I love your optimism, romani. Keep it going! Glad you missed the downpour, MoWC. Stay warm, Bunsen!
Last day at the beach. I started out the morning aiming for a four mile run, but…dolphins, birds, and seashells = 2 miles running, 2 miles strolling. No regrets 
Bromfield, yes. I’m in my first year so all classes (no teaching) and I’m still managing a massive history project which involves people from many colleges.
A full class load for us is 3 classes which is what I’m taking. Two are co-taught by practicing physicians and the third class is with the head of the deparment. They’re all in the loop and have been beyond supportive. My advisor’s wife also has autoimmune diseases and she has been the staunchest advocate for me in my department that I could ever imagine.
My courses this semester happen to be Medical Anthropology, US History (focus on medicine), and our research course where I’m writing a medical history paper. So it’s been really interesting how much my schoolwork has been art imitating life lol.
Pats on the back to all the good attitudes, classes finished, steps taken, miles run in rain or not, and everything else!
Plenty of steps but no formal exercise - tomorrow will probably be the same - spending time with D2 - but if two days go by without a good sweaty workout I feel like I’m missing out!!!
Another book on why fat isn’t bad for you. Here’s an interview with the author in the NYTimes: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/making-the-case-for-eating-fat/?ref=health&_r=0
I particularly liked this exchange – it makes a lot of sense to me.
Q.
What do you say to scientists who argue that saturated fat does in fact cause heart disease?
A.
I think the challenge with the research is that a lot of the data combines saturated fat in the context of a high-carbohydrate diet. The real danger is sweet fat. If you eat fat with sweets – so sugar and fat, or refined carbohydrates and fat – then insulin will rise and it’ll make you fat. But if you eliminate the refined carbs and sugar, that doesn’t happen. I think saturated fats can be bad in the context of a high-carbohydrate diet. But in the absence of that, they’re not.
Last night was a good workout with my trainer. He is so encouraging and that really helps. This morning was a 3.3 mile run with Back on My Feet. In spite of the very early hour, it’s always fun to run with that group.
fireandrain - interesting comments re fats and sweets. Seems so obvious, but there’s so much discussion out there about low fat.
There’s a Wellness Challenge that will be starting here at work in a couple weeks that focuses on nutrition. These challenges have been great at helping us make improvements. It’s kind of silly that a $50 incentive can be so powerful (especially since the data on most of the challenges is all self-reported). But whatever works! Nutrition is the area I really wanted to focus on in 2016 and I’ve been making gradual changes - this challenge will help me continue in that vein.
Fat and sugar is what fuels America, unfortunately! The differences in calories and what foods really are the most nutritious are what a lot of people who are trying to lose weight and improve health tend to ignore. I am by far not the model for healthy eating, but I am at least willing to learn what makes sense.
I really struggle with the morning runs in the winter. It’s just hard to get out of bed, run, rush to get ready for work, have a demanding work day… I wanted to do 3 miles this morning, even though I haven’t tapered for my 5K tomorrow which means it will hurt even more than usual. I need to bump my mileage back up after the 2 weeks of being sick. I just couldn’t face it, so I forced myself out the door to “just do 2 miles”. Well- I managed to do 3, of course.
I am having a rest day today - I usually go to circuit class but didn’t sleep well. Trying to hydrate really well today - a planned 12 miles tomorrow.
C3Baker - I feel the same way about my Pilates trainer. Finding the right person to work with really makes a huge difference - we’ve worked together almost a year now and I hope I never need to find anyone else to work with.
I wish we had those kinds of challenges at work - there are still a few here who smoke (ick) so they take several smoke breaks a day. It was suggested to them that the firm would pay for smoking cessation programs - I asked if the firm would pay an equal amount for wellness benefits for everyone else - no dice. In any event, the smokers weren’t interested.
I really need some help with my diet, particularly carbohydrates. My physician told me I shouldn’t consider vegetables to be carbs for planning purposes (i.e., fuel) but I’m really struggling with the correct amount and type of carb to fuel a longer run.
I’m back to religious on WW tracking and it helps. I find it useful to “pre-track” - for example, when I am out and about today, I am carrying with me a Greek yogurt, celery with hummus, 2 hard boiled eggs and a half a turkey sandwich. I’ve entered it all in already so it fits into eating plan. Then I really have to “confront” myself if I go get a fancy schmancy sugary latte (my weakness, where I kid myself it’s just coffee when it’s a boatload of calories!). I seriously am carrying 10 pounds just due to the soy pumpkin chai tea latte at Starbucks!
