The Urban Primate

2012 IronMan Louisville Training Plan

2012-01-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

The 27 Rules of Conquering the Gym

2012-01-06T05:42:00.000-08:00

See the list below as reprinted from Jason Gay, New York Post. Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203471004577140900388728374.html?fb_ref=wsj_share_FB_bot&fb_source=home_oneline

This is the time of year when even people who hate the gym think about going to the gym. Many of us are still digesting whole floors of gingerbread houses, and jeans that fit comfortably in October are now a denim humiliation.

Sweating is a good way to begin 2012. Exercise, like dark chocolate and office meetings that suddenly get canceled, is a proven pathway to nirvana. But if you're going to join a gym—or returning to the gym after a long hibernation—consider the following:

1. A gym is not designed to make you feel instantly better about yourself. If a gym wanted to make you feel instantly better about yourself, it would be a bar.

2. Give yourself a goal. Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds. Maybe you want to quarterback the New York Jets into the playoffs. But be warned: Losing 10 pounds is hard.

The New Year's push to lose weight is bringing crowds to gyms. Jason Gay offers tips to conquering the gym. Photo: Getty Images.

3. Develop a gym routine. Try to go at least three times a week. Do a mix of strength training and cardiovascular conditioning. After the third week, stop carrying around that satchel of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.

4. No one in the history of gyms has ever lost a pound while reading "The New Yorker" and slowly pedaling a recumbent bicycle. No one.

5. Bring your iPod. Don't borrow the disgusting gym headphones, or use the sad plastic radio attachment on the treadmill, which always sounds like it's playing Kenny Loggins from a sewer.

6. Don't fall for gimmicks. The only tried-and-true method to lose 10 pounds in 48 hours is food poisoning.

7. Yes, every gym has an overenthusiastic spinning instructor who hasn't bought a record since "Walking on Sunshine."

8. There's also the Strange Guy Who is Always at the Gym. Just when you think he isn't here today...there he is, lurking by the barbells.

9. "Great job!" is trainer-speak for "It's not polite for me to laugh at you."

10. Beware a hip gym with a Wilco step class.

11. Gyms have two types of members: Members who wipe down the machines after using them, and the worst people in the universe.

12. Nope, that's not a "recovery energy bar with antioxidant dark chocolate." That's a chocolate bar.

13. Avoid Unsolicited Advice Guy, who, for the small fee of boring you to death, will explain the proper method for any exercise in 45 minutes or longer.

14. You can take 10 Minute Abs, 20 Minute Abs, and 30 Minute Abs. There is also Stop Eating Pizza and Eating Sheet Cake Abs—but that's super tough!

15. If you're motivated to buy an expensive home exercise machine, consider a "wooden coat rack." It costs $40, uses no electricity and does the exact same thing.

16. There's the yoga instructor everyone loves, and the yoga instructor everyone hates. Memorize who they are.

17. If you see an indoor rock climbing wall, you're either in a really cool gym or a romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson.

18. Be cautious about any class with the words "sunrise," "hell," or "Moby."

19. If a gym class is going to be effective, it's hard. If you're relaxed and enjoying yourself, you're at brunch.

20. If you need to bring your children, just let them loose in the silent meditation class. Nobody minds, and kids love candles.

21. Don't buy $150 sneakers, $100 yoga pants, and $4 water. Muscle shirts are for people with muscles, and rhythm guitarists.

22. Fancy gyms can be seductive, but once you get past the modern couches and fresh flowers and the water with lemon slices, you're basically paying for a boutique hotel with B.O.

23. Everyone sees you secretly racing the old people in the pool.

24. If you're at the point where you've bought biking shoes for the spinning class, you may as well go ahead and buy an actual bike. It's way more fun and it doesn't make you listen to C+C Music Factory.

25. Fact: Thinking about going to the gym burns between 0 and 0 calories.

26. A successful gym membership is like a marriage: If it's good, you show up committed and ready for hard work. If it's not good, you show up in sweatpants and watch a lot of bad TV.

27. There is no secret. Exercise and lay off the fries. The end.

Cinnamon and Insulin Resistance

2011-12-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

Like most people I always just assumed that cinnamon wassomething you sprinkle on a Danish or include in an Apple Pie recipe. This is certainly still true and I eat itoften for breakfast with flax muffins or flaxcakes (pancake alternative). Ancient cultures regarded it as a gift fitfor Monarchs and even for a God and it is often referred to in Biblicalpassages. Cinnamontrees are native to South East Asia, and its origin was a mystery to Europeansuntil the sixteenth century. However, itwas not a mystery that it had medicinal uses that have been more welldocumented in recent years through numerous studies including:

· Increased brain function

· Soothing upset stomachs

· Aid in preventing ulcers.

· Reduced proliferation of leukemia and Lymphoma

· Arthritis pain relief

· Anti-Clotting effect on the blood

· Antibiotic

However, a new study is providing evidence that it may alsohelp people with insulin resistance sometimes known as “prediabetes,” or the“Metabolic Syndrome”. The results of the study…

“After 40 days, allthree levels of cinnamon reduced the mean fasting serum glucose (18-29%),triglyceride (23-30%), LDL cholesterol (7-27%), and total cholesterol (12-26%)levels; no significant changes were noted in the placebo groups. Changes in HDLcholesterol were not significant.”

The sample size, 60 participants, is still small enough toquestion the accuracy, but not so small that it should be ignored and you canget the details by clicking the link below.

Study Details: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14633804?dopt=Abstract

So what does this mean exactly? Insulin resistance is a condition in whichthe body produces insulin but does not use it properly. The result is the presence of any one or allof the following problems called metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance,formerly called syndrome x. Metabolicsyndrome is defined as the presence of any three of the following conditions:

· Waist measurement of 40 inches or more for menand 35 inches or more for women

· Triglyceride levels of 150 milligrams perdeciliter (mg/dl) or above, or taking medication for elevated triglyceridelevels.

· HDL, or “good”, cholersterol level below 40mg/dl or men and below 50 mg/dl for women.

· Blood pressure levels of 130/85 or above.

· Fasting blood glucose levels of 100 mg/dl orabove.

Source: Grundy SM, et al. Diagnosis and management of themetabolic syndrome: an American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, andBlood Institute scientific statement. Circulation.2005;112:2735-2752.

Our metabolism evolved eons ago, when our diet includedfewer (and more complex) carbohydrates. Today most calories in an average dietcome in the form of carbohydrates, and most of those are simple carbohydrates —sugars that quickly enter the bloodstream. The body has to release high levelsof insulin to keep the level of glucose in the bloodstream from spiraling outof control. But in time the cells quit responding to this signal. Weight gain, fatigue, sugar crashes andcarbohydrate cravings may all be early insulin resistance symptoms. Eventually insulin resistance could evolveinto full blown type 2 diabetes and with it a host of new challenges.

I am not ready to start downing 2+ tablespoons a day but Imight begin by sprinkling a little extra each morning on my breakfast. It remains to be seen where this study mightlead but I am excited about it’s potential.

Of course expect the “Natural” remedies companies to jump onthis and start pushing it as a supplement. Just keep in mind that just because something comes from the earth doesnot mean it’s automatically safe to eat. Some possible side effects do exist from ingesting to much cinnamon andyou should consult with your physician before considering adding this in largedoses to your daily diet.

Side Effects: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/side-effects-of-cinnamon.html

On On.

FLAX SANDWICH BUNS

2011-12-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe from Linda Sue's low-carb recipe's. I am reposting so that I can find it again when I need it.
Source: http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/

FLAX SANDWICH BUNS
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flax meal
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon granular Splenda
1/2-1 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
1 1/2 teaspoons dry minced onion
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons oil

Put the dry minced onion in a small bowl and add just enough water to moisten; let stand until softened. Mix the dry ingredients; add the onions, eggs, water and oil. Pour the batter into 6 greased muffin top pans. Bake at 325º 15-20 minutes. To serve, split the buns horizontally to make two halves using a long, thin knife.

Makes 6 servings

Per Serving: 140 Calories; 11g Fat; 8g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 3.5g Dietary Fiber; 1.5g Net Carbs

Tom Sawyer Park Haunted Run?

2011-12-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

OK, since you guys want to hear my weird paranormalstory. Here it goes…

First a little background on the park in which I typicallyrun. "Lakeland Asylum" was actually theCentral Kentucky Asylum for the Insane. Built in 1869 in Anchorage, itinitially housed juvenile delinquents and was called the Home for JuvenileDelinquents at Lakeland. In 1873, it became a lunatic asylum and was renamedthe Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylum. By the time "The Little Colonel'sKnight Comes Riding" was published (1907), the name had been changed tothe Central Kentucky Asylum for the Insane. The facility cared for patientswith psychiatric disorders, mental retardation and brain damage and was locatednext to where Louisville's E. P. Tom Sawyer Park stands today. The original buildingshown below was bulldozed in 1996.

Inaddition to the hospital, there are also 2 cemeteries on the grounds. It is estimated that where 4-5000 patientsburied but none of the graves are marked. The University of Louisville archeology dept came out and studied thegrounds and recovered 4 headstones. Inaddition they marked off one of the graveyards and placed those headstones in themiddle of the cemetery arranged around a large tree.

Thehospital is long gone there are still remnants of the old structure foundplaced about in addition to old walking trails that have aged and weatheredover time but still visible and some even paved with old worn concrete. These paths along with new ones make up onesegment of the park in which I run often 3 or 4 times a week. It is said that the park is haunted and inparticular the loop that runs around the old grounds of the hospital. This is the same path that patients wouldhave used for therapy walks.

Soenough of the background, on to my recent experiences. My Wife and I also occasionally go for walksin this park. About a month or more agowe were on a walk and I was taking her to the backside on the “Crazy Loop” asmy Son and I call it and I told her about this app, Ghost Radar, I downloadedand put on my phone. It is supposed totrack spirits and voices, etc. I couldexplain how it works but will leave that up to you if you want to research iton your own. Anyway, as the app explainsspirit voices are supposed to picked up through static. This app uses an algorithm to decipher thatstatic and attempt to put it into words. In addition it has a radar, think like a marine radar, that uses thephones built in sensors to pick up on anomalies and quantum fluctuations. Using this data it will display a blip on theradar in different colors depending on the strength of significance of theanomaly. I had downloaded this app as a noveltyfor fun, my Son and I had just watched Paranormal Activity and I really had nointent that it would do anything.

Thisis getting long, sorry, so my Wife and I are walking through the woods and havethis radar on with no real activity on the radar and no words spoken. I figured it was silly but it was a good sourceof conversation and since she had never been on the back loop (crazy loop), Itold her we could walk back there and see what it does. We get to the beginning of one of the oldovergrown paved trails and almost immediately this thing starts going crazy. Blips popping up everywhere in all colors andseveral words spoken are logged. We havea good laugh and continue our walk on through eventually nearing the beginningof a new trail head that will connect us back to the trail loop.

Thereis something unique about this next trail that is coming up. When my Son and I run this trail this little.15 mile segment climbs a hill that is not terribly steep but is riddled withroots and other technical aspects. Eversince the first time we ran out here together he has challenged me to race upthis hill. I never win without cheatingbut we always have a good time climbing up to the top in a full sprint and ithelps add a little interval to my workout. One other note, the top of this little climb comes out at the SW cornerof the graveyard.

Soas we approach this little hill the app blurts out the word “James”. This is my first name, my Wife and I startlaughing and we continue on. Momentslater just as we hit the base of thelittle hill it picks up “Tie”. My Son’sname is Tyler and we often refer to him as Ty. At this point we are both getting the a little hair standing up andthink, how weird is that. We stop andwatch the radar, it show’s no blips but we remain for a moment and wait to seeif picks up any additional words. Nothing, so we continue up the hill. Not more than 25 steps later and it picks up the word “Running”. OK, so putting this together so far it haspicked up the words James, Tyler and Running. So with Tyler not being with me we wonder, is it possible that somespirit is asking us why Tyler is not running with me. Is this possible? Again, we both have a good laugh and write ifoff as just some weird coincidence. Still a fun story to tell but who’s knows how capable this thing is ofactually picking up real spirits and voices.

Thatwas the first experience and while it did create a fun story I am not abeliever that it was much more than some cheap entertainment. Now onto my run the other night. Since my Son has begun running with me Itypically run with my Garmin and use my phone to play music through the builtin speaker. This allows to both listenwithout being attached to headphones allowing us to also talk about the day’sevents. My favorite part about runningwith him. The weather had been poor withrain for a few days and I had planned going to the gym after work but the suncame out and I opted at the last minute to try out the park. I called him and he said he was not feelinginto going so I was on my own. I hadleft my Garmin at home because I don’t have any use for GPS on atreadmill. So I quickly downloadedMapMyRun onto my phone and took off to the park.

Iwas pretty excited because it had been a week or so since I had been due to thebad weather. My plan was for 8-10depending on how much I could get in prior to dark. I was thinking the sun went down around 5:45and it was 4:20 when I arrived. No timeto waste, in go the headphones and start the GPS on my phone and I am off. Pretty messy on the backside by the modelairplane airport so I am figuring that by the time I get to the woods down bythe creek it’s going to be a mess. I wasright, but I have my pair of trail shoes with big knobbies on, see older blogpost, digging in and helping me fly right through the muck. Love running in the mud as it like being akid again, getting all messy and dirty.

Iapproach the connecting trail to the crazy loop and about 1-200 yards out mymusic starts to act up. Static and pops,I start fidgeting with the connecter but no luck. Eventually it seems to start working normalagain with the occasional pop and I don’t have enough daylight to stop and workit out so I just keep going. About thetime I round the corner I see a guy in a blue jacket and long pants walking aheadand into the woods. Not a strange siteas this trail is pretty busy this time of the day so I continue on. As I round the next corner where the guy was,he is nowhere to be found. He should beclearly visible as he was walking and I was running. The leaves are gone from the trees so I cansee as far as I need to. The trail aheadis up a slight incline and part of an old service road so nowhere to just disappearlike that really. As I am thinking aboutjust how strange it was that this dude just vanished my phone starts goingcrazy with static and then one final pop and silence.

Itis at this point I am running and thinking to myself about how weird all ofthis is getting. I have come to a stopand standing at the exact location where a few weeks prior that app had pickedup the word “James”. I pull out my phoneand it is completely turned off. How didthat happen. My phone has never justshut off on its own like that. Again Idon’t put too much into this but at this point it’s getting dark, I have tomake a choice to continue the 1.5 miles around the crazy loop or hit the hillback up towards the park. I don’ttypically spook easily but this time it just got in my head a bit and opted toturn around and head back towards the park. I held in the button to turn my phone back on but it was unresponsive. Now I am getting pissed because I think myphone is toast but as I begin the climb up our little hill it suddenly startsto work again. I see the little Motorolalog pop up and it’s booting up. Phew.

Ihead back up to the park and continue one more loop around but cut my 8-10short at 6 and called it a day. By now Ihad wasted 8-10 minutes screwing with my phone and the sun was setting. No way was I going back into those woods inthe dark with no headlamp and already spooked. Better off just leaving well enough alone. Do I believe it’s possible the woods arehaunted…dunno. I will say the strangeevents that took place over the course of a couple of months were odd andcertainly made my hair stand on end. However, I am still on the fence about whether or not there are spiritsroaming around.

Whatdo you think?

BTW...in case you run out at this park. Below is a link to my route as mapped by MapMyRun. You will see on the connecting road to the old hospital grounds my signal stopped logging and draws a direct line up the little hill where my phone finally starts up again and begins logging my run.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/60642322

Truths and Myths

2011-12-12T12:28:00.001-08:00

#1 Myth: The Atkins Diet doesn’t work.

Fact: The Atkins Diet does work. Atkins is backed by over 50 studies validating the diet’s principles and its success rate for weight loss and weight management.

One recent example is the NIH funded Stanford University Diet Study published March 7, 2007 in the Journal of American Medical Association. This study found that the Atkins Diet delivered the strongest weight loss results with the most beneficial metabolic effects among four top diet regimens. (The study compares Atkins against the Zone, LEARN and Ornish diets).

Unlike other diets, Atkins is not based on limiting calories and deprivation, but rather choosing the right nutrient-dense foods that allow the body to feel fuller while burning more fat and working more efficiently.

#2 Myth: The Atkins Diet is unhealthy.

Fact: Atkins is a natural and effective approach to weight loss and weight management. The Atkins Diet encourages consumption of a healthy balance of nutrient dense foods: lean protein, a full array of fibrous vegetables and fruits and good fats while limiting refined carbohydrates, refined sugar and trans fats. Choosing foods in this manner allows the body to burn more fat and work more efficiently while helping individuals to feel less hungry, more satisfied and more energetic.

An ever-growing body of research demonstrates the health benefits of a controlled-carbohydrate approach in the face of the standard American diet of white flour, sugar and other junk foods. Simply put, the Atkins Nutritional Approach (ANA) is indeed a healthier, more balanced way of eating and living.

#3 Myth: The Atkins Diet is unbalanced and means only eating rich foods like steak, eggs and bacon and no fruits or vegetables.

Fact: Actually, the Atkins Diet allows you to eat ample portions of vegetables, and in the later phases, more nutrient-dense carbohydrates like fruits and whole grains.

It’s only during the first of the four phases of the Atkins Nutritional Approach, called Induction, that more lean protein is encouraged as a way to supercharge the body’s fat burning power and jump-start weight loss. But not everyone needs to start at Induction to see positive results with Atkins.

After the typical two-week Induction phase, if you choose to start here, the Atkins program allows you to gradually expand your food choices so you can ultimately enjoy a healthy balance of the nutrient-dense foods from a variety of food groups – lean protein, a full array of colorful, fibrous vegetables and fruits, nuts, legumes, and if your metabolism allows, whole grains and good fats – all while reducing levels of refined carbohydrates, refined sugars, and trans fats. When it comes to the four food groups, the Atkins Diet includes a variety of foods from each one. The plan provides helpful guidelines to help select the best options, steering you away from the starchier varieties.

#4 Myth: The Atkins Diet doesn’t allow you to eat any carbohydrates.

Fact: People frequently mistake the Induction phase for the entire Atkins program. During this initial phase, the plan allows you to eat 20 net carbs daily, with 12 net carbohydrates per day coming from a full array of colorful nutrient-dense vegetables. After the Induction phase is completed, you increase your carbohydrate count gradually until you reach your own carbohydrate tolerance level and your goal weight. For some, this number can be as much as 120 carbs per day of nutrient-dense foods, which includes fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.

What makes Atkins different from other diet programs is that you can choose your starting point on the Atkins plan. Depending upon your weight and overall health, you can personalize the diet to suit your individual needs, perhaps starting at a later phase or moving from one phase of the program to another as your needs change. So if you’re not looking to lose a significant amount of weight, but just maintain your current weight or reduce your reliance on carbs in your diet, you can begin with Phase 2, called Ongoing Weight Loss, where the net carbohydrate level is higher and more foods are included.

In sum, Atkins is more than a diet, it is a helpful eating tool that not only leads to weight loss and weight management, but also helps you develop strong eating habits that contribute to overall health and well being.

#5 Myth: The Atkins Diet allows you to eat all the bacon and eggs you want.

Fact: During the kick-off Induction phase, Atkins suggests you incorporate meals with specific amount of eggs and bacon to help you start off successfully. But Atkins is not an egg and bacon diet. In fact, during Induction – and throughout the four phases – the Atkins diet also incorporates a wide variety of lean protein choices that include fish, poultry, lean meat, eggs and soy. However, just because protein is encouraged, following the Atkins plan is not a license to gorge. When following the plan, each of the food groups should be enjoyed in moderation. Following Atkins doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want as long as it is low carb.

#6 Myth: The Atkins Diet is too restrictive.

Fact: Contrary to popular belief, the Atkins Diet allows you to consume a wide variety of foods, all framed within a context of eating fewer refined carbohydrates and refined sugars, and eating more of the right foods.

One of the keys to success with the Atkins approach is learning to eat nutrient-dense carbohydrates for the rest of your life. These are foods that are packed with the most antioxidant vitamins and healthful phytochemicals relative to the amount of carbohydrates--so you’re getting the most “bang” for your carbohydrate “buck.” Once you reach your goal weight and determine how many carbohydrates you can consume each day to maintain that weight, most people can enjoy a wide variety of food choices that include protein choices, vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, legumes, and whole grains.

#7 Myth: Atkins is a fad diet.

Fact: Atkins is not a fad. In fact, thanks to the attention that Atkins brought to the role of carbohydrates in the diet, many Americans today have changed the way they eat. According to the Natural Marketing Institute, 44 percent of the American adult population today controls their carbohydrate intake. There are millions of men and women who have found and continue to find success with the Atkins Nutritional Approach.

At the same time, a growing body of peer-reviewed research also continues to support the fact that the Atkins Diet works and leads to successful weight loss/management along with a variety of other health benefits.

#8 Myth: Dr. Atkins died of a heart attack.

Fact: Dr. Atkins died as a result of a serious head injury from a fall that occurred April 8th, 2003. Hospital records detail the clinical course that occurred following arrival of Emergency Medical Services through the entirety of his hospitalization, confirming that after losing consciousness on the way to the hospital, Dr. Atkins condition failed to improve despite emergency neurosurgical treatment. Dr. Atkins was adamant about not wanting life support, and when his wishes were honored, he passed away on April 17th when ventilator life support was withdrawn.

Near the end of his life, Dr. Atkins was struggling with the effects of cardiomyopathy, and he did not hide that fact. Cardiomyopathy is a serious and progressive condition caused by a viral infection. Though this condition weakened his heart, its cause was clearly related to an infection and not his diet.

#9 Myth: People following the Atkins Nutritional Approach suffer from lack of energy due to the lack of carbohydrates.

Fact: The body is equipped to use two sources of energy; carbohydrate and fat. When carbs are low enough, the body will switch to fat burning, which is our back up fuel system.

Lack of energy may occur in the first few days of doing Atkins, while the body adapts to switching metabolic pathways. It typically takes about three to five days for the body to switch from sugar metabolism to fat metabolism. When your body becomes accustomed to burning fat for fuel, these symptoms go away.

