Today I ran about 6 miles on the single track trails as my first "long run" of my training plan for the 50K in October. I chose to start with 6 miles because I knew it wouldn't be too difficult or too hard on me and because I only have 10-12 weeks of training to get ready and starting with 6 miles allows me to get higher up in the mileage by race day. I want to keep close tabs on how I am responding to the training, so I try to blog after each long run.
I did the run in my Vibram Five Fingers. I feel fine, but I am a bit concerned that running in the VFFs gives a cushion to those who don't have the foot strength yet to be running barefoot. In other words, if I can't run 6 miles barefoot, I shouldn't be running 6 miles in Vibrams. Especially since I had a stress fracture in my 2nd metatarsal last year from trying to change to forefoot running. I will have to pay very close attention to how my legs and feet feel over the next couple of days. My biggest problem today was not the tender spot I sometimes have where the stress fracrute was, but a sharp, stabbing pain in my left arch. From what I have read, it's a relatively common problem with the barefoot transition for people like me with very flat feet. I will be rolling it on a golf ball tonight.
I did not eat prior to this run. I was about 13 hours fasted when I started, and as I have experienced before, running while fasted makes me feel very slow and sluggish. At about the 30 minute mark, I was back at my car and ate a handful of almonds and 1/2 of a Lara bar. After about 15 minutes of running again, I was feeling lighter on my feet and was able to go for 1:10. I think I will begin to eat before all of my long runs. It just works better for me.
Post workout, I had some more almonds, then ate a cheese omelet and bacon at Cracker Barrel. That's a normal breakfast for me, minue the cheese. For the rest of the day I have had more almonds, some cherries, blueberries, and a big serving of pulled pork. I also took a nap and still feel a bit groggy at 5:30pm. I am about to have some green tea! So for me, it doesn't appear that I ate any more or any differently than I have been all week, which is good.
My other workouts this week (since Monday):
2 kettlebell classes (Mon,Wed.)
two Turbulence Training workouts (Bodyweight 250 and Kettlebell 555) in the same day, Tues.
One run tabata (8x20 sec on 10sec off) on Wed. after kb class
I still plan on doing one interval run (most likely a Crossfit Endurance WOD) and another kb class tomorrow morning, plus some light hiking over the weekend.
I don't know how this plan is going to develop. If I can keep my Primal diet mostly intact, I may be tempted to run more. Because I like it. But for now I want to stay at 3 runs a week, only one long.
Born To Run Book Review
When I got back from vacation last Friday, I immediately sat down with my new pile of books I had ordered from Amazon. The first one I picked up was Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. I read it until it was time for me to go to bed, and then I woke up the next day and finished it in one sitting. It was a page turner, to say the least!
I admit, I started with this book because I was looking for some inspiration (and justification) to get back to long distance running. I really believe in what I have seen in myself, that you can become much more fit and healthy and balanced if you stop focusing on long cardio and endurance exercise and instead spend time on general fitness. But, I also believe that physical fitness should be life-enriching and fun, so if one has a desire to do long distance training, the negatives should not necessarily stop you. It's all about making informed, smart decisions and maintaining balance.
Here is a link to a short video by the author on what the book is about. I was interested in learning more about barefoot running and ultras, which he talks about quite a bit in the book. But mostly this is just a great story. Even if you don't have any interest in ultras or running, you will enjoy this book.
Today I had to drive to KY (4 hours in the car), so I decided to try out some new podcasts. One that I tried (and by FAR the best) was the Strength Coach podcast. And guess what? There was an interview with the author, Christopher McDougall, in the second half of the episode (#38). I can't say enough about this interview. It was fantastic and left off where the book ended. When I was done with the book, I still had a lot of questions about transitioning to barefoot running and how and when the author made that transition for himself. The book was full of ideas, whereas the interview was more about the practice of barefoot running and the dangers of running shoes. Give it a listen, and read the book!
And if you have any experience with barefoot running, let me know. I am transitioning very slowly to the Vibrams and dealing with the calf soreness as expected. I am very nervous, though, since the last time I tried to switch to forefoot running I ended up with a metatarsal stress fracture.
I admit, I started with this book because I was looking for some inspiration (and justification) to get back to long distance running. I really believe in what I have seen in myself, that you can become much more fit and healthy and balanced if you stop focusing on long cardio and endurance exercise and instead spend time on general fitness. But, I also believe that physical fitness should be life-enriching and fun, so if one has a desire to do long distance training, the negatives should not necessarily stop you. It's all about making informed, smart decisions and maintaining balance.
Here is a link to a short video by the author on what the book is about. I was interested in learning more about barefoot running and ultras, which he talks about quite a bit in the book. But mostly this is just a great story. Even if you don't have any interest in ultras or running, you will enjoy this book.
