Showing posts with label Fuel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fuel. Show all posts

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Oh What a Difference Calories Make!

Yesterday I had a plan.  My training for the day consisted of a fairly short swim* and a 90 minute bike ride.  I was going to spend some time with my daughter until she went to work and then I had a meeting at 2. 

My plan was to get up early, like 4am, take my thyroid medicine (on an empty stomach and wait an hour to eat) like I'm supposed to, eat some breakfast and then I would go to the pool about 6:30 to get the swim done.  I would then ride from 8-9:30ish, getting me home in time to take a quick shower to spend time with my daughter before my meeting.

That was all well and good, except that I didn't get to sleep until about 11 or so Tuesday night, so I couldn't make myself wake up yesterday morning.  When I woke up about 5, I was dragging so I didn't take my meds until about 5:30ish.  I decided I didn't really have to eat before the swim so I packed my breakfast and got to the pool on time.

YAY for going with the flow!!

Now, let me back up a second and say I had a "harder" run on Tuesday.  It wasn't "hard" but it was my first track work out in a LONG LONG time!  When I started swimming, I could tell I was ZAPPED but I finished the swim and was pleased with how it felt.  I hopped in the car to head to the place I wanted to ride my bike.  When I looked at the breakfast I had packed (an oatmeal/protein concoction I have made up that I like and tolerate pretty well), I just did NOT want to eat it. 

Now, let me say this...I KNOW what I'm supposed to do.  I know I have to eat if I plan to workout more than an hour.  I knew I had already been swimming a good 40 minutes.  I knew I had 90 minutes on the bike.  I KNEW I needed to eat...and I just couldn't even think about putting it in my mouth.  Thankfully I had a Picky Bar in the car that I was able to choke down.  200 calories in.

I got on the bike and started to pedal.  My legs felt DEAD.  I expected to be fatigued from the run the day before.  I reasoned with myself that I was just going to have to push until I warmed up a bit.  It might be slow, but I will dig in and get it done.

Fifteen minutes in and I was getting slower and slower and slower.  I expected the Picky Bar to be hitting my system at some point so I had a chat with myself, and then I texted my coach.  I KNEW I was completely underfueled for the workout, but I really didn't want to quit.  I didn't have time to eat and go back out.  As I was wrestling with myself about what to do, I found a gel in my bike bag!!!  One that had caffeine in it as well!!  I choked down the gel with some water and after ignoring the text back from my coach (sorry...just being honest...for my athletes who are reading this--do as I say, not as I do!!)...I continued on my ride.


I took a road that could either lead me back to my car or could be ridden as a "side route" and add on a little "climb".  By the time I got to the point I had to make a decision I was feeling MUCH better!!  That 120 calorie gel with the caffeine kick did the trick for me and gave me just enough zip I felt like I could keep going.

I KNEW I was riding on fumes at that point so I headed back to the car to see if I could find another gel hiding somewhere ((one of the advantages of living a "pack-rat lifestyle").  I did find one and choked it down before heading out for the final bit of my ride.  I rode so much harder that last bit that I made a loop faster than I had before so I still had some time left on the clock when I got back to my car the second time.  But by then my stomach was growling loudly so I headed home.

Again...I KNOW I have to eat.  That's not news to me.  I KNOW a body won't work without proper fueling.  I don't know what I was thinking.  However, I did learn something.  There is NO DOUBT the calories made the difference.  I'm sure the little splash of caffeine helped some, but the calories are what kept me going.

It's all mental, until it's physical!!

Until next time...
:D


*Okay, to be completely honest, the swim was "leftover" from Wednesday.  I know missed workouts are missed and not made up, but I decided since I was actually supposed to do physical therapy before my bike ride, I would swim instead and that would take care of both!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Nutrition

Several people have asked me questions recently about nutrition.  I have to make it very clear...I am NOT a nutritionist.  I don't remember if I heard it, or if I read somewhere that anyone can call themselves a nutritionist but you have to be licensed to have the title "dietician".  Well...I did some research today and found that to be incorrect, at least in the state of Alabama.  (See the rules and regulations here.)  So...let me state again, I am NOT a nutritionist.  I'm not a dietician.  I'm just a person who eats food!  :D

Here are some things I believe.

You have to eat if you want to lose weight.

Yes...that's what I said.  If you want to lose weight, you have to eat food.  If you try to stop eating your metabolism will slow down, your body will not know when to expect you to fuel it again so it will start storing everything as fat.  Now, you have to be smart about what you are eating and when and how much...but not eating does NOT work.

Losing weight is not (usually) a simple matter of calories in/calories out.

That's right...it's nutrition not mathematics.  Back when I first started running I couldn't understand why I wasn't losing weight.  I was accurately counting everything but it wasn't working.  Well, come to find out the types of foods I was eating were causing me to basically retain water.   (Yes, water...not food.  That saying "you aren't retaining water, you're retaining food" sorta ticks me off...)  When I cut out those foods, I lost weight.  It's very important you understand, I kept the same AMOUNT of calories, and I cut out "good-for-you" foods like milk, garlic (not many calories lost there), eggs.

When I eat those foods now, I can gain 2-3 pounds in one day.  Those 2-3 pounds are NOT due to excessive calories (1 pound is 3,500 calories....I can tell you I'm pretty sure I haven't had 10,500 in a day, ever).  You need to know what works for your body and what doesn't.  Naturally if you are eating more than you are burning you will gain and theoretically vice versa, but that equation is too simplistic for such a complex process.  And, going back up to my first point, if you reduce intake too much, your body will store what you eat and you could end up gaining weight when, on paper, you should be losing.  Part of the reason you may gain is the "calories out" portion is going to be wrong.  If your metabolism slows down, you won't be burning as many calories as you think you are.  And, if you restrict too much, you're bodily functions will shut down and you'll die.  (Cold hard fact of life.)