#10 Myth: The Atkins Diet promotes a liberal intake of high-fat meats and dairy products that raise cholesterol levels, ultimately leading to heart disease.

Fact: The Atkins Nutritional Approach recommends the inclusion of all types of fats balancing food choices so that a healthy ratio of fats is obtained. Despite the common belief that the Atkins Nutritional Approach is about steak, eggs and bacon primarily, we encourage individuals to consume healthy protein choices consisting of fish, poultry, meats, eggs/egg whites along with dairy products. In addition, consumption of olive oil, nuts, seeds along with other plant-based food choices provide additional healthy fat intake for well-balanced meal selections.

Research conducted over the past few years on the Atkins Nutritional Approach (ANA) demonstrates that the ANA, when followed correctly, provides a balance of monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and saturated fats from a variety of sources and has consistently p fat, participants had lowered cardiovascular risk factors and none of the problems claimed to be associated with saturated fat.

One must appreciate the fact that all fats are mixtures of the three types of fatty acids, monos, polys, and saturated. Even olive oil, the gold standard for healthy monounsaturated fats contains 15 percent saturated fats. A lean cut of steak, which is often viewed as unhealthy, contains 51 percent monounsaturated fat.

#11 Myth: Because it excludes fruits, vegetables and grains, Atkins is deficient in nutrients.

Fact: The Atkins Nutritional Approach does not exclude fruits, vegetables and grains. The initial Induction phase of Atkins, which people often mistake for the entire program, is the strictest phase, permitting 20 grams of net carbohydrates. However, 70 percent of those come in the form of vegetables including green leafy salad, as well as nutrient-dense, high fiber, vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, eggplant and spinach.

The concern for the phytochemical content of the Atkins Diet is unwarranted since the diet encourages the individual to consume a daily minimum of 12 net carbs coming from non-starchy vegetables, increasing the amount along with the intake of low-glycemic fruits, nuts/seeds, legumes and whole grains after the first several weeks of induction. The Atkins recommendation of 12 net carbs daily is more than most Americans consume on a regular basis.

Back in the Saddle again.

2011-12-05T06:10:00.001-08:00

Well that’s not completely true, but I am getting back after it now and it feels good. Biggest problem is trying to force myself to make those longer runs on the treadmill. Rain kept me indoors on Sunday so I went to the gym and ran on that God awful contraption for almost 1.5 hours. Ughh, it was terrible and I kept wondering how I was doing 3 hour sessions on it last year.

Did manage to get a short 45 minute swim in after. Working on getting my stroke back but I as usual I have hurt myself again. This time my left shoulder trying to play on the Monkey Bars at the park. Over extended my arms and let myself hang and swing, now my rotator is killing me. I figured out I can still swim as long as I only breath left. Seems that I can alter the rotation of my left arm enough during the breath so that I don’t have any real pain. Not a big deal since I was never that good at bi-lateral breathing anyway.

The Triathlon club I am in is in a Nationwide contest to see which club can rack up the most training mileage. December is swim focused with each mile in the pool counting as 10 miles towards the total of Swim/Bike/Run. I set a goal to complete 28 miles of actual swimming this month. So far I am just over 4, a bit ahead, which is good.

Will try to keep my blog up to date, lots going on over the next few weeks. Plus my hiatus from training also led to bad choices in food and subsequent weight gain. I am up 10 pounds from my race weight and would like to drop a total of 20 to see how that works out. Will post more on that later.

Gearing up for the Offseason

2011-12-02T06:46:00.001-08:00

So here we go into what is considered by most the offseason. However, truth be told my offseason began in July after finishing IM Muncie 70.3. My nagging calf injury that kept me from running much more than a 10K without wanting to collapse in a heap needed rest and healing. I took a good two and a half months off from everything with only 2 or 3 short 3 mile or so runs a week. The good thing is that I am running pain free for now, or at least in my legs.

Being that this is my 4th year I feel like I have some grasp on how to handle it but I still get over excited about the time off and what to work on. ADD is typically in full effect and I am considering all of the things I can do but eventually reality sets in once I realize that I only have so much time during the day to workout. My original plan was to just keep a balanced workout with 3-4 runs, 2 bikes and 2-3 swims a week would be great. However, our Triathlon Club has entered us into a challenge with each month being focused on one discipline. Perhaps this will help keep me focused on one for each of next 3 months.

December = Swimming! This is my new focus for the month of December. Will still be running and will try to get a bike in but I decided yesterday that I need to put in lots of pool time over the next month. In addition to our Tri-Club competing Nationally through USAT we have also setup multiple 6 person teams within our club to add a little bit of internal competition to the formula. My commitment to myself and my team mates is 10K Meters per week.

So here we go, into the Off-Season but with a twist of Competition to keep it interesting.

So what now?

2011-10-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

OK, so my Half Iron Man has been done for more than two months. I am out of goals and out of motivation to keep moving forward. I had a plan of doing IM Louisville in 2012 but I am just not sure that I can swing the training or monitary commitment to such a goal.

Next month will be 2 years since I reached my goal weight of 175 pounds. I have been up and down the scale since usually hovering around 180. However, I am finding it more and more difficult to maintain this lifestyle with each passing day.

During active weight loss it's easy. The constant pats on the back and congratulations help keep you focused on the goal. Fast forward a couple of years and now I am just a regular guy that has always been healthy, by most peoples standards anyway. Without any sort of carrot dangling out there and now I am really feeling the pressure to just relax and stop stressing so much about weight, exercise and health.

To complicate things further I feel normal when I am around my friends, family and co-workers. However, put me in a room with a bunch of triathletes and suddenly I develop a serious case of body dismorphia. I get super self-concious and feel like a big fat, lazy gross under-achieving slob.

Lastly, after almost 4 years of low-carb dieting I wan't to eat a cookie or have a slice of cake at a birthday party. This presents an entirely new challenge. My whole lifestyle has revolved around a very strict diet of whole foods and absolutely no sugar in any form. Should I choose to take a piece of cake how do I address those that I feel would encourage it but privately snicker. I feel like I am doomed either way. Ughh...

I spent the first 40 years of my life struggling with weight and while it appears that I have it all finally under control I am struggling internally trying to figure out how to deal with the new me. Terrified that if I eat something off plan I will slide off a cliff and be 300 pounds again and let everyone that encouraged me along the way down.

My gut reaction is to sign up for IM Louisville but what happens next year when IM Louisville is behind me? This has me wondering what's the point, if training for another big race is only going to be a temporary solution. That's not considering the cost and how to pay for it.

Anyone that has lost weight struggle with similar demons? How did you are do you deal with it?

Iron Man Muncie 70.3 Race Report

2011-07-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Iron Man Muncie Race Report

Ironman 70.3 Muncie
2011-07-09
Muncie, Indiana
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
89F / 32C
Sunny
Triathlon - 1/2 Ironman
Total Time = 6h 55m 6s
Age Group = 40-44

Pre-race routine:

Nothing special. Up at 3:30, coffee, almond butter on arnolds select bread.

Event warmup:

Went to the beach for a swim and as soon as I got in that announced 3 minutes and the water was closed. Swam out 100M or so and back and hung out with the family.

Swim

Comments:

I got lost on the course and somehow ended up on the far side of a sailboat that was there spectating. After a brief introduction with the skipper of said boat he helped me figure out where the other 1K people were that were also swimming. I was about 200M off course by then.

The good part was that I relaxed after I figured out where I was. Knowing the swim was completely blown allowed me to forget about times and just enjoy the swim. I ended up catching up on the tail end of the wave behind that started behind me.

What would you do differently?:

Swim the course as it's marked.

T1

Comments:

I stopped and had a brief laugh with my wife as I exited the water. No hurry in transition and took my time making sure I did not forget anything.

What would you do differently?:

Probably hurry up a bit more.

Bike

What would you do differently?:

Perhaps push a little harder, I probably could have held 22-23 on the way back but I knew the run was going to tough based on my limited running so tried hard to keep my pace down.

T2

Comments:

Again just took my time but did not realize I was thi slow out. Did not want to forget anything and triple checked just to be sure.

What would you do differently?:

Go a little faster.

Run

Comments:

My Calf has limited most of my running with my longest run at 8 miles about 4 weeks prior. I knew this was going to be tough but no way was I going to bail on it. Planned to do 4 minutes running with 1 minute walking.

Plan went great for the first 2 miles and felt prett good. Around mile 3 after a longer climb my calf started to twing and spasm and I knew cramping was coming. Just held off as long as I could. By mile 6 I was done and my 4/1 plan was more run to that pilon 100 feet ahead and then walk.

I was trying to catch up on hydration so started to drink 2 and 3 cups at each station. By the 3rd stop of doing this my stomach was not keeping up with what I was taking in and it started to slosh around a bit. Next 2 stops just dumped water on my head and kept going. Cramps went away and I started taking in fluids again at mile 9.

Post race

Warm down:

Hugged my family and checked line at Medical. All beds were full and IV's were in short supply. I opted for a dip in the lake instead and just stayed there for about 15 minutes floating and cooling down.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of proper run training.

Event comments:

I really enjoyed the race and would like to do it again in the future. Perhaps I can actually train properly for it next time so that I can enjoy it a bit.

Less than 2 weeks to go for Iron Man Muncie!!!

2011-06-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am exicted about my upcoming race but a little nervous about how the run is going to go. My Calf has limited my running so much the last 4 months that I think it's going to be a tough outing.

Practiced pacing tonight, still find it difficult to keep a pace of 10 minute miles when my legs are trying to spin up at 9 minute miles. I have a feeling the pace will not be a problem after swimming a 1.2 miles and cycling 56. Plan for now is to force myself into a slower pace and then see what's left at the turnaround and adjust.

Training for this race has been fun but I am finding going long is much more stressful than shorter races. This one requires much more discipline and sticking to the training plan.

Also time to tighten down the clamps on carbs over the next couple of weeks. Should be fun to prove to some of the naysayers that you can train and go long on diet consisting of whole foods that are not made of or include grains.

GO BEEF!!!

Tuesday Evening Ride and Weds Lunchtime Swim

2011-04-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Plan called for a run last night but I opted to ride instead. 17 mile Fartlek interval ride done!

Weds I headed over to the gym for a very, very quick swim. Plan called for 1750 but I ran out of time.

1 X 200M Warmup
10 X 100M on Race Pace, 10 Second Rest between
1 X 200M Cooldown

Back to work.

Tuesday Strength Training

2011-04-19T09:49:00.001-07:00

Tom Sawyer Fitness Trail.

Short Warmup
Core, Arms, Back
Trail Run
Core, Arms, Back
Table Up and Overs
Cooldown

Monday Lunchtime at Sawyer

2011-04-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

Trying to get used to running during lunch instead of feeding my face.

3 Minute Warmup/Cooldown
3 Mile trail run building pace

Lunchtime at Sawyer

2011-04-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

The weather is should be taking a turn for the worse tonight so I decided to try and squeeze in a lunchtime run. Planned for 6 miles but had to cut it short because the rain was coming down pretty good.

Ignore the last section that includes Freys Hill to Westport. In my haste to get in the car I forgot to turn off my GPS.

Today's Run

2011-04-13T11:40:00.001-07:00

Testing out Garmin Connect's embedding feature...

Last nights evening run. Long day so I was not able to get out until around 7PM. Sunny and 60ish degrees with a slight breeze. Perfect. Got a little sick feeling around the 4 mile mark and had to stop for a few. Not sure what brought that on but once it passed I decided to not take any chances and head on home. Planned 1 hour run cut short to 50 minutes.

Review Inov-8 Roclite 295

2011-04-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

My Kinvara’s have finally bit the dust with the upper more less destroyed from misuse. To clarify this is not likely a design flaw but rather because of me opting to use them as my primary trail shoes. I had been holding out as long as possible anxiously awaiting the release of the Saucony Peregrine’s. However, after being informed by every running store in Louisville that they don’t have them or don’t carry them I gave up.

My local Trail Store (http://www.louisvilletrailstore.com) guru had turned me on to the Inov-8 product line over the winter. He had suggested specifically the X-Talon 212’s or the Roclite 285’s. Both would be good replacements for someone who is already a fan of a shoe that combines good support with a minimalist weight/feel. The latter providing a little more beef than the Talon’s but both seemed to fit the basic requirements.

I am not sure if the 295’s are a new entry into the Roclite product line or not for 2011 but it was the first time I had seen them on the shelf. I had gone into the store already set to buy the 285’s but the bright red color was a little much for me and being that I am not a flashy guy I was very excited to see these sitting there next to them.

Not a particularly sexy shoe but function on the trails beats style anytime. The tightly woven black uppers are covered with what Inov-8 calls a Meta Cradle. It is basically a series of bands that attach to the sole of the shoe and lace loops to provide structure and stability. All of the laces on the shoe are tied into this Meta Cradle sans the top two loops. The toe box is covered with a soft rubber to help, I assume, minimize snagging of the mess and also protect the toes from intrusions of foreign objects. Big plus there as my Kinvara’s are littered with holes from sticks and thorns that poked holes through the material.

The Sole of the shoe is a pretty simple pattern of lugs that help aid in climbing and descending. Depending on what type of trails you run this can be a critical component. It appears the lugs at the toe are slightly smaller than those in the mid sole and rear. Would be curious as to the design benefits of this tread but I am assuming it has something to do with providing a climbing teeth in the toe. The mid-sole also has 3 bands that begin on a heel lug and fan out to the front group of lugs. Inov-8’s web site describes this as a Fascia Band to help increase propulsion efficiency and reduce fatigue. I have seen this feature in other shoes I believe so there must be something to it.

I typically wear a 9.5 to 10 but have found that while roomy toe boxes for road shoes is great, for trail running not so much. Climbing up and down steep slopes with room up front means your feet slide forward more than they might on the road creating blisters on the ball of the foot and also the arch. In addition these shoes seemed to run about a half size smaller than what I typically wear anyway so I ended up in a size 9. The shoe provides a lot of room in the width with a nice solid footprint making them feel very stable.

First run, just had a heavy storm roll through in the AM so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to hit one of the local trails that provides a good mix of technical, creek crossings, hills, flats and even a couple of short jaunts on pavement. After parking the car the entry point I chose for the trail includes a climb up a muddy hillside at about a 60 degree angle. The toe lugs did exactly what you would expect and held firm right up to the point where the mud became so thick that nothing short of ice spikes would have held on. Quick grab of a root and a tree or two and up on top.

This section of trail is a short trip over rocks mixed with overgrown trees and thanks to the storm runoff from the hillside above. I’ll be honest, there was very little running going on here as I was mostly just concerned with remaining upright but I will say the shoes did their job.

Next up about a 1 mile trip through a wooded section that has plenty of whoop-de-doo’s mixed with an occasional short climb/descent. Again the shoes held firm and let me run confidently without having to worry so much about footing. One of the unexpected test was climbing fallen trees. I was unsure how sticky the soles of these shoes would be so the first couple of times this came up I treaded lightly. Like the Kinvara’s the sole is made from a softer stickier rubber and like the Kinvara’s they held like glue with zero slippage.

Next was a short trip on pavement. Not much to talk about here, the shoe felt softer than I would have expected. You could certainly feel each lug on the bottoms of your feet but it was not uncomfortable over a short distance although I don’t think I would recommend that for a long distance.

Lastly I made it a point to get these things good and wet and see how they felt. I found a safe place to cross the creek where the water was only about ankle deep. The shoes seemed to shed the water quickly and I honestly forgot to think much more about it as the last segment was very technical including several rock runoff’s and steep climbs/drops. Crossing large sections of rock that were completely covered with running water the shoes again exceeded my expectations providing good grip and solid feel. Quick transitions to climbs and descents in this section of the trail were also handled with ease.

If you are looking to pick up a pair of light weight trail shoes I would highly recommend trying out a pair of these at your local running store. The people at The Trail Store in Louisville have been great to work with and if you are in the area stop by and talk to them.

For more information you can go directly to Inov-8's web site at
http://www.inov-8.com/Products-Detail.asp?PG=PG1&P=5050973003&L=27

On On

IronMan 70.3 Muncie

2011-04-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well it's official I am signed up for Muncie 70.3. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Triathlon's and their distances. This is considered a Half IronMan distance at 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. 2 years ago I went for my first run and could barely go for 60 seconds, thanks to C25K.com and a lot of encouragement from my family I am able to pursue this newfound passion.

My plan all along has been to do a Sprint the first year and then Olympic distance the second eventually leading up to IronMan Louisville in 2012. Over the last 2+ years I have often had a hard time keeping myself in check as this whole fitness thing is so new to me I want to do more than what I am ready for. It's difficult to balance what I want to do with what I am capable of and most importantly what my Family as a whole is willing to sacrifice.

This is a very time consuming sport regarding training and as I build up closer to my race I will more frequently have 2 a day workouts along with 3-4 hours bike rides and 2 hour runs on the weekends. My Wife has been very understanding but I also don't blame her for being frustrated at times with me for being gone a lot.

Here it goes, it's now 15 weeks until race day and I am right where I need to be regarding training. Hope all goes well and I can stay healthy between now and then.

Thanks Honey for once again putting up with me and my mid-life crisis. I LOVE YOU!!!

Calories, fat or carbohydrates? Why diets work (when they do).

2011-01-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

I came across this article today and thought I would share. You can also read the entire article by following the link at the bottom of this post. Gary Taubes is a regular blogger on the science of weight loss and has also recently published a couple of must read books if you are planning on improving your health.

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It (Borzoi Books)

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage)

Last September, the Williams College psychologist Susan Engel had an opinion piece in the New York Times on the value of standardized testing as a means of assessing the quality of a child’s education. Engel argued that there was scant evidence that these tests were of any value at all, and that they should be replaced by the many “promising techniques” that psychologists had already identified as valuable in assessing the learning of our children.

So what does this have to do with nutrition and weight control? Well, among the promising techniques, wrote Engel, was this one:

Researchers have also found that the way a student critiques a simple science experiment shows whether he understands the idea of controlling variables, a key component in all science work. To assess children’s scientific skills, an experiment could be described to them, in writing, and then they would explain how they would improve upon it.

So the value of controlling variables in a scientific experiment is something that a reasonably well-educated child supposedly understands. And what I want to know is why don’ t nutritionists understand it and those researchers out there doing diet trials and studying obesity and weight regulation. Because their failure to do so — and I would argue that it may be a willful failure — has led to what may be another of the great misconceptions in modern nutrition research. In particular, that carbohydrated-restricted diets are “valuable tools” in the arsenal against overweight and obesity, but they’re just one of the dietary tools.

This belief stems from the last decade of diet trials comparing carbohydrate-restricted diets (usually Atkins) to low-calorie, low-fat diets. Instead of thinking of low-carbohydrate diets like Atkins as deadly, which was formerly the case, nutritionists and dietitians (or at least most of them) now think of these diets as useful, just as other diets, low in calories or fats, are also useful. The idea now is that some people do well on carbohydrate-restricted diets and some people do well on low-fat diets, and maybe this is a result of whether they happen to be insulin sensitive or insulin resistant or maybe its just a product of their particular food tastes and preferences.

And this belief, of course, is based on the notion that we get fat for reasons other than the nutrient composition of the diet – probably because of some combination of our genes, our tendency to eat to much and our sedentary behavior – and so the diet that works best is the one that allows us to most comfortably restrict our intake of total calories.

Read the entire article by following the link below...
http://www.garytaubes.com/2010/12/calories-fat-or-carbohydrates/

Ultra or Bust Week 11

2010-12-08T06:56:00.001-08:00

Training is progressing, not always to plan but I am using it as a guide to make sure that I am getting at least close to the mileage/time I need each week. This past weekend was busy and I was not sure I was going to be able to get my long run in. My daughter however, asked if we could go to the gym so she could swim on Sunday. Perfect, except now I had to do my long run on a treadmill as opposed to outside.

The treadmill or as I and many other like to call it the dreadmill is not exactly a place that inspires the same level of excitement as heading out on the road or trail for a long run. My YMCA also limits your time to 60 minutes so my only hope was that it would not be that busy and I could manage to just keep resetting it after each set. Plan called for 4 hours but I thought if I could manage 3 I would feel pretty good about that.

As it turned out once I had conceded that I would be on this contraption for 3 hours it was not really that bad. I did not push any sort of difficult pace like I might normally do but instead just set it at a steady 6MPH and went. At the end of each 60 minute set I went and filled my water bottle and used the restroom then quickly returned to the machine and finished another.

I would not recommend this as something to do regularly but in a pinch it was not to bad and including my warmup/cooldown along with a few walk breaks to hydrate I managed to finish just shy of 17 miles.

Typically after my long runs I take a day off before and after but this week because of many scheduling conflicts I ran the night before and also opted on a recovery run the next day. Surprised that neither one seemed to affect my long run and my recovery run seemed to loosen up my tight calves from the long run the day before. I will probably continue to at least do a short 3-5 mile recovery run the day after each long run from now on.

The thermostat has taken a quick plunge to the south. Last night I got home and debated on running outside or not. It was dark and the temp was 17 degrees with a steady wind. I picked up a pair of Saucony tights in the fall this year but I don’t really have anything for the torso to protect against these temps. In the past when I have run in the cold the sun was typically out so it never really got to be miserable. However, running in the dark cold is an entirely different experience. I am going to have to do a little research on proper gear for running in these temps. Chest, arms and hands were OK but the tissue around my stomach and back was frozen.

Have a good week.

Lab Tests: Galeos Caesar Dressing Not What it Claims to Be

2010-12-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Galeos Miso Caesar Dressing, a supposedly low-calorie and low-fat product hyped on NBC's reality show "The Biggest Loser" and endorsed by trainer Jillian Michaels, among others, is neither low-cal nor low-fat, lab tests commissioned by Consumer Ally found. Testing showed the actual calories per serving is almost 10 times what the label claims.

Read the full article here...

Recent Interview with Atkins CEO Monty Sharma

2010-12-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to thank Mr. Sharma for making it clear that Atkins is not Bacon and Eggs. As I have pointed out many times on this blog, Atkins is a diet consisting of all of food groups with lots of Vegi's, some fruits and Dairy and limited Breads, Cereals, Pasta and Rice.