Today I had to drive to KY (4 hours in the car), so I decided to try out some new podcasts. One that I tried (and by FAR the best) was the Strength Coach podcast. And guess what? There was an interview with the author, Christopher McDougall, in the second half of the episode (#38). I can't say enough about this interview. It was fantastic and left off where the book ended. When I was done with the book, I still had a lot of questions about transitioning to barefoot running and how and when the author made that transition for himself. The book was full of ideas, whereas the interview was more about the practice of barefoot running and the dangers of running shoes. Give it a listen, and read the book!
And if you have any experience with barefoot running, let me know. I am transitioning very slowly to the Vibrams and dealing with the calf soreness as expected. I am very nervous, though, since the last time I tried to switch to forefoot running I ended up with a metatarsal stress fracture.
Love stuff
Here is the blog I wrote yesterday.
I have been consumed by personal stuff lately. Consumed..obsessed...manic. While I was in FL I took the opportunity to seek out advice from some friends of mine about what my future can and should like. Andrew and I are getting to a point where we have to make some huge decisions about our future together. I can't do the long-distance thing much longer. It just tears me apart. I build up such distance in my heart when we are not together and I look for reasons to pull away. I nitpick, I get worked up about little things, I am not my best. When we are together, things WORK the way they are supposed to work. Things flow, all the pieces of the machine work properly and in harmony. But then we have to say goodbye and I cannot hold on to that feeling...I forget who we really are and what our relationship is all about.
Acknowledging that I can't foresee doing this much longer forced me to think about what that actually meant. Two things can happen: he moves up here or we break up. I lean towards the break up side when I am feeling fear. I am feeling fear about commitment. I am feeling fear about making a mistake. I am feeling fear because I want to be 100% certain about our relationship before he moves here but I CANNOT be 100% sure about our relationship UNTIL he moves here. Catch-22. It's a leap of faith.
I lean towards embracing the idea that this man will probably some day be my husband when I remember what I feel in my heart when he is next to me, what I feel in my heart when he is simply sitting next to me in a restaurant and holding my hand and we are just there and everything is right with the world. What I feel when we are lying on the couch together and his arm is around me or we are sleeping together all curled up in a tangle even though we are both sweaty and hot. There is a peacefulness, a certainty that is only there when we are together. I am trying so hard to hold on to that feeling, to trust that feeling as the TRUE center of my relationship with Andrew.
What I am realizing is this:
1. I am a huge commitment-phobe. I talk like I want commitment but now that I might get it I want to run away.
2. I see this very bad habit in me to cause a fight or push the envelop with Andrew. I think what I am doing is pushing him away as a way to make myself feel some kind of panic about losing him. Because then I can gain back some perspective and stop thinking of everything that is WRONG and focus on everything that is RIGHT. And it scares me into being better to him again. It's so "drama queen" and it really scares me that I am like that.
3. I am never going to be 100% sure. I am never going to stop being afraid of making a mistake. All I can do is learn to accept some fear and doubt as normal and not let it eat me up inside. And not let it cause me to push Andrew away or pick fights with him. Eventually he will get sick of my emotional diarrhea and might actually let me push him away. :(
I am still a mess. I am so scared. This is the most significant fork in the road I have faced since I got divorced. This is IT...this is not something I can make a mistake about. Yet seeking clarity just seems to make the situation murkier. I really don't know what to do anymore, how to handle this, or even if it's all needless worry. Because this isn't just my decision! He may decide independently of me that he doesn't want to make the commitment to me, that he doesn't want to move. So why worry about it at all? Perhaps I just need to let it go for now and cross that bridge when we get to it.
I have been consumed by personal stuff lately. Consumed..obsessed...manic. While I was in FL I took the opportunity to seek out advice from some friends of mine about what my future can and should like. Andrew and I are getting to a point where we have to make some huge decisions about our future together. I can't do the long-distance thing much longer. It just tears me apart. I build up such distance in my heart when we are not together and I look for reasons to pull away. I nitpick, I get worked up about little things, I am not my best. When we are together, things WORK the way they are supposed to work. Things flow, all the pieces of the machine work properly and in harmony. But then we have to say goodbye and I cannot hold on to that feeling...I forget who we really are and what our relationship is all about.
Acknowledging that I can't foresee doing this much longer forced me to think about what that actually meant. Two things can happen: he moves up here or we break up. I lean towards the break up side when I am feeling fear. I am feeling fear about commitment. I am feeling fear about making a mistake. I am feeling fear because I want to be 100% certain about our relationship before he moves here but I CANNOT be 100% sure about our relationship UNTIL he moves here. Catch-22. It's a leap of faith.
I lean towards embracing the idea that this man will probably some day be my husband when I remember what I feel in my heart when he is next to me, what I feel in my heart when he is simply sitting next to me in a restaurant and holding my hand and we are just there and everything is right with the world. What I feel when we are lying on the couch together and his arm is around me or we are sleeping together all curled up in a tangle even though we are both sweaty and hot. There is a peacefulness, a certainty that is only there when we are together. I am trying so hard to hold on to that feeling, to trust that feeling as the TRUE center of my relationship with Andrew.
