’ll take it in the house where I can use my Ipod.

Give me 30 minutes, my body, 35 lb weights and I will kill it. Add the fire of being super annoyed already…. hello sweat fest and a good ( fast) solid body workout.

And it’s done. There are ( occasional and appropriate times) where a workout just might not happen…. it’s life.

I gave up years ago making excuses to…. just…not do it… based on random feelings. Sometimes your mental muscle has to kick in and take over your body and determine you are going to go get the job done.

When I feel an excuse coming on it’s even more compelling for me to push through it and make it happen.

I know I will feel better afterwards mentally and physically. And I do. I feel amazing and am so grateful I did do it.

So will you. Don’t let excuses hamper you from positive forward movement.

If you have made exercise a habit in your life, do you have times you wrestle with doing a workout? How do you talk yourself through it? How do you feel when you’re done ?

Brace Yourselves The Holidays Are Coming

It’s mid-October ya’ll. Just let that breathe over you for a moment… what the heck?? Today in Texas there is no sign of the anticipated Fall season and I am again, sporting shorts and a tank. That’s not a bad thing… it’s just…some brisk air would feel festive to honor the new season.

Soon, ghosts, goblins, Superheroes and other assorted creatures will be arriving on your doorstep mooching free candy.

Speaking of candy…. I was wandering down the aisle in the store the other day…one of my daily trips… and realized I had quick tripped it up the Halloween candy aisle.

I admit to still feeling like a kid… in awe of that much candy all in one handy place. Seriously.

You do understand don’t you, that candy companies have us firmly in their grips now through Easter, don’t you ? You will no sooner load up on cheap half price Halloween candy that the aisles will be filled with Christmas, and thus the merry-go-round starts.

Like, why can’t we use left over Halloween candy in the Christmas stockings?? Haha isn’t chocolate, chocolate ? 😛

Alright, where I’m going with this… we are moving full speed into the “holiday season” and I say that meaning everything that captures now through New Years Day.

And I want to address a common comment that I hear this time of year when it comes to weight loss.

Ready?

” I need to lose weight, but now we’re in the holidays so I won’t worry about starting until January”

No. Just no.

Don’t have that mentality.

I will remind you I started on my journey in October and went through all major holidays, enjoying things, faithfully exercising, not feeling deprived at all, and had lost 22 lbs by mid-January. It feels amazing every single year after Christmas and all the weight loss garbage is in every aisle I stumble into to know that I’m just doing what I’ve been doing… like never miss a beat moving from holiday festivities to staying in forward motion with my health and fitness journey.

It can be done.

So it might be a little early to offer some holiday survival tips but hey, why not ? I’ll probably post again when we’re more into the.. thick… of things… 😉

Ideas, tips and suggestions I’ve found to be helpful

First and most important, every day is not party day. Just because it’s November or December doesn’t mean you need to over eat or eat to much junky stuff every day.

Remember alcohol packs a whopping amount of liquid calories. Those count.

Yes, there will be parties. Learn to be selective and picky when you are encountering the feeding tables. Take only the things you really love, take small amounts ( at a buffet a plate fills up fast!) If you don’t really love it, leave it behind.

Add plenty of veggies onto your plate to off set the other stuff. You don’t need lots of that creamy dippy stuff either…

Make water your friend.

Desserts…same theory applies.

I love to bake. I bake like a wild woman. Because I don’t eat lots of sugar anymore a little goes a long way with me and too much leaves me feeling yucky so it keeps me in check. I do however allow myself a cookie or two along the way. It’s all I need. If you enjoy baking, set a limit for yourself and stick to it.

When it comes to the family meals for the “big” days.. I eat whatever I want. However, as per suggestion above, I am selective and eat my most favorite things. I can’t stand feeling “over full” so even on holidays I try and stop myself before I get there. Besides, it gives me room to graze later haha 😉

I never wear loose or stretchy clothes. Being in clothes that are more fitted to me makes me mindful of myself.