He also pointed out that like any other diet MODERATION is also a component.

"

Ultra or Bust Week 7!

2010-11-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

Time is not standing still as I would have hoped for the purpose of preparing for this race. However, I am moving along on my plan with a few missed runs but getting my long ones in which are the most important of them. Total mileage for week 6 of 32.86 miles.

Pure Screamin’ Hell Race Report

The run started on the street with a mad dash to the woods. I got in behind a pretty slow group and since it was single track in the dark passing was more or less impossible. The first 2 miles were around 12 minutes each but when we got to the bottom of the hill there was a street crossing that allowed me the opportunity to pass about 10 people.

Plenty of room to run now but this is was also the base of the first major hill climb. I debated on running the entire hill but decided I would walk about 1/2 way up. Surprisingly I did not lose much ground to the bouncing lights I could see 100 feet in front of me.

Thinking the worst was behind me I settled down a lot and started to cruise. As it turned out the worst was yet to come. No more big climbs but constant up/down/up/down was exhausting. This little 6 to 12 foot moguls are a blast on a mountain bike...on foot, not so much. Really started taking a toll on my feet and knees about mile 5 and my legs were getting more jelly like with each pounding down and back up.

The other part that I struggled with was going downhill. As it turns out this is much more difficult to do that up. The trail was mostly covered with leaves which hid all of the roots, outgrowths and other things that laid in wait to send you head over heals. No way to open it up on the downhills for fear of twisting/breaking a limb. I managed to only fall once when my shoe caught a root and did not let go. Tore a hole in my shoe, brand new ones by the way, and sent me toppling down. This is the one time where the short downhills where a blessing as I stopped in the valley between them limiting my travel to only a few feet.

All in All a great race and I had a ton of fun. A little disappointed that my Garmin read 6.86 at the end instead of 6.66 but close enough.

This week includes the following runs.

Mon: 1.25 hours
Tues: .75 hours
Weds: 1.25 hours
Thurs: 1.25 Hours
Fri: Off
Sat: Siltstone Half Marathon – I don’t plan to “Race” this event since it falls into my training plan. Really just want to go at a nice and easy training pace and get familiar with what will be part of the final leg of my 50K. 3500 Feet of elevation change in this one so going fast is not really an option anyway. Should finish around 2:30 considering the elevation changes and plan to walk up the steeper ones to avoid injury. Calling for rain on Saturday at some point, hopefully it will hold off at least until I am done.

Have a good week

Ultra Marathon Plan

2010-10-04T12:25:00.001-07:00

I have found my “A” Race for the Winter of 2011. Louisville’s own Lovin’ The Hills! It’s a 50K Ultra Marathon that winds through Jefferson Memorial Forest in Mid Feb. (date not set). Looking at an elevation chart that was posted online from a previous year it has roughly 14K feet of elevation change which I am honestly not even sure how to tackle at this point.

My current plan is to train as if I were running a Marathon and include lots of hill repeats and trail runs. In addition some light weight large rep/set leg strength exercises at least 1 time per week. Mostly I plan to “wing” it, because honestly where is the fun in having a detailed plan with no deviation. If you know me at all you know that I am not a Type A person so I built a plan as a guide and I have to meet the goals each week but things may change or come up during my training that keep me from doing it exactly as written.

I am on Week 2 now which is as follows…

Mon: 5 Mile Fartlek
Tues: 3 Mile Easy
Wed: 5 Mile Trail
Thur: 3 Mile Easy
Friday: Rest
Sat: 9 Mile Trail
Sunday: Off

Total: 25 Miles

I will likely mix in some swimming, cycling and other fun activities in there including doubling up on my weekday runs. Based on previous years results I am thinking that my finish should be around 6.5 to 7.5 hours. A trail race such as this with so many hill climbs and descents along with stream crossings and the possibility of inclement weather will require training to be on my feet as much as covering the distance.

With that in mind I will try to spend more time standing and walking during the training including at home avoiding the couch when I can. Difficult to do at work because of the type of job I have but I think I can make up for it partially by just staying on my feet at home.

If you would like to see my Official Plan you can follow the link below. Please feel free to comment as well since I admittedly know nothing of what I am getting myself into. 

http://www.theurbanprimate.com/p/marathon-plan.html

I will welcome sponsers if you are so inclined...:)

... vs. Cupcake

2010-09-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Confessional time...perhaps this will snap me out of my funk.

I have been at goal for about a year now. After review in Jan I determined that I could easily lose another 15 pounds or so. Well after about 8 months of trying and dropping at most 2 lbs to 173 I just cannot seem to drop it. More or less threw in the towel and spent the last couple of weeks sulking and whining. Back up to 177 this morning and have been eating things like popcorn and even had a cupcake yesterday! This was the first time any such treat has passed my lips in over 2 years.

Stepping back and look at this logically I can see that this is the part where many people start packing on the pounds again. How easy would that be to do at this point. I find myself trying harder each time some opportunity for a treat to say no and even then it no longer feels like a natural response but rather a forced painful decision. Why can’t I have a piece of cake? WTF! I mean I eat right all the time and coupled with exercise I should not have any problem managing a piece of cake or some ice cream.

Of course the logical side of me know exactly why I cannot afford to indulge but the human side is growing restless. That slope is not that steep, I pulled myself out once, I can certainly do it again?

In addition to getting lazy on my WOE I also finished up my last race for 2010 which has me a little in the dumps as well since there is really nothing to train for. Since I only found the time to do 1 Triathlon so it just seemed somewhat bitter sweet to cross the finish. Ughh…

Overall I am pretty disappointed in my progress this year regarding fitness and weight loss.

So as much as I enjoyed that brief slide down towards the abyss, I decided it was time to grab a root and hold on before it gains momentum. For now I have conceded to continuing by training to maintain fitness at a relatively moderate level. I will race the Hangover Classic 10 Miler on New Years Day again which gives me something to look forward to as well. Amy and I will be discussing in January on whether or not I will be doing a Full Ironman next year or limit it to a Half Iron. While both would be a lot of fun and I am not opposed to waiting on IM I just feeling a little lost on what the heck I am doing all of this for right now. IM is such a huge commitment of time for not only me but the entire family and there no way I would do it without knowing they were all onboard.

My favorite saying of late has been “Nobody goes to the park for a picnic and sets out their spread right next to a pile of dog shit on purpose. Stop worrying about the details and enjoy the good stuff”. While unintentional, I think I found the pile of poo and I need to find a clearing again.

BTW…that cupcake was gooooood! ;)

Saucony Kinvara Initial Take

2010-08-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

I have been having some hip pain on my runs and spent the last couple of months contemplating reading up on hip issues in regards to running, etc. Long story short I stumbled on quite a bit of information on the internet about bare foot running. Being that my feet are rarely exposed to elements and even a short walk to the bottom of my driveway to the mailbox barefoot presents lots of ouches, weezes and whining I figured there was no way I would be able to run around with my feet completely naked.

A quick trip to Google and as it turns out I am not the only one that is looking to run barefoot but will not opt for running around with them fully exposed to all of the glass, metal, poo and many other dangers that I regularly encounter on a run. Below is a little bit of information on what I was looking at and what options seemed to be the best for newbie’s like myself that want to try it out without going full on.

The Vibram 5 Fingers.
These basically fit on your foot like a glove complete with individual toe inserts. Providing the same level of protection you would likely get from a pair of beach/river shoes these are the closest thing to being barefoot without actually going there. To say they are weird looking is an understatement. However, if you could get beyond the strange looks they did seem to be the best option for getting the full barefoot experience without actually doing it. My only concern with them was the cost and what if I did not like them. A more traditionally designed shoe would at least be able to be used as daily wearers if they did not work out.

Which leads me to my second option...

Nike Free+.
Nike proclaims these shoes will let your feet be free like feet want to be. Not sure if that is completely true but all of the reviews and feedback supported these as a great option for running. Close to the feel of running barefoot with a small amount of padding for shock absorption. Tried on a pair at the Foot Locker and took them for a spin around the Mall. Nice roomy toe box and fit was snug but comfortable. I particularly liked the way you slide them on like a pair of slippers as opposed to having the tongue and shoe as separate pieces.

Finally I opted to visit my local running store to talk to some people that are more familiar with subject at hand. Not knocking the guy at Foot Locker but his knowledge on the subject of running seemed minimal at best. After speaking with one of the guys there and since they sell both the Nike Free’s and Vibram 5 Fingers he suggested I also look at a pair of Saucony’s. Not familiar with these at all but he explained that they might be a better option for a new runner as they have better designed cushioning in the sole that is also just as light and will provide the same feel as the Nike Free. Tried these on as well and really liked the design of the mesh inner shell surrounded by some other opaque material. Provided a nice snug fit and felt great and very similar to the Nike Free’s.

After some deliberation and a few quick trips to Google on my iPhone to check the reviews I opted for the Saucony’s.

Later the next week…

OK, I went out last night for a run in the park in my new kicks. While I had already tried them out on a 3 mile run on Saturday it was right after a long bike ride with lots of hills work that made it difficult for me to make a judgment. Monday comes and a much better run than the first in them because I was well rested and truly had the opportunity to see how they felt.

They are fast and light. Shifting my weight forward as described by the guy at the running store helped keep my feet landing right on the flats and balls of my feet. I spent the first mile just trying to run at different speeds, adjusting my landing and also my legs on the follow through.

If I ran slower 9.5-10 Pace my foot would slip slightly forward in the shoe with each landing. Almost like I was hitting the brakes with each impact. Because I was running on a crushed rock path I could also hear and feel the ground slipping slightly below the sole.

Speeding up to 8-8.5 pace the slipping stopped but then I was moving very quickly. However, the speed felt very natural and comfortable other than cardiovascularly. My calves had also been recruited to support this new impact and I was quickly feeling the burn there and also my glute’s. I think the glute stress came from my feet making a much higher swing than what is typical in my other shoes. Almost touching my butt with each stride rather than swinging more pendulum like using a typical stride.

So mile 1 behind me I decided to stop and stretch and then do another 3 miles at the pace that I found most comfortable. Mile 1 paced at 8:05, mile two 8:12 and finally mile 3 at 8:20. By the time I hit that third mile I was ready to quit but suffered through it determined to see how it played out. I am not ready to run those paces yet on a regular bases and started to wonder if these shoes would be right for me. The natural feel of the shoe and speed that they seem to want to make me run at comfortably left me exhausted. I am still not going to put to much into this run as it was my first and I have a feeling there is still going to be a learning curve on how to run properly in something that is offers such a minimal amount of support.

For the time being these will be used only on shorter distances of 3-5 miles until I can either get used to them or retire them to cross trainers. The shoes overall are incredibly comfortable and I do feel great in them just unsure if I want to go that fast on my ‘easy’ runs. Part of the joy of running is taking it all in but for slow people like me 8 minute miles are saved for race days not relaxing jogs through the park. If my heart feels like it just might protest and jump from my chest and leave me doubled over evacuating the contents of my stomach then I am not sure how much value these have for me.

Jury is still out on the Saucony Kinvara’s.

Beer May Be a Better Option Than Water After a Workout

2010-08-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

Just finished a hard workout? Before you grab a sports drink or water, you should know that researchers from Granada University in Spain say that having a beer may help you hydrate more efficiently.

Professor Manuel Garzon, a faculty member at Granada University, reported to the Daily Mail the results of a study involving 25 university students over the course of several months. The students were asked to do a rigorous workout on a treadmill in 104 F degree temperatures then asked to drink 16 ounces of lager and as much water as they desired. The other group received only water (as much as they desired). Full Article Here...

How does childhood obesity work?

2010-08-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 30.3 percent of children ages six to 11 and 30.4 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 19 are either overweight or obese. That's almost one out of every three kids in America.

The CDC uses the scientific Body Mass Index formula to measure obesity (they never actually use the word "obese" in their reports). A combination of your height and weight, a BMI score of 25 or higher indicates that you are overweight, while a BMI score of 30 or more indicates obesity. For more information on Body Mass Index, as well as a calculator you can use to easily find your own BMI score, check out How Body Mass Index Works.

Childhood Obesity (a BMI score of 30 or more) is a serious health risk. It can lead to all sorts of problems, from heart disease and bone trouble to social and psychological trauma. And the problem is growing. Today, twice as many children ages six to 11, and three times as many adolescents ages 12 to19, are obese than they were just 20 years ago.

So what's the deal? Why is this happening? Is it really a bad thing, and what can we do about it? In this article, we'll take a closer look at childhood obesity. We’ll find out who’s at risk of being obese, what the consequences are and what's being done to combat this national health epidemic.
Read full article here...

Winter Swim Improvement Workout #1

2010-08-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

Now that the Tri season is over for me it’s time to work on some swim Improvement. I have been looking for well planned swim workout since typically I go and just do a 4X100 Warm up then 2X800 or 1X1600 then cool down. Not sure I am really getting any benefit from that. If nothing else it makes it very obvious that I am a triathlete and not a swimmer. Of course the multitude of toys, the terrible form and slow pace probably does not help either.

Active.com posted this in an email to me this morning, likely because someone saw me swimming and figured I needed some serious help. So my next swim will use this planned workout rather than my typical do whatever I feel like workout. Will also start using Swimplan.com to try and find more workouts. It would be nice if I could get down to 1:40 X 100M sustainable over 1600M. Currently I could probably do the 1:40 but that would also be the end of any effective workout.

Warm Up
300, breathe on your weaker side on even lengths

Drill
4 x 75, first 50 of each is kicking on your side, last 25 is swim
4 x 100, count strokes on first 25. Descend stroke count with each 100. Rest=15 seconds

Main Set
3 x 200 on cruise interval*
4 x 75, middle 25 backstroke, rest=10 seconds
4 x 50, descend stroke count, rest=20 seconds
3 x 100 on cruise, rest=05 seconds
4 x 125, breathe every 3 strokes. Rest=10 seconds
4 x 50 Free Golf**

Cool Down
200 Distance Per Stroke*** and breathe on your weaker side on odd lengths

*Cruise: An interval you can make consecutive 100-yard or -meter swims on with about 5-10 seconds rest.

**Free Golf: Count your strokes and get your time on each 50. Add these numbers together to get your "score". Attempt to lower your score each round by either lowering stroke count, going faster, or doing both.

***Distance Per Stroke: Extend and glide as much as you can with each stroke.

Low-Carb Diet better for Cholesterol

2010-08-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK – Over the long term, a low-carb diet works just as well as a low-fat diet at taking off the pounds — and it might be better for your heart, new research suggests.

Both diets improved cholesterol in a two-year study that included intensive group counseling. But those on the low-carbohydrate diet got a bigger boost in their so-called good cholesterol, nearly twice as much as those on low-fat.

In previous studies, low-carb diets have done better at weight loss at six months, but longer-term results have been mixed. And there's been a suggestion of better cholesterol from low-carb eating.

The latest test is one of the longest to compare the approaches. At the end of two years, average weight loss was the same for both — about 15 pounds or 7 percent.

The key difference was in HDL, or good cholesterol: a 23 percent increase from low-carb dieting compared to a 12 percent improvement from low-fat, said Gary Foster, director of Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education, who led the federally funded study.

He said the low-carb boost is the kind one might get from medicines that improve HDL.

"For a diet, that's pretty impressive," Foster said.

The findings, published in Tuesday's Annals of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 307 adults, two-thirds of them women. Participants were obese but didn't have cholesterol problems or diabetes.

Half followed a low-carb diet modeled after the Atkins' plan and half went on a low-calorie, low-fat diet. All attended group sessions to help them change bad eating habits, get more active and stick to their diets.

The volunteers had periodic checks of their weight, blood, bone density and body composition. After two years, there was no major differences between diet groups, except in good cholesterol. Why the low-carb diet had a bigger effect on good cholesterol isn't known, the researchers said.

As low-carb plans became popular, experts feared the diet would drive up the risk of heart disease because it allows more fat. The latest results suggest those concerns are unfounded, Foster said. In the low-carb group, there was an early rise in "bad" cholesterol, the kind that builds up in arteries. But after two years, both groups ended up with similar improvements to bad cholesterol.

The study's strengths include its size, length and its multiple locations — Denver, Philadelphia and St. Louis, said Dr. William Yancy, of the Durham VA Medical Center in North Carolina.

"These are results we should have a lot of confidence in," said Yancy, who has done similar diet research but was not involved in the study.

Foster, the study leader, said dieters should be less concerned about which diet to use, and focus on finding the support or technique — like writing down what they eat — that keeps them on track.

"It doesn't make a difference for weight loss how you get there," he said.

With the current obesity epidemic, more than one way is needed to attack the problem, Yancy said.

"Both of these are options. These diets work," he said.

Source:

Tri-Indy Race Report

2010-08-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

2010-08-01
Indianapolis, Indiana
United States
75F / 24C Overcast

Triathlon - Olympic
Total Time = 2h 53m 6s
Overall Rank = 295/447
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 35

Pre-race routine:

Had trouble sleeping the night before, finally dozed off at about 2AM. Back up at 5:15 AM. Coffee pot started, quick shower and 1oz Sunflower Butter on a Corn Thin. We stayed right on the Canal so it was pretty easy to get to the transition area.

Grabbed bag and hopped on bike for about a 1/2 mile ride. My air pump malfunctioned so I made sure to arrive early to avoid the rush to air up tires from one of the Vendors. Also paid off because I was able to nab a end spot on the rack that was assigned to me.

Setup transition then back the hotel to meet up with the family. Final restroom break and another bottle of water and I was off to the swim start which is roughly another 1/2 mile in the opposite direction of transition.

Swim
Time 34:06 | 1640 yards | 02m 05s / 100yards
Overall: 298/447
Performance: Good
Suit: No
Course: In a canal running through downtown Indy. Roughly 40 feet wide other than some occasional wider and narrower parts.
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: NA

Comments:

Water was much colder than I expected, glad I jumped in for a quick warm-up. I think this helped alleviate the shock had I just gone right on in. Family there to encourage me and root me on was awesome and I got really excited when I saw them at the start.

Forgot to put my goggles on when I dove in. Thank goodness they did not fall into the murky abyss. Quick roll over to my back, goggles on and off I go. Got carried away with pace for about 100M or so trying to find space to swim.

Once I found room I slowed up a bit and tried hard to work on that 2:10 pace I had been working on. Even at this slower pace I was very surprised at how many people I passed during the swim.

Spotting was great and my Wife and Kids were able to walk the Canal along side me. I gave them a big goofy smile every couple of minutes to let them know I was doing good. Tried telling them I love them but typically just drank water when I yelled out on the breath. Still was the highlight of the race seeing them each time I came up for air.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing...I worked on pacing at 2:10 and finished at 2:08. My practice spotting to the front and side worked out and I am very happy with the swim.

T1
Time: 02:30
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good
Helmet on: Good
Run with bike: Yes

Comments:

I put my Garmin in a ziplock and wrapped with a little tape at the base then shoved it in my cap. This worked great, I just ripped the plastic open on the run to the bike and clipped it on.

The family made up a couple of signs for me but it was really long and I struggled to read it all on my way out of transition. Gave me something to think about while I was out on the course. I love those guys.

What would you do differently?:

Put my sock on right side up the first time. :)

Bike

01:12:12 | 24.85 miles | 20.65 mile/hr
Overall: 253/447
Performance: Good
HR jumped a little high due to stress rather than effort. Settled in at about 155 for the duration of the ride.
Wind: Headwind
Course: Parts of the course were miserably rough with huge potholes. 1 railroad crossing that was filled with 2X4's in the gaps to try and smooth it out. Slight head wind for about 5 miles on the out and mostly flat.
Road: Potholes Dry
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right

Comments:

I had a goal of 18MPH and averaged 20.7. I knew I was pacing pretty high and debated on slowing up a bit but felt really good so held steady. I am ecstatic about this pace and the bike. Had no idea I would be able to finish it up like that.

Had an equipment malfunction because of the rough roads. Sat up in the hoods to climb hill. Hit a bump and the right brake hood slid down the bar about 2 inches. Made for interesting shifting and braking. Most of my time was spent on the aero bars so not that big of a deal, just a little weird feeling the position.

Rounding the corner from loop one, I spotted my wife first and then my daughter noticed me. Pointed at her and made sure I had her attention. Very cool.

What would you do differently? Nothing

T2
Time: 01:52
Overall: Good
Jumping off bike: Average
Running with bike: Average
Racking bike: Good
Shoe and helmet removal: Below average

Comments:

Legs were a little wobbly on the dismount but started working again after about 100 yards.

Run
01:02:29 | 06.21 miles | 10m 04s min/mile
Overall: 366/447
Performance: Average
HR Goal was 160 and I had to work pretty hard to keep it there. Creep set in around the 4 mile mark but I was almost done so I let it climb up to around 166. This would not allow me to run at a 8:30 pace but 10 was OK as long as I kept moving forward.
Course: Along the White River crossing over the bridge and down the other side on the way back. Mostly flat.
Keeping cool: Good
Drinking: Just right

Comments:

Had to pee something terrible coming off the bike at the first opportunity on the run I found a spot to go. Wasted about 2 minutes, ughh, could not get it to stop.

Right thigh cramped about 2 miles in, quick stop and stretch and it worked itself out. Also thanks to the dude that passed by offering some encouragement, it helped. Also the lady with the Cowbell App on her iPhone at the turnaround was pretty funny. Gotta have more cowbell.

Cardio was great and never really felt winded but my legs were feeling like lead weights by about the 3rd mile. It took allot to keep them swinging and I opted to walk through the water stations at mile 4 and 5. This seemed to help and I felt pretty good towards the end.

What would you do differently?:

Run more!

Post race

Warm down:

Walked around for a bit and finally grabbed a seat to relax. Ate a blueberry muffin and chugged a water. Although muffins are not typically part of my nutrition plan, they looked good and I was hungry. Could only finish about half of it and started to feel a little sick, it was really, really good though and I struggled with the decision to chuck it or finish it. Ended up throwing it out.