What I am realizing is this:
1. I am a huge commitment-phobe. I talk like I want commitment but now that I might get it I want to run away.
2. I see this very bad habit in me to cause a fight or push the envelop with Andrew. I think what I am doing is pushing him away as a way to make myself feel some kind of panic about losing him. Because then I can gain back some perspective and stop thinking of everything that is WRONG and focus on everything that is RIGHT. And it scares me into being better to him again. It's so "drama queen" and it really scares me that I am like that.
3. I am never going to be 100% sure. I am never going to stop being afraid of making a mistake. All I can do is learn to accept some fear and doubt as normal and not let it eat me up inside. And not let it cause me to push Andrew away or pick fights with him. Eventually he will get sick of my emotional diarrhea and might actually let me push him away. :(
I am still a mess. I am so scared. This is the most significant fork in the road I have faced since I got divorced. This is IT...this is not something I can make a mistake about. Yet seeking clarity just seems to make the situation murkier. I really don't know what to do anymore, how to handle this, or even if it's all needless worry. Because this isn't just my decision! He may decide independently of me that he doesn't want to make the commitment to me, that he doesn't want to move. So why worry about it at all? Perhaps I just need to let it go for now and cross that bridge when we get to it.
Update
I knew I wanted/needed to blog today but I wasn't sure what to blog about. I sat down with my computer after a wonderful lunch and started to write. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I started to write about my relationship with Andrew, as it's all I have been able to think about lately. But it quickly got more personal than I was willing to share with the world, so now I am starting over!
Vacation was great. We saw so many great friends in Tampa. We all felt very homesick by the end of the trip. Sometimes I desperately wish I could go back, but I know that what seems easy is not always what is right. What is right is for me to remember that the only way I can develop a rich social group like I had in Tampa is to spend more time here in Nashville. Moving home is not the cure for homesickness - staying in a new place long enough to make it home is the cure.
I think a lot of people can relate to the feeling that as we grow older, we become pickier about our friends. It takes meeting 50 people for me to find one or two that I like enough to develop a real friendship with. It's just a numbers game. I was in Tampa for 10 years, so in that 4 days we were there, I saw some of the people that over the course of 10 years became close friends. And it was wonderful!
Anyway....I did have some good workouts down there. I helped a friend teach his bootcamp on Monday, so instead of working out that day I think I took the day off. I can't remember. :) I swam, I ran some, I did some HIIT, I did another friend's bootcamp. It was fun. I also was able to go to a store that sells Vibram Five Fingers so I could try them on and I ended up buying a pair! Since I got them on Tuesday I have run in them 3 times and hiked in them twice. They are really fun but I need to be careful that I don't do too much too soon.
My desire to run has really come back in the last couple of weeks. The Vibrams have me even more excited. I also read Born To Run, which I talked about before I left last week. I LOVED that book and of course, as expected, it has sparked a desire in me to explore the idea of running another ultra. OK, the truth is I have already found a potential 50K in October and I am now developing a plan. I can't say I am sure I want to do this yet, but I am having fun exploring the idea of training for a long race without putting in any high mileage weeks and while maintaining a primal lifestyle as much as possible.
I am excited to get back to a routine this week. I miss my kettlebell training and the circuit classes, so this week I will doing that as much as possible. I am stopping myself from running every day even though I really want to. In a way, I see it as a trap. Easy running is much, um, easier, than HIIT and kettlebell work. I guess part of the reason I want to run more is because I am feeling LAZY. How funny is that!
One other thing. I think I am going to start blogging once a week about my exercise and diet for the week. I have had some people ask me for advice about primal eating and exercise lately, so I thought it might be helpful to include my stats once a week.
That's all for now! Time for kettlebell class! Oh, and Andrew read the other blog I wrote and didn't see a problem with me posting it, so I might do that tomorrow.
Vacation was great. We saw so many great friends in Tampa. We all felt very homesick by the end of the trip. Sometimes I desperately wish I could go back, but I know that what seems easy is not always what is right. What is right is for me to remember that the only way I can develop a rich social group like I had in Tampa is to spend more time here in Nashville. Moving home is not the cure for homesickness - staying in a new place long enough to make it home is the cure.
I think a lot of people can relate to the feeling that as we grow older, we become pickier about our friends. It takes meeting 50 people for me to find one or two that I like enough to develop a real friendship with. It's just a numbers game. I was in Tampa for 10 years, so in that 4 days we were there, I saw some of the people that over the course of 10 years became close friends. And it was wonderful!
