Reevaluate

Im starting my marathon training this coming Monday for the Baltimore race in October. I lost the lottery to the NY so it was my second choice. It will be my first full marathon but second time registering. I bombed my last training. For some reason I thought I was going out for the Olympics (small aspiration of mine, Im still looking for a way into 2012) and picked an elite running schedule that landing me in the hospital with IVs. I have an -I can do it all attitude-, which you might think is good but I didn’t respect the race’s integrity. It ain’t easy! I laugh about it now but it was a good lesson to learn for both my body and my periodic loss of sanity (I get a little excited sometimes). As I chose my new training schedule I kept in mind my errors and also know where I need to tweak my foods and hydration. With the strenuous program I was trying to uphold I was sabotaging myself by not adjusting my diet. Your body is a pretty cool machine that knows when something isn’t right and it’ll let you know. Whether it’s cravings, sickness or even pulling depleted nutrients from within itself your body makes arrangements so you can keep on trucking. This is not only reserved for athletes, but your body is also effected emotionally. Stress, relationships and any kind of craziness can put a toll on your body. You might be effected by emotional eating, depression or even not eating at all. What ever your symptom may be your body is telling you something. It’s become unusual to step back and listen to the signals, as our lives just keep getting busier and busier. Whether your an athlete or not, take a step back to listen and see what’s really going down. It’s not normal to live with chronic exhaustion or daily headaches. Like the marathon; life is a long haul and taking the time for readjustments will only make for a smoother journey.

Less is More

After an unmotivating winter filled with forecasts of wintry mixes and gale force winds, I did my first half marathon of the year a few weekends ago. I thought for sure I would be the one the clean up crew was following trying to wrap up the race, as I had not nearly put in the training time as I did last fall. I was pleasantly surprised as I neared the finish with the clock under my best time of last year. I shaved a minute off and could not have been happier. As I was sipping on my congratulatory beer (it is imparitive that you replenish your carbs!), I realized that maybe I was setting myself up for failure. I pushed myself so hard that most of the time it left me drained. I had read about the over training and even ignored my husband when he mentioned it, but because Im too stubborn to do it any other way than my own (is there any other way?) I continued pushing. Even though I didnt run as often, the quality of my work outs were what made the difference. I actually kicked up the yoga again to replace some of the maintenance runs. Less is more. Now dont think you can leave with out me tying this into food and nutrition! For starters, most restaurant portion sizes are bigger than the stomach capasity of a table of four put together. If that rib eye you ordered is hanging off the side of the plate that should tell ya something. The amount of hidden fats and oils in restaurant foods can make you readjust your belt loops in no time, not good for bikini season! Keep it simple. The closer to nature you eat the less chance your eating from the chemistry lab. Less is more. We all get a little stumped in the coffee line trying to decide between a venti skinny frappe latte or grande double mocha whip with a collassal sticky bun or the iced doughnuts. You can order a 20 oz. coffee for $2 or a 2 oz. espresso for the same price. Who wouldnt want more bang for their buck! Logically, the 20 oz big gulp seems like the best deal. While you might be saving the bank account your putting your liver and adrenal glands in debt as the constant caffiene stimulation sucks your natural hormones dry leading you to drink more and more. Less is more. I am by no means a fully balanced human being, as I too have my pit falls (hard to believe I know!), but the more I want to push myself harder the more I realize I need to do what is best for my body and mind and that is when things seem to flow. Less is more....

Hidden Calories

I recently saw a commercial on TV that showed a man offering a popsicle to his girlfriend and she refused because it had high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in it. He went on to explain that its all natural because it comes from corn so she ate it. Of course, at the bottom of the screen was 'Paid for by the corn farmers of America.' Its extremely cheap and profitable so the more places they can cram it in things the better for the bank. The problem is just that: it's in everything from breads, ice creams, soups and everything else that comes in packages. The average grocery store has up to 45,000 items and corn is in about a quarter of those, often in the form of HFCS. The average person consumes up to 12 teaspoons of it a day and teenagers and others can reach up to 80% more than that. This leads to Type 2 diabetes, forms of cancers and many other cronic, unnecessary illnesses. The drug industries make a fortune off these diseases. They also try to disguise the name HFCS with terms such as crystalized fructose, which is what it says: crystalized corn syrup. Also added to HFCS is arsnic, heavy metals, lead and chloride. Apetizing right? Think twice next time you go for that soft drink or worse yet a diet version. I wont even get into that one today! Be aware of what your putting into your body and read the labels. If you can't pronounce the ingredients or they are longer than the series of 'Harry Potter,' then chances are its not real food but a cocktail of a processed chemicals.

To all you meat eaters!

I havent eaten meat in probably 8 or 9 years now. I swore it off as a bet in Greece for a week and never turned back. It was a challenge and Im always up to prove myself capable and being in Greece as a veggie magnified it. But I realized I didnt really care much for it and actually felt better without it. I dont miss it, but I will admit that mom cooking bacon in the morning or bbq smells good, yet not good enough. Through the years people often asked why I gave up meat and I just told my story and said Im fine with out it. Since then Ive learned what you are actually eating and the horror of slaughter houses and Ive come to realize Ive changed my view. Between the funky hormones and pestisides and the ground up carcasus being feed back to the suppose to be naturally grass eating cows, was enough for me to try to regurgitate whatever meat I had eaten in the past. My dad sent me an article this morning in the Washington Post about the ramifications of eating too much. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/23/AR2009032301626.html?referrer=emailarticle
And I have to give him credit because he's been following my program and making progress. People in third world countries eat an average of 3 oz of meat a day and have no heart disease, diabetes, obesity and others. They rely on more grains, whole foods (not processed), fruits and veggies. Not only is the disease a concern but the environmental factor of producing so much meat is huge. Cattle is largest producer of emissions and require a huge amount of water, which in return is also contaminated. I forget the exact statistic, but if everyone would give up meat for a day the results were staggering. So before I go on and on, because I could I want to challenge you to go veggie for a week. Its exactly how I started out and its actually pretty easy. Do it for yourself, for a challenge and for the planet. Thanks for listening....
P.S. Zoe I know where your going tomorrow and its the perfect kick off! :)

Calorie Craze

Welcome to my first blog post!!!  So this morning I was watching the Today Show, which I do when able, and they brought on a nutritionist to compare the calories in various foods.  She preceded to choose the bacon bits over the sunflower seeds and the processed meat and the died yellow cheese to the tofu.  The problem I have is that sunflower seeds are full of all sorts of nutrients and great fats and the fried bacon pieces that have been processed to last on the shelf for a year that clog your arteries and everything else get the green light.  Same with chemical filled deli meats and the funky bright yellow cheese.  Now I know tofu doesn't always win in the flavor department but to be shunned for being high in calories next to the alternative is pretty lame.  Am I crazy.....????