Saturday 30 October 2010
Learning to juggle
Just another quick post this week - I've made no progress with my winter training plan or adventure plans for next year as I've been so busy with work. I'm now juggling a part-time job (that always spills over into my free time), studying, setting up a business and writing. I'm slowly getting there with my new website, which should be live in the next couple of weeks. I'm planning to move my posts about nutrition and fitness over there and am keeping this blog just to write race reports and random ramblings about my own training. If I can ever find time to actually write myself a training plan or sign up for any races! But this week I did manage to squeeze in a kettlebell class, a Wattbike session, a run, a circuit and lots of dog walks. Fingers crossed, if I keep it up, I'll end the winter feeling strong.
Wednesday 13 October 2010
Caving in
The cave girl has left the building. Well, for now anyway. Inspired by my recent reading into all things 'paleo', I've been avoiding sugar and grains for six weeks or so now, trying to find out whether it makes me feel better. It doesn't. Okay, I may have had a few lapses during that time. The race weekend was a big one. But on the whole I've done well to stay off bread, pasta and sugary things (even cake). It has been hard work! I'd planned to stick it out through October, but I feel even more tired than I did before, and I think it's now time to agree it's not for me.
I can't call it a true 'paleo' experiment because I've slipped up so many times. The tiredness has probably been caused by the sheer exhaustion of looking for something I'm allowed to eat. I've always disagreed with the idea of cutting out whole food groups unnecessarily, but I wanted to give this a chance. It turns out that 'Paleo' and vegetarianism really don't mix. It's been almost impossible to find things to eat, and I've ended up eating far too much cheese, potatoes and nuts. I tried eating more fish but the truth is, I don't like it. I think the only way to do 'paleo' and stay healthy is to eat lean meat and fish. But I'm not ready to give up being vegetarian, even for a short while.
Brian did do really well in the couple of races he took part in soon after we altered our eating pattern. So there are certain elements that I think we will keep up. Gone is the never-ending supply of supermarket bread. And the evening snacks of chocolate and cereal. But I still believe there isn't anything wrong with the occasional cake. So I think the way forward is to think less about what not to eat and more about what to eat. The extra veggies, soups, eggs, nuts and, oh okay, a little bit of fish will stay.
I love nutrition. The more you read into any nutrition topic, the more you learn that nothing is black and white. Paleo diet advocates will tell you that grains are bad for you and should be eliminated. Carb-lovers will tell you that saturated fat is the work of the devil. I think there's good and bad in most things. Take quinoa as an example. If I believed everything in 'The Paleo Solution' I'd never touch it again, on account of the fact that it contains saponins, which apparently punch holes in your gut. Nice. Just reading about it made me feel like I'd been punched in the stomach. But these aren't just found in quinoa, they're also present in onions, spinach, peppers, tomato seed and asparagus, all of which are okay in the 'paleo' world. A review in the British Journal of Nutrition explains that saponins have a range of positive and negative effects. Although, in test tube conditions, they have been shown to increase the permeability of gut mucosal cells, they also boost the immune system (not necessarily a good thing if you have an autoimmune condition), lower cholesterol and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Food is supposed to be pleasurable, and I don't want to spend my life miserable, eating things I hate and obsessing over what harm one food may do to me. A varied diet should balance out the pros and cons of individual foods.
I'm not saying that 'paleo' isn't the perfect way to eat. It may well be for many people, and I would support anyone who wanted to give it a try. But the perfect diet is only the perfect diet if it's something you can stick to.
I can't call it a true 'paleo' experiment because I've slipped up so many times. The tiredness has probably been caused by the sheer exhaustion of looking for something I'm allowed to eat. I've always disagreed with the idea of cutting out whole food groups unnecessarily, but I wanted to give this a chance. It turns out that 'Paleo' and vegetarianism really don't mix. It's been almost impossible to find things to eat, and I've ended up eating far too much cheese, potatoes and nuts. I tried eating more fish but the truth is, I don't like it. I think the only way to do 'paleo' and stay healthy is to eat lean meat and fish. But I'm not ready to give up being vegetarian, even for a short while.