Anyway....I did have some good workouts down there. I helped a friend teach his bootcamp on Monday, so instead of working out that day I think I took the day off. I can't remember. :) I swam, I ran some, I did some HIIT, I did another friend's bootcamp. It was fun. I also was able to go to a store that sells Vibram Five Fingers so I could try them on and I ended up buying a pair! Since I got them on Tuesday I have run in them 3 times and hiked in them twice. They are really fun but I need to be careful that I don't do too much too soon.
My desire to run has really come back in the last couple of weeks. The Vibrams have me even more excited. I also read Born To Run, which I talked about before I left last week. I LOVED that book and of course, as expected, it has sparked a desire in me to explore the idea of running another ultra. OK, the truth is I have already found a potential 50K in October and I am now developing a plan. I can't say I am sure I want to do this yet, but I am having fun exploring the idea of training for a long race without putting in any high mileage weeks and while maintaining a primal lifestyle as much as possible.
I am excited to get back to a routine this week. I miss my kettlebell training and the circuit classes, so this week I will doing that as much as possible. I am stopping myself from running every day even though I really want to. In a way, I see it as a trap. Easy running is much, um, easier, than HIIT and kettlebell work. I guess part of the reason I want to run more is because I am feeling LAZY. How funny is that!
One other thing. I think I am going to start blogging once a week about my exercise and diet for the week. I have had some people ask me for advice about primal eating and exercise lately, so I thought it might be helpful to include my stats once a week.
That's all for now! Time for kettlebell class! Oh, and Andrew read the other blog I wrote and didn't see a problem with me posting it, so I might do that tomorrow.
Vacation!
I am taking the kids down to Tampa for the week. I don't know if we will have internet at the house or not. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I am almost hoping it is NOT working because I have recently gotten sucked into an "I must learn everything about everything" phase where I cannot keep up with all my RSS feeds and I can easily sit for hours reading, reading, reading. I am happy to be educating myself but the cycle never ends - the more you learn the more you realize how little you know. Most of my reading right now is about:
Kettlebell training. I am trying to find any information I can about people that have used kettlebells for triathlon, cycling, and running. I want to develop a program to bring in more endurance atheltes to the gym because I really believe kettlebell training offers unique benefits that other strength training programs don't, and I believe those benefits can help endurance athletes that are quad dominant in a substantial way.
I will be visiting the Punch Gym in St. Pete while I am down there and maybe giving a little demo to a few triathlete friends. It is the beginning of my plan to create a convincing argument for endurance athletes to incorporate kettlebells into their training, especially those that are injury-prone and those who already use traditional weight training for increased strength and injury prevention.
Primal living and endurance exercise. Yes, I am still thinking about doing another ultra marathon (not to mention the Goofy Challenge, which I am already singed up for). I have a lot of fear to deal with. I fear gaining weight, I fear being hungrier and not being able to maintain IF (which I really love), I fear having to eat lots of carbs both during and after workouts. I fear moving away from the primal lifestyle that has done so much good for me in the last 6 months. I have been trying to connect with others who believe in the primal lifestyle but also still enjoy trail running and marathons/ultras. Related to this, I have been trying to formulate a workout plan that minimizes the time I spend doing chronic cardio so that my dietary needs do not have to change drastically. I guess I will be my own guniea pig and usethis as a big expiriment. Right now my plan is to do one long run a week and 2-3 tabata or interval runs of 30 minutes or less.
I understand that long distance running races are not good for my body. I am willing to do something that is not good for me occasionally if I really enjoy it. For me, the key to combining primal living with endurance racing is not about race day. It is about all the training leading up to race day. I will not beat up my body every week to get in high mileage. I will not eat gels or gatorade or pasta or bread to fuel my workouts on a weekly basis. On race day, anything goes. That is one day. It's the training for it that, in my opinion, leads to sub-optimal overall health.
That's what is on my mind lately. Besides visiting the Punch Gym, the only thing on my agenda is making this a fun trip for my kids and enjoying my time back in my much-missed former hometown.
Kettlebell training. I am trying to find any information I can about people that have used kettlebells for triathlon, cycling, and running. I want to develop a program to bring in more endurance atheltes to the gym because I really believe kettlebell training offers unique benefits that other strength training programs don't, and I believe those benefits can help endurance athletes that are quad dominant in a substantial way.
I will be visiting the Punch Gym in St. Pete while I am down there and maybe giving a little demo to a few triathlete friends. It is the beginning of my plan to create a convincing argument for endurance athletes to incorporate kettlebells into their training, especially those that are injury-prone and those who already use traditional weight training for increased strength and injury prevention.