What limited your ability to perform faster: Lack of training.

Event comments:

Great race and cool venue. If I don't do Steelhead Half Ironman next year I will back in Indy for this race.

Official - Sortable - Tri-Indy 2010 Olympic Distance Results

Morgan, You are an IronKid!

2010-07-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

IronKids Race Report

My daughter who likes to accompany me to the gym and typically enjoys a swim along side me decided she wanted to do a Triathlon. Other than lessons 4 or 5 years ago she really has no formal training as a swimmer but does pretty well considering. Most of what she knows she picked up watching other swimmers at the pool and occasionally asking me a question, although rare. You know us parents really don’t know anything anyway. We did a little research and found an IronKids branded event in Carmel Indiana. After a brief discussion she decided to she wanted to sign up. I probably pushed a little, dunno, but she seemed excited and I know I was.

Obviously with on 300 or so participants the setup was not quite as fancy as what you would see at an IronMan event but still better than most local tri’s. A couple of vendors selling their wares along with “Team Winter” who, as we later found out, the ambassador for IronKids. Very nice young girl who had lost her Dad to Prostate Cancer formed a team and raised roughly 250K through her foundation. She also took a few minutes to speak about both her foundation and the event to come. Well spoken young lady and I am sure that her Dad is smiling down on her, as a Dad I know I was. For more information on Team Winter and her Foundation visit: http://www.teamwinter.org

Pre-Race Routine:

Up at 5AM. She had a couple of spoonfuls of Peanut butter from the jar, as did I. Washed down with a few sips of Gatorade. Packed up the bike and off to the race venue. We were still unsure of the bike route so decided we would drive it once that morning. It was still dark and we never could find one of the turns which began to create some undue stress in the car. Opted to just head on to the race and plan on the course marshals helping guide her.

It was raining off and on when we arrived so we setup transition and then covered her stuff with an extra towel that was in the back of the car. Just like any other triathlon, no outside assistance is allowed once the starting gun fires. Spent some time with her going over her plan and making sure she was comfortable with how it was laid out. I think at this point I was getting way to detailed about instructions and advice, settled myself down and we headed over to the swim start.

The Senior division was to start prior to Morgan’s event. We were instructed that the Intermediate’s would not be able to start until the last Sr. has left transition on the run. This meant roughly another hour before she would get her turn, however, she would get about 10 minutes in transition to make any changes, adjustments or whatever. We used this time to walk through her transitions without many distractions so she had a mental image of what to do and where to go when she came in from the swim and bike. The rain had also cleared up and the sun was out so we opted to remove towel that was covering her gear which might help minimize clutter and fuss.

Swim:

Each age group was broken out into 9, 10 and 11 year old Girls and Boys. Starting with the 11 year old boys first they were instructed to do a staggered start entering the lazy river and exiting at the same point. While we were all a nervous wreck Morgan seemed to be pretty relaxed and just ready to get started. Great start for her and she seemed to quickly find her pace although this was her first time swimming in a crowd so I think she was little surprised by the splashing about that took place. At one point she seemed to have taken a nice drink of water from a swimmer that was running up next to her. The lazy river does what most do and it waves and meanders around about a 200 meter loop. The jets were turned off so there was no help from the current, in fact at a couple of points the jets, possibly filters, were still running and several kids struggled to get past them as they slowed to a crawl over them.

Bike:

New bike and she is not used to shifting gears. We practiced prior to her race and found a gear that she was comfortable in on flat ground and the plan was to just not worry about shifting for now. The return from the first loop she was looking pretty good. There was a course marshal that was helping guide the participants on which way to go depending on whether they were finishing or heading out on their second lap. I really only had one complaint about the race and perhaps I am biased but the course marshal was standing at the base of the fork in the road. Kids were coming up a slight incline and it allowed for very little warning on what to do next. My daughter was one of the ones that got confused by the instructions and went right instead of left. As did the young man behind her. Realizing her error she braked and tried to make the turn which also caused the kid behind her to run her over.

While this was a low speed crash it was still quite frightening and I was looking around for my wife to see if she had also seen it. One of the course marshals ran to their aid and had her up and talking to him in a few moments. I also arrived and went through the typical questions trying to remain calm so as to not upset her further. After a minute or two she gathered herself together, wiped her tears and got back on the bike heading out for lap two. I have never been more proud of her than I was at that very moment. Leg is bleeding a bit, hip is hurting but she insisted she was OK and wanted to continue.

It was a much longer time on this second lap and I was starting to worry about how she was feeling. After what seemed like an eternity she rounded the corner and her legs were going about 110 RPM’s. During the wreck the chain was knocked down the little ring and she was working her tail off to go about 5 or 6 MPH. Should have spent more time learning to shift, my fault. Ughh. Either way she was still moving forward and looked to be having fun again.

Run

I was able to run up next to her along the chute and out onto the run course. She said her knee and hip were still hurting but she wanted to finish. I told her it was OK if she bowed out but she insisted.  I told her to walk if she needed to and just get through it. This is supposed to be fun so enjoy it and don’t worry about your time. She slowed to a walk shortly after the turn onto the course and was quickly down the hill and out of site.

My son decided he would run to another vantage point and watch for her. Once she was spotted he ran to her side to provide encouragement. I don’t know what he was saying to her but you could see his arms swinging and clapping. Watching from afar it almost brought me to tears to see how my kids have grown from these little tiny babies to independent souls. When they are at home they fight like cats and dogs but at that moment it was clear how he really feels. This was now proud papa moment number 2 in the span of less that 20 minutes.

Once she caught site of the finish her pace picked up and she began to run again. I could see the pain diminish and the smile was starting to return. Into the chute and across the finish she was awarded her medal and it was announced that she was an IronKid. I am not sure that she heard it announced across the PA so we all made sure to remind her for the next several hours and now days.

Post Race:

She slept like a baby on the trip home and knee and hip pain is gone. We just realized that next year she will be moving up to Seniors since her Birthday is in Dec so even though she is only 11 she will be racing with the 12 year olds. When asked how she feels about it she just shrugs her shoulders, perhaps it’s too soon to discuss.

On On

Exploring the City’s Greenway’s

2010-07-14T07:48:00.001-07:00

When I began running last year one of my favorite things about it was seeing the city from a new perspective. When your in a car or even on a bike your focus is on the road ahead and it’s easy to miss all of beauty around you. Running had become a means of discovery as I was able to increase my mileage it continued to open new opportunities for viewing the city at 6 mph vs. 45.

After my last race in April I had more or less lost my passion for it and was finding it more and more challenging to get myself motivated for anything about 3 miles or so. Arriving at the park last night I had a planned 3 or 4 mile easy recovery run. Rounding the corner from the trail I was on I was reminded that there was a 2 mile nature loop that had just opened in a neighborhood nearby. The weather was perfect in the mid 80’s and humidity was at a manageable level. If you are from the south you know how humidity can be a complete game changer in relation to outside temperatures.

My decision went from turning left down the typical path of monotony times 3, it’s a 1 mile loop or straight ahead and out of the park boundary to see if I can figure out how to get to the new place. I debated with myself briefly before determining that a 6 or 7 mile adventure run would be much more fun than 3 miles of the same’ol.

My wife and I had walked this trail a week or so prior but I had no idea how to get there from here. The wildflowers were in bloom, there was a small vegetable garden at one point and a small decking overlook that took you out into some wetlands that was full of fish, turtles and likely other wildlife that I did not stick around long enough to see. Many varieties of birds were seen either jumping from the brush or just flying overhead. Truly a paradise and a gem of the city that likely many people are completely unaware of.

The return back I found a new entrance to the park and realized it used to be the grounds of Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylum. The adjacent property has Central State Hospital but I had no idea there used to be something other than the park here. Apparently a grand complex with 2 signature 60 foot towers built in 1874 and later demolished in 1996. I got lost in the woods nearby trying to find my way back to the main trail, which as it turned out I was about 50 feet away the entire time but could not figure out how to get there. There is also a cave that runs under the park I have spent the last year running in. What the heck, it’s a shame that the entrance is defaced with graffiti and rubbish but perhaps when I have more time I am going to have to explore this area of the park more.

In the end I made the right decision in breaking the routine and finding a new path. At the expense of sounding hokey I was also reminded that life in general is no different. I have always been one to go right or left when everyone else says to go straight. While it will often leads to a dead end or may even circle back to the beginning it sometimes leads to new adventures that had I continued down the same path I would have missed. Life is about the journey not the destination and I will get there eventually but not without running into a few walls, getting lost in the wilderness or circling back to the start to get my bearings again. Besides had it not been for all my wrong turns I would have never met my Wife or had my two wonderful kids. Life is Good!

BTW…

This new trail was funded by one of our local businessmen and founder of Papa Johns pizza, John Schnatter. Among his many contributions to the pizza industry he is also a philanthropist, outdoor enthusiast and cyclist. “John Schnatter and his Evergreen Real Estate team have created a priceless legacy for Louisville and an inspiring model for other landowners and companies nationwide. He chose to preserve priceless land, create a first-class, state-of-the-art trail and offer these amenities for the benefit of the public.” ~ American Trails

So thanks Papa for providing the city with such a beautiful venue in which to enjoy the nature around us. If you have not visited this park you can drive there and park in the Anchorage lot at Evergreen and Lagrange.

I also worked for Papa Johns for a couple of years while in a career transistion. Had it not been for that Pizza delivery job I may not be where I am today. So the next time the family ask for Pizza I will have to insist on Papa John’s.

More info…
American Trails Anchorage Greenway

ETA: If your listening Papa, where can a guy get one of those slick Papa Johns cycling kits?

Final Push - Diet Mountain Dew

2010-06-29T11:06:00.001-07:00

OK, so it’s now week 2 of getting serious and still no real progress. Probably did not help that I ate everything in site over the weekend and chugged a gallon of Diet Mountain Dew.

Trying to begin working out during lunch this week. I am not sure that I can keep it up without working out an arrangement with my Boss. The last 2 days it has taken me 1:15 to get a quick workout in and I am left feeling rushed and did not really get as much done as I would like. Need closer to 1:45 to finish everything. Will be discussing with him this week and hopefully I can come in early or leave later and take a longer lunch.

Weight was at 177 on Monday, hopefully I can drop off some this week as I am really going to try and up my workouts and keep away from nuts as much as possible. Although it’s difficult as those little buggers are so freaking good.

I do have some good news, since beginning strength training about a month ago I noticed the pull on the swim is much better. This is from doing pushups, dips and sometimes fooling around with weights. Roughly 20 minutes at the end of each run is all I have been doing but it is paying off big time. Typically towards the end of a hard 800 my hand will begin to wave and wobble a little through the water but it was pulling straight and strong with every stroke. Now I just need to work on my form a bit and perhaps I might actually get back down to my 1:50 X 100 Meter time instead of the 2:05 mark that I have been hovering at for the last couple of months.

OK, need to go fill up on some more water and flush out that mountain dew poison that I so love.

On On

Weds June 23rd Check-In

2010-06-23T05:45:00.001-07:00

Worked out again with the kids and was glad that Amy came along as well. We did it indoors this time with the same amount of running time just around the gym instead. Also had to make a few modifications to the plan because of lack of resources. Ended up adding in many, many more crunches which I have a feeling is going to hurt at some point today. Also played about 45 minutes of basketball first and followed it up with a slow 30 minute recovery swim for 1400 Meters.

I also stubbed my index finger which is swollen to about 2 times it’s normal size. It is throbbing to my heart beat which is blows but on the plus side I had to take my ring off prior to swimming before so it would not slide off. No chance my ring is coming off now.

Weight: 175

Breakfast: Skipped
Lunch: Chicken Roulade w/Bacon & Swiss, Steamed Broccoli & Cauliflower
Snack: Carbmaster Strawberry Yogurt
Dinner: Turkey, Pepperoni w/American in a Crepe
Snack: 2 oz peanuts

Tuesday 6-17 Check - In

2010-06-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

Weight: 176

Breakfast: No
Lunch: Crepe filled with 2 eggs, 2 bacon and 1 slice of cheese
Snack: Atkins Bar
Dinner: Crepe filled with grilled chicken, 1 bacon, 1 oz swiss
Snack: 1 oz peanuts
No greens today, I just completely skipped them. Need to make up for that today.

Was not feeling good on Monday so I called work and slept in. Ended up sleeping until around 11:30 which is what I needed I guess as I have not been sleeping well lately. Headache eventually cleared up as well which allowed me to get my workout in.

Very proud of both of my kids and my nephew. I pushed them pretty hard last night and they all responded. The plan I put in place I was hoping would cover roughly an hour and we finished up in 1:01 with a total distance covered according to my GPS of 3.29 miles. It was pretty hot out though so we did make sure to take a short 2-3 minute water break between each interval. We plan to do 4 workouts per week alternating between the two. I have posted the plan below and please feel free to critique it. We used a soccer field at a school near my house so the laps are around the field.

Day One Arms-Shoulders-Core

1. Warm-up:
a. 10 Minute Slow Jog
b. Stretch
c. Break
2. First Interval
a. Bands
i. Forward Band
ii. Pushups Military
iii. Back Band
iv. Pushups Std
v. Side Band
vi. Side Plank
vii. Side Band
viii. Side Plank
ix. Lap
3. Second Interval
a. Legs and Shoulders
i. High Knees
ii. Farmers Carry
iii. Butt Kicks
iv. Overhead Carry
v. Sprint Forward/Back
vi. Farmers Carry
vii. Karaoke
viii. Overhead Carry
ix. Lap
x. Dips
xi. Lap
4. Third Interval
a. Alternate Sprint/Core
i. Sprint Up/Back
ii. Crunch’s until the other returns
iii. Sprint Up/Back
iv. Leg Lifts until the other returns
v. Repeat each 1X
vi. Easy Recovery Jog
5. Stretch/Cool-down

Day 2 Legs-Core

1. Warm-up:
a. 10 Minute Slow Jog
b. Stretch
c. Break
2. First Interval
a. Bands
i. Forward Band
ii. Pushups Military
iii. Back Band
iv. Pushups Std
v. Side Band
vi. Side Plank
vii. Side Band
viii. Side Plank
ix. Lap
3. Second Interval
a. Legs and Core
i. Bear Crawl
ii. Step Ups on Bench
iii. Crab Crawl
iv. Calf Raises
v. Wheel Barrel (1 Person up and back)
vi. Step Ups
vii. Wheel Barrel (1 Person up and back)
viii. Frog Jumps
ix. Lap
x. Forward Leg Dips
xi. Lap
xii. Reverse Leg Dips
xiii. Lap
4. Third Interval
a. Alternate Sprint/Core
i. Sprint Up/Back
ii. Crunch’s until the other returns
iii. Sprint Up/Back
iv. Leg Lifts until the other returns
v. Repeat each 1X
vi. Easy Recovery Jog 5 Minutes
5. Stretch/Cool-down

Final Push - Monday 6-21 Check-In

2010-06-21T10:59:00.001-07:00

Hope all of you other Fathers had a great weekend and spent some time with your family. With 2 kids I am still learning as I go and it does not seem to get easier as they get older. It’s a good thing I had such a good Dad to teach me the basics. Although I don’t always follow right in his footsteps I strive to and perhaps one day I will figure it all out.

Went to the lake on Friday night and had a pretty good time. Ate too many peanuts as usual and sipped a couple of beers around the camp fire Saturday. All-in-all a great trip and had lots of fun. Thanks Bro and Sis for the invite and we will surely come back anytime you will have us. I was pretty excited to try wakeboarding for the first time. Turns out all I did was boat dragging. Could not figure out the timing on turning the nose of the board up to get me out of the water. Still fun though and I there was no doubt that I was properly hydrated after several attempts.

I was also a little disappointed that I did not bring my goggles to the lake for some open water swimming practice. Woke up this morning in serious pain in my thigh and head from the board hitting me as I fell. Opted to stay home for the first part of the day from work to heal up a bit. However, my head still feels like it’s in a vice and I am more or less planning to just try and get through the day.

My Nephew comes in this week and I am planning to work both him and my Son out. They are both planning to try out for sports in their Freshman year of High School and practice starts soon. Figured this might help them get a leg up. Plus I will do the workout right along with them so I kill two birds with one stone.

Weight: 176

Diet -- Did not log it all but it came down to lots of chicken some greens and snacking on some peanuts.

That’s all for now.

On On

Final Push - Thursday June 17th Check In

2010-06-18T05:32:00.001-07:00

Phew, day 4 down and I think I have fully made the switch back to Ketosis. Energy levels were higher for most of the day and no headache. Had planned to attend a triathlon class last night but decided I would rather hang with the family. Had a good time at dinner with them and they were nice enough to go to the bike shop to swap out a seat. I am still trying to find one that is somewhat comfortable and keeps the blood flowing to all of my extremities.

Spoke to a guy at the Trail Store that has done several triathlons including Iron Man and he recommended the Selle saddle. The model escapes me right now but I mounted it last night and went for a short ride to test it out. Stopped a few times and ran speeds all over the map trying to get a feel for it. First impressions are pretty good. Will be curious to see how it does on rides exceeding 30-40 miles. Thanks to the Trail Store in Lyndon though for helping me out and love the loaner saddle program they have.

Weight: 175

Breakfast: Skipped

Snack: Strawberry Carbmaster Yogurt

Lunch: Mixed Green Salad w/Ranch, 6 oz grilled chicken

Dinner: Mixed Green Taco Salad, way to much cheese, sour cream, guacamole and what looked like around 6 oz of ground beef. The downside to eating out is that in the end you really just do not know. I always skip the shell and beans in taco salads and since this is a small family restaurant I would not expect they would have to many additives though. I know one thing, I was full when I got done.

Snack: My nemisis – shelled peanuts. Started in on these dumb things and ended up eating probably 3 oz of peanuts eating blindly while watching game. BTW…Celtics had that game and choked it away in the 4th. It was pretty clear they missed Perkins.

Activities: 45 Minute Bike Ride with a couple of stops to adjust seat. Road my 5.5 mile running loop twice so 11 miles.

Final Push - Weds June 16th Check In

2010-06-17T06:54:00.001-07:00

Seems I am getting back into Ketosis. Energy was improving some today but really fell flat on my run. At roughly the 3.5 mile mark I just had no gas in the tank to keep going. Walked for about 1-2 minutes then picked it up again. It was pretty warm out and the sun was beating me up pretty good. Could have been a hydration issue rather than nutrition but I just felt weak overall which is not typical. Finished up the last 1.5 miles and then walked it out to cool down. Added my typical strength stuff to the end to cap it off and then on to the shower.

On a side not…strong ammonia smell in my sweat which means I am burning protein for fuel again. A good sign that the liver is doing it’s job and burning some protein to create glucose.

Planning a short run tonight followed up with a Triathlon group training class held at Core Studio’s. Hopefully energy returns prior because this class has left me feeling pretty miserable in the past.

Weight: 177

Breakfast: Did not partake again…I am seeing a trend

Lunch: Pulled Pork – again, Mixed Green Salad w/ 1 slice bacon chopped, sliced almonds, shredded swiss

Snack: Strawberry Carbmaster Yogurt

Dinner: Bacon/Swiss stuffed chicken breast (4 oz), Green Beans

Snack: 1 oz peanuts

Exercise
Run: 5.5 Miles
Strength: Dips, Pushups, Core

One Final Push! Tuesday Check-In.

2010-06-15T18:59:00.001-07:00

Tuesday June 15th

Weight: 177

Breakfast: No -- Not sure why I have been skipping. I typically never miss breakfast.

Lunch: 4 oz Chicken Salad, 1 cup steamed Broccoli, 1 slice american cheese

Snack: 1 oz peanuts

Dinner: 6oz pulled pork, 2 cups of Mixed Salad Greens w/Ranch, Sesame Seeds, 1 oz shredded Swiss, 1 slice bacon crumbled.

Exercise: 1.5 hour spin class

A long day at work and still not used to being back at it.

One Final Push!

2010-06-15T06:35:00.001-07:00

I think I have discussed this before and mostly in an effort to motivate myself. So now is the time, I am highly motivated and need to get over this hump. My original goal of 175 has been met and I seem to be hovering right around that weight. After my return from a week in Disney where I ate non stop my weight is at 178. Not a big deal as I expected some gain, particularly after consuming what might have been the largest cinnamon roll in history.

Enough chatter though, I am planning to make a push to 160 and need to keep my blog up so that I can stay motivated. Will try to update each day with what I ate and what type of exercise I was able to put in.

Monday June 14th 2010

Weight: 178

Breakfast: NA

Lunch: Small Mixed Green Salad w/Ranch, 3-4 oz Chicken Salad

Snack: Carbmaster Strawberry Yogurt

Dinner: 2 Eggs, 4 oz pulled pork

Snack: 2 oz peanuts

Workout:
Run: 4.43 Miles
Strength: 30 Min (Core, Dips, Pushups, Freeweights)

Planned to run outside but the temp was pretty high so I headed off to the gym. Turns out it may have been hotter in the gym and with no breeze it was pretty miserable. Next time I just need to HTFU and stay outdoors. I hate treadmills!

2010-05-27T13:22:00.001-07:00

BLOOMINGTON -- Triathlete Mike Bernico isn't sure how much he weighed at his peak two years ago. His scale didn't go higher than 380, and the needle was pinned.

"I was almost 400," guessed the technical analyst at State Farm Insurance Cos.

He stood 5 feet, 10 inches tall and his waist was 50 inches around. Today, Bernico, 32, weighs 178 pounds as he prepares for the upcoming Tri Sharks Classic Triathlon at Comlara Park near Hudson on June 5. His body fat measures just 8.1 percent. His waist is 32 inches.

Bernico made small lifestyle changes at first.

"Like not having an entire pizza for dinner," he said with a smile.

Better menus and portion control came next. At 330 pounds, he started strength training. He bought a recumbent bicycle trainer and started to spin his legs. His knee withstood the challenge. After a time, he bought a road bike and rode outside. By the end of 2008, he could go up to 60 miles at a time.

