Body By Jan: Fitness and Food

Yoga to the Rescue?

For the past 6 weeks my knee has been misbehaving badly. For days at a time it hurts in one specific spot, and just when I think I’ve googled my way to a diagnosis, it starts to hurt in a different spot. I was at the point where I thought I’d better get it checked out, when suddenly…

It stopped hurting - completely! I woke up a week ago today with absolutely no pain, zip, nada, nothing. I immediately started trying to figure out why the pain went away. I’ve recently changed several things, so it’s hard to pinpoint the actual cure. One possibility is my new shoes. I was due for new ones, so went to a running store and had a gait analysis done. Turns out I don’t pronate as much as I thought, so my new shoes are slightly less stable than my old ones, and they’re more cushioned. Maybe it’s the shoes.

I’ve also been doing hip and core strengthening exercises like a madwoman. Also, a nifty exercise I found online called Walt’s IT Band Exercise. One of my self-diagnoses was ITBS, so I thought I’d give Walt’s exercise a try. Maybe it’s those band walks, fire hydrants, planks, and Walt.

Squats and lunges haven’t been my friend since I tweaked my knee in January, but for some reason, as soon as my knee started to feel a little better I’d start squatting and lunging again. Well, I stopped squatting and lunging. Instead I’ve been doing yoga as my lower body strength workout. Which brings me to my next maybe.

Maybe it’s the yoga. After doing Sage Rountree’s Yoga for Athletes dvd several times in a week, I noticed that my legs felt more balanced, i.e. no tightness in any one area. Since it felt good I kept doing it, adding in an extra day each week. A week ago I realized I’d been doing yoga three times a week for several weeks. A week ago my knee pain disappeared. My strength training now consists of upper body weights,hip and core work, and yoga.

I’m almost scared to put it in words - “My knee pain is gone.” Which change made it disappear - the shoes, the new strength program, the yoga? Maybe it was Divine intervention (if so, Thank You)! Whatever it was, I hope it keeps working.

My Body Through My Runner’s Eyes

Like most women, through the years I’ve obsessed over just about every part on my body. There was always something I was trying to improve on - more definition in my quads, a perkier butt, better shoulder cap…and the list goes on and on. Yesterday I caught my reflection in the mirror as I passed by in my underwear. It’s not what I saw that amazed me, it’s what I thought - or didn’t think. Not one body part screamed at me to fix it, and I realized I had just looked at my body using my runner’s eyes.

Instead of skinny calves I saw calf muscles that, without fail, propel me up the hills. Instead of quads that need more definition, I saw slender legs that have just enough muscle to push me through the speed intervals and keep my knees on track. I thanked my glutes for knowing when to kick in for that final sprint across the finish line, without scrutinizing them for signs of a glute fold. I’ve been blessed with flat abs, for which I’m thankful, and I thanked them again for helping keep my core strong and stable. My shoulders are big players in the arm pump that helps my legs move faster, and I excused them for not looking like I have built-in shoulder pads.

I choose the workouts and food that help me be a stronger, faster, lifelong runner. If any of my choices result in a glute fold or less definition in my quads, so be it. My body looks pretty darn good through my runner’s eyes.

Take the Balls Off the Wall

When it comes to working out, I’ve always been an all or nothing person. The harder, faster, and more puke-inducing the workout the better I liked it. Many years ago, during a fitness conference, I tried a yoga class. My friend and I ended up crab walking out of the room, giggling like bratty little girls. I just didn’t get it, and had no desire to get it for a long time.

Years later the Pilates/yoga craze hit, and the health club where I was teaching classes wanted me to get certified to teach Yogafit. Really? Me? Since it was more of a directive than a choice I went ahead and did it. I didn’t giggle or have to leave, and I sort of enjoyed it. After teaching it for a couple years, I once again stopped doing yoga.

Fast forward to now - I recently had one of those major birthdays that end in a zero. Shortly after my birthday I reached down to touch the floor and realized I had to bend my knees to do it. Where did my flexibility go? (Probably the same place my youth and injury-proof body went.) The fact that I needed to start being nicer to my body slapped me in the face and kicked me in the butt at the same time.

Today is the 6 month anniversary of the day I stopped making every workout balls-to-the-wall intense. I still have my hard workout days, but I also have a couple of yoga days (yep, I said yoga) and one day a week that is supposed to be my rest day. The little nagging aches and pains that had started to creep up have pretty much gone away, and I’m actually enjoying the less intense days. My body is thanking me by continuing to let me run and be as active as I want to be.

The balls are no longer on the wall for every workout. Maybe I’ll replace their spot on the wall with some race bling when my appreciative body lets me hit new running PRs this summer.