Primal living and endurance exercise. Yes, I am still thinking about doing another ultra marathon (not to mention the Goofy Challenge, which I am already singed up for). I have a lot of fear to deal with. I fear gaining weight, I fear being hungrier and not being able to maintain IF (which I really love), I fear having to eat lots of carbs both during and after workouts. I fear moving away from the primal lifestyle that has done so much good for me in the last 6 months. I have been trying to connect with others who believe in the primal lifestyle but also still enjoy trail running and marathons/ultras. Related to this, I have been trying to formulate a workout plan that minimizes the time I spend doing chronic cardio so that my dietary needs do not have to change drastically. I guess I will be my own guniea pig and usethis as a big expiriment. Right now my plan is to do one long run a week and 2-3 tabata or interval runs of 30 minutes or less.
I understand that long distance running races are not good for my body. I am willing to do something that is not good for me occasionally if I really enjoy it. For me, the key to combining primal living with endurance racing is not about race day. It is about all the training leading up to race day. I will not beat up my body every week to get in high mileage. I will not eat gels or gatorade or pasta or bread to fuel my workouts on a weekly basis. On race day, anything goes. That is one day. It's the training for it that, in my opinion, leads to sub-optimal overall health.
That's what is on my mind lately. Besides visiting the Punch Gym, the only thing on my agenda is making this a fun trip for my kids and enjoying my time back in my much-missed former hometown.
Unsolicited Advice,Or How to Start Over After Burning Out!
I have mentioned before (frequently) how much I feel my life has changed due to my changes in lifestyle and diet over the last 5 months. If you want to read about it, you can read my 5 day series about what exactly I did here. I have continued to evolve and adapt this lifestyle to my particular needs, so some things have changed. I work out even less than before. I also have eliminated protein powder and eat less dairy and more animal fat. I still fast 14-18 hours most days Mon-Fri and if I feel like it I will go to 24 hours once a week or so. I also cheat more frequently with ice cream. :)
Now for the point of this blog: Yesterday I was reading the blog of someone I met a few years ago at an Ironman and I recognized some very familiar themes in what they were saying. This person was struggling with weight and trying to get back motivation after doing an Ironman and losing the fire to continue with the heavy cardio load of triathlon training. I read the blog and immediately commented on it because I felt compelled to offer this person a different way of looking at things, a different path to success that doesn't involve regret, guilt, shame, or a continuing and possibly futile quest to maintain high levels of motivation for hours and hours of weekly triathlon training.
Let me put it this way: I want other people to be as happy and satisfied with their health as I am. So give me someone who is incredibly similar to me and where I was BEFORE my change, and I am chomping at the bit to offer my opinion. So...here it is, take it or leave it.
If I was a former Ironman triathlete that had spent 1.5 years after the IM race feeling unmotivated to continue triathlon training and had gained weight in the process, I would:
Give up on the idea that I have any obligation to triathlon even though it made me very happy and fulfilled at one point in my life. I have seen this SO many times. People struggle to regain motivation after an Ironman and forget that this is a HOBBY that is supposed to be FUN. Sometimes we give so much of ourselves to something that we can only burn brightly for a short while before our fire goes away. Others may maintain a strong motivation to continue in one sport for years and years, but that doesn't mean they are better than those who move from hobby to hobby. Some people like change, some people like routines. Some people enjoy learning new things and some people enjoy perfecting one thing for a long time. Just because triathlon and Ironman training might have given us great pleasure and a huge sense of accomplishment in the past does not mean we have an obligation to it as if it is a person that dragged us to rehab or something!
Give up the idea that high levels of fitness require a huge time commitment and a dedication to grueling workouts. It felt great to achieve the high level of fitness required to do an Ironman. I loved it when I did it. But what do you do when you get to that level of fitness and do your race? You can't maintain it. Yet to back down would seem to mean being less fit, which is hard to accept. What I have learned over the past 5 months is that there a million different ways to get fit and they all have positives and negatives. Triathlon training leads to sports-specific fitness. It requires a lot of time and that time must be focused on only three activities:swim, bike, run. And while I did enjoy my Ironman fitness, one thing that amazed me about moving to HIIT and kettlebell work was how much better my body felt. I felt very fit and strong and at the same time I could actually ENJOY that fitness in my daily life. I felt energetic and light on my feet and quickly learned to love not feeling tired and sore all the time!
If you want to be fit, you don't have to do it the same way you have done it in the past. It's hard to let go but the reward is that you might end up with a fitness level that makes the rest of your life more enjoyable rather than a fitness level that impedes your enjoyment of other things in your life! Maybe it will help to think of it this way: Ironman training is primarily about goals and achievement, not about fitness. So quit looking to triathlon to keep you in shape if what really motivated you was goal setting and not fitness levels! It's time to start thinking about what else you might enjoy. It's time to explore all the fun fitness opportunities out there. Some ideas:
find a local bootcamp
try a crossfit gym
try training for just 5Ks and try to go fast
walk
start bodyweight training with Turbulence Training and join one of their contests
try weight lifting or kettlebells
Re-learn how to eat now that carbohydrate demands are greatly reduced. One thing that killed me when I read my friend's blog was the mention of counting calories and being "out of calories" for the day. Wow...I have been there so, so, so many times. But I am not there now and I am the leanest I have ever been. I do not count calories. I do not measure my food. Just this week I decided for ONE day to measure and count just to see what my ratios are, and it was a HUGE pain! Why should I make something complicated when it clearly works on it's own without me micromanaging it?