Yes, I get there will be days that it seems like you just eat all….stupid…day…long. That’s one day… cut your losses…pick it up and get back on track.

Exercise. You’ve got the time. The holiday season can get stressful, making time for yourself for an activity you enjoy is good for you mentally AND physically. The past several years I’ve gotten up early on Thanksgiving morning and gone for an hour sunrise run. It clears my head, allows me to think on my blessings and yeah, makes me feel good about eating a little pie haha

Careful moderation through out the celebratory season will allow you to enjoy yourself, even drop a few pounds, and come into the New Year already feeling victorious.

You don’t need to wait for January to get started. You can do it right now.

Transformation And Body Change

October… the month that heralds in Fall, crisp air (hopefully), hot coffee, big sweaters, leggings and boots.. well maybe.. here in Texas I’m hopeful for that 😉 October is always a milestone celebratory month for me as it’s one more year on my health and fitness journey to claim success.

It’s hard to believe it has been 8 years since I made a choice to do things differently. To get off my butt and make things happen.

20150909_202653-1 — Me circa… thicker days…. before I started my journey…in the double digit sizes…

As I’ve shared with you before the plan was simple.

Make more choices in my day that were good and led to my goals over ones that didn’t support getting to my goals.

Don’t beat myself up for days that bombed. Don’t make excuses for myself or any laziness that would hinder my progress.

Be realistic about what I wanted to achieve.

Learn to eat better foods all within appropriate moderation.

Listen to my body’s natural signals.

Move every day to work my body ( for weight loss and because our bodies are designed to be active and move!)

Don’t allow myself any sense of entitlement that I “deserved” to have something.

Love and be kind to myself on my journey.

Take one day at a time.

8. Years.

Heck yes, I’m thrilled. But you know, I’m not just celebrating the fact I lost enough weight to make a hefty size toddler, or the fact I dropped 6 sizes and who knows how many inches.

No, what I celebrate is that I’ve kept that weight OFF… it left… and never bounced back. That to me, is worth celebrating.

You know why it has ? Because along the way I was building new habits, rewiring my mind to embrace new things and make them so habit forming I wouldn’t be able to think of NOT working out or making the choice to eat veggies ( more likely, wanting to eat them now over other things) or learning to balance occasional treats, to look at food as fuel and consider the kinds of fuel I was putting in my body. To find physical activities I enjoyed and wanted to keep at. To learn to eat enough food to support my goals and satisfy my hunger, and stop when I was comfortable.

A daily, consistent, relentless, pursuit to reshape behaviors and habits that had been a part of most of my life.

Today, I am more convinced than ever, if someone wants to be successful and have a lifestyle change they must build new, consistent daily habits that will become second nature to them. Then the weight goes away… for good…

Is it challenging? At times yes.

Does it happen over night ? no.

My body’s transformation has been a slow, steady work in progress of losing fat and building muscle.

Consistency. Patience. Not being focused on it happening in a short time.

Besides the fact in 8 years I’ve kept off weight, gained muscle and strength, I also like to focus on new things I’ve been able to do. Challenges I would have run from and laughed at 8 years ago. Running for casual distances somehow morphed into distance running, which somehow led to me doing a second full marathon Dec 2014 and then on to two half marathons in March of this year (7 so far) followed by a 50k at the end of the month. I’m cycling more than ever now getting in 20-22 mile bike rides at least 3 days a week, sometimes shorter ones too. I can lift more weight and push my body harder than I could even a year ago.

I’m a woman smack in middle age territory and I have less body fat, more muscle, strength and mental toughness than I had 20 years ago. Basically, I’m in the best shape ever and look ahead to continuing that course.

So as I celebrate another milestone year…. I celebrate so many other victories and goals reached on top of “just” keeping my weight gone.

20150119_181146-1 — Feb. 2015… abs…. such a work in progress….