Brian did do really well in the couple of races he took part in soon after we altered our eating pattern. So there are certain elements that I think we will keep up. Gone is the never-ending supply of supermarket bread. And the evening snacks of chocolate and cereal. But I still believe there isn't anything wrong with the occasional cake. So I think the way forward is to think less about what not to eat and more about what to eat. The extra veggies, soups, eggs, nuts and, oh okay, a little bit of fish will stay.
I love nutrition. The more you read into any nutrition topic, the more you learn that nothing is black and white. Paleo diet advocates will tell you that grains are bad for you and should be eliminated. Carb-lovers will tell you that saturated fat is the work of the devil. I think there's good and bad in most things. Take quinoa as an example. If I believed everything in 'The Paleo Solution' I'd never touch it again, on account of the fact that it contains saponins, which apparently punch holes in your gut. Nice. Just reading about it made me feel like I'd been punched in the stomach. But these aren't just found in quinoa, they're also present in onions, spinach, peppers, tomato seed and asparagus, all of which are okay in the 'paleo' world. A review in the British Journal of Nutrition explains that saponins have a range of positive and negative effects. Although, in test tube conditions, they have been shown to increase the permeability of gut mucosal cells, they also boost the immune system (not necessarily a good thing if you have an autoimmune condition), lower cholesterol and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Food is supposed to be pleasurable, and I don't want to spend my life miserable, eating things I hate and obsessing over what harm one food may do to me. A varied diet should balance out the pros and cons of individual foods.
I'm not saying that 'paleo' isn't the perfect way to eat. It may well be for many people, and I would support anyone who wanted to give it a try. But the perfect diet is only the perfect diet if it's something you can stick to.
Tuesday 5 October 2010
Autumn leaves
It's well and truly autumn - my down jacket is out from the back of the wardrobe, the fire has been on and the leaves are starting to fall from the trees. Maybe it's just the change of seasons but I'm feeling a little bit unsettled at the moment. This often happens to me when I no longer have a challenge or race to look forward to. I've been looking into events for next year, and had my heart set on the new Ironman Wales, but going part-time/self-employed means I really can't justify any steep entry fees. I'm shocked that it costs £350 to enter! I know these events are really expensive to run and, for me anyway, Ironman may be a once-in-a-lifetime (i.e. so painful I'll never want to repeat it) experience. It would take a huge amount of training to get ready for, but I've always loved a challenge. One day definitely, but for now I'll have to look for a slightly cheaper alternative, and keep training just for the fun of it.
I'm going to need all my spare pennies to pay for the latest course I've signed up for. I just heard today that I've been offered a last-minute place on another Postgraduate Certificate, this time in Sport & Exercise Nutrition. I start this Friday, and I'm really excited. Sports nutrition is a field I've always been really interested in, and it willl be great to have a formal qualification. I'm especially interested in exploring carbohydrate requirements in a lot more detail. I'm still experimenting with avoiding refined grains and sugar, and am constantly coming across new articles that question existing public health recommendations. For example, an article published this week in Nutrition questions the evidence behind the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report. I strongly believe that carbohydrate is essential for fuelling exercise, but am open to the idea that it might not be as important for everyday living as previously thought.
Through the autumn and winter, I'll be writing about what I learn on my course, reflecting on my own nutrition experiments and trying to keep myself motivated to train for next year's still-to-be-decided-on challenges.
I'm going to need all my spare pennies to pay for the latest course I've signed up for. I just heard today that I've been offered a last-minute place on another Postgraduate Certificate, this time in Sport & Exercise Nutrition. I start this Friday, and I'm really excited. Sports nutrition is a field I've always been really interested in, and it willl be great to have a formal qualification. I'm especially interested in exploring carbohydrate requirements in a lot more detail. I'm still experimenting with avoiding refined grains and sugar, and am constantly coming across new articles that question existing public health recommendations. For example, an article published this week in Nutrition questions the evidence behind the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report. I strongly believe that carbohydrate is essential for fuelling exercise, but am open to the idea that it might not be as important for everyday living as previously thought.
Through the autumn and winter, I'll be writing about what I learn on my course, reflecting on my own nutrition experiments and trying to keep myself motivated to train for next year's still-to-be-decided-on challenges.
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