Eat and Run

I love to run, like to eat, but hate to cook. Over the years I’ve modified many recipes to make them healthier and easier to make. My plan is to post a new recipe each week that has fewer than 10 ingredients, and takes less than an hour to make from start to finish. I promise you won’t have to shop for special ingredients either.

First up is Banana Oat Bites.These are sweet, chewy, and perfect for a pre or post run snack. Each bite has 73 calories, 0.9 grams fat, 14.7 grams carbs, 2.2 grams protein. You’ll need:

3 cups old fashioned oats

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg whites

3 ripe bananas (sliced and mashed)

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon into muffins tins, filling each half full. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool and eat! I like to add 1/4 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or dried cranberries. With one of the add-ins you’ll have85 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 15.9 grams carbs, 2.3 grams protein.

A healthy, sweet snack for under 100 calories. Prep time is about 10 minutes, cook time for two muffin tin pans is 24 minutes. Can’t beat that!

Never Too Late to Learn

I’ve been thinking back on the past year or so and how much some parts of my eating and training have changed. After being a “fitness person” for nearly 20 years, I figured I pretty much had it all down. I worked out 6-7 days per week, doing a balance of cardio and weights. My only real workout goal was to look good, then better, then I started picking apart individual body parts to work on. I never really got to where I was going because I wasn’t sure where I wanted to be. I’ve never really gone no-carb, but somewhere inside of me I believed protein was the priority and carbs had to be eaten in small amounts at certain times of the day. I wasn’t concerned with where my food came from as long as it wouldn’t make me fat.

This year I’ve really changed my feelings about what and how I eat. I’ve finally seen for myself that it’s all about quantity and quality. I know I could eliminate carbs from my diet, but still get fat eating lean protein if I eat too much of it. To lose weight, the “magic” formula is eating less than you burn - doesn’t matter if it’s carbs, protein, or fat. Counting calories and measuring portions are absolutely necessary if I want to lose weight. Quality - I’ve learned how differently my body responds to high quality foods (minimally processed, natural, organic-when-possible) types of foods. I’m finally looking beyond the mirror and caring what kind of hormones and drugs they give the animals I eat. I care what kind of pesticides are sprayed on my veggies and fruit. I’d rather buy organic chicken and only be able to eat it once a week than buy the cheap crap in a big ol’ plastic bag and eat it every day. I’d rather eat a plant-based diet (gasp! carbs) because when I do, I not only look better, I feel better too.

This year I started training instead of just working out. My fitness goals are much simpler now - I want to run fast, as long as I desire, and I want to keep my all-important muscle. My workouts are centered around those goals. I now know the purpose and desired outcome of every workout I do. I no longer want huge muscles, I want functional, effective muscles that help me do the things I want to do. I also want to stay lean, because lean runners run better. I do some type of cardio every day, first thing in my workout. Then I do some lifting. Some of my strength workouts are for muscles I never paid any attention to before, but they’re important to successful running and a high functioning body.

Not only do I feel better, but I’m completely satisfied with the way I look for probably the first time in my life. I don’t hate my butt, or my thighs, or anything else. My body evidently loves cardio, and a good amount of it. It’s not eating away at my muscles, cause they’re still there and doing just fine. Maybe getting older does mean getting wiser, or maybe it makes you decide what you want and that you better go out and get it.

Got a Goal?

Most of the choices we make are driven by a goal. I choose to go to work so I can pay the bills and buy new running shoes. I choose to buy groceries so we have food in the house and never have to eat at McDonalds. I choose the foods I eat based on what I want my body to look like, and my workouts based on specific fitness goals. Most of us have a reason for what we do and how we do it. Why then, are some people so random with their diets and exercise programs?

Right now I know at least five people who follow a certain type of eating plan and buy workout programs and dvds like crazy, yet when I ask them what their goals are, they really can’t answer. Usually I get something like “to lose weight” or “to look good.” Ok, so how much body fat do you need to lose and define what you mean by looking good. If you don’t know what you want, how are you going to know how to get it?

Looking good could mean having buff arms, or getting rid of the saggy shelf below your glute cheeks, or having chiseled quads. Each one of those would require a different and specific type of workout. Losing weight could mean losing scale weight, or body fat, or both. Again, what and how you eat should depend on exactly what your weight/fat loss goal is.

It makes me sad to see so many people working hard to eat right and follow a workout plan, but failing because the plan they’re following isn’t right for their goal. Before you decide to follow the latest and greatest weight loss plan in your new magazine, or do your favorite trainer’s latest workout, sit down and think about exactly what you want. Then ask yourself if the plan you intend to follow will help you get there.

Does your favorite trainer have the type of body you want for yourself? If not, following her workouts isn’t the best idea. If your eating plan is one of those quick fix, lose 10 lbs. in a month plans, then run, don’t walk away from it and go buy yourself some whole grains, fruits, veggies and lean protein. Measure your portions and count your calories. Do you want to change your body and plan to follow a workout program that doesn’t include frequent and intense cardio? Think again.