I would say to anyone, wherever they are on their journey, know transformation takes time. Settle in and know that other things are going on too.

How you mentally feel, your increasing confidence and empowerment, your new strength and abilities to take on new challenges, your thought process on eating better, your improving lab work, new habits that begin to feel “normal”… so many things that are good. It’s a win/win thing.

I want nothing more than to encourage you on your journey. To remind you that you can do it. That it’s a slow and steady process but more than worth it. Change does take time but really, are you on a time limit to make it happen? The goal is to get there… to get to your destination and celebrate your victory…. for a lifetime.

Are you on a journey to a permanent lifestyle change ? Where are you? Close to goals ? What steps are you taking to reach them ?

20151009_160415 — Oct 10, 2015…. it still freaks me out I can buy size 4 dresses now.

Lean Habits For Weight Loss Book Review

When it comes to health and fitness, you know I’m pretty vocal on some subjects.

For instance, I have no use for any of the over hyped current trending “health/nutrition/weight loss” products that abound right now. I think these big multi level marketing companies prey on people who are needy and often are willing to grab onto anything that might be the “magic fix” to help them lose weight and get fit/healthy.

For the tremendous amount of money it costs, I think, it would be better spent on good food, but hey that’s just me.

I’ve read various books on health and fitness. I take from them what I find useful and move on. Again, there are lots of books on the market, everything from diets and dieting to crazy trends.

Again you know, I’m not into crazy fad or trendy diets. They just don’t flippin’ work.

What has worked for me is changing how I do things in my life. How I do things, day in, and day out. Eventually, I built some new habits and in the process of doing that, I lost weight. I was out moving more. My body started changing. I was living my life and enjoying it and not feeling deprived or left out ’cause I had to “diet”. I wasn’t the poor victim at the family BBQ sucking down celery sticks and feeling miserable. I had occasional treats when I reallllyyy needed something.

Playing by my own rules worked for me. I just plodded along letting the weight almost effortlessly come off in a slow, steady, and sane fashion. I didn’t push it. I wasn’t on a plan to get if off in “just a few weeks”. I think these tactics have worked for me…..

Now imagine my interested delight when I stumbled across a book that had shown up in my Facebook newsfeed via a fitness page I followed.

As I read previews on it I was struck with the thought… “oh my gosh. THIS is what I’ve been doing the past 8 years. I’ve built habits and have changed my life and in doing so that’s allowed me to lose weight and keep it off. Someone wrote a book on it. A very GOOD book that helps you practice new habits for successful weight loss.”

I bought the book and well, devoured it. 😉

It is based on learning and practicing 4 “core” habits….

Eat 3-4 meals a day without snacking
Master your hunger
Eating just enough
Eat mostly whole foods

it follows with 12 supporting habits ( I’m not gonna tell you those ’cause you’re gonna want to scamper out and get this book and learn them yourself)

Well, maybe I’ll share a couple I liked. She addresses dealing with emotional eating (hello?? who on plant earth hasn’t dealt with that ??) and another…being 100% aware of treats you eat.. I think that’s a huge area of struggle for many people.

The premise is you will read and get familiar with one habit at a time, practice it, and move on to the next one. Georgie does a great job laying out ways to track your habits and be accountable with practicing them.

I also loved the approach that “perfection” isn’t what is expected, but a steady forward movement of practicing these habits until they become, well, habitual 😉 thus forming a way you are living your life… easily losing weight and getting healthy and strong.

It’s making your own routine that becomes natural and comfortable to you.

No diets or trendy angles on food.

No calorie counting or restrictive diets.

Not being told what you can or cannot have and avoiding or cutting out your favorite foods.

Not being restrictive and building new habits leads to permanent and sustainable weight loss.

Another term I related to because it’s how I refer to my personal change is.….it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. You will begin a lifestyle of freedom.

As you move through this book learning about building habits you will understand your relationship with food and the how’s and why’s of interacting with it.