When I stopped working out all the time, I felt free to try interesting new ideas I had learned about. I completely changed my relationship with food and turned mealtime into something wonderful and fulfilling and exciting! I cannot stress enough how good this feels. I can safely say that while I follow what most people would consider an extreme diet philosophy, this is the first time in my life I am losing body fat and weight without torturing myself and digging up huge reserves of willpower. I am losing weight and not feeling as though I am compromising my health to do it. So to my friend I say that if your relationship with food is troublesome and you aren't enjoying your meals and the flavors and textures of your food, try these:
Eat more fat. Eat animal fat. Use coconut milk. Eat full fat dairy products. Eat eggs often. Use butter. Fat is not bad for you. Eating low fat/high carb calories restricted is NOT a long term, sustainable way to lose weight.
Stop counting calories. You can do this if you stop eating processed foods, simple carbs and sugar. If you eat mostly veggies, meat, and fruit you do not need to count calories. Limit your grains (even if they are whole grains) by avoiding bread, pasta, bagels, couscous, etc.
If you are afraid of hunger and fear messing up your metabolism by going into "starvation mode", try intermittent fasting. Yes, it's hunger. So why is it so different than the hunger my friend endured after running out of calories for the day? It's a hunger I choose because I believe it is best for my health. I do NOT do it to lose weight-that is merely a side effect. It taught me what hunger really feels like and that it is not the end of the world if I go a few hours without eating- I don't need to panic! When I am ready to eat, usually after about 14-18 hours, I eat whatever I want. Yesterday I ate an 800 calorie meal of bacon, a bison burger, a bit of goat cheese, and veggies sauteed in bacon grease as my first meal of the day at about 1:30pm. It was so freaking good I made noises while I ate it. I talked out loud to myself about how awesome my food was. When was the last time you did that on a low fat, calorie restricted diet? Or even worse, a low fat calorie restricted diet where you eat every two hours so none of your meals are really meals but just glorified snacks and you are hungry ALL DAY LONG! Fasting feels natural to me, as does eating hearty meals. I used to be a grazer but now I prefer to sit down and eat a decent meal rather than munch my way through the day. It feels right.
If you don't want to try fasting, at least make sure you are only eating whole foods most of the time. Start here to learn about what a paleo-primal-evolutionary-whole foods diet looks like. Food can be life enriching if you let it. It doesn't have to be something you battle against constantly.
So that's my opinion. Like I said, you can take it or leave it! I believe the most important thing any of us can do for ourselves is identify what our goals really are and to also identify WHY those are the goals you want to achieve. Know your reasons. If your goal is to lose weight, then work on reaching that goal through whatever means are available. Don't limit yourself to only reach for goals that fit within the confines of what you have done in the past. Likewise, if your goal is to compete in triathlons again, then focus on that and not on weight loss and dieting. My most recent goal for myself was to lose body fat and to develop an overall fitness rather than a sport-specific fitness. I still struggle with whether to do a triathlon again, but what I always do when I start thinking about triathlon and feeling a bit og guilt at leaving it behind is remind myself what my goals are. Have they changed? Am I bored? If I ever answer "yes" to those, I will pursue tri training again. But so far the answer continues to be "no".
Now for the point of this blog: Yesterday I was reading the blog of someone I met a few years ago at an Ironman and I recognized some very familiar themes in what they were saying. This person was struggling with weight and trying to get back motivation after doing an Ironman and losing the fire to continue with the heavy cardio load of triathlon training. I read the blog and immediately commented on it because I felt compelled to offer this person a different way of looking at things, a different path to success that doesn't involve regret, guilt, shame, or a continuing and possibly futile quest to maintain high levels of motivation for hours and hours of weekly triathlon training.
Let me put it this way: I want other people to be as happy and satisfied with their health as I am. So give me someone who is incredibly similar to me and where I was BEFORE my change, and I am chomping at the bit to offer my opinion. So...here it is, take it or leave it.
If I was a former Ironman triathlete that had spent 1.5 years after the IM race feeling unmotivated to continue triathlon training and had gained weight in the process, I would:
Give up on the idea that I have any obligation to triathlon even though it made me very happy and fulfilled at one point in my life. I have seen this SO many times. People struggle to regain motivation after an Ironman and forget that this is a HOBBY that is supposed to be FUN. Sometimes we give so much of ourselves to something that we can only burn brightly for a short while before our fire goes away. Others may maintain a strong motivation to continue in one sport for years and years, but that doesn't mean they are better than those who move from hobby to hobby. Some people like change, some people like routines. Some people enjoy learning new things and some people enjoy perfecting one thing for a long time. Just because triathlon and Ironman training might have given us great pleasure and a huge sense of accomplishment in the past does not mean we have an obligation to it as if it is a person that dragged us to rehab or something!