That's when someone urged him to complete a triathlon, where participants are timed as they swim, bike and run. One of the fastest growing sports in America, participation grew by nearly 70 percent to nearly 1.1 million from 2006-2008, according to the Outdoor Foundation. USA Triathlon, the sports governing organization, had 53,000 members in 2004. That number is more than twice that today.

Approached with the idea of being a triathlete, Bernico's response was, "No way."

But he found a couch-to-5K (3.1 mile) training course that gradually ramps up running time and distance. He practiced swimming. He did a short triathlon in Sullivan in April 2009.

Last June, he found himself on the shore of Evergreen Lake at Comlara Park with other triathletes ready to hit the water at the start of the Tri-Sharks Classic Triathlon, a sprint-distance race named after Bloomington's triathlon club. Athletes swim 600 yards, bike 12.5 miles and run 3.1 miles.

McLean County is becoming a hub of triathlon and endurance sports in Illinois and the Midwest. The field of 600 fills up in a matter of minutes when registration opens several months before the event, said race director Colleen Klein. Bernico will be joined by his fiancée, Lana Fryer, 27, a Bloomington pharmacist, who will compete in her first triathlon.

Mike Mikel of Bloomington also will do his first sprint triathlon. Mikel started bike riding and later added swimming and running to get back in shape before he turned 40. He signed up for the triathlon when he realized he was doing all three sports during workouts.

"This (competing in triathlons) gives me another goal," said Mikel, who also is using triathlons as a way to raise money for The Children's Foundation of Children's Home + Aid, where he is a board member. (See the outdoor column on F-1.) The Children's Foundation will be title charity sponsor for the Tri Sharks Classic in 2011.

As for Bernico, he plans to do an Olympic-distance race at the Evergreen International Triathlon July 17 at Comlara Park, where he placed fifth in his age group last year. Distances are doubled to 1,200 yards in the water, 25 miles on a bike and a 6.2 mile run. He also will compete at Steelhead, a half Ironman in Bentown Harbor, Mich., at the end of July.

In 2011, he plans to complete an Ironman triathlon, which many consider the most grueling athletic test of all. The race tests the limits of physical endurance with a swim of 2.4 miles, a bike competition of 112 miles and a marathon distance run of 26.2 miles. Competitors must complete the entire 140.6 miles in 17 hours. Bernico, who blogs at http://iron-path.blog

spot.com, weighs and logs everything he eats now. Those small healthy changes have led to a diet without processed foods.

"I'm very careful," he said.

Still, he exercises so much now he still loses weight even though he's eating a normal 3,000 calories a day. The irony amuses him.

"I'll just have to eat more," he said, with a laugh.

Perhaps more important than the weight loss is the attitude change that has accompanied his transition, he said. He's gone through tough times with a more positive outlook.

"It's changed everything in my life," Bernico said. "It's brought a different perspective into things. I've learned about nutrition, staying active and healthy, but I've learned no matter how bad things get, no matter what happens, I can suffer through it. After you do a triathlon, there is nothing you can't do. It's the triathlete mindset."

Source: http://www.pantagraph.com/entertainment/go/article_67718386-64eb-11df-8d18-001cc4c03286.html

Seriously…The Hollywood Cookie Diet!

2010-05-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

I am not even sure what to say about this. The plan basically has you replace breakfast, snack and lunch with a cookie. For dinner you should be eating a sensible meal and viola! The pounds will just melt away!

The diet should work assuming you keep your dinner sensible by reducing the total caloric intake for the day. 3 cookies per day amounts to 450 calories and that along with my definition of a sensible meal of 600 calories should keep you right around 1050 calories. For most people that should be restricted enough to have some success.

Perhaps it sour grapes since I did not think of wrapping a cookie in a pretty package and stamping “Hollywood” and “Diet” on the label. We all see the tabloids and photos of the super stars living in sunny Hollywood and who doesn’t want to look like that. However, this has to be the most absurd thing I have heard of in a while. The amazing thing is that people are actually buying them!

How about this…

I will agree to supply you with a package of Chip’s Ahoy cookies, about the same nutritionally, for the low price of 9.99. In fact if you act now I will even break out a Sharpie and write “diet” on it. The great thing about Chip’s Ahoy is that you can actually have 3 for each meal replacement or a total of 9 cookies per day!

If you’re interesting just shoot me an email and I will provide you with my Paypal info so we can arrange for payment.

Chips Ahoy!
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 3 Cookies (32g)
Ingredients Amount Per Serving
Calories 160
Total Fat 8g
Saturated Fat 2.5g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 105mg
Total Carbohydrates 21g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 10g
Protein 2g

Hollywood Chocolate Chip
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Cookie (40g)
Ingredients Amount Per Serving
Calories 150
Total Fat 4.5g
Saturated Fat 2g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 140mg
Total Carbohydrates 23g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars 8g
Protein 5g

Ironmanlife: What It's Really All About

2010-05-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

After 15 tries, Jeff Rhodes thought this was going to be his day - the day he would qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championship. He was racing with all the top men in his 40-44 age group in St. George, Utah last Saturday, feeling on top of the world. Two miles to go on the bike, though, things went horribly awry when he rolled a tire going around a corner.

Rhodes hit a brick wall and flew over his handlebars. No sooner had he hit the ground than he tried to get back on his bike. He saw the tire was off. Ever tried to get a tubular back on a rim? Ever tried to do that with one hand, because your other arm won’t work? Rhodes deflated the tire, put it back on the rim, re-inflated it with a quick-fill, then realized that his shoulder was up by his ear. He popped his shoulder back in place and tried to get back on his bike again. This time he realized his chain was off, too.

When he finally was able to get back on his bike, Rhodes managed the last two miles of the ride by holding his shoulder – it wasn’t just dislocated, he’d broken his collarbone, too.

When he managed to get some medical attention in T2, he was assured that he had broken his collarbone and should get into an ambulance for some medical attention.

“I told them I could still qualify for Kona,” Rhodes said in an interview today. “I got them to help me change my shoes.”

It only took three steps before Rhodes realized that there was no Kona qualifying for him last Saturday. Rather than quit, though, he was determined that he would finish the race, and started walking.

“It never even crossed my mind – I was going to get through it,” he said. “This was my 16th Ironman and I’ve never DNF’d. Last year in Japan I had an asthma attack during the swim. I had to pull myself along from buoy to buoy. It was the closest I’ve ever come to death. I knew I could get through the run with some shoulder pain.”

So he started walking. Meanwhile, just behind him, Quinton Berry, one of the five men from Orange County who had been training together for Ford Ironman St. George, started the marathon. Like Rhodes, Berry was having an incredible day – he was also in the hunt for a Kona spot. Berry ran up to his friend and stopped to walk with him.

“You’re having a great race,” Rhodes said. “You keep running. I’ll be fine.”

Berry made it a few feet up the road and turned around.

“At some point you’re going to need some help,” he told his friend. “If you’re going to walk it, I’m going to walk it with you.”

A short while later, another of the group, Scott Callendar, came across his two training buddies. He started walking, too. He and Berry took turns finding ice packs for their friend. They got his food at aid stations. They tracked down ibuprofen from the medical crew. The re-strapped his shoulder.

The three came across the line together. It was their slowest Ironman. It was also the best.

“This was the best Ironman I’ve ever done,” Berry wrote in an e-mail to Rhodes.

“It’s what you do for a friend,” he told me. “It was pretty impressive to see the support he had out there. There were some pros out there who said they were inspired by him.”

Pros? These three inspired an entire community. You want friendship? You want perseverance? You want grit and determination?

They showed it at Ford Ironman St. George last Saturday. It might not have been the fastest Ironman, but it will go down in history as one of the most inspiring and impressive of Ironman achievements.

Rhodes is registered to race at Subaru Ironman Canada later this summer.

“I know that I’m going to qualify there,” he said. “Those bumps in the road, you learn a lot from them.”

I think we can all learn a lot from Jeff Rhodes, Quinton Berry and Scott Callendar.

Source: http://ironman.com/columns/ironmanlife/kevin-mackinnon-catches-up-with-three-men-who-truly-embody-the-spirit-of-ironman

2010-04-28T04:50:00.000-07:00

Eat less saturated fat: that has been the take-home message from the U.S. government for the past 30 years. But while Americans have dutifully reduced the percentage of daily calories from saturated fat since 1970, the obesity rate during that time has more than doubled, diabetes has tripled, and heart disease is still the country’s biggest killer. Now a spate of new research, including a meta-analysis of nearly two dozen studies, suggests a reason why: investigators may have picked the wrong culprit. Processed carbohydrates, which many Americans eat today in place of fat, may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease more than fat does—a finding that has serious implications for new dietary guidelines expected this year.

In March the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a meta-analysis—which combines data from several studies—that compared the reported daily food intake of nearly 350,000 people against their risk of developing cardiovascular disease over a period of five to 23 years. The analysis, overseen by Ronald M. Krauss, director of atherosclerosis research at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, found no association between the amount of saturated fat consumed and the risk of heart disease.

The finding joins other conclusions of the past few years that run counter to the conventional wisdom that saturated fat is bad for the heart because it increases total cholesterol levels. That idea is “based in large measure on extrapolations, which are not supported by the data,” Krauss says.

One problem with the old logic is that “total cholesterol is not a great predictor of risk,” says Meir Stampfer, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. Although saturated fat boosts blood levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, it also increases “good” HDL cholesterol. In 2008 Stampfer co-authored a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that followed 322 moderately obese individuals for two years as they adopted one of three diets: a low-fat, calorie-restricted diet based on American Heart Association guidelines; a Mediterranean, restricted-calorie diet rich in vegetables and low in red meat; and a low-carbohydrate, nonrestricted-calorie diet. Although the subjects on the low-carb diet ate the most saturated fat, they ended up with the healthiest ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol and lost twice as much weight as their low-fat-eating counterparts.

Stampfer’s findings do not merely suggest that saturated fats are not so bad; they indicate that carbohydrates could be worse. A 1997 study he co-authored in the Journal of the American Medical Association evaluated 65,000 women and found that the quintile of women who ate the most easily digestible and readily absorbed carbohydrates—that is, those with the highest glycemic index—were 47 percent more likely to acquire type 2 diabetes than those in the quintile with the lowest average glycemic-index score. (The amount of fat the women ate did not affect diabetes risk.) And a 2007 Dutch study of 15,000 women published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that women who were overweight and in the quartile that consumed meals with the highest average glycemic load, a metric that incorporates portion size, were 79 percent more likely to develop coronary vascular disease than overweight women in the lowest quartile. These trends may be explained in part by the yo-yo effects that high glycemic-index carbohydrates have on blood glucose, which can stimulate fat production and inflammation, increase overall caloric intake and lower insulin sensitivity, says David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Will the more recent thinking on fats and carbs be reflected in the 2010 federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, updated once every five years? It depends on the strength of the evidence, explains Robert C. Post, deputy director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. Findings that “have less support are put on the list of things to do with regard to more research.” Right now, Post explains, the agency’s main message to Americans is to limit overall calorie intake, irrespective of the source. “We’re finding that messages to consumers need to be short and simple and to the point,” he says. Another issue facing regulatory agencies, notes Harvard’s Stampfer, is that “the sugared beverage industry is lobbying very hard and trying to cast doubt on all these studies.”

Nobody is advocating that people start gorging themselves on saturated fats, tempting as that may sound. Some monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in fish and olive oil, can protect against heart disease. What is more, some high-fiber carbohydrates are unquestionably good for the body. But saturated fats may ultimately be neutral compared with processed carbs and sugars such as those found in cereals, breads, pasta and cookies.

“If you reduce saturated fat and replace it with high glycemic-index carbohydrates, you may not only not get benefits—you might actually produce harm,” Ludwig argues. The next time you eat a piece of buttered toast, he says, consider that “butter is actually the more healthful component.”

Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=carbs-against-cardio

Review Met-RX Protein Plus Bar

2010-04-13T04:19:00.000-07:00

So I know that I am trying really hard to stay natural and eat mostly fresh ingredients. Let’s face it though, sometimes life gets in the way and we just have to make due with what’s at hand. On a typical day I will make a couple of eggs for breakfast, simple, tasty and good fuel to start the day.

On my way to work a few days back I had seen these Met-Rx bars. They were on special at Kroger and I thought, why not, perhaps pickup a couple of them and have them for an emergency meal. I am not immune to this now as I will typically keep a stash of the Atkins bars on hand for just such an event.

So reading the label it says 32g Protein and 2g Sugar. Great! I remember reading of peoples experiences to these sugar alcohol’s that included some digestive problems. The particular SA in question here was 27g of Maltodextrin. Without getting to geeky it is essentially derived from hydrolysis of starch (rice, corn, potato, etc). What you end up with is a very sweet white powder that is often used to sweeten soft drinks and best known as Splenda (mixed with sucralose).

OK, so onto my review. The bar was quite tasty however did have a bit of a bitter chalky aftertaste. I think if you regularly eat Snickers or Reese’s you would disgusted by this thing but coming from someone who has not had a bite of a candy bar in over 2 years my taste is probably less sensitive to real sugar.

So within an hour of eating this bar I found my stomach had swollen to what I was sure was 2-3 times it actual size. To avoid being completely disgusting I spent the better part of the morning seated somewhere other than my desk. After contemplating going home around 12 or so I finally started to get some relief. For the life of me I could not figure out what was wrong. I have eaten the Atkins bars enough and never had such an experience.

After discussing with a co-worker he said he would take the other bar. So I dropped it by his desk. As I was leaving work that evening I ran into him in the parking lot and he explained that he no longer wanted the bar. While reading the ingredients list he noticed some fine print that included a Warning Label. Now from my perspective I though, who the heck looks for a Warning Label on a Protein Bar.

The label reads…

Warning: This product contains sugar alcohols, which may cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.

Ackk, well that explains a lot. Not sure what “excessive” meant exactly but apparently is roughly the equivalent of one bar.

Bottom line, the bar was quite tasty but no substitute for real food and I would not recommend anyone consuming without first picking up a good book or some other reading material along with some tucks for the nether region.

On On

Papa Johns 10 Miler Race Report

2010-04-08T07:07:00.001-07:00

A little late, but better late than never. My training has been in the toilet of late because of increased workloads at both home and work. This is not a bad thing mind you but a simple reality of anyone trying to figure out how to balance family and work with a healthy lifestyle.

Having said that I was pretty nervous heading into this race. Planned to do some hill training all winter long and just never could find the time to do any hill repeats. Just takes to much time to drive to one of the parks that offers some of the hills to work on when I can get home and just go for a run from the house and be back home in an hour, hour and a half.

In addition to not spending anytime on the hills I had really not been getting my runs in at all like I should. In my head I was doing 20 miles or so a week, but upon closer inspection of my logs I am realizing it’s closer to 12-15. Ackk, with my long runs rarely exceeding 7 or 8 miles. I begin to review my training plan that I had so carefully thought out and planned each weeks run and tried to match it up to my logs. The plan looks great but the execution was terrible. Either way, enough of that, on to the race.

We are in the process of finishing our basement and to keep on schedule with the drywall crew that was coming on Monday had taken off from work on Thursday and Friday. Going from a desk job to actual work that requires you to be on your feet, up and down ladders, stooping, bending and generally doing everything that I don’t normally do made for a long 2 days leading up to the event. My plan was to work long on Thursday and then finish up by 5 on Friday. Head to my parents for an early Easter dinner on Friday night and then get to bed early. Honestly, it all went as planned and I was in bed by 11PM that night, which is early for me.

Alarm goes off at 5:30 AM, nice aroma of freshly brewed coffee from my new machine the Wife gave me for my Birthday, thanks honey. Quick shower and then almond butter spread on a deli thin for breakfast. Downed a quick glass of water along with 2 Advil to help with hydration and then it’s time for some morning brew.

Head down to the event and have time to stop by Kroger for all to use the restroom prior to the start. Find myself staring a bottle of 5 hour energy and wondering if it would help my performance. I had tried this stuff once before but not prior to exercise and split it with my wife so that we could stay awake for date night. Pathetic, I know. So I made the decision to pick up a bottle and finished roughly half of it. Phew, that was not bad and I feel better already or at least that is what I was telling myself after committing a major race day error. NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY! More on this later…

Off for a short warmup run of a mile or so then time to stretch. Met the family near the start and said my goodbyes. Since I have not said it yet, I love that they always come out and let me tell you some of these races have had brutal weather conditions. Cold and miserable would be an understatement. Love you guys and thanks!

I walk to the start and realize I waited to long, I am near the rear of some 7000 people. Head to the sidewalk and try working my way a little closer without much luck. Fireworks go off and now I realize that I am going to spend a good part of the beginning dodging, bobbing and weaving my way through traffic. Which is quite a bit of fun on shorter races but longer runs it takes to much energy and I just did not want to use up any excess as my terror of finishing at all was still in full affect. In addition to my typical race fears I am now starting to feel the 5 hour energy that seemed like such a good idea at the time begin to work it’s way back out of my system. Every other step has me burping this stuff up. I moved to the side of the road for fear of vomiting and continued on.

First 3 miles were going great, 8:30 pace which was right on target to finish below 1:30. Once I hit the park all bets were off. First hill was pretty uneventful. Did not pace by speed but by heart rate as I knew keeping it at or around 160 at the peak of the hills was critical to keeping me below my lactate threshold. Second hill was not quite the same challenge as the first and I managed to eek my way over the top HR now at 162. Ackk. Long slow grade down and then comes the 3rd and final hill. It was easy to see from the lack of leaves on the trees that this one extended quite a ways and eventually out of site around a bend.

Made it to the first turn of this one and had slowed to what probably looked like crawling to onlookers but thankfully I was not alone and actually managed to pass a few that had given up. Finally made the turn and could see it was still another 100 yards to the top. Quick check of the HR and I am at 172. Pondered for a moment and decided to walk it as I did not want to risk doing more damage than I already had knowing there were still roughly 4 more miles to go. Again the 5 hour energy is still trying to find a path out of my system and I debate on several occasions on whether I should just stop and ram a finger down my throat to force it out and get it over with.

About this time I pass a guy on the side of road getting medical attention and as bad as I feel I am reminded that it could be worse. Crest the hill and now HR is back down to 135 or so and I am ready to go. Legs still a little sloppy on take off but eventually they begin to cooperate and start making that familiar pendulum motion that would be runners are so reliant on. Pretty steep downhill as well so I really only need to lean forward a little to continue my decent. Great for the heart but not so much for the knees. Trying to keep my speed down I was landing pretty hard so I eventually gave in and just let my body go about as fast as it wanted to go only limiting it when I started to feel out of control.

Out of the park and back to reality. My legs were really feeling it at this point. The only thing that felt good was knowing there were only 3 miles or so to go. The wind had picked up considerably since exiting the park and the protection of the foliage and you could feel and smell the moisture in the air. As quickly as the wind picked up the rain came and it was a huge relief. As my pace picked up a bit from the cooling effect of the rain my thoughts turned to my wife and kids sitting there at end of the race waiting in what were likely miserable conditions for them.

On to the last mile and I can see that overpass that once haunted me coming up. Made the right turn to cross over the hill and my pace quickened with the sound of Rocky playing in my head. Probably looked a little foolish as I felt like I was perhaps dancing a bit on my way to the top but this little tiny overpass once forced me to stop for a rest en route to a football game. Now I am crossing over it after already running 9.5 miles.

I can see the stadium and my pain is gone. Make the last turn into the parking lot where the football team is hard at work to my right so like any fan I let out a “Go Cards!” as I pass. Then the final jaunt into the stadium and hitting the soft turf that I have spent so many Saturdays…and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and I think even a Sunday once. Such is life of a Louisville fan, but I digress. Round the turn and hop, skip and jump on the finish. It’s over and I finished a race that had me ready to throw up the night prior. See my wife and kids along with my Brother, who also ran, and his family at the finish as well.

No time to waste as we were rushed off the field I assume to allow those other 5000 people to cross as well. Bottle of water and off to find and hug my family. I truly could not have done any of this without them there to support me. For my wife I know it has to be difficult to see me come home with lots to do and I do a quick change and back out the door I go for a run or swim. So glad she is understanding of this and supports me. Thanks Honey, I love you.

Finished in 1:34:57 pacing at 9:30. My goal was 1:30 or a 9:00 pace. However, looking back I ran this same distance on New Years day and finished a minute slower on a flat and fast course. So there had to have been some improvement. My Brother kicked my butt at around 1:26 or something. Maybe next year, for now just happy I had the opportunity to participate.

Next up, pacing my Son this Saturday for his first ever race. The Goose Creek 5K. It’s a much smaller race and if he pushes he might have the opportunity to podium. No time goals for me on this one as my only concern is that Tyler finishes and feels good and has fun.

Tony Horton and a Little Tough Love

2010-03-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

If you don't know who Tony Horton is he is the creator of P90X. Recently he hosted a chat and went on a rant that include among other things personal responsibility. Some people might read his rant and be offended but I found it very motivating.

So for those of you that like to be coddled or patted on the head and told everything going to be OK you might not like what he has to say.