This is a book I can get behind. I guess because I relate to so much of what is written and I know these principles can and do work.

Please hear me…. this book… it’s worth your time reading…what I like best about it is that it’s practical and doable for anyone.. and I mean anyone.

Therefore, since I’ve already stated how I feel about various health/weight loss/ diet things and I’m very particular about what I endorse and suggest to others….and you know I only hold out sane and reasonable ways to get fit and lose weight….

I really highly recommend you trot on over to Amazon and pick up a copy. It’s an easy read and the information it contains is invaluable. Get it here…. http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Habits-Lifelong-Weight-Loss/dp/1624141129/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444257014&sr=8-1&keywords=georgie+fear

Not only that it’s wayyyyyy cheaper than even a single month of a “health/weight loss product” 😉

Oh, and yes, the author does look amazing. Yes, for me, those abs are a reminder to continue my personal work in progress. For you, as I’ve mentioned before, you might have different goals of what you want to achieve… don’t worry about what others set for themselves. Yours could be improved lab work, more energy, strength, confidence, better health and overall wellness etc…

Your goals. Your life. Your success.

Forget diets. Forget dieting. Learn about developing your own lean habits for permanent weight loss and a new lifestyle change =)

Motivation. You Got This.

Motivation ~ the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.

Motivation. As I interact with people and talk with them about where they are or want to be on their health and fitness journey motivation often seems to be a missing ingredient, so they believe.

Oh, they want to do it. But there is a lack or desire to really get the ball going.

Think of it like the enthusiasm you might have for cleaning the toilets 😉 ok maybe not that bad but you get it. Things we know we need to do are often hard to just jump in and get started on.

We might think things like:

“I need to lose weight”

” I should lose weight for my health”

“I really need to start exercising”

“My clothes are tighter I really need to cut out those extra servings”

” I know I need to eat better. Guess I should belly up to more brussel sprouts”

“My doctor told me I needed to make changes to not have future problems”

Then we go off and do crazy things like this:

“Come Monday, it’s going down. I’m doing it. But before then, I better get rid of all this junk food” ( and you eat it)

“I’m going to the gym and start classes and do some lifting and then I’m gonna run 3 miles!” ( and then you hurt so bad the next day from making your body do activities it hasn’t seen in years you vow exercise will kill you before fatness and you stop)

“I’m not going to eat ( all your fav things) and I’m going on a 1200 calorie diet and I will lose that 20 lbs in a month!” ( you only last two days ’cause all you think of is the foods you told yourself you couldn’t have ’cause they were now “bad” and the to few calories have made you eyeball every moving thing as possible snack fare… eventually sending you into a binge mode… where you determine “next Monday” you’ll start again.)

“I’m going to lose 15 lbs. in 21 days! All those ads I see say it can be done” ( but you get discouraged ’cause the 5 lbs a week isn’t dropping off and you think weight loss really must not be meant for you)

So let’s stop right here.

You DO have the motivation. It’s in your mind and you have a desire… you just need to move to a place of implementing it and putting it to work for you.

The biggest reason ( I think) people have good intentions and don’t get to far is that they set far to lofty goals with a quick turn around time and get disappointed when it doesn’t happen.

Gaining all your weight doesn’t happen in 2-4 weeks.

Getting physically out of shape doesn’t occur overnight.

Transforming your body is a process that can take quite awhile, depending on your goals.

I’ve been on my health/fitness journey for 8 years this month ( go me! haha) and it has taken time to get to where I’m at. My goals (physically and aesthetically ) might look different from yours but my transformation didn’t happen in weeks, months or even a year. I’ve moved forward every single day working at better choices all through my day, getting up if I had a bad day, and moving forward. Most importantly, never giving up.

You do that long enough and stuff happens!

