HFCS, preservatives, hydrogenated oil.... What's a busy girl to do?

Sadly I haven't been running as much as I'd like. I *have* been working out, quite a lot... a friend and I are doing Jillian Michael (from the Biggest Loser)'s Making the Cut workout book. They are really hard circuit training strength exercises that kick my butt!!! I feel like I am getting toned and in good shape, but I really need to up the pure cardio and running. It is so hard to fit in both. Today is a rare "off" day in the program so I am going to run 4 - 5 miles if I'm not too sore. We're in the middle of week 2 so I think now I can really start trying to incorporate running more miles like I was doing a couple weeks ago, *and* this strength workout I wanted to fit in back then. I don't think it has to be one or the other, but that's how it's turned out.

In other fitness news, I've decided to try to eat as healthy and naturally as possible. I've been frustrated because even though I run a lot and work out a lot, I don't really lose weight... more like, I flucuate between re-losing and re-gaining the same 3 or 4 pounds, when really I would like to lose a good 10 pounds and keep it off. I know it's all because of my diet, and if I can just be as discliplined and dedicated to that as I am to running and working out, I will be all-around healthy *and* I will finally get rid of these 10 extra pounds I've been carrying around for at least a year.

I've been focusing on that for only 2 days now but I already feel great. My skin gets softer when I drink more water and eat more fruits and veggies. During the day I have energy that feels so natural, and then at night time I am actually tired. So I am really, really liking it.

Last night I was headed to the grocery store and, lo and behold -- perfect timing -- on my liberal radio talk show, where they normally only talk about politics, came a guest speaker who was this guy called Chef MD who wrote a book about "culinary medicine". I guess he has a show called What's Cooking on Lifetime (but I've never seen it). Anyway, he is a doctor and a chef and he was talking about the American diet and why we are obese.

Since my new decision to eat natural, I have been trying to stay away from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and funny enough, he started talking about this on the show regarding his book. He said that today almost *everything* that Americans buy at the grocery store and eat has HFCS in it. In 1970, *nothing* Americans ate had HFCS in it. And it just so happens that the obesity rate in America has tripled since then.

So, after hearing that in my car and thinking about it lately, I went around the grocery store trying to find healthy food that didn't have HFCS in it. I was also looking to avoid preservatives and partially hydrogenated oils. It was honestly practically impossible. :cry: Even the bread I always eat, which I always thought was healthy -- Sara Lee 100% Whole Wheat -- has it. At home I looked at my shelves and sure enough, there was either HFCS, hydrogenated oil, or both in my Special K Almond cereal, some chicken soup (the generic kind, not the Healthy Choices kind), my Quaker Oats 90 calorie granola bar.... almost *everything*!

What's a busy girl to do??!?! I am honestly usually proud of myself just for going to the grocery store and buying stuff to take to work with me for lunch and snacks, instead of eating the unhealthy free junk at work or buying McDonald's or a burrito etc. Now I realize that the only way to really be natural is to go to the co-op and buy stuff with preservatives that doesn't last long, and cook it up right away... wow, so much work. But I guess that's what's become of the American culture, huh... I guess I fit right in and that explains why it's so "easy" for us to buy all of this pre-packaged stuff.

I have not come up with a definite solution but I need to find a way to be healthy, eat naturally, work out, *and* work, *and* have a life. I think I just have to get used to slowly making better changes. Like, I'm only going to buy Kashi Go Lean cereal and others that don't have artificial stuff in them. I'm going to make it a priority to bring my lunch and prepare food so that I don't have to stop and grab a sugar-sweetened treat or fast food. Eventually I want to get to a place where eating healthy and knowing what I'm putting in my body is second nature. At this point, though, I am just surprised to learn all of this! I may check out the book the guy on the radio was talking about, and I also want to read "Fat Land."

Some statistics and links:

America Scores: Statistics on Childhood Obesity 15.3% of children ages 6 to 11 were overweight in 1999 and 2000, more than triple the average of 4.2 percent from 1963 to 1970.

US Obesity Rate Map: State by StateAlabama has the highest obesity rate, at 30%, and Colorado has the lowest, at 18.7%... my state, New Mexico, is about in the middle, at 24%.

Alarming Obesity RateThis blog entry by Dr. Davis sums up the CDCP's statistics on the obesity rate, including the alarming facts that children between the ages of 2-9 have almost a 17% obesity rate and adult males have a 31% obesity rate. Dr. Davis recommends a plant-based diet... I love veggies but I also love me some chicken!!!

Chef MD This is the guy I heard on the radio last evening. He seems like a cool dude! I'm going to look into his website, TV show, and book.

