Thoughts on Running While Not Running

I've been thinking a lot about running lately, specifically endurance running, more specifically ultrarunning.  If you're not familiar with ultrarunning or ultra-marathoning it's basically running for people who think a mere marathon is a yawn.  The distances vary, but it seems that the run of the mill ultrarunner is pretty familiar with the 100-mile distance. 

Running 100 miles. I just want to be clear because that boggles my brain.

It's been on my mind because the concept of impossibility has been on my mind.  And, because I just renewed my subscription to Runner's World and reading about it makes my head spin.

A few years ago, the thought of running a marathon was abhorrent to me.  I just could not fathom why I would want to do something like that.  But now, after doing two half marathons and hearing about marathon training from other mere mortals who have done several of them, it suddenly doesn't seem so impossible. In fact, I plan to run a marathon by 2013 and don't see any reason why that would not happen.

So now, ultrarunning is my new WTF??? HOW on EARTH can someone do that?  It makes me wonder if someday I will apply the same logic to ultrarunning that I once applied to marathons.  Never say never!

Anyway, I have two points to all of this rambling.  The first is how every time I read another story about an ultrarunner accomplishing some amazing feat, I think about all of the people who claim they can't even make it to a 30-minute Zumba class.  The second is how I really need to update my definition of impossible.  I used to think I would never run a marathon, but now I plan to.  What else did I used to think was ludicrous but is actually a perfectly reasonable expectation?

Bottom line is, I'm spending time this week thinking about what we think our bodies can do, what they can actually do, and the self-made gap that lies between.  

And next week I'll start working on ways to close it. :)   After all, I'm pretty sure even ultramarathoners get those kinds of things done one step at a time.

Good day!

Sugar: Who Needs It?

A friend sent me this video last week, and watching it was pretty scary because I could see myself being like one of these women someday...and I don't want to be either!



It's a spoof on the commercials expressing how high-frutose corn syrup really isn't bad for us at all, not any more than real sugar.  To the uneducated ear, it makes a perfectly sound argument.  But the truth is, even if is was the same as real sugar, we still don't need it in our diets because we don't need that much sugar.

WE DO NOT NEEEEEEED PROCESSED SUGAR.

We need glucose.  Glucose is a naturally-occuring sugar in fruits and vegetables that is necessary for energy and balanced nutrition.  But we do not need added sugar in our diets.  I promise.  I swear to you on a stack of apples that you can absolutely stop drinking sugar, putting sugar on your cereal, baking with as much sugar, or tricking yourself into thinking that because it is expensive or fancy-sounding it's an okay sugar.  Agave is sugar. Honey is sugar. Sugar in the Raw is sugar.  And sugar don't like you.

If you don't believe me, read what some scientists said about it.

And then, test your sugar IQ with this quiz.

And then cut out the sugar.

Bye, sugar!

Sugar: Knock it out in 4 steps

Sugar.

Some people say it's the devil.  I have been one of those people!  Truth is, when you've got sugar cravings or you're trying to reduce it in your nutrition, it can definitely feel like you're fighting a losing battle.  But rest assured, it can be done and is well worth it.  It's not easy, it's NOT EASY.
It. Is. Not. Easy.  Seriously.  But it is sooooo worth it.
Here's how:

1. Know your sugar. Sugar goes by many names, and lurks in just about every processed food, even clean products.  We have gotten so conditioned to expect sweet foods in our society that sometimes sugar is one of the first few ingredients listed.  Since ingredients are listed in order of quantity, this is a huge tip-off.  Look at the ingredients and the nutrition label to see what kinds of sugar are in the food and how many grams. 

2. Do the mental work. Getting off sugar is mostly mental. You will crave it, but that's just your brain wanting it.  You don't need processed sugar.  You just want it.  Luckily, in the next step, we can change that.

3. Re-train your tastebuds. It doesn't take as long as you think, but give it a few days or maybe a week for your tongue to get used to the taste of food without added sugar.  Expect your tongue to turn into an angry toddler at first, kicking and screaming for the sugar it knows and loves. Cut it some slack, it didn't know you were going to do this!  But once you break it's will and it realizes who is in charge, it will grow up and begin to like the actual taste of real food.  Trust me, this is a hard step but it doesn't take long.

4. Notice the difference between sweet and sugar.  Our tastebuds are conditioned for astronomical levels of sweetness.  If you eat a traditional baked good after a few weeks of not having processed sugar you'll be shocked at how saturated it is with sweetness.  But, plenty of food is naturally sweet without added sugar!  Eventually, these naturally sweet foods will become your base and your tastebuds will recognize them as all you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.

The next time you have a sugar craving, stop and ask yourself whether it is sweet or sugar that you really want.  Eat a mango, a handful of strawberries, or mix some fresh blueberries into plain greek yogurt.  Give your tastebuds a chance to appreciate the difference, they're smarter than you think!

Good day!