Give up the idea that high levels of fitness require a huge time commitment and a dedication to grueling workouts. It felt great to achieve the high level of fitness required to do an Ironman. I loved it when I did it. But what do you do when you get to that level of fitness and do your race? You can't maintain it. Yet to back down would seem to mean being less fit, which is hard to accept. What I have learned over the past 5 months is that there a million different ways to get fit and they all have positives and negatives. Triathlon training leads to sports-specific fitness. It requires a lot of time and that time must be focused on only three activities:swim, bike, run. And while I did enjoy my Ironman fitness, one thing that amazed me about moving to HIIT and kettlebell work was how much better my body felt. I felt very fit and strong and at the same time I could actually ENJOY that fitness in my daily life. I felt energetic and light on my feet and quickly learned to love not feeling tired and sore all the time!
If you want to be fit, you don't have to do it the same way you have done it in the past. It's hard to let go but the reward is that you might end up with a fitness level that makes the rest of your life more enjoyable rather than a fitness level that impedes your enjoyment of other things in your life! Maybe it will help to think of it this way: Ironman training is primarily about goals and achievement, not about fitness. So quit looking to triathlon to keep you in shape if what really motivated you was goal setting and not fitness levels! It's time to start thinking about what else you might enjoy. It's time to explore all the fun fitness opportunities out there. Some ideas:
find a local bootcamp
try a crossfit gym
try training for just 5Ks and try to go fast
walk
start bodyweight training with Turbulence Training and join one of their contests
try weight lifting or kettlebells
Re-learn how to eat now that carbohydrate demands are greatly reduced. One thing that killed me when I read my friend's blog was the mention of counting calories and being "out of calories" for the day. Wow...I have been there so, so, so many times. But I am not there now and I am the leanest I have ever been. I do not count calories. I do not measure my food. Just this week I decided for ONE day to measure and count just to see what my ratios are, and it was a HUGE pain! Why should I make something complicated when it clearly works on it's own without me micromanaging it?
When I stopped working out all the time, I felt free to try interesting new ideas I had learned about. I completely changed my relationship with food and turned mealtime into something wonderful and fulfilling and exciting! I cannot stress enough how good this feels. I can safely say that while I follow what most people would consider an extreme diet philosophy, this is the first time in my life I am losing body fat and weight without torturing myself and digging up huge reserves of willpower. I am losing weight and not feeling as though I am compromising my health to do it. So to my friend I say that if your relationship with food is troublesome and you aren't enjoying your meals and the flavors and textures of your food, try these:
Eat more fat. Eat animal fat. Use coconut milk. Eat full fat dairy products. Eat eggs often. Use butter. Fat is not bad for you. Eating low fat/high carb calories restricted is NOT a long term, sustainable way to lose weight.
Stop counting calories. You can do this if you stop eating processed foods, simple carbs and sugar. If you eat mostly veggies, meat, and fruit you do not need to count calories. Limit your grains (even if they are whole grains) by avoiding bread, pasta, bagels, couscous, etc.
If you are afraid of hunger and fear messing up your metabolism by going into "starvation mode", try intermittent fasting. Yes, it's hunger. So why is it so different than the hunger my friend endured after running out of calories for the day? It's a hunger I choose because I believe it is best for my health. I do NOT do it to lose weight-that is merely a side effect. It taught me what hunger really feels like and that it is not the end of the world if I go a few hours without eating- I don't need to panic! When I am ready to eat, usually after about 14-18 hours, I eat whatever I want. Yesterday I ate an 800 calorie meal of bacon, a bison burger, a bit of goat cheese, and veggies sauteed in bacon grease as my first meal of the day at about 1:30pm. It was so freaking good I made noises while I ate it. I talked out loud to myself about how awesome my food was. When was the last time you did that on a low fat, calorie restricted diet? Or even worse, a low fat calorie restricted diet where you eat every two hours so none of your meals are really meals but just glorified snacks and you are hungry ALL DAY LONG! Fasting feels natural to me, as does eating hearty meals. I used to be a grazer but now I prefer to sit down and eat a decent meal rather than munch my way through the day. It feels right.
If you don't want to try fasting, at least make sure you are only eating whole foods most of the time. Start here to learn about what a paleo-primal-evolutionary-whole foods diet looks like. Food can be life enriching if you let it. It doesn't have to be something you battle against constantly.