Super Bowl Sunday 5K Race Result

I did it! I finished the 5K in my goal time of under 27 minutes. In fact, my time was 26:55. :)

It felt great. I definitely went out too fast the first mile -- 8:15! I need to run more on the road instead of on the treadmill so I can gage my pace. I just started off with the head of the pack and my Garmin said my pace was 6:30! I'd try to slow down and it would say 7:30! Crazy.

The second mile I did in 8:55 or so, which was slower than my 8:40 goal pace. The third mile I did in 8:35 or so, so it all evened out, but I really want to work on my pace. At the end I felt spent and was hoping I could crawl over the finish line in time. Ha ha.

I had a great time, my boyfriend came and took my picture so I'll have to post it. I am really excited to have run my first race of the year and to start working on improving that time. But it's a great starting time... fast for me!

Here's a link to the official results.

What to do before a 5K race

Tomorrow is my 5K. It will be my first race of the year, and, sad to say, my first race since I ran the Portland Marathon near the end of 2007! It will give me a good starting time to build off of the rest of the year, for 5Ks and longer races. I want to come in in 27 minutes or less, which is a pace of 8:41 minutes per mile. I'm going to go out at that pace (with my Garmin 405 :) and see how I feel after the first mile. If I feel good, I'll pick it up just a little... to like 8:35. After mile 3, as long as I keep that up, I'll make it. If I feel really good, I might try to run the last mile pretty fast.

Here are some tips I've found online for what to do before a 5K race.

* Stick to your routine! Don't make any last-minute changes in what you eat, drink, wear, etc. It could throw you an unexpected curve ball! Wear the running shoes you've been training in.

* Secure your most comfortable race clothing the day before. Hopefully you know what is most comfortable to run in from training. If not, get a shirt or tank top made of wicking fabric that will pull the sweat away from your body. Wear running tights under your shorts or pants so you don't chap.

* Stay well hydrated the day before!

* Rest up the day before as much as possible. This is no time for last-second training sessions. You are not going to get any better in one day, and you may risk making yourself tired or your muscles sore for the race.

* Pack a sports bag the night before with essentials (safety pins for race bib, energy bar/ gel, gatorade, water, camera if you want to take pictures!, layered clothes/ jacket, sunglasses, cap, sunscreen, lotion or vaseline for anti-chapping, chapstick, MP3 player and headphones if you use them). Don't forget post-race essentials like change of clothes, towel, dry socks, sandals or comfy shoes, deodorant... especially if some poor person is going to be driving you home!

* A 5K is really not long enough of a distance to "carb-load" the night before, but, in addition to staying well hydrated!, make sure you eat healthy and enough the day before. Don't stuff yourself but don't go hungry. Eat plenty of protein and carbs. A sensible meal plan is oatmeal or high-protein cereal for breakfast, with whey protein if you're into that, or an egg and cheese sandwich; a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with cheese, and a side of fruit for lunch; a chicken wrap with veggiess for dinner. In between meals, you can snack on granola, nuts, yogurt, fruit, veggies, or protein/ energy bars.

* This may seem obvious, but get a good night's sleep! Don't party or stay up late the night before. Have a relaxed routine planned where you can take a bath, read a book, drink some tea, meditate, or otherwise calm yourself down and get to bed at a decent hour so that you have at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep before the race.

* Four to two hours before your race if possible, have a "last meal" that is light and easily digested, such as cereal (but don't have this if milk gives your stomach a reaction, especially when nervous), a banana, or two pieces of toast with peanut butter. If you're used to coffee and tea, it won't be a problem to drink. But again if this makes ever your stomach feel weird when you're nervous, skip it until after the race. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a 400 to 500 calorie meal about 3 hours pre-exercise.

* Make sure to drink enough water before the race, but don't overload yourself. 16 ounces should be plenty. You can also drink a sports drink, tomato juice, or fruit juice, but you may want to dilute these to one-third their strength so they don't weigh your stomach down or interfere with your body's natural process during the race.

* Find the race site and a parking spot early to avoid unnecessary stress, especially if you're registering on race day!

* Drive around the race course if you want, to get a good idea of the course and where any hills, tight spots, curves, loop-arounds, etc. are.

* Once you're all ready for the race (early!), just relax and tell yourself you are ready. Think of how far you've come in your training! Be proud of yourself for training, registering, and showing up for a race!

* You can do some easy running 30 minutes before the race to warm up your legs. Also some light stretching 15 minutes beforehand. But be sure to conserve your energy; don't do anything strenuous.

