This year I realized I can't eat alot of thanksgiving food. Before I thought it was due to the fact that both my parents and my husbands parents are divorced and so we had to go to 4 houses on thanksgiving, each one of them expecting us to eat the food. But this year I realized that thanksgiving food is way too heavy and rich for me. I don't usually eat stuff like that, especially these days since I've cleaned up my diet. Seriously, every single dish I made had butter in it. I know, I know... but since this was our first thanksgiving with just the 2 of us, I wanted to make sure my husband had all the comfort food he'd be getting if we were with our families. And we had a great thanksgiving. Got lots of leftovers, but I am just eating small amounts of them and praying it wont affect me too badly.
So I went and did some treadmill running today and managed to run 5k in 31:57. I wanted to get 32 when I ran the Santa Chase 5k last weekend but alas I got 35:51 or something like that. Obviously treadmill running is alot different than outdoor, but I am making sure to do a little bit of both - treadmill to track myself and try to improve my speed, and outdoor to get used to the terrain and elevation. Recently I've been trying to use the incline feature on the treadmill too.
Since it's been about 2 months since I first embarked on my fitness quest ..thingy.. I have learned alot of stuff.
Things I've learned:
- I can't run every single day. At least not yet anyway. I started out trying to do it because I assumed that's what most runners did. You know, go out for the morning jog like they always do in the movies. Well every time I ran on that second day I was totally wiped out and ended up walking for most of it. Plus my shins hurt bad. The body needs to rest, especially when it comes to a beginner whose body is not used to the demands of running. So now I am doing alternate forms of exercise on my off days.
- HYDRATION. Everybody always says its important, but you really have no idea until dehydration happens to you. And don't get me wrong, I have always been a big water drinker. I love water, nothing added to it, just plain old water. I very rarely have soda or juice. Just the occasional light beer! And tea! But I still wasn't drinking nearly enough. It is super super important to drink LOTS of water BEFORE you run or exercise. Otherwise you will feel like utter crap about 2-3 hours after running. For the last 2 months I was trying to figure out why I always had a headache, stomachache, and just felt weak and horrible after running. The internet pointed to one thing - hydration before workout. So I've recently tried to make a conscious effort to drink alot of water throughout the day. 4+ glasses if possible. Then I also have to make sure I'm drinking while I run and after I run. As long as I am doing this... no headache, no nausea, no chills and weakness.
- Food! I believe everyone has their own unique needs when it comes to food, but there are a few general rules. Your body needs fuel before and after strenuous exercise. And since I'm hypoglycemic my needs are greater than most. I definitely need to make sure I am not exercising on an empty stomach. When I first learned I had this condition my dietitian told me I needed to drink Gatorade any time I exercised for 30 minutes or more. Blood sugar drops during exercise, and since I already have a condition where mine drops after eating, the effect on me is even more intense. I use the powder and make a pretty weak mix so I'm not overdoing it on sugar, but just getting enough to keep me from crashing. Then afterwards I have some protein, and I usually have a small snack if I start feeling funny. I am still trying to figure out the right balance, and what snacks are good for pre/post workouts. Bottom line is, it seems to be the right mixture between simple carbs/sugar, complex carbs, and protein.
- Varied forms of exercise. When I first started doing this it was just running. It's a good way to lose weight and work the majority of your muscles. But it's not enough. Believe it or not, women need to strength train in order to burn fat and avoid bodily injury. Variety also keeps your body guessing. The majority of us, myself included, have been guilty of getting into a habit of always doing the same exercise. Eventually your body just gets used to it. Plus, if I am going to do crazy obstacle races I need to build muscle strength!
- Push yourself. If you're serious, you will push yourself. During my early 20's I did the health yo yo. Either I was going to the gym alot and weighed about 175, or I didn't care at all and weighed more like 190. But I was never truly serious, aside from in 09 when I trained for a 43 mile hiking trip. Even then, I didn't truly understand the importance of eating properly and I still kind of had a terrible diet. My problem during these years is that I would go to the gym and work out, but I would always kind of half ass it. I rarely pushed myself to go past my limits. Or I made up excuses like "I'm tired, I can finish a few minutes early." Now I am serious about this. I want to be fit. And the only way to do it is to improve a little bit each time. I push myself to get past the pain. It doesn't have to be alot - go just a little faster, take a shorter break, work just a little harder, do a few more reps before collapsing in utter exhaustion. Just gotta get a little better each time.
I'm freaking sore. I'm still sore from the strength training I did on wednesday. Then I cooked a bunch of food all day yesterday, which believe it or not is tiring. And today I ran 3 miles. Tomorrow I'll see how I feel and maybe try my strength training again (I did kind of a pathetic job the first time) or maybe I'll do some yoga. Then rest sunday. Or, maybe rest tomorrow and work sunday. We'll see.
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