As I lost some weight it became easier to continue being motivated (obviously) but at the start I had to determine I was going to purposefully make better food choices, know what balanced servings were, and get my butt up and moving whether I felt like it or not. Basically, I was restructuring myself by building some new habits.

So you, my dear 1.5 readers, you have motivation but what if you just approached getting started with small, realistic goals and just…eased into it ?

Maybe it could look like this:

I’m just going to start tomorrow… it’s Thursday…but hey why not? I don’t need to wait for Monday. I’m going to just get out and start with a walk..

And you do it. And you feel successful. You begin to look at how you’re eating and adjust your servings… eating a bit less and realizing you’re just as satisfied with less and actually feel better ’cause you aren’t…stuffed….

You head out for another walk… going a bit farther next time… going easy and allowing your body to adjust to new activities..

You start looking at “treats” you allow yourself and determine … do I really need that ? Consider the definition of treat… “an event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure” that would mean “treats” weren’t an every day or all the time occurrence.

A few days go by and you are taking those daily steps and weirdly, it’s motivating you to keep on, you’re feeling successful. Ok, that one day didn’t go so hot, but you got up the next morning and kept at it like a boss. You understand that losing weight and getting fit is a process and you’ve determined to settle in for the ride.

You will be successful. Every positive step you take will motivate you to press forward.

Let me give you an illustration from my life. When I decided I was ready to tackle my first marathon and after all my initial excitement of committing to it had settled in this thought literally descended on me….

“Holy crap! 26.2 miles! 26.2 miles! You ARE crazy…how are you going to do that? What are you thinking?”

It was THE last time those thoughts trampled through my head. If I was motivated to train for half marathons and run them, I could do a full. I took my training apart like a puzzle and mentally on my runs I thought of it as my “marathon puzzle” every mile I covered became one more piece into the puzzle. I focused on short goals without becoming overwhelmed with the entire big picture.

It CAN be daunting when you stop and ponder running 26.2 miles… or more so, the training… I personally think the training requires much more motivation and discipline to arrive at the starting line on race day ready to take on those final 26.2 miles.

So much like weight loss, don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed at the big picture. You possess the motivation to do it. You want to take small pieces at a time, much like my training, piece by piece, building up to something bigger. When you approach it in small, realistic pieces you will see….

You are capable of accomplishing great and awesome things… really… you are.

Is Good Nutrition The Fountain Of Youth?

You don’t have to look far and wide today to know there is a big push on looking younger and all kinds of ways people are trying to accomplish that.

Botox and plastic surgery, magic creams and treatments the list is long…..

Aging is just a fact of natural life. I get that. At classic “middle aged” status I do get it. Wear and tear on your body is pretty normal and to be expected. All I want to do is age gracefully and take the best care of myself that I can.

I do not want to do things that make me start to not look like myself, or plastic and stretched or whatever you want to call it.

I will say this though. I don’t know why people overlook what I think is, the most important thing to looking healthy and keeping a younger appearance.

Are you ready?

Food. You know that old adage “you are what you eat”? holds a lot of truth.

A diet that is high in sugars, processed, refined or fast foods and alcohol will take a toll on you leaving you not only puffy and sluggish but it can overall affect your appearance.

A diet that is high in fruits, veggies, and lean protein will not only keep you lean but change your outer appearance too. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and tons of good nutrients our bodies need these foods. It makes logical and natural sense to eat them…. they were created for us to eat!

I guess the most relevant illustration I can share with you is a couple months ago I was in a department store at the make up counter talking to a young girl about doing my makeup for my sons wedding. When I shared my age with her she said ” I don’t believe you” I laughed and told her I wasn’t lying.

Her next words? ” Can I please ask what you use on your skin?”

My response? I eat lots of healthy foods and drink a lot of water.

20150505_223119 — Some of my fav snacks….

She went on to tell me she didn’t eat that great and maybe she needed to try that… I encouraged her to give it a try. It’s certainly not an overnight treatment program, but more like a lifelong treatment program that with consistency and time, you will get results.