Get a goal, and get the right plan to help you reach it!

Less Can Be More and Easy Is Ok

I’ve always been a balls-to-the wall exerciser. If a 3 mile run is good then 5 miles is better. If 20 walking lunges will give me gorgeous glutes then 30 will make them absolutely glorious. Rest days? Nah, they’re for weaklings. Easy workouts? Not so much. Actually that philosophy has served me well for many years, and with the exception of a few injuries, it hasn’t done any real damage.

Lately, however, after a rather scary knee issue, I realized I’m not bullet proof. There were some things I couldn’t train through, and this appeared to be one of them. Lunges and squats killed my knee, and running was out of the question at first. Spinning, upper body weights and yoga got me through while my knee calmed down. In the big picture of injuries, this one was minor and healed quickly (pausing to Tebow here, cause it was definitely Divine intervention that got me running again so fast). I learned some really cool things while I was healing.

First cool thing - Running is so important to me that I would do anything, even yoga, to be able to run long-term and pain free. Squats, lunges, and my high-impact workouts mean nothing if they cost me the ability to run.

Second cool thing - There are other ways to keep my legs lean and muscular other than traditional strength training. Running hills is one, and strengthening the muscles you don’t see in the mirror is another. I’ve been hitting the glute and hip workouts regularly, along with wall squats and straight leg lifts, and it’s paying off.

Third cool thing - Yoga is fun and it makes me feel good. It’s ok not to be dripping in sweat after a workout, and sometimes you have to go easy to be able to keep going hard.

Tomorrow is my yoga day. Just yoga, nothing else. The old me would be dreading it, but the new me who learned those cool things is actually looking forward to it!

Tasty Morsels of Information

I’m an information junkie. Not just any information though, it has to relate to things I’m passionate about. Running, nutrition, general fitness, and of course my kids fit into this category. Follow the links below to some interesting bits of knowledge about my favorites.

This link will take you to an awesome workout I did last week. If you want to spend some quality running time at your target race pace, this is the workout for you.

http://running.competitor.com/2012/01/training/workout-of-the-week-the-halftime-fartlek_30049

Need a justification for your spinning obsession or a reason to get your kickboxing fix? Here’s a good reason for cross training.

http://running.competitor.com/2012/01/training/the-case-for-cross-training-2_12776

If you’re trying to lose weight, this article should simplify the process.

http://peakperformance.runnersworld.com/2012/01/the-latest-studies-on-protein-low-carb-diets-and-how-they-affect-weight-loss-and-muscle-mass/

Adding strength training to your running doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the gym or training like a body builder. This link leads to six must-do exercises to improve your running and reduce your injury rate.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=25140&PageNum=1

One more - gotta include something from the kid category. My oldest son is a member of an amazing band and this is their latest project. By the way, he’s the one with the beard, reading the book (of course the most handsome one of the group).

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/therubbishzoo/help-the-rubbish-zoo-make-a-new-ep

Together But Separate

Diet and exercise - the perfect pair. You’ve got to exercise and eat right to lose weight and stay (or get) in shape. Right? Wrong - sort of. It’s taken me years to finally realize how connected but separate they really are.

Losing weight is accomplished by expending more calories than you take in - the good old calorie deficit. You can create that deficit by just eating less, or by eating less and exercising. If you add the exercise, you don’t have to cut your calories as much, since some of the deficit will come from the calories burned through exercise. It is possible to lose weight without exercising - diet and exercise can be separate. However, you look better if you exercise and hold on to your muscle while dieting - diet and exercise work better together.

Getting in shape and staying that way is accomplished by exercising regularly, and doing exercises specific to your goals. If I want to run faster and further I’m going to make sure my exercise program includes plenty of running. If big muscles are my goal then I’m going to be hitting the weights. Can I reach my exercise goals without actually exercising, even if I’m eating clean and healthy foods? No way! Will eating plenty of veggies and lean protein make me a better runner if I never run? No again. Diet and exercise are separate in this case. Will I have more energy for my workouts if I’m putting quality food in my body? Absolutely - diet and exercise work better together.

Some things just go together, even though they do fine on their own. Diet and exercise are two of those things.

Plan to Fail

To build muscle you have to lift heavy weights, right? Evidently not. Researchers from McMaster University have released the results of a recent study proving it’s possible to build muscle with light weights. There’s a catch though - you have to lift those light weights to failure. That’s right, failure; meaning you absolutely can’t do another rep. Even if someone offered you a cool million to do that extra rep, you simply couldn’t do it.

This gives us all one less excuse for not lifting. Even if you don’t own or have access to heavy weights, lift what you have and lift it until you can’t!