So that's my opinion. Like I said, you can take it or leave it! I believe the most important thing any of us can do for ourselves is identify what our goals really are and to also identify WHY those are the goals you want to achieve. Know your reasons. If your goal is to lose weight, then work on reaching that goal through whatever means are available. Don't limit yourself to only reach for goals that fit within the confines of what you have done in the past. Likewise, if your goal is to compete in triathlons again, then focus on that and not on weight loss and dieting. My most recent goal for myself was to lose body fat and to develop an overall fitness rather than a sport-specific fitness. I still struggle with whether to do a triathlon again, but what I always do when I start thinking about triathlon and feeling a bit og guilt at leaving it behind is remind myself what my goals are. Have they changed? Am I bored? If I ever answer "yes" to those, I will pursue tri training again. But so far the answer continues to be "no".
Amazon Order
I bought some books today. I LOVE getting new books. Here is what I bought:
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler. I can't wait to read this book. The link will take you to a short video about the book and it's premise.
The Primal Blueprint. It looks like Mark Sisson's book will be the go-to book for anyone wanting to learn about the primal/paleo/evolutionary lifestyle. I don't plan on keeping this book for long as I know it will be one I will want to pass on to as many people as possible!
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. Again, please click on the link to watch a 2 minute preview about the book. I can't wait to read this one, too! I have been on a shoe transformation over the last few years, going from traditional motion control shoes that weighed a ton to Newtons to now running in Nike Free sandals. Reading about this book got me thinking that what I really miss about endurance sports is trail running. I've said it before and I will say it again - trail running was always my favorite activity. Running my one and only ultra marathon was one of the most fun and enjoyable races I ever did. I wonder if that is what my niche should be, running at an EASY pace for long distances, combined with my general fitness and kettlebell stuff. What I can't understand is why it is clear to me that I love ultra-runing and trail running but I can't commit to returning to it.
Why We Believe What We Believe: Uncovering Our Biological Need for Meaning, Spirituality, and Truth by Andrew Newberg. This may be one of the most important books I can read as I embark on my fitness career. All the knowledge in the world won't do me any good if I cannot understand how to reach people with it. To be an effective teacher, leader, and mentor you need to understand your student's personality and learning style. I hope to learn a lot from this book, and the fact that it will also satisfy my great curiosity about the ever-increasing role of neuroscience and neurobiology in social sciences is a huge bonus!
Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique by Michael S. Gazzaniga. This book has been in my shopping cart since November and I finally decided I just had to have it. My love for neuroscience books for general audiences will hopefully be greatly satisfied with this read.
I can't wait to get my books in the mail! In the meantime, I am still finishing up Good Calories, Bad Calories and I really want to read Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software by Steven Johnson. The science of emergence is one of the most beautiful things about the universe. It's often used by people trying to show scientific proof of the existance of God, as apparently it's just to hard to understand the creation of biological organization from chaos as anything less than divine. I can understand, which is why love emergence.
Anyone have any good books to recommend?
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler. I can't wait to read this book. The link will take you to a short video about the book and it's premise.
The Primal Blueprint. It looks like Mark Sisson's book will be the go-to book for anyone wanting to learn about the primal/paleo/evolutionary lifestyle. I don't plan on keeping this book for long as I know it will be one I will want to pass on to as many people as possible!
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. Again, please click on the link to watch a 2 minute preview about the book. I can't wait to read this one, too! I have been on a shoe transformation over the last few years, going from traditional motion control shoes that weighed a ton to Newtons to now running in Nike Free sandals. Reading about this book got me thinking that what I really miss about endurance sports is trail running. I've said it before and I will say it again - trail running was always my favorite activity. Running my one and only ultra marathon was one of the most fun and enjoyable races I ever did. I wonder if that is what my niche should be, running at an EASY pace for long distances, combined with my general fitness and kettlebell stuff. What I can't understand is why it is clear to me that I love ultra-runing and trail running but I can't commit to returning to it.
Why We Believe What We Believe: Uncovering Our Biological Need for Meaning, Spirituality, and Truth by Andrew Newberg. This may be one of the most important books I can read as I embark on my fitness career. All the knowledge in the world won't do me any good if I cannot understand how to reach people with it. To be an effective teacher, leader, and mentor you need to understand your student's personality and learning style. I hope to learn a lot from this book, and the fact that it will also satisfy my great curiosity about the ever-increasing role of neuroscience and neurobiology in social sciences is a huge bonus!
Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique by Michael S. Gazzaniga. This book has been in my shopping cart since November and I finally decided I just had to have it. My love for neuroscience books for general audiences will hopefully be greatly satisfied with this read.
I can't wait to get my books in the mail! In the meantime, I am still finishing up Good Calories, Bad Calories and I really want to read Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software by Steven Johnson. The science of emergence is one of the most beautiful things about the universe. It's often used by people trying to show scientific proof of the existance of God, as apparently it's just to hard to understand the creation of biological organization from chaos as anything less than divine. I can understand, which is why love emergence.
Anyone have any good books to recommend?