BTW...thanks to Kajun for passing this on.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Alright, sit back, and relax.
Let's go over a couple of things.
There seems to be a general lack of willpower,
and there also seems to be, like cani said, poor planning.
Showing up to a party hungry, never a good idea, you're screwed.
Now i could sit here and i could tell you little tips about how to help you control your eating habits,
improve the quality of your food, and i do it week after week, month after month,year after year
and it seems like the same people (i know who you are - you know who you are) continue to just let food win.
Am i correct?
I mean, you do the programs, and you come into the chat rooms and you go into message boards
and you're part of the community and you have been for years, and you lose some weight, and gain it back
then you lose some more, and gain back more, and it's just a cycle that continues.
Sometimes you take it seriously, sometimes you don't.
Blah, blah, blah!
Sad, boring and pathetic, really...
You blame it on your parents and you blame it on work
and you blame it on stress
and you blame it on poor planning,
or on the weather or lack of sleep
and you sort of take the blame, but not enough to make any changes.
I mean, if it doesn't matter
cuz apparently it doesn't
cuz if it did
this would no longer be a problem for most of you.
But the sad fact of the matter is, you know what to do!
It's not like this company is selling you some silly weight loss diet program that is asking you to eat funky portions of stupid food for the rest of your life.
You have temptations and you succumb to them. Period.
Now my job tonight is not to sit here and point fingers and call you names, and say that you are losers.
But it's time for a little tough love people.
As some of you know, i'm 50 and life is extraordinarily short.
I feel like i've lived 10 lives already and as we all get older, it doesn't get any easier, unless we do the right thing.
Succumbing to temptation based on outside influences and influences inside our heads
just makes life such a dull boring frustrating drag.
Ick!
Is this what we want?
Is this good enough?
Is it?
But what the hell you gonna do about it?
Because change is a bit** man.
But if you want the life that i think you think you deserve, then you have to do the opposite of what you're doing.
Cuz i gotta say, when i show up to events (team beachbody events or camps) and i see people who used to be fit who aren't, i just think, what happened?
And i know the economy is rough and things happen in life that are brutal, but since when does food solve any of our problems?
It makes things worse!
We need something to make us feel good for 10 seconds, but all it's doing is making our situation worse!
[lisaerin82] tony__how did you get into fitness? What keeps you going day in and day out? Do you take 'breaks' throughout the year?
Lisa, good question.
Which ties into this topic.
Because i have to!
Because you have to!
Because the alternative sucks!
Many people in this chat room know that it’s too vital, it's too important.
It makes life so much better. Not to do it makes for a lesser life.
So if you don't mind your lesser life keep on eating crap based on all your lame excuses.
I got into fitness because i wanted to look better, i stayed in fitness because i like feeling better.
I like the quality of my life to improve, because i understand that exercise and eating right does that.
I like being fit and i like being healthy.
I understand the importance of those things
i also understand that to achieve them, i have to eat right and exercise at least 6 days a week
my poor eating has diminished less and less over the last few months.
I've almost cut chocolate out. Which is hard for me.
I notice that when i get to that rough patch of 2 or 3 weeks when i'm trying to get off of any kind of a particular bad food habit the cravings go away and i feel better more often.
I sleep better.
My digestion is better.
My energy is up.
My moods are upbeat and positive more often.
Btw, for those of you that are struggling with your diet (which i know is probably more than 11 of you)
if you notice you're struggling in life, guess what?
That struggle comes with what you put in your mouth first, not visa versa
one causes the other.
It's not coincidence that your wack diet is part of your wack life.
Everybody read me?
Hearing me?
Feeling me?
Anybody think i'm talking to them directly?
How does that feel?
Kinda crappy, right?
As dr. Phil would say
how's that working out for you?
When this chat is over tonight i want you to walk away with some thoughts in your head that might not exist after a normal chat.
One thought or question i should say is... What am i gonna do about it?
Because right now you're not doing anything.
You're just letting life push you around.
Super lean, super ripped, super healthy, super strong people do everything right.
People that are pretty ripped, pretty healthy, pretty strong, do most things right
people that are not overweight, not unhealthy, but look ok do about half of the important things right.
I could keep going but you understand where i'm headed.
3 months ago, i was doing my 90/10 % plan and that was pretty good, you know, 6 pack, etc.
But when i cleaned it up more, i'm just leaner and i feel better.
It worked for me
and i don't miss the chocolate.
You kids need a plan.
Anybody want a plan right now?
Free of charge?
Now this plan is so simple it's gonna freak you out!
You have your pieces of paper and writing utensils ready?
At the top of a piece of paper write this;
i, [write your own name] hereby declare that i will follow the tony horton food plan for the next 30 days.
I'm gonna give you kids the hard core version not modified versions of the food plan.
Ok, pick up your pencils again.
#1
for the next 30 days i will not eat white bread or anything made with enriched flour or processed flour
snickers bars.
Done!
Out!
Gone!
Bye bye!
See ya later!
No mas!
Sianara!
Got it?
Get it?
Do it!
#2
i will greatly reduce my dairy intake.
And for some of you no more dairy!
Get it?
Do it!
No more pizza with a ton of cheese!
No more milk!
No more ice cream!
Gone!
Out!
Go buy some almond milk or rice milk.
Or i'll smack ya.
#3
no more carbonated beverages.
No more pepsi.
No more coke.
No more 7 up.
No more sprite.
No more dr. Pepper.
No more diet pepsi.
No more diet coke.
No more zero coke.
No more mountain dew.
None!
#4
water and tea only!
If you're a coffee psycho, 1 cup a day.
Shut up and do it!
#5
at least 2 of your meals a day there'd better be vegetables on your plate.
1 meal a day, there'd better be fruit.
Do it
#6
here's how you're getting your protein.
Nuts, beans, fish, turkey, and chicken.
That's it!
Shut up and do it!
Get off the red meat for a while.
Off!
I don't care about lean red meat.
Just get off of it!
#7
for the first 2 weeks of your 30 day plan
write it down!
Write it down!
Every morsel!
"oh, but tony, that's so hard, it takes time, what if i forget a pen? What if i've lost my pad of paper to write down what i've eaten? Does that mean i have to write down everything in my salad? What if there's avocado, peppers, mushrooms, nuts, in different kinds of salad, do i have to write it all down?"
shut up you whiny little bi*****!
If you want to live large and you want this microscopically short life of yours to be worth showing up for
then you'll make a plan.
You'll do what i say and things will be good!
Or you'll keep doing what you've been doing and then you'll just be what you are right now, or worse.
Okay?
This country has turned into pre-rome, and the empire's about to collapse.
The only way we can begin to turn it around is to start taking care of ourselves first, so that we have the energy and enthusiasm to take care of the rest of the crap that is going south in our lives.
Poor eating habits and lack of physical movement has turned the vast majority of us into whiny little cry baby losers.
Far too many people are living in this state of quiet desperation.
It's like joe the plumber...
Good grief!
The guy, and not to get political, because it's not political at all.
Here's a guy pretending to be a plumber
when he's actually an unlicensed contractor who does plumbing, proclaiming that he has the money to buy this $250,000 plumbing business, when in actuality the plumbing business is actually a $100,000 plumbing business. He still owes back taxes and he makes less than $40k a year. Joe is making things up to make a point.
So joe the plumber needs to read law #5
get real joe!
We have to stop pretending that life is something other than what is actually happening to us.
The point i'm trying to make for those of you that are still a little confused is that we have to take control of our lives. The one that is happening, not the pretend one.
We have to take control of our eating.
We have to stop the fantasy version and start believing in the real one.
We have to stop pretending that things are going to get better because we just bought a new crystal, or our palm reading went well, or somebody else'll do it for us, or if we just hope or pray it'll get better on its own.
Good grief!
If you are not happy, it's because of you!
It's just you.
You and no one else.
Not your husband, not your wife.
Not god.
Not your parents.
Not your work.
Not the weather.
None of it.
It's you and the information or lack thereof, inside your brain.
The more you know, the more you can do
i can get in here and show you little tricks about how to eat better or do pushups on your knees but the fact of the matter is success is a deeper more profound look within.
Are you with me people?
Can you dig it?
If you stick with the simple pieces to that puzzle or that plan, weight will come flying off.
Your body will change.
I don't want you to count calories.
I would like you to eat smaller meals.
I would like you to not eat a couple hours before you go to bed.
I also want to say that there's a list in life.
The good life list
things like;
getting 7 1/2 to 8 hours of sleep. It's not like you have to pass an exam to know how to do that
exercise 5_6 days a week. It's not like you have to ask for permission from someone else.
You just do it!
Eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein and not all the other garbage is how you stay healthy.
That’s not rocket science.
You know, stuff like brush your damn teeth twice a day.
Floss once in a while.
Don't blow out your credit card so you can't pay it off.
Choose patience over rage.
Be in the moment.
Enjoy the journey.
Don't be attached to the outcome.
Don't sweat the small stuff, because it's all small stuff.
Open the door.
Try new things.
Change is good.
Surround yourself with like_minded, upbeat, good humored people.
Okay, here's the book of the week
it's called "made to stick"
this book will help you formulate new habits, that stick.
The amazing thing about exercise and eating well...the outcome. If you're consistent.
It's the same for everyone.
I know i got on my box nice and tall here today but i just hate seeing smart people make the same mistakes
over and over again.
It's got to be frustrating.
When it come to health and fitness (in general) there’s 3 groups of people.
The first group is, people who don't know better.
They haven't come across this information yet. They're still buying into weight watchers, nutrisystem, herbal life and other programs that work as long as you use them.
But i don't know anybody who's been doing weight watchers for 15 years.
They’re "weight loss only" products that are temporary fixes.
These same folks are buying stupid ab chairs, ab lounges and some rotating pushup stands. This stuff is supposed to change your entire body?
Give me a break!
They don't know better so they get to be stuck.
Then there's category 2
people that come here and understand that exercise has to happen 5_6 days a week. Variety works!
There has to be intensity and consistency.
These people also understand that healthy food is part of the equation. When folks in category 2 discover this information they understand it's importance like air and water and live it.
Far too many people (there are some of you that are in this chat room) are in category 3
people who know better but aren't willing to apply the information.
It's like knowing how to breathe but deciding to constantly hold your breath to be miserable.
It's such a bummer.

This group of people are the saddest of all.
Not from my perspective, but from their own.
Does this sound like it makes sense to anyone in here?
So we know our plan, correct?
We know what to do, right?
We're gonna do it right?
Why not?
The end result will be awesome!
You can all have what i have and i'm not that smart.
I just follow the rules.
I'm like scott fifer.
Just follow the rules
alright, kids, that's it
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
that's it, i'm out

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks Tony for putting it out there in no uncertain terms.

Breakfast Roulade

2010-03-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to find something new to eat, I had seen a photo of some sort of egg roulade on the internet recently and tried my best to create a low-carb version. Some improvisation was required as I did not know what ingredients I might have laying around. So this is what I came up with...

6 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Sugar Free Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese
1/2 Small Onion (diced)
4 slices bacon sliced into small pieces
3 cups of baby spinach

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Wisk the Eggs, Milk, Flour, Salt and Pepper in a bowl. Line a 1/2 sheet pan, 9X13 I think, with parchment paper. Spray lightly with cooking spray and pour the mixture in. I had to press the edges down to force the egg mix into the corners. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes...I honestly have no idea but until it cooked but still a little runny on top.

While this is cooking start on the bacon cooking it about 3/4 of the way and then add the spinach and onion and sweat them.

Remove the egg from the oven and spread the bacon, onion and some of the spinach over the eggs and put it back in the oven until it's firm. Seems like it took another 5-10 minutes. I went outside and shot a few baskets with my Son so I am not positive how long it was.

When it was done I removed it from the pan by the parchment paper and set it on a cooling rack for a couple of minutes. Don't let it sit too long because cold eggs are gross. Once it's cool enough to handle pull it from the rack and set on a flat surface and using the parchment paper roll it up.

I put some of the remaining spinach on a plate and put the slices on top. The drizzled with a little Chulula. Only thing left to do is eat it and enjoy.

2010 Race #2

2010-03-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

OK, so am I regreting my past excitement for the 2010 race season starting. Perhaps, dunno. Been having lots of pain in my knees and legs in general recently. The only thing that is new or different is I switched from Asics to a New Balance neutral shoe.

Since that switch any runs over about 3 miles become very uncomfortable. It's not a stabbing or intense pain but my joints seem loose and flimsy as if my knee could just as easily bend in either direction. So I am going back to the Asics and see how they hold up. Perhaps these NB will make a good pair of cross trainers.

Because of this I have not been pushing my training very hard as it's just not really been that much fun. I don't want to feel like I need to force myself to get out there and run. However, I am also not naive enought to think there will never be days where I just don't feel like it because their certainly are.

So here we go, race #2. In January my training runs that were at a 6 mile distance were around 54 minutes. I was hoping to be closer to sub 50 for this race but I guess I am just going to have to be happy with something closer to sub 60.

On On

124 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

2010-03-11T05:43:00.000-08:00

Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., www.nancyappleton.com
Author of the book "Lick The Sugar Habit"

In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection infectious diseases)
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the
more elasticity and function you loose
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostrate, and rectum
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and
norepinephrine
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease
19. Sugar can cause premature aging
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay
22. Sugar contributes to obesity
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal
ulcers
25. Sugar can cause arthritis
26. Sugar can cause asthma
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast
infections)
28. Sugar can cause gallstones
29. Sugar can cause heart disease
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity
39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar
bound non- enzymatically to protein)
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein
46. Sugar causes food allergies
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen
54. Sugar can cause cataracts
55. Sugar can cause emphysema
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL)
58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in
the body
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function
60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness)
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves
75. Sugar can cause depression
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion)
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets
compared to low sugar diets
81. High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and
lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and
others become overactive
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety
of stimuli
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly
increases platelet adhesion
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer
92. Sugar feeds cancer
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold
increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration
among adolescents
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process
of digestion more dificult
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer
100. Sugar is an addictive substance
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they
produce
104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it
does starch
106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD)
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal
healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases
111. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people
116. In Intensive Care Units: Limiting sugar saves lives
117. Sugar may induce cell death
118. Sugar may impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in living
organisms
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet,
there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior
120. Sugar can cause gastric cancer
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns
122. Sugar can cause gum disease
123. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men
124. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies

Great List.

2 Year Health-O-Versary!

2010-03-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

So here it is 2 years since I began this journey to better health and I am happy to report that I am still at goal and working hard to maintain this lifestyle. Since hitting my goal in November of 2009 it has not always been easy trying to transistion from weight loss to maintainance. The learning curve is steeper than I would have anticipated and not without pitfalls.

Your first instinct when you hit goal is to celebrate. Historically I would do that with a feast! Woo Hoo!!! So what do I get to eat for my big party...hmmm. Not sure how to deal with that one so instead I just made little of the event and moved on.

As the weeks passed I was finding myself lost in how to handle this success and began to understand how many people fall right back into the same traps that made them overweight to begin with. You spend so much time obsessing about every little detail of what you eat, what now? I can allow myself the occassional treat now, right? Perhaps a piece of cake after dinner, some ice cream or maybe just a cookie? What to do, what to do.

I had also been posting my weekly weigh-in's for the last 20 months. Not sure that it still makes sense since I have nothing left to lose it would only serve to show that this week I have lost nothing. Don't know if that's a good thing or not, perhaps I might feel like a failure if I don't continue to lose even though my body has clearly stopped responding to my efforts.

I am finding out from those I have met online and the message boards I frequent that the key to success may be to continue to be completely obsessive about every detail of my diet. This is no different that before only now I am not concerned about losing only maintaining.

So that is my plan for now, continue to obsess about my weight, diet and exercise routine with the new goal of staying the same.

BTW...my race went well. While I did not hit my goal time of a sub 25 minute race. I did finish in 25:55 and was very happy with it considering it was my first 5K and slightly different strategy than running a Half Marathon or other long events. No need to hold back on this short distance, just run to you think you might vomit. Then go a little harder because it would be over before you know it.

Planning to sign up for at least 2 more 5K's that I know of for now this year. Hopefully in one of these I can reach that 2010 goal of a sub 25 minute 5K. For now I have a 10K up next in 2 weeks would like to see if I can PR that as well.

On On

First Race Week of 2010 is finally here.

2010-03-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

So after a lazy January and sickly February it’s time to get serious again. My weight has hovered around the 175 mark +/- 3 lbs since last November and I was really hoping to have dropped another 10 by now to make me faster. I am excited about the season starting up again. However, disappointed in how crappy my training has gone to date. I will take the blame for Jan but whine a bit about Feb.

To get started I had my longest run of the year last night at 10 miles and it was brutal. It was misting sleet the wind was kicking up strong gust and it was cold at about 27 degrees when I left. Not really what I had in mind when I set out for this run. This was also my first longer run off a treadmill in a while and I had forgotten how much harder it is to run on the road. Anyway, that run is behind me now and while I am little sore I am managing.

I was so proud of myself this AM for getting up early to get my swim in prior to work. That was cut short when the fire alarm sounded about 500 meters in to a planned 3000 Meter swim. Everyone was told to exit the building immediately but there was no way I was going out there in my wet jammers. So I decided I would take my time and go ahead and dress for work calling it a day. My daughter has been wanting to swim for the last couple of days so we will go together tonight.

First race of the season is coming up this weekend and I am completely un-prepared. While it’s only a 5K I was really hoping to start out the year finishing around 7.5 – 8 minute miles on this run but I don’t see how this is very likely. Since I have never run this distance in a race I am not really sure what strategy to take. My Brother suggests the distance is short enough that you should just run until you feel like you need to puke then push a little harder. If you crap out late in the race you can still probably slow down and push through it. If you save some for the end you likely did not finish as fast as you could have. Seems like logical advice so that is my plan for now to puke right on the finish, not a moment sooner or later.

On On!

Toxins in our food may play a role in neurobehavioral problems

2010-02-26T12:40:00.000-08:00

Recent research shows 45 percent of high-fructose corn syrup in commercial food products contains mercury, a known toxin, Dr. Anne Kelly told a group of medical professionals in Peoria.

"We have an estimated 10,000 new chemicals in the environment and no idea what the effect is on children," she said. "With this multitude of chemicals, the reality is we don't know what we're dealing with."

Kelly, president of Nutrition Ignition Inc. and former faculty member in general pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, was in Peoria recently as part of the Methodist Center for Integrative Medicine grand rounds presentations.

"There is no longer any doubt environmental toxins are accumulating in the soil, water, fish and humans," she said. "There is a strong link between high-fructose corn syrup and obesity."

Mercury exposure also has been linked with neurological learning disorders including autism, she said.

Kelly and other physicians are looking beyond genetic factors to account for the rapid increase in children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders and examining the role of diet and environmental toxins.

Their findings are alarming.

Last year, two U.S. studies found that nearly half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup contained mercury. On average, American adults consume about 12 teaspoons daily of high-fructose corn syrup, but teens and other high consumers take in up to 80 percent more than that.

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be an additional source of mercury never before considered," Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, said in a prepared statement after the studies were released.

In her own practice, Kelly has helped children by eliminating chemicals from their environments and their diets.

She has found that some of the triggers for children with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are cow's milk, wheat, MSG, artificial food coloring, preservatives, fried foods and packaged foods.

"I grew up in Illinois on a farm near Pontiac. The cow's milk I grew up on is different from what's in grocery stores today," she said, referring to the growth hormones, antibiotics and husbandry practices used on the majority of commercial dairy farms today.

"Parents of kids with autism report their children are hyper-sensitive to toxins," Kelly said.

"A small group of kids with chronic medical problems are developing multiple allergies. The gut plays a big role in how kids grow and develop."

Another finding has shown children with ADHD are low in certain essential nutrients including zinc, Vitamin D, iron, magnesium and serotonin, she said, noting they also commonly have deficiencies of B12, omega 3 and iodine.

Children with better diets are better equipped to deal with toxins.

"With lead poisoning, children with better diets have better outcomes neurologically," she said, noting that children's ability to detoxify chemicals from their bodies may be a factor in who develops autism and who does not. "These detoxification enzymes need vital nutrients."

While DDT, a powerful insecticide, has been outlawed, it has been replaced with more water soluble chemicals that contaminate ground water, she said, citing a study that found 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in the umbilical cords of newborn children.

"Children are born polluted," she said. "We see an explosion of inflammatory issues with the esophagus and stomachs. Are these food allergies or allergies to the chemicals in food?"

Besides working with children and their parents, Kelly is working with teachers to alter nutritional strategies in schools.

She is an advocate for health care reform that would allow physicians to be more innovative and track long-term outcomes. She compared the current health care system in this country with auto insurance, which only pays for repairs, not maintenance.

Public health departments in this country are structured to track infectious diseases and outbreaks of food poisoning, she said, but we need public health departments to look at toxins in the environment and neurodevelopmental problems in children.

Kelly concluded: What is the simplest first step we can take? Eliminate artificial food coloring and sweetened sodas and juices and drink more water.

"Kids have forgotten how to drink plain water," she said.

Kelly also advises parents to eliminate plastic in the kitchen and get back to glass.

"The overarching message is diet makes a difference in neurobehavioral problems and there are simple steps we can take immediately," she said. "The potential is huge to improve outcomes."

http://www.pjstar.com/features/x2112775064/Toxins-in-our-food-may-play-a-role-in-neurobehavioral-problems

Clare Howard can be reached at 686-3250 or choward@pjstar.com.

Fear Factor

2010-02-24T13:14:00.001-08:00

While most people are eager—even desperate—to lose weight, some overweight dieters are actually uncomfortable with morphing into a thinner version of themselves, either because they fear the process of losing weight or the result itself. "There are a number of conscious and subconscious reasons why a person who is overweight finds security in extra pounds or unhealthy lifestyle habits," says Lisa Sasson, M.S., an associate professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University in New York, New York. If you think you might be a little too comfortable at an unhealthy weight, or are actually fearful of succeeding on a diet, read through these common reasons that can keep you from beginning the journey. Figuring out what could be holding you back will benefit not only your physical health, but your emotional life as well.

You don't want to change your lifestyle

It's true: Losing weight and keeping it off involves permanent change, and you may not want to change a thing about your eating and lifestyle habits right now, thank you very much. Maybe you'd rather watch The Office than be at the gym. Perhaps you're bored of bland-tasting veggies. In fact, the unfamiliar makes you anxious, and losing weight is all about the unknown, right? Wrong. You don't have to make drastic changes in order to succeed at losing weight. In fact, extreme diets that have you eating only seaweed, exotic tree nuts, and unpronounceable fruits aren't sustainable. Taking your existing diet and lifestyle habits and tweaking them is a much friendlier—and more successful—strategy.

You don't want to give up the emotional comfort you find in food

There's nothing else that can quell a case of the blues like your beloved cheesecake or everything-on-it-nachos. The thought of not having something sweet, gooey, and/or cheese-y to turn to when the going gets rough keeps you tethered to your list of go-to comfort foods. Unfortunately, you're suffering from the misconception that losing weight means giving up all the foods you love. The truth is that when you learn moderation and portion control, you can have your cake and eat it, too. You can also learn to add healthy stress-reducers to your arsenal (like a quick walk or a chat with a friend; check out Non-Food Fixes for Emotional Eaters for more ideas) so that you won't need to turn to the chips every time you feel sad or stressed. Not to mention, once you remove food as crutch, it will be much easier to see what's really eating you. Think of it as lifting the veil on your real problem so you can ID and tackle issues that could be holding you back from living a fuller life.