* If it's at cold out, it's a good idea to keep on at least a lightweight layer until right before the race.

That's it. You'll be all ready to race your 5K. And so will I, hopefully! Wish me luck. :)

Nutrition Issues

I was tired and weak for my workout today. I have not been eating well. A couple of months ago, I weighed 138 and decided it was time to get healthier. I ate really well, but didn't run very much -- maybe about 3 miles a few times a week with my dog, and some strength training at the gym with my friend.

I lost weight and got down to 132 in a few weeks. My goal is 125. But then when I started running more, I started eating more too! I get so hungry and I start to not care what I eat. I really love burritos, chips and salsa, ice cream (which I try not to eat very often), etc.

A lot of the weight came back, and I got frustrated. So I tried not eating very much and soon I was back down to 134. I think today I am at 134. But I haven't been eating *enough* and that made me too tired to work out. I notice that I really need the nutrients, but I should skip the heavy/ bad for me stuff.

I only ran for 3 miles in 31 minutes on the treadmill at the downtown gym. I felt like I could pass out. :( I also did some strength/training exercises for 15 minutes.

So now I am really trying to be balanced and healthy. I really can't lose weight unless I eat very well and not too much. That is hard to do when I'm running a lot. But I'm going to try to eat about 1400-1500 calories a day, except on days I have a really hard workout or long run, in which case I'll eat 1800-2000. And I'm going to try to stick to food that's healthiest for me, so I'm not filling my body up with useless crap.

First thing in the morning

I actually got up early and worked out at 7:15am. :)

I did a speed interval workout on the treadmill at the gym across from my office I did .5 mile at 10 min per mile, then .5 mile at 8:34 min per mile for total of three miles. Then 1 mile cool-down at 10 min per mile. 4 miles total in 37:45, plus cool down to 40 minutes.

It feels great to run first thing in the morning! I am going to try to do that more often. It was my New Year's Resolution to get up at 6am and try to work out right away, or else go into work early if I had a lot to do. But I've rarely put that into practice!

Skiing

On Friday the associates at my firm went skiing at Santa Fe. I skiied from 10 am to 4 pm, with a couple little breaks in between. Factoring in the ski lift time, I'd say I got in a good three hours of skiing. I was doing moguls on black diamond slopes... it was hard!

It was my first time skiing this season, and last season Kenny and I went just about every weekend it seemed. I remember I used to get tired last season and need a break. This season, even though I was rusty from being out of skiing practice, physically I felt great and I wanted to keep going and going, even after most of the rest of my co-workers were finished. I could feel a big improvement in my physical condition as a result of running so much. Woo hoo! I love skiing and I'm glad that running translates so well with it.

Yesterday I was a lot more sore than I thought I would be, though. My neck and back were stiff and tight, almost post-marathon style, and my calves were really sore. I was also really tired, like when I used to train for this uphill mountain trail race called La Luz. I was surprised, because I'd felt so good on Friday!

Today I still feel pretty sore, especially my tight calves. But I took Venus for a run around Kenny's neighborhood and it felt really good. Amazingly my calves didn't feel sore when I was running, but after I stopped again, they sure did. Weird! We just went for thirty minutes, about three miles.

Week 2 Report

Week 2: Thursday January 15, 2009 -- Wednesday January 21, 2009

Note: S/T = strength/ toning

Day Date Miles Type Time Pace
8 Thu 1/15/09 4 Mi Easy 39:27 9:52
9 Fri 1/16/09 5 Mi Hill 53:40 10:44
10 Sat 1/17/09 7 Mi Long 1:14:30 10:39
11 Sun 1/18/09 ----- REST DAY --------------
12 Mon 1/19/09 5 Mi Regular 50:00 10:00
----------- S/T: 10 min sit ups/ push ups
13 Tue 1/20/09 5 Mi Regular 48:19 9:40
14 Wed 1/21/09 3.1 Mi Pace 27:07 8:45
----------- 2.9 Mi Easy 20:00 10:32

Record:

Total miles: 31
Total approx running time: 5.5 hours
Total days a week running: 6
Total strength/ toning time: 10 minutes
Total work out time: 5 hours, 40 minutes
Total days a week strength/ toning: 1
Total days a week working out: 6
Runs done this week: Long, Hill, Regular, Easy, Pace
Pace Run: 3.1 miles in 27:07 (8:45 min per mile pace)


Notes:
I need to do more strength/ toning but I just can't seem to find the time.
I feel like I did at least one more strength training this week than it shows here, but I can't remember and I forgot to log it right away!
I am proud of myself for staying dedicated these past two weeks. :)