Not only that with improved healthy eating it will change your body composition ( lose fat), give you energy, and internally you’ll get better lab results.

Gosh this sounds like an ad for one of those “health” products 😉

Ok so here’s my pick for top 5 foods for looking fresh….

Blueberries…. antioxidants banish free radicals keeping skin cells healthier

Salmon…. a 4 oz filet has a few days worth of omega-3’s. They’re found only in the oily part of the fish but actually help clear pores

Avocados … my fav….. are a good source of Vitamin E so they help block UV rays and prevent dry skin. Halve an avocado and it mash on toast or fill with fresh salsa. I’ll pretty much eat it any way possible 😉

Carrots… your mom was on to something. Say yes to them for smoother skin. This veggies Vitamin A helps fight off wrinkles.

Spinach…. another daily fav on mine…. it’s packed with Vitamin C which helps produce skin firming collagen. Not only that you can eat vast amounts of this super food for virtually no calories =) It is now what I use for “lettuce” in salads and it’s a regular in my morning sautéed veggie mix =)

of course, there many more great foods to enhance your health…. strawberries, black berries, sweet potatoes, broccoli, all dark leafy greens, squash…the list goes on… and again… you can eat lots of these things for minimal calories…. win/win 😉

Try incorporating more of these great foods into your daily diet… you’ve got nothing to lose.

What about you ? Have you seen a visible health improvement in how you eat ?

Food Vs. Fitness

biscuit — Biscuits. I could eat my body weight in them 😉

Food. It was on my mind. I just wrapped up a little over an hour on my bike. That’s roughly… 12ish miles for me… lots of hills and inclines so it’s not always easy. Which really, I don’t want it to be.

Coming in and cooling down, my tummy rapidly reminded me food was a long time ago ( last night) and it’s grumblings and rumblings were a sign I needed some nutrition.

Breakfast is my usual fare…. eggs… tons of sautéed veggies…. milk…. plenty of good protein and carbs to fill me comfortably.

It has become natural now for me to reach for healthy, nutrient dense foods. I crave them. Not only that, how can you go wrong filling up on veggies that are amazingly good for you, satisfy your hunger, and leave you feeling strong and steady ( no dip and decline of blood sugar levels) for hours ahead and for minimal calories?

Win. Win.

it hasn’t always been like that for me. On my health and fitness journey these past few years like anything, it’s been a learning process.

Choosing healthier foods over ones that didn’t support my goals has been a learned thing.

I guess the eye opening moment for me ( and I believe anyone who is seeking to lose weight and be fit) is determining who your love affair is with ? What do you love/want more ?

Food… the taste, sensory, and emotional connection to fill your needs ?

Food with balance and moderation with the goal being healthier and leaner ?

If you keep choosing food over your goals of health and wellness you will never get there.

You and you alone must decide….before something goes in your mouth….. is it worth it ? Does it support my goals? Do I want this ( thing) over my goals?

For example……Saturday morning hubby and I had determined a breakfast date for Cracker Barrel. If you’re in the south, you know what that means. If you don’t know, well, it’s this amazing southern foods restaurant that has all kinds of tasty treats.

I had biscuits on my mind. Coffee too 😉

All was well and good until our food came out and the waitress nicely says… “oh, we ran out of biscuits but we have some coming out in a few minutes” I assured her that was fine and launched into my meal, trying to not focus on the fact the eggs were slightly chilled…. and waited for my biscuits.

Hubby gallantly offered his up but I told him I’d wait….

and I waited… and waited…. until we were almost done and I flagged her down and she said… ” Oh I’m so sorry they aren’t done yet, but would you like a muffin ?”

Seriously. No. It’s like asking a soda drinker if they want Coke or Pepsi.

I told her no thanks and was starting to feel like a disgruntled little kid. Hubby told me to take his other one ( which was not so warm anymore) and she brings me solid, frozen butter for it.