You think of losing weight as stressful—and you have enough in your life

Who needs to spend precious hours in the kitchen cooking healthy meals when you barely have the time to order and inhale pizza? Your full-throttle life can't accommodate any exacting calorie-counting or sweat-inducing activities that don't involve picking up the kids from school or getting to the office on-time. You believe losing weight is just one additional stressor and you're doing yourself a favor by ignoring the scale. The problem is, you may be doing yourself more harm than good. Consider these facts: Exercise relieves stress and keeps you feeling your best; eating healthfully provides sustained energy; if you have the right recipes, healthy meals can be thrown together in the same time it takes you to dial in dinner. Take a second to look through the recipes on the site; you'll find that many of the healthy, tasty meals can be thrown together in just minutes. In the long-run, a healthier you is a less-stressed, more active you, which translates into a more productive life. It's also less stressful if you set moderate, realistic goals. You shouldn’t be losing more than a pound or two a week—anything more is unhealthy.

You're afraid of disappointing

A fear of failure has stalled many a dieter in her tracks. Perhaps you're concerned that you won't meet your own standards or maybe you worry about reaching the expectations of others, so you quit before you can see any real results or, in some cases, before you even get started. Be realistic with yourself, and know that even small changes (like switching from whole milk to skim milk or giving up soda) can have a major effect on not just your weight, but your health, too. The key to staying motivated is to set small and reachable goals for yourself, and then, to reward yourself when you hit them. When it comes to other people, try not to worry so much. If they love you, they'll only want what's best for you. You may be surprised just how supportive and encouraging they can be. Talk to them about your goals and tell them how they can support you along the way.

Thanks to Meeha for passing on this tidbit.

15 things to know when you're new to Atkins

2010-02-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

1. You will feel like crap, but only at first.
This is not because of the unhealthiness of low carb! You are going through withdrawal from sugar. It is called Induction Flu. Within the week you will start to feel normal again, and within a few more weeks you'll feel better than you ever have before in your life, because you're no longer poisoning yourself.

2. This is not a zero carb diet.
It's a low carb diet. You start at 20 net grams (total carbs minus fiber carbs) per day and work your way up. Anyone who tries to warn you that your body needs carbs to run is not familiar with Atkins. (And you don't need carbs for energy, either -- guess where else your body can get energy from! )

3. There is no such thing as good carbs vs. bad carbs.
Bread, fruit, milk, potatoes, corn, pasta, and sugar all become exactly the same thing in your body. The only difference is that the "good" carbs take slightly longer to turn into fat.

4. Eating fat does not make you fat.
COMBINING carbs and fat makes you fat. Take away the carbs, and eating fat will make you lose weight. Do not avoid it on this diet. Eat bacon, butter, oil, and juicy marbled steak and watch the pounds melt off. Restricting yourself to chicken and turkey will actually sabotage your progress.

5. This is not a starvation diet.
EAT EAT EAT! Don't worry about calories. Don't worry about eating after 6pm. Don't worry about snacking between meals. You may decide to tweak those things later if you have problems, but there's no need to worry about it during Induction!

6. The way to win is: be prepared.
Have a house full of good meats and veggies ready before you officially start. Lack of willpower won't make you fail -- lack of convenient snacks will.

7. The book is a treasure trove of knowledge. READ IT.
If you're a member of the board for long, you will start to notice that the people who struggle and disappear within two weeks are those who seem confused about the basics covered in DANDR. Don't ignore this step. Even veterans learn something new each time they read it.

8. You can't cheat "just this once" and burn it off later.
This isn't like other diets. One slice of pizza doesn't mean an extra ten minutes on the treadmill. It means triggering the sugar addiction cycle and a slippery slide into obesity again. If you're doing it right, you're doing it for life.

9. The cupcake cravings will go away.
Remember, it's withdrawal. Eventually sugar won't have the same hold over you, and you won't need to feed your demon anymore. Supposedly, L-Glutamine supplements can help if the cravings are bad.

10. It doesn't matter how dark the ketosticks are.
The more water you drink, the lighter the color. Dark just means you aren't drinking enough. As long as it's pink, congratulations, you're in ketosis. If the sticks won't change color no matter how good you've been, there's a good chance they've expired and you need new ones.

11. Low fat generally means high carb.
Check the labels and go for the full fat stuff! Two notable exceptions: Philly Cream Cheese and Hillshire Farm Summer Sausage.

12. "Regular" does not mean "daily."
You're suddenly eating nutritionally dense food instead of "fortified" fluff. Your BM output is going to slow. If you feel this is becoming a problem, magnesium supposedly helps.

13. The carb counts on packages lie.
If the food has trace amounts of carbs, anywhere from 0g to .49g, they can label it as 0g.
If the food has .5g to .99g, they label it as <1g.
If the food has 1g-1.49g, it's labelled as 1g.
And so on.
But don't just go by the numbers, also check the ingredients lists. You want to avoid anything containing: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, maltodextrin, and anything ending in -ose (sucrose, fructose, dextrose, maltose, etc.).

14. THE BASIC FOOD LIST FOR INDUCTION.

Foods to definitely avoid:
Baked goods, pasta, milk, potatoes, fruit, sweets, sugary or alcoholic drinks.

Induction Acceptable Foods:
- Unlimited meat. Beef, fish, poultry, pork, game. Be very sparing with deli meats and shellfish, since they have carbs, even if the package says 0.
- Eggs. Count them as about .6g each depending on size.
- Cheese. Limit this to 3-4 oz per day. All cheese has carbs, even if the package says 0.
- Vegetables. 12-15 grams per day (not counting fiber) of your 20g carb allowance should come from vegetables.
You can have 2 cups/day of salad veggies, including celery, cucumber, lettuce, mushrooms, peppers, and radishes.
You can have up to 1 cup/day of higher carb veggies, including artichoke, asparagus, avocadoes, bamboo, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, eggplant, kale, leeks, okra, olives, onion, pumpkin, rhubarb, sauerkraut, squash, spinach, tomato, turnips, and zucchini.
- Herbs and Spices (as long as they contain no added sugar)
- Oils and fats. Butter, oils, shortening, lard, mayo, etc. Do not be afraid of these! You are training your body to burn fat. Use them!
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Limit of 3 oz/day.
- Sour cream. Up to 1 oz/day.

15. This is not a crash diet. It is a way of life.
You'll lose a ton of weight within the first two weeks, then stall for a week or two. Give it time. Throwing in the towel will put the weight right back on. Carbs made you fat, and going back to them will make you fat.
Stick with it long enough to see that Atkins isn't a weird way of eating. It's what your body was designed to process. Your body will thank you. You'll see.

Congratulations on picking the best way ever to lose weight!

Thanks to Joy from Florida for sharing this list.

9 Ways to Run Smarter

2010-01-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

Being a big believer in Jeff Galloway's methods of training and racing I was emailed this article today and thought I would share.

By Jeff Galloway
Runner's World

You put on your shoes, you go for a run—it's that simple. Still, there are issues: Where should you run? How do you pass? Should you wave? Knowing what to do—and not do—means you won't annoy your fellow runners, or get hurt.

Face the Traffic
When you're running on the road, run on the left side.

Hit the Sidewalk
Unless laws prohibit it, runners are considered pedestrians and may run on sidewalks as protection from traffic.

Use the Crosswalk
I've heard of several accidents in which runners were struck by vehicles—the majority of which occurred when the runner was not using the crosswalk.

Make a Pass
On running paths, stay to the right and pass on the left . If you're on a trail with no room to overtake another runner, wait 30 seconds then ask to slip by. If you're on a track, pass on the right. In a race, pass on either side of a runner ahead of you.

Go With the Flow
On a trail, follow the travel pattern, typically posted near the trailhead or parking area. If none exists and the trail is shared with cyclists, go with the traffic flow.

Keep Your Dog Close
If you run with Rex, keep him close by, on a tight leash, and move to the side so runners can pass without interruption.

Circle the Track
The normal rotation on a track is counterclockwise, but look for regulations; some reverse directions every other day.

Defer to Fast Folks
On a recreational path or trail, simply move to the side to let them through. If you're on a track, stick to the outside lanes.

Wave if You Want
Some runners prefer to zone out during a run and not focus on anyone, but others tell me they feel energized when they wave and like the sense of camaraderie a greeting provides.

New Year, New Resolutions

2010-01-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

For the New Year I was inspired by a recent sermon in Church that suggested something completely contrary to my current way of thinking. It was a simple statement that I should adopt but somehow rocks the very core of what I have been doing for the past 40+ years.

"More of Him, Less of Me"

How simple is this? In the context of the sermon it meant to put God first and I should try to fade into the background as tool for his service. How is this possible in our modern era? I find myself wrestling with this as I have spent my entire life in a selfish endeavor to achieve. What I am not sure of exactly, I just seem to be so focused on moving forward with my own personal goals that I may have lost sight of the big picture.

Well, {Gasp} perhaps it’s not all about me. Obviously this is not some epiphany or so far from mainstream that it should shock the world. My Wife has suggested this on occasion, like when I plopped down 10 grand on a motorcycle or made decisions and just expected her to get on board. Maybe she was onto something but I was too blinded by ambition to achieve some goal or get what I wanted that I stepped on a few to get there.

I am no stranger to patting myself on the back for my successes and every bit as critical of my failures. However, I tend to wrestle with my failures in private and praise myself in public. Failure is a sign of weakness and should be acknowledged but not advertised has always been my thinking. I have always joked to myself that I am somewhat of a narcissist, sounds more acceptable if said off the cuff in company. However, I got curious and decided to look up the true definition of the word.

The dictionary defines the word as an “inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.”

Ouch…is that really me?

Further, I decided that I would look at how other sources would define the term. Wiki would describe it as follows.

“The term narcissism refers to the personality trait of egotism, which includes the set of character traits concerned with self-image ego. The terms narcissism, narcissistic and narcissist are often used as pejoratives, denoting vanity, conceit, egotism or simple selfishness. Applied to a social group, it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others”.

Ackk!!! WTH? When did I take this path? I always thought of narcissist in the more comedic sense as portrayed on Seinfield. You know Jerry, George, Elaine always looking out for #1. Seinfield, funny, right? It’s funny and fun to be a little narcissistic, right? So what exactly was Kyle implying that I should put God and me in some order other than what it is now?

While last year I spent a lot of time reflecting on some of my successes that have been a long time coming. It never occurred to me that the big picture has had its hand up patiently for 41 years and I never noticed it. So I am acknowledging that request now and thanks to Kyle for pointing out the obvious. For the New Year I do have some specific goals for 2010 and I don’t think I can just stop my path forward. However, Kyle has reminded me that my personal goals should not come at a cost to others including God and while they may be important the big picture is still “More of Him, Less of Me”.

So here it goes…

Relationships
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Entertainment
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Attitude
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Finances
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Marriage
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Home
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Job
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Future
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Life
“More of Him, Less of Me”

Lastly I would like to point out that I need to also repeat these same prayers in regards to my Family. I am a fan of simple and often remind myself to stop thinking and do it. That being said, no more planning or talking about how, when or why. Faith, Family, …Self. Stop Thinking and Do It!

"More of Him, Less of Me" in 2010.

So what exactly am I thankful for?

2010-01-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

OK, so as promised I would submit a new list with all of the things I am thankful for. So here it is.

I am thankful for

…first and foremost for my Wife.
…that she is a great Mother to our Children.
…that she loves me in spite of my flaws.
…for my children.
…my Son and first born who is growing up to be wonderful, intelligent and responsible young man.
…my Son’s progress in School.
…my Daughter and little Angel with her bright smile and warm heart.
…my Daughter finding her voice in music. (hope this continues)
…that I am employed.
…that my body still allows me to get out and go.
…that my health has finally been something that mattered to me.
…friends that have recently found both spiritual and personal growth.
…that I am finally content with where I am in my life.
…realizing that I don’t need to have it all, right now.
…my family reminding me of what’s really important.

and finally one completely narcissistic thankful praise…that Louisville allowed Steve Kragthorpe to move on.

Warding Off the Holiday Excess with a Pre-Holiday Bitch, Moan and Complain Session.

2009-12-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

I have spent almost a full 2 years honing my choices and trying to find just the right combination of diet and exercise to lose weight. In addition I have been looking towards the future to make sure that my choices now are something I can maintain for a lifetime. While I am happy that I think I have finally found the right balance and can say that I am happy with where I am at I still find myself feeling whiny and bitchy about my predicament at times.

In order to head off the Holiday’s typically filled with excess I need to vent about not what I am thankful for but what I am not.

So here it goes, I am NOT Thankful…

that it took until I was 40 years old to figure out that I was a lazy fat ass!

that I am slow and un-athletic.

that my choices in the past have dictated a future of sugar free living.

that I spent 20 years smoking.

that I was so tired all of the time from poor health that I missed opportunities to play with my kids when they were younger.

that I have a short fuse at times.

that I am sometimes selfish.

that I am still nervous riding the bike on busy roads.

that my body type is “sparkplug”.

that I will never again eat Mac-N-Cheese!

that I have to ask people to tell me what’s on the menu prior to them hosting a meal or party. It makes me feel needy and seems to put the host in an awkward position.

So there it is, my first annual whiny bitch session.

Having put this out there, I want to also say that I am thankful for so many things it would be hard to post them all. Hmm, perhaps I will post what I am Thankful for as part of New Years reminder of all of the good things I have been given. For now I will resist this urge to include those things because I need to stick with the general theme of this post for now.

Phew, now that that is out of the way on to the Festivities! Feel free to post comments on what your not Thankful for as well. I would love to hear it, plus it's theraputic, like visiting a confessional.

Happy Holidays!!!

The 7 Foods Experts Won't Eat.

2009-12-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

Came across this article linked from another site. Seems like a good one to share on my Blog. I was doing OK reading this until I came across the Milk and what might be in it. Puss...are you kidding me? I am sure there are minimum PPM that are allowed of all kinds of stuff but Puss just sounds gross. I am glad now that I stopped drinking milk a couple of years ago.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-547963

Big Mac in a Bowl!

2009-12-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

I have been reading on one of the boards that I frequent for sometime now a recipe for something called "Big Mac in a Bowl". I finally decided it was time to try this thing out. OMFG!!! It was so good that I must share.

1/4 lb of Lean Ground Beef
1 Slice American Cheese
1/2 Bag of Shredded Lettuce
1 Slice Onion, diced
1 Slice Tomato, diced (I know not in a Big Mac but I like Tomato)
4 Dill Pickle Slices
2 Tbsp Thousand Island Dressing

Brown the beef with Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder. I left it in pretty chunky bits then drained the grease. Add the cheese and melt together.

Rinse the lettuce and put in a bowl with Onion, Tomato and Pickles. Top with beef and the thousand island dressing.

It had all of the goodness of a BigMac without the bread. Not sure what the nutritional data is yet. I will have to check add it all up later.

Loaded it into Fitday with the following stats.

Inspiring Guy at the Gym

2009-11-20T06:05:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to blog about something unusual I witnessed last week. I go to the gym for one of my normal workouts finish up an uneventful run and then head to the pool for a swim. The pool I go to has 8 lanes and typically they are always full so I will try to find someone that is of equivalent speed and swim with them.

I notice this guy in one lane that has one of those donuts around his waste and is keeping a pace likely around 6 minutes per 100. I was actually shocked at how slow he was going. So I find a different lane and get on with my workout.

After one of my build sets I pop up and remove my goggles for a cleaning and I see that same guy now getting out the pool. He hobbles slowly about half way up the steps and then sits on the edge. Turns around and grasps a prosthetic leg and puts it on. In addition, it looks like only 1 arm has full mobility.

Two things come to mind...that explains why he is so slow but also I am encouraged by this guy drive. It's amazing that this guy is mobile at all much less getting in the pool at the gym and going for a swim with only 1 leg and 1 good arm. So next time I am sitting at home and whining about being to tired tonight, sore or whatever excuse I come up with I can remind myself of this dude that is up against far greater obstacles than I am and he is there, getting it done regardless.

Just Another Road On My Journey

2009-11-16T13:55:00.001-08:00

Sometime last year I determined that I would start incorporating exercise as part of my overall plan. Still to ashamed of what I had become I shied away from the typical gym membership and eventually opted for running.

I used to fancy myself as someone athletic in my youth. Not sure why I remember it this way, perhaps because the truth was being suppressed to protect my already fragile ego. I played soccer at my High School but transferred prior to my Senior year and rules would not allow me to try out at my new school. No matter as I likely would not have excelled as my interest deviated from mainstream at that point anyway.

Flash forward 20 years or so and I find myself living a mostly sedentary lifestyle with exercise consisting of moving from one room to the next never straying so far that I could plop down to relax and catch my breath. I had made an attempt at running back in the early 90’s but seemed more laborious than it should have been and without a plan I was doomed to failure. However, the lure of running never went away and I could not shake the urge to try again.

Knowing that I needed a plan if I want to have any success I Googled “running”, “Jogging”, “running plans”, etc. and eventually landed on a site that took probably the most simplistic approach. Couch to 5K (http://www.c25k.com) was a 9 week program that promised a simple to follow method of training that even a Neanderthal such as myself could follow.

I attempted once in the Fall of 2008 with no success having quickly developed shin splints. This ailment I would later relate to improperly fitted footwear. Decided to take the time off and research what I did wrong. Spring of 2009 comes and I am still determined to finish the program so I laid down the cash for a fitted pair of running shoes and asked for advice at the local running shop. Started out running mostly on soft paths and grass to keep the impact on joints at a minimum and worked my way up through the weeks repeating some along the way.

My 9 week program took closer to 14 but I was able to finally finish a 3 mile run while on vacation with my family at Fripp Island, SC. Could not have been a better venue for this trip to come to an end and I was excited I was able to finish despite feeling like I was going to pass out for the better part of the run. South Carolina in July is hot and I am sure this made it more challenging than it should have been but I was not going to pack it in because of little heat. My daughter rode along side me on her bike which helped some to distract me from the pain and dizzying discomfort I was in. I am not a tall guy but being vertically challenged took on an entirely different meaning for me that day.

Which brings me to the title of the blog post. The photo above is of a road on one of my regular runs. Last year at this time I was trying to run for 60 seconds without passing out. I have since run a Half Marathon with plans to run a Marathon next year. How did I get here from there? I stopped making excuses, plans for tomorrow, next week or next year. Tomorrow, next week and next year will still come whether you commit to your goals or not. Why look back in 6 months and wish you would have chosen your paths more wisely and just take the right road now. That road that looks to go on forever will eventually end and now I know which way I am going when it does.

McDonald's, My Old Friend.

2009-11-12T11:41:00.001-08:00

So off I go to lunch today heading to my typical stop to pick up some groceries. Long story short I found myself cutting through the McD's parking lot. While I have picked up a snack of apples or even consumed a bun-less burger before I have yet to realistically view it as a viable option for lunch.

My WOE limits me to around 1800 calories a day. That breaks down to about 300 for breakfast, 700 for lunch, 100 for afternoon snack and 700 for dinner. Keeping this in mind I find myself hypnotised by the big glossy photo of a juicy angus burger. I can almost hear it calling my name and in a moment of weakness I realize I am now hearing a voice that snaps me out of my trance.

"Can I take your order?"

Momentarily flustered from a lack of recent experience at this establishment, I peruse the menu and find the number associated with the burger that so beckoned me from the window.

"Yes, I will have the number 14 but could I get apples instead of fries?"

I feel a rush as I wait for the response as if she may decline my request and I am denied my prize. Then I see the little red screen begin adding my order with the special instructions "ask". My order has passed the test and victory will shortly be at hand.

Upon returning to work with my plunder in hand I immediatly begin to disect it. Bun...don't need that, ketchup...scrape, where is the lettuce? hmmm. Grab an Arnolds Select sandwich bun and rebuild it without all of the fluff. Break out a plate and arrange my little apples slivers in a pile along side my sandwich.

This is the part where all of the negative thoughts start questioning my choice. That it looks way to good to be eating. What is in this meat thing anyway, MSG? I wonder if that's actually bacon on top? WTF have I done?! AHHH!!!

Ignoring the voices that are screaming at me to stop what I am doing. I sit at the table with my co-workers and within seconds I get the question.

"What are you eating?"

As if still trying to justify it to myself I explain in a very matter of fact manner.

"It's an angus burger from McDonald's with one of my low-carb buns."

Success, at least I'm convinced...

So after devouring this meal and enjoying each moment I return to my desk and direct my attention to McDonald's web site. How bad is the damage, I am pondering while working to find the nutritional info. Some part of me hoping it's not available because maybe not knowing would be better.

So how bad was it?

Turns out McDonalds has a pretty good tool on their website for calculating calories. You can add or remove most anything from menu items so that you get a customized view of what you just ate. My meal?

Angus Bacon and Cheese:
Calories - 500
Fat
Total - 36g
Saturated - 17g
Trans - 2g
Protein - 36g
Carbs - 8g
Fiber - 1g
Net Carbs - 7g
Sodium - 1240

Arnolds Select Multi-Grain Sandwich Thin
Calories - 100
Fat
Total - 1g
Saturated - 0g
Trans - 0g
Protein - 4g
Carbs - 22g
Fiber - 5g
Net Carbs - 17g
Sodium - 230

McDonalds Apple Dippers
Calories - 35
Fat
Total - 0g
Saturated - 0g
Trans - 0g
Protein - 0g
Carbs - 8g
Fiber - 0g
Net Carbs - 8g
Sodium - 0

Total Meal
Calories - 635
Fat
Total - 37g
Saturated - 17g
Trans - 2g
Protein - 40g
Carbs - 38g
Fiber - 6g
Net Carbs - 32g
Sodium - 1470

Calorie Breakdown
Protein: 25%
Fat: 52%
Carbs: 24%

So what do I take away from this breakdown in judgement? Still not sure but I was happy that while it was not the best choice it was within my dietary budget. Carbs where higher than I would like as I like to keep them down below 10% of the total so next time I will likely ditch the sandwich thin from arnolds.