If you want a healthy body, you have to give it healthy fuel.

If you have a car that runs on unleaded gas but you decide to put diesel in it instead, it won't run very long.  However, if you put gas mixed with a little water, it will run, just not very well.  Everyone knows you have to eat food to live, but a lot of people eat the "wrong" kinds of foods to allow their body to function at its best.  Everyone is different.  I do not think our bodies are "one diet fits all" so I am NOT saying you need to follow a "boxed" plan.  However, I am saying you need to be a student of what works for you.  Some people I know function at their best with a higher protein diet, others seem to do better going vegan.  The key is to know what works best--FOR YOU--and to DO IT.  This requires you to 1) pay attention to what you are taking in, 2) pay attention to the results and 3) follow through.

I remember when I was a teenager.  I went to see a dermatologist for typical teenage acne.  I wanted him to give me a list of foods I shouldn't eat.  He told me there are no foods that cause breakouts.  I told him I noticed every time I would eat chocolate my face would break out.  He said, "then don't eat chocolate".  I remember asking him why he couldn't just tell me that in the first place; he explained  chocolate doesn't cause everyone to break out.  He also said it may not be causing my breakouts; it may have been merely correlated in timing.  (Maybe it was hormonal; the same thing that was causing the breakouts caused the chocolate cravings.)

That doctor said the same thing I've been hearing my whole life-I need to know my own body better than anyone else, because I live in it.  Although there are some absolutes, after all, no one can live off rat poison!; there is far more grey area than black and white when it comes to food.  How many calories I need to eat, what kinds of foods will upset my digestive system vs rev me up, how long it takes for my stomach to process food to avoid intestinal distress during a race....these kinds of things (among others) are what people have to figure out for themselves.  Yes, there are some good guidelines and some starting points that work for a majority of people, but what works best for you requires a level of self awareness most people simply do not care to have.

Take the time and effort to get to know your body...it's the one you'll have the rest of your life!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!!
:D

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Petrol, Natural Gas, Hydrogen, Ethanol...Food?

I bought a new-to-me car back in October.  It had a turbo engine in it.  The manual specified premium gas and pure synthetic oil.  One month, and less than 1,000 miles later, that turbo engine had to be replaced.  We were told the previous owners used inferior gas and oil in the car which caused sludge in the engine.  I'm no car expert, so I have no idea if that's the real reason the engine went kaput or not...but it makes sense to me.  Every engine, mechanical or living, requires proper fuel to run efficiently.  If I were to feed my cat fish food, he might not live long.  If I were to put cat food in my lawn mower's gas tank, it wouldn't start.


Knowing this, I can't understand why I would go to the pool yesterday at 11:30 and think I could swim a ridiculously hard-for-me workout having eaten only half a banana in the previous 17 hours.  Can you say BONK??  No wonder I was exhausted.  No wonder I couldn't finish much less finish strong.  No wonder I battled a headache the rest of the day.

Our bodies need fuel...more than that, they need PROPER fuel...to operate optimally.  Just like my car's engine was made to function with a certain octane gas and viscosity level of oil, my body was designed to perform at its best on certain kinds of food.  And, just like my car and my husband's car require different kinds of fuel, so too do our bodies.

I'm not a doctor and I haven't yet learned the why behind the what...but I'll tell you what:  You MUST listen to your own body and learn its needs in order to determine what fuel will keep you in top working order.  Yes...there are guidelines out there (eat carbs before exercise and a mix of protein and carbs afterwards) but beyond that you can not simply follow a plan developed for someone else's "machine".

I found out about a year ago my body has an immune response to a list of foods.  I hesitate to call what happens an "allergic response" because most people think that means anaphylactic shock.  My body's responses to the various foods on that list range from sinus issues, to intestinal distress, to a subtle shortness of breath, to joint pain and inflammation.   When my diet is clean, I feel, and I am able to function, MUCH better.  When my taste buds' desires override my long term focus for overall health and wellness...my body pays a price for about a week.  LONG after the memory of the delicacy has died, I continue to feel the effects of putting inferior fuel into my engine.

If you intend to drive a race car, you better be prepared to learn how to drive it, to learn how to maintain it, and to learn the proper way to fuel it...or you better be prepared to park it in the garage.  In that regard, keeping in mind no one can give you specifics on exactly what will work best for YOU, here are some tips that might help:

First and foremost-pay attention to your body.  I have a terrible "connect-the-dots" type brain.  I'm one of those people who continue to do the same things expecting different results.  One of the best ways to pay attention is to keep a detailed diary that includes what and when you eat and how you feel.  Food intolerances can last for up to a week after the food is eaten, so although a reaction might be immediate (instant headache every time you eat tomatoes), and it may take a few days to manifest, if you keep a diary you should notice patterns.  This process has always overwhelmed me because it requires diligence I haven't been able to muster.  ((I said it was one of the best ways, not the easiest.))

Be willing to try different things and keep an open mind.  I have found my body seems to be happiest when I eat mostly fruits and veggies.  Pork sits like a brick in my stomach whereas I tolerate fish easier.  I need to eat before I exercise whereas some of my friends must run on an empty stomach to avoid intestinal distress.  There are no cookie-cutter answers.

Lastly...be patient.  Remember, it's a process.  For people who have been life-long students of their own body, training and fueling can seem effortless.  Observant people will recognize what works/doesn't work much faster than someone like me.  Be kind to yourself as you learn to understand the language your body is speaking.

Thanks for stopping in...come again soon.
:D