Sabaray, I think it is not just the right type of carb. Timing your pre-run fueling can matter, too. I found that a bowl of oatmeal with milk and banana slices eaten an hour or hour and a half before my long runs were very, very helpful. Other carbs did nothing to keep me going. Of course, I have to have something beyond 15 miles to keep me from running splat into “the wall.”
That’s one disadvantage of running so early - getting up even earlier to eat! I try to eat bagel/nutbutter combo because it’s quick and quiet to prepare but oatmeal is a good suggestion. I might experiment with some mason jar type breakfasts that are ready to eat. I think I am eating too many carbs late in the day instead of pre-exercise, when I could really benefit from them.
Has anyone tried Dave’s Killer Bread? I bought some at Costco yesterday and I don’t know that I’ll be buying Ezekiel in the future. 1 slice has 120 calories, 5 grams each of protein and fiber, 22 grams of whole grains, 22 grams of carbs and 5 grams of sugar. It is delicious. If it’s not good for me I don’t want to know.
Funny you should mention that brand of bread! We are finishing our first loaf, and so far, so good - love it, so might try another variety (we need a new toaster, but that is a whole 'nother story). I eat 1/2 of a slice, and Mr. says a whole slice with our eggs. I smear just enough butter on it to create a buttery flavor.
I usually eat a Picky Bar (love them) before a long run, and then the HumaGels during. I’ll eat half a picky bar tomorrow morning before the 5K.
That bread sounds wonderful.
Mowc - that’s good to know - I just bought a handful of Picky Bars at my local running store because the size looked right and stored them in my glove compartment, but hadn’t yet tried one.
Here’re some links to articles on carbs and exercise including long distance running - amount, sources, timing etc. If you go to the ACE Fitness website and use the search bar to search carbohydrates, a ton of articles will come up, many of which may be worthwhile.
http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2016/01/04/carbs-the-training-fuel/
https://www.acefitness.org/blog/5292/the-real-impact-of-carbs
http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/3567/carbohydrates/
https://www.acefitness.org/blog/5360/nutrition-support-for-long-distance-running
“That’s one disadvantage of running so early - getting up even earlier to eat! I try to eat bagel/nutbutter combo because it’s quick and quiet to prepare but oatmeal is a good suggestion. I might experiment with some mason jar type breakfasts that are ready to eat. I think I am eating too many carbs late in the day instead of pre-exercise, when I could really benefit from them.”
I think experimentation makes sense, because the way our bodies react to food is really individual. Also try to experiment a bit with eating more of your daily protein after the runs. I do my runnig in the evenings because I would have to wake up at 4:30 to get a morning run in, and I am not a morning person! As the result, I end up eating dinner right after the runs, and it is usually a chunk of some meat or fish and some salad or veggie, so pretty low carb post-run. It works for me. If I were running in the morning, I would eat a Greek yogurt with some berries immediately post-run.
One more though. Do you eat low salt? When you run a lot, you might need to add extra elecrolytes.
I don’t consciously eat low-salt, but I suspect I do. If I am planning to run longer I will drink Nuun or some equivalent product the day before in addition to water. I am one of those people that gets a salt crusted face after I’ve run more than 7 miles!
These are all good suggestions - and thanks for the article links, Michael. Bunsen - on run days I get up at 4:15! Saturdays I can sleep in until 4:30.
Ouch! 4:15? Do you get enough sleep? Are you an early riser or do you force yourself to get up early? That could be a huge factor in how your body deals with carbs.
For me, such early morning runs would not be feasible. I get home at 7:30 the earliest, and then I have to deal with homework etc. so it means I don’t go to bed until midnight. 4 hours of sleep is not going to cut it for me! Plus, even if I force myself to wake up so early, my body rebells, as I learned.
Believe it or not, I’m generally awake. I’m usually in bed by 9:30 or so. I wish I could sleep more but just can’t. It’s really only three days a week I get up that early - other days I’m up at 5, which is more my “natural” wake-up time. I don’t think I could function on your schedule!
We are all unique in our own ways. I wake up at 6 or 6:30, so I get good 6-7 hours of sleep. Evening runs are soooo much easier for my body. At 6, it just wants some coffee and some quiet time on the bus before the maddening climb up the hill. I guess that long walk with a 250 ft altitude climb IS my morning run!
Morning person here - I wake up with a full tank of energy & draw it down through the day. It’s usually completely empty by 7-8 PM, then I’m only good for reading, watching TV or hitting the sack.
Those of you who are tracking your food - what carb/fat/protein ratio are you using for your goals? I’m trying a higher carb than previous, which means lower fat & I’m finding it pretty hard to stay within the fat goal! Currently shooting for 55 carb/ 25 fat / 20 protein. With the long runs, I definitely feel better with more carbs.