Either way, I was able to eat a decent, not great, meal that is not crazy high in calories from a fast food joint.

Low Fat Dieters are Happier...

2009-11-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

Watching the news and reading online I have seen lots of talk about the recent study in Australia comparing a Low-Fat to a Low-Carb diet in an effort to determine how it would effect mood.

Details of the study can be found here:
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/169/20/1873?home

The basic method was as follows...

LC Diet:
4% Carbs
35% Protein
61% Fat (20% Saturated)

Objective to restrict carbs to less than 20 grams per day and increase to 40 per day after 8 weeks.

LF Diet:
46% Carbs
24% Protein
30% Fat (<8% Saturated)

Ojective to restrict saturated fat intake to less than 10 g/d for the study duration and with the inclusion of an approved food exchange (equivalent to the energy content of 20 g of carbohydrate) between weeks 9 and 52.

Both diets were designed to be moderately energy restricted (approximately 1433 kcal/d for women and 1672 kcal/d for men), with the total energy intake and energy deficit planned to be isocaloric.

The study used questionares at weeks 0(baseline),8,24,40 and 52 to asses mood, including tension, anxiety, anger, etc.

Both groups lost roughly 30 pounds and there was no statistical difference regarding LC vs. LF. In each group they found that all particpants mood scores improved from week 0 to week 8. However, both groups mood scores declined from weeks 8 to 24. During weeks 24 to 40 the LC groups mood scores continued to decline while the LF groups scores showed little change. Finally both groups showed some improvement from weeks 40-52 but for the LC group it really only returned them to scores that were roughly equal to what was measured at Week 0 (baseline).

Graphic Here...
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/169/20/1873/IOI90085F2

So what does all of this mean. I can tell you from my experience eating a low carb diet for almost 2 years I find it often challenging to eat this way. If you talk to people that have been eating LC for some time you will get a feeling it's them against the world. I think this comes from LC lifestyle being such a deviation from mainstream. For me I would often put up my shield as soon as someone asked about my food choices.

I could absolutely see how this could cause anxiety as I can attest how difficult it can be to go to family functions, dinner or other events and say no to almost everything. Packing your food everywhere you go can be a drag. I find that I am constantly asking questions about the recipes people bring to gatherings which is not only uncomfortable for me but likely also for the friend.

Secondary to this is many LC eaters feel like they have a need to set the world straight regarding food choices. As if LC is the only logical choice and all other methods are foolish. Many will try to educate those non believers and rant about how crazy they are for trimming the fat from their steak or chicken.

Bottom line...I have said it before and I will say it again. LC works for me and I am comfortable with it as a lifestyle. However, I would not recommend to everyone as it's can be stressful and difficult to manage.

Good Luck.

Status Update 11/09/2009

2009-11-09T17:36:00.001-08:00

Induction Beginning Date: 3/6/2008
Starting Weight: 285
Current Weight: 175
Goal Weight: 175

Still at my goal weight as of this morning. Had a good workout with my Son tonight but my arms and shoulders are feeling weak now and I am pretty sure I will be feeling the effects of this workout for a few days. We also played a little 1 on 1 full court basketball which is always fun and great workout.

Not much else to talk about today as it's been a pretty uneventful week. Still searching for another race coming up. Had planned on doing the Y's 10K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day but remembered we are going to Churchill Downs that day so I guess that ones out. So if anyone has a suggestion for a good 10K'ish race between now and Christmas I am all ears.

Buffalo Wild Wings Nutritional Data

2009-11-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

Ask and you shall receive...

One of my favorite places to eat's nutritional data. You have to email them to get a copy so I thought I would post it here for myself or whomever else want's to review it.

http://batlou.home.insightbb.com/images/BWW_Nutritional_Info.pdf

Calories Do Count!!!

2009-11-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

I have been involved in several discussions of late regarding calories and do they matter or not. I know that many people that are on a Low-Carb diet have somehow come to the conclusion that they do not. In Dr. Atkins book he suggest in the beginning that your primary concern should be carbs and to eat when hungry and stop when full.

My best guess is that people either read this excerpt and determined from it that calories don't matter or they heard it somewhere and took it as fact. For those of you have read DANDR (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution) he was very specific that calories matter.

You body needs a certain amount of calories per day based on your personal rate of metabolism. This is known as your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) and can vary greatly in 2 people with the exact physical makeup based on activity levels, genetics, etc. This part I think we all understand, however.

Physics First Law of Thermodynamics:
"Energy can neither be created or destroyed, it can only change forms."

If I am a person that needs 2000 calories to get through a typical day. Then any surplus I consume will be stored (change form) for future use. However, if you have a deficit by say taking in 1600 calories. Your body will need 400 calories from somewhere. It will then use your fat stores to convert this stored energy (change form).

Atkins works not because you are in Ketosis and you can consume whatever you want and still lose weight. It works because the lack of carbohydrates in your diet helps control instability in your blood glucose which will ultimately lead to hunger and more instability. The cycle will repeat itself and you will eventually take in way to many calories and always be working with a surplus of calories. Since they cannot be destroyed they will be converted to a different form. FAT.

Because you have already converted your body to utilizing it's own built-in anti-starvation mechanism having a deficit of calories in a given day will mean your body will not pause and figure out how to make up the deficit. Ketones are in place and your body goes to work making ketones to burn for energy.

It's really as simple as that. Calories in calories out is not an exact science since we are all somewhat unique physiologically. However, the differences for a typical person are not so great that the laws of thermodynamics don't apply.

Good luck.

Keeping a watchful eye

2009-10-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

So now that I am at goal, what's the first thing I do? I take my eye off the ball only for a moment and calorie/carb creep try to get a foothold. Logged my diet from yesterday and found I was at 2300+ calories for the day! AHHH! That's about 500 over my budget and that's assuming that I am still exercising which I haven't been since my race 2 weekends ago.

Foot is still hurting and I more or less took last week off to recover. I have to be careful not to let this build into a full on slide so back to the grind and the gym. I will focus on swimming, cycling and strength training until I can get my foot feeling better. If you find me repeating this it’s probably because I am trying to make sure I get my ass in gear and do it. Some level of accountability is a good motivator, even if knowing I am only accountable to myself.

Regarding diet I just need to get focused again. Probably the worst time to not focus on diet is during downtime. I cannot let this happen so I will be logging all of my food in Fitday for a while until I get my head straight again. Kind of a pain in the butt but I can’t sweep it under the rug if I am forcing myself to enter every morsel of food or drink that enters my body right down to how many packets of splenda I used for my morning coffee.

BTW…if you have never used Fitday, it’s a great online tool for tracking your diet, exercise, weight, etc. The best part is it’s free. I don’t use it all of the time but find it useful mostly for when I am trying to fix something or get myself back on track after a slip. Like I said before it’s difficult to ignore if you are being honest when you enter your data.

2009-10-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

OK, so now that I am at my original goal of 175. I figured I would update my progress photo. I think I need to drop another 10-15 so I am going to keep working on that.

2009-10-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the question Jon, I will do my best to answer it.

Regarding weight loss, I am not an expert by any means. It really seems more like I am just bumbling my way through this and as I have come nearer and nearer to my goal the bumbling gets worse.

More or less I have been doing Atkins. Without question for me this is the best and only way for me to lose weight and keep it off. The basic premise of Atkins is stop eating sugar and things that quickly turn to sugar through digestion. This includes obviously sugar in raw forms but also pasta, bread, beer , etc.

Now having said that, over the last 18 months I have heard just about every horror story around regarding Atkins and how bad it is for you. Here is my response to the most common.

"My friend's wife died from it"
No she didn’t

"That diet will damage your kidney's"
This is a pretty common misconception based on the fact that your body switches from using carbohydrates as fuel to fat. The liver then begins producing Ketones for fuel. Our bodies are actually perfectly adapted to using ketones for fuel. The confusion comes because people mistake Ketosis (fat burning) with ketoacidosis (SP). Ketoacidosis is a life-threatening condition associated with untreated Type-1 Diabetes, caused by a lack of insulin (GOOGLE). One other thing of note your heart and kidneys actually prefer Ketones to glucose for energy.

"I lost but gained it back as soon as I went off",
Duh, no matter what Way of Eating (WOE) you choose if you lose weight and then go back to eating crap you will gain the weight back, I promise.

"All of that fat is bad for you"
No it's not and perhaps you should do a little more research instead of basing it off what you heard on the news. Fat is needed by the body to function. Having said that, to much of a good thing is a not always a good thing. The right fats (Animal, Nuts, Avocado’s, Olive Oil, butter) would be included. Not Canola and other laboratory made fats. Google is your friend here.

"How can you eat nothing but meat and cheese and assume that's good for you"
I eat a balanced diet of protein, vegetables and fruit. While I do eat cheese and some dairy it’s very limited. Please explain to me how my lunch that consist of grilled chicken and steamed broccoli with a pat of real butter is somehow worse than your #2 Value Meal?

“I tried it once but was ‘foggy’ and hungry all of the time”
This may be true. It is often referred to as Atkins Flu and will last 2 to 5 days for most people. It is caused by low levels of glucose in your blood stream during your bodies natural transition to producing ketones. Once the liver gets up to production your ‘flu’ will dissipate.

“A ketogenic diet will make me lose muscle mass”
Only if you are not getting adequate amounts of protein in your diet. Your brain needs ketone’s along with glucose to function and we can create glucose from protein and again we are adapted to doing this quite well. If however, you are not consuming enough protein in your regular diet, 1 serving of protein in every meal, your body will without a doubt search for other sources of protein including cannibalizing your own tissue.

I could do this all day but the bottom line is that there are a lot of assumptions made about what it means to be on an Atkins diet. I have corrected many people as well that say they are on Atkins and then tell me they ate a rack of BBQ ribs as their dinner!? WTF. That's not Atkins that the Heart Attack diet. heh

BTW...the primary reason Atkins works so well for so many people is that it stabilizes your blood sugar. When you eat a meal high in carbs the blood sugar shoots up. This triggers an insulin release to bring it back down. When your blood sugar begins to drop you get hungry again. So there you are standing in front of the fridge again an hour after just consuming a big bowl of rice.

OK, so back to your original question…
“What is the #1 thing that has helped you lose weight?”

Answer: Finding a plan that works for my lifestyle and sticking to it. Devour any information you can get on whatever plan you choose with a goal to become an expert but also keep an open mind and don’t assume there is only one right or wrong way to do this. While Atkins and low-carb works great for me, it’s not for everybody. If you want to lose weight and keep it off I think you are going to first figure out some plan that you can live with for a lifetime. For me low-carb is not a diet but a permanent way of eating.

Good Luck

2009-10-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

Induction Beginning Date: 3/6/2008
Starting Weight: 285
Current Weight: 177
Goal Weight: 175

While I hit goal of 175 on Saturday I have since put on another 2 lbs. I am thinking this is a result of the swelling in the thighs, glute, hip and foot. I know I pigged out a little after the race but not 2 lbs worth.

Sad that my racing season is more or less over. I am looking for a couple of shorter races to run over the next couple of months. Plan to work on my core strength this winter and swimming. Need to work hard to build my cycling base up but will be difficult to do in a spinning class.

To paraphrase a friends analogy, this Triathlon thing is like having Triplets. I can make running happy but then swimming starts to cry. Work on my swimming and suddenly cycling is screaming for attention. Then there is the 4th child, strength, sitting in the corner with nobody to play with. I butchered it a bit but you get the idea.

As difficult as it is to find the right balance trying to make sure that Family and work come first just convolutes it even more. Amy has been so great at understanding my learning curve and being supportive. We are trying to experiment with different times and workout schedules so that we are all happy.

Speaking of Amy, she fainted yesterday while getting ready for work. Not sure what happened yet and she is scheduled to go get a CT Scan, EEG and get a wearable EKG to monitor for irregularities. Doctor thinks it could be something simple like low-blood sugar but want's to do some test to be sure. This is the second time this has happened to her, with the other happening right around this same time last year. I am hoping and praying it's nothing and she just needs to be sure not to skip meals, etc.

Tyler went to the gym with me last week and is excited about learning how to exercise and lift weights. Said he want's to have a 6-Pack and I have been telling him that if you want one you have to go earn it. I guess it's finally set in and he is wanting to spend some time in the gym. So proud of that boy, he is really growing up and turning into quite the young man. As a parent it's difficult to look past the kid you have been raising for the past 13 years and see that while the kid is still there he is growing up.

Well that's it for today.

On On...

2009-10-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Half Marathon went great!!! Other than almost no sleep it could not have gone better. Had the pre-race jitters and could not sleep the night before. Ending dozing off around 2 so only 4 hours of sleep. I was up trying to plan my strategy for the race. In the end I decided that I would do a 1 Mile Run/1 Minute Walk.

It was cold, around 34 degrees at race time. Which was a pain before but great once you started running. Started out very slow at about a 10:45ish pace and really struggled to resist the urge to take off and chase the crowd. Mostly nervous that my ego would keep me from sticking to the plan. I was suprised and relieved when about 4 or 5 minutes in I started hearing watches beep and people started walking. Phew, so I was not the only one with a Run/Walk plan.

Race was pretty uneventful and I settled into a nice groove around 2 miles and body began to feel nice and loose. Mile 7 I started to get a little anxious about my pace. I was feeling great with no pain so I decided to pick it up a bit. Picked it up to a 10 minute pace for 2 miles to get a feel for it. Started passing many of those that were falling off. Mile 9 picked it up again to 9:30 and passing lots of people now. Mile 10 decided to turn it on and pushed to a 8:45 pace...to fast. Next run moved to 9 and it felt perfect. I skipped the last walk queue because it was more painful to walk and then start back up than it was to just keep going.

I got a cramp on the interior of my right ankle around the 12 mile mark and got a little nervous. Changed my stride and worked it out over the next 1/2 mile or so. However, this caused some pain on the outside of my right foot that made it very painful to run but I just kept saying HTFU and make it to the 12.5 mile mark. Spectators would help me forget about it with the cheering. Little dude about 2 years old was yelling for his Mom whom I was just about to pass. Made me smile and pain was gone, for now.

Made the left turn towards the finish and saw my son waiting for me. He ran with me to the finish and we passed a few more en route to a great finish. Grabbed a water and a lara bar at the finish and enjoyed the moment with my family. Car was parked about a 1/2 mile away and my foot pain made it difficult to walk. I wish there had been a shuttle...HTFU! hah.

2009-10-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

Induction Beginning Date: 3/6/2008
Starting Weight: 285
Current Weight: 176
Goal Weight: 175

Drum roll please........................

Down 5 lbs!!! 1 lb to goal! WOO HOO!!!

I think I just purged off all of the bad choices from the weekend before last and now I am back on track. Phew. Feeling good today and doing my happy dance.

I did set a new goal of 165 by Christmas. I know that I have a little more to lose but being unsure how much I did a little homework, thanks Google, and calculated my body fat %. At 176 I am roughly 18.5% (+/- 3) with a goal of 165 that would put me at about 14-15%.

I am hoping that dropping these last 10 or 12 pounds will help me with my running. I know it's not helping with my swimming as my legs are beginning to sink more and I find myself doing flutter kicks between beats. May have to research that a bit to figure out if I should just switch to a 6 or 8 beat flutter kick to keep my legs from dropping to much.

Speaking of running. My knee is feeling better today but I am taking tonight off from workouts. Maybe I need to rest a day and let some healing take place. Likely will do a short run on Tuesday and Thursday then take Fri/Sat off to rest up for my HM on Sunday.

2009-10-11T12:25:00.001-07:00

OK, not a good run today. Had planned a 9 mile run doing 2 loops near my house of a favorite run. About the 4 mile mark my right knee started to feel a little loose. Tried to keep going but it got worse really quickly so I just stopped and walked the rest of the home. Iced it down good and hopefully it will feel better tomorrow.

Officially 1 week until my first Half Marathon...I think I am going to be sick.

One other note: I have a great wife, thanks honey!

2009-10-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

Back on track after a terrible weekend of excess. Decided on Monday to get back to basics and I have been tracking all of my meals to make sure I stay on plan. Feel much better already both physically and emotionally.

Headed out last night to go for my run at the park but the ominous sky made me rethink it. Big storm came in so I turned and headed for home. Cooked dinner for Amy and the kids and then headed off to the Gym for a spell on the treadmill. Decided that since I was doomed to run on this dreadful device I would do some speed/incline intervals to at least help pass the time. Finished up with a swim which I have been neglecting lately and could tell immediately upon entering the pool. Hands began to cramp and shoulders were already aching at 800 meters. Stopped for a break to clear my goggles and decided to finish with a 400 meter speed drill to see how much I have dropped off. As I figured I am still slow but I have not lost much finishing at 7:15. A couple of laps nice and slow to cool down and a quick shower and heading home.

Watched The Office last night and it was better than I expected. I was really starting to think that the producers felt this show had run it’s course and this would be the episode were they “Jump the shark” ala Fonzie.

TGIF!!!

2009-10-08T12:39:00.001-07:00

OK, so I thought I would share this little link that someone just emailed me. It was in regards to Cheesecake Factory and their Low-Carb Cheesecake. Anyway, I got curious and was looking at the rest of the menu and the nutritional data. Wowsers!

Edit: Weird...first time I have tried to post a link and it does not show up. You can copy and paste into browser below.

http://calorielab.com/news/2007/07/28/calorie-pusher-comes-to-town-the-cheesecake-factory-hits-rochester/

2009-10-06T08:06:00.001-07:00

Induction Beginning Date: 3/6/2008
Starting Weight: 285
Current Weight: 181
Goal Weight: 175

Ackk!!! I gained 3 last week or more likely over the weekend. Camping with the family led to some bad choices and I drank way to many beers sitting around the campfire. This led to consuming an entire bag of shelled peanuts in 2 days. I think the whole bag had 1600 calories and I ate it all and I don't feel guilty either...they were goooooood. LOL

So now back on track, had an 11 mile run last night which was great up until around mile 9. The wheels fell off and my body decided enough was enough and quit working correctly. Goal was 12 miles but suffered through 2 more which put me close to my car and I went to it instead of one more trip around the short fitness loop to finish it up. Stretch and 20 minute ice bath later and I am feeling OK. Right ACL is still a little tender and my left glute is sore and angry with me as well.

Half Marithon is now 2 weeks away so time to back off a little and start getting prepared.

2009-10-01T10:57:00.001-07:00

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:06 pm Post subject:

________________________________________
Induction Beginning Date: 3/6/2008
Starting Weight: 285
Current Weight: 180
Goal Weight: 175

Down 2 this week which leaves 5 lbs to goal!!! I gotta feeling I am going to hit that very quickly, or at least that's what I am hoping for.

Made some homemade energy bars this weekend that turned out great. Need to be careful with them and only have it just prior to a workout as they have about 20 Carbs per bar. Almonds, Dates and Apples with splenda and cinnamon. Taste like Apple Pie.

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:33 pm Post subject:

________________________________________
I got home last night and got ready to watch. For some reason my Tivo did not record it. It is on G4 tonight so I am tivoing and will watch tomorrow.

I sometimes use Fitday.com when things are going wrong or if I feel like I want to try something new. It works great and I would highly recommend it. I don't have an app for nutrition although there are alot of them out there...wonder if Fitday has one, hmm.

Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 6:24 pm Post subject:

________________________________________
Hah, hey Tril, knew you could not stay away forever. Good to see you back.

Kage: I watched Hero's on Tuesday. Excited about this season, I am such a nerd. Florida is taking on the Putty Tat's this weekend. Hoping for a beatdown of epic proportions. For some reason Wildcat fans around here think that going 2-7, 3-6 in the SEC means they are good. Lord have mercy, the "Banjo Bowl" victory against East Carolina might as well have been for the national title.

Louisville has Utah on the road which was an early favorite based on their schedule for a shot at a BCS bowl. Lost to a close one to Oregon last weekend and I think they are going to be pissed when Louisville travels all the way to the west coast to take them on. Ughh, it could get ugly but this will be the first quality team Louisville plays so we will at least know if Coach Krapthorpe is making strides or needs to pack his bags and stay out west.

Have a good weekend all!

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 12:40 pm Post subject:

________________________________________
Induction Beginning Date: 3/6/2008
Starting Weight: 285
Current Weight: 178
Goal Weight: 175

2 more down this week!!! 3 to goal!!!

Had a great weekend, went to a wedding and got to hang out with some out of town family. Always good to see them and we had a good time. Although my SIL was telling me I need to stop loosing weight. Thanks SIS, hah, she was basing this off of my face though which would be right. No more gone from the face but there is still about 15 or 20 that needs to go from the waist and legs.

The Cardinals lost this weekend on their trip out west to Utah. Not sure that Utah was that much better with skilled or physcial play but Coaching was not close. It seems we are making mistakes that a high school coach should pick up on.

UK got pounded by the Gator's this weekend, which was fun to listen to. Tebow was hurt on a play late in the 3rd which was strange because I am not sure why he would have even been in a game that was not even close. Coach said you can't take him out he won't let you...this is weird to say since he is the Coach. I would think he could just say "Hey Tim, great game now go get some gatorade and have a seat, your done for today". Whatever.

So I decided that I would run part of the 1/2 Marathon course this weekend. My original plan was to do it on Saturday but I overslept and just decided to take an easy day. So I went to the pool and swam slow and easy for about a mile and then just goofed around with my daughter. Fun day. Got up Sunday around 5:30 and headed down to the riverfront. Ran 10.5 miles of the loop, felt great during but wore a brand new pair of running shoes I bought the day before. My feet were really sore on the outer sides. Maybe I should have broken them in first on a few shorter runs. Otherwise it was a good run and felt like I could have run another 3 but glad I did not. 3 weeks until the race and I am feeling like this is completely doable. May not finish in the top of my age group but I am still pretty excited about it now.