I did make an attempt to eat at it. I just couldn’t. It was nothing like I had envisioned when I had breakfast on my mind. I didn’t wanna be a brat…but seriously… it was disappointing.

Here’s where I’m going. I’ve learned to be selective on my journey. I didn’t want a muffin. I didn’t want a cool biscuit with frozen butter. I’m at a place in my life and journey that if I eat something and take in those calories I want it to be good. I want to enjoy and savor it! I want it to be worthwhile. I don’t have to mindlessly shovel it in ’cause it’s there. I can say no and walk away.

I can be picky and selective.

In my journey though it is a battle to think in terms of “food” versus “health/fitness”. It is moment by moment decisions that lead me to victory.

It works like that for most of us.

It comes down to that moment of decision and deciding…. what do we want more…. food ? or our health goals ?

I’m not saying… don’t eat… I’m saying… make it worth while.

In time practicing this will become a new habit in you that almost becomes second nature =)

What about you ? Is it a habit to think about what you put in your mouth and determine is really “worth it” ?

Calories For The Athlete

Hey boys and girls!

So if you read my last post, I talked about counting calories, or for me, the fact I don’t. I say that until last year when I was in the heaviest training I’ve done since I started getting all athletic(y).

When you’re pushing your body hard most days of the week it comes into focus that your nutrition and caloric needs need to be brought up to speed too.

I was eating healthy but quickly realized on some days my caloric needs were going to be greater than other days. It meant taking a look at my caloric output for the day (roughly) and adjusting my needs accordingly.

No, I didn’t start counting but knew I had to realistically eat more food. The tricky part for me as a distance runner is that it usually shoots my appetite. After a long run I often drank/ate because I knew my body needed it for recovery versus true hunger ( ha that often came hours later 🙂

If you have days of high intensity workouts, you need to make adjustments to your overall intake. Obviously, a day I’d run 20-23 miles my needs were greater than a day I only ran say, 4 miles.

I was recently asked how many calories I took in on those high mileage days. Technically, for my personal age and size, after a 23 mile run it was pushing 3,000 calories…. of which I can tell you I didn’t tap into. I ate as my body was hungry and feed it good food when I did.

Although, I have to say there were times when I felt like a bottomless pit haha

It’s very helpful that you understand what your BMR is. This is the number of calories you need to maintain your body doing pretty much nothing all day. I did a blog on this before or you can google up the harris- benedict calculator to find out your exact caloric needs. It then helps you figure what you need with your daily work and purposeful exercise.

I know my BMR is roughly 1500 calories ( can you see why I never managed to exist on diets that let me eat that…all day long ?? It’s not enough food!) quick figuring also showed me based on my day and my physical active level I could take in about 2,400 calories… yes!

A quick assessment if I knew my day was much more physically demanding than the “norm” told me I’d take in about 2,900 calories. I will say, I really don’t consume them all, but on some days maybe I should. It’s just hard for me to eat when I’m not hungry, even understanding at that point, food is fuel to help my body recover from the demands I put on it that day.

The beauty of this is understanding and adjusting your needs based on your exercise level. I really am addressing high intensity and duration workouts here ( long cycling or running) usually lasting over an hour or more.

By understanding this, you can feed your body adequately on hard work days, and cut back on easier days.

I found two books to be extremely helpful in the past year as I’ve plowed through my training.

20150924_175442 Whereas I found this book helpful athletically, it’s also written and is good for the rest of the world too. Solid, sound nutritional advice can guide an individual to successful weight loss.

If I could pull one chapter out and make everyone read it that would be Chapter 15… “How to lose weight without starving” Nancy Clark offers sustainable and realistic nutritional advice and expertise. It’s a book well worth having in your personal library.

Of course she covers meals and nutrition for the athlete, the importance of good fueling for success, snack ideas and lots more.

endurance book This book I picked up training for my marathon and 50K. It gets into the science of nutrition for endurance athletes, the need for good fuel, ways to understand and know your fuel needs, how and what to eat for training and everyday life. Areas covered are running, cycling, triathlons, mountain biking, swimming and rowing. If you’re an endurance athlete I highly recommend it. There is a new edition out, but the one I’m showing I got on half.com for .75 plus shipping… what a deal!

Ok… I’m done plugging books haha 😉 I only plug ones I think are super helpful and beneficial.

You don’t need to count calories as an athlete, but being educated and understanding your nutritional needs is key to success in whatever activity you pursue.

If you do endurance activities, do you follow a certain plan ? Do you adjust your days nutritionally depending on your training ?

On The Road Again, Sorta

Did the title of my blog just generate that old Willy Nelson song in your head ? It did mine. Please… please…make it go away….

Ok… on with business… I’m talking about… me… on the road… running….finally… well sorta running. You gotta start somewhere and sometimes you gotta start small again, right ?

If you read a previous post of mine, “Not Running Sucks” you might remember me sharing I was sidelined with a diagnosis from my sports doc that I had insertional Achilles tendonitis. That’s a mouthful isn’t it ?

Ugh. My first running injury ever.

But hey, play hard, invest yourself into something 110%, getting hurt is a part of the game sometimes. In my opinion, it beats sitting on the sidelines, right ??

So I got the instructions from doctor… meds, icing, rolling the heck outta my calves/Achilles/hammies, modified exercise (no running) but I did get to spend a lot of time on my bike which was a second substitute for NOT running. On other days, boxing and strength training were my friends.

20150806_134229 — No, I’m not cooking. These are runner recovery tools 😉

Overall, I guess you can say, I’ve been an “actively” recovering runner =)

Last Wed. I went in for my follow up with him to see how my 6 weeks had gone. Long story short, he gave me his blessing to hit the road this week. His words… “ok my ultra girl, we’re gonna start off short and sweet, no more than 1 1/2 – 2 miles to start”

*** the running gods were smiling down on me ***

Ok, I’ll take it, although secretly I had been thinking 3 miles would be a good first run back out….

You know I took the full two miles, don’t you ? 😉

It felt nothing short of amazing slipping into my running gear that morning, putting on my shoes that I only wear for running, strapping on my Nike watch knowing I’d use it for my mileage and not just for time, and then going through routine stretches and warms ups before I took off.

I had already given myself instructions… 2 miles… add in walking… no pushing hard, easy, easy pace… listen to my body.

With my first step, my heart was singing.

Being out with the sun coming up, the road under my feet, the wind in my face ( even though it was a lovely humid Tx morning) feeling the familiar response of pulling a hill and my body responding and doing what I’ve trained it to do….. priceless.

20150805_081351 — Messy, happy, sweaty runner girl. First run after 2 months off ? Delicious.

I returned from my 2 miles sweaty and feeling amazing…. thinking I could still continue on… but knowing I still need to be careful and let my body adapt and not stress it with to much.

My goals are small at this point. I want to add another 1.1 miles to those 2 so I can be in at least in the 5k zone again. I have plans for that distance 😉 I also know my days running in a week will be few for awhile.

Right now, if I can do that, stay injury/pain free then that’s a major victory. I know I might have to adjust goals I had for end of year ( marathon) and I’m not even sure of a half at this point.

However, I DO have a new challenge on my radar screen and that’s all I need right now. ( I will share more about this later)

So, yeah, not running DOES suck. I hate not doing it. I miss it. ( someone… when I’m better… and knocking out a 20miler…remind me I said this haha 😉

I want to remind you, my faithful 1.5 readers, whatever obstacles you might be up against right now, you can always find another way to continue to get you to your goals.

Oh, and being a little stubborn, persistent, and hard headed don’t hurt either =)

Anyone ? Anyone out there up against any obstacles they are working to overcome right now ?