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Simple Swaps for Clean Eating

Back in the day, if you wanted to eat clean it meant spending a lot of time in the kitchen preparing your own food from scratch and at times, even deciding to sacrifice eating some foods because there just wasn't a healthy alternative.  Sure, supermarket shelves have long been stocked with food that seemed healthy, but now we know that when cookies have suddenly become "sugar-free," that it's because a whole bunch of other stuff has been added to make sure they still taste good.  In this case, "stuff" is code for "not food."  Not food means not healthy.

But now, eating clean is much more maintstream and as a result, more products are available on the market to make it easier for families to do it without having to become farmers. Here are some of my simple swaps for food that you and your kids probably like to eat and can still enjoy in a clean eating household.

My kid likes: Fruit chews. But they are just a bunch of processed sugar!
Instead, I buy him Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks  Still a bunch of sugar, but it's real sugar. I'll take real sugar over manufacutured any day.

My kid likes: Cereal bars. But the list of ingredients reads like a most-wanted list of chemicals and additives.
Instead, I buy him Barbara's Bakery Fruit and Yogurt Bars.  They're great for school lunches.

My kid likes: Macaroni and Cheese. And seriously, who doesn't?  But I want to make him macaroni and cheese, not macaroni product.
So I buy him Annie's Macaroni and Cheese and he loves it.  I used to puree a bag of mixed vegetables and mix it in but he doesn't fall for that anymore.  Hey, I tried!

And the final simple swap is something I like to eat: sweet potato fries!  I really love sweet potatoes and I love ketchup, so sweet potato fries are a definite crave.  I have never been successful at making them myself, so I was thrilled when I found Ian's Natural Sweet Potato Fries in my freezer section.  They're easy, fast, and taste great. 

Naturally, the best way to eat clean is to stick with the most pure food you can: fruits, veggies, lean meats, and homemade bread.  But if you don't live alone and have a lot of time on your hands, it's great to know there are products out there that can bring clean eating to your kitchen without your family wanting to stage an intervention on you.  If these products are not in your grocery store, especially if you live in a Sabotage City, ask for them!

Sabotage City On the MOVE!



Mississippi in Motion is a 12-week program
focused on healthier lifestyles.

 On Monday I lamented about my frustration after a visit to what I call a "sabotage city": a place where even with education about how to live a healthy lifestyle, lack of access to a variety of healthy food products sabotages its residents and keeps them locked down in a cycle of obesity and disease.

Then, yesterday I saw this video on Twitter.  It shares the news of a health campaign called Mississippi in Motion, which aims to increase the health of Mississippi residents through education and events around the state to promote wellness.  If you're a Mississippi resident, as many of my close friends are, please check it out!

And if you don't live in Mississippi, send it to someone who does or someone who knows someone who does. 

Sabotage Cities are everywhere, and I know this is only a drop in the bucket in what we can do about them, but it's better than what I had on Monday!

Please share this!

Good day!

Sabotage City!

A couple of things occurred over the weekend that made me think a lot about access to healthy resources in our communities.  The first was was bantering with the friend of a friend on Facebook about obesity being a product of miseducation rather than personal choices, and the second was traveling across the south to visit my bestest girlfriends in semi-rural Mississippi.

My friend's friend made the assertion that obesity is less the fault of someone making destructive choices than the fault of the community at large for demonizing being overweight and not educating people about how to be healthy. I disagreed.  While education is important, ultimately it is the hand-to-mouth actions that we each take as independent adults that influence our weight, and it doesn't take an advanced degree to figure out that the path to wellness is not paved with doughnuts.  He countered that we should accept our country as a population of overeaters and overweight people.  I was incredulous.

Then I ventured outside of my insulated, utopic, upper-middle class environment and realized that I am a lucky, lucky lady.  I live in a community with at least three organic grocery stores, multiple weekly farmer's markets, health food stores and restaurants, and whole grain/gluten free/vegan/everything else you can imagine products on the shelves of my corner grocery store.  As I walked the aisles of a grocery store in this affluent north Mississippi community, it was very challenging to find products that met my personal standards for nutrition. Instead, I was surrounded by high-sugar, overly-processed, preservative-laden food...and the parents who buy it for their kids because they just don't have any other choice.  They live in a Sabotage City.  It made me so sad. 

And it made me so angry because how can our country get healthier when we can't even find healthy food in our grocery stores?  I do believe that you can shop and eat healthy even in a Sabotage City by eating clean: veggies, fruits, and lean meats.  I even blogged about it back in May of last year.  But with kids in the house, even the most staunchly healthy clean-eating families are likely not going to live on produce and lean meats alone.  They need access to whole grain breads, pastas, rice, cereals, and most importantly, the education necessary to know why its important to choose those products. 

When I got home yesterday, I went to the grocery store to stock up for the week ahead.  As I filled my buggy with the healthy products I had taken for granted, I was overwhelmed with frustration.  Bringing education about healthy choices to a community is vital...and providing access to healthy products is non-negotiable.  I still contend that our health is dictated by our choices.  We need better choices.  

How do we do that?  How can I help?

Signed,
Frustrated

Guess what? You're not as fat as you think you are.

Women: have you told yourself how fat you are this week? Have you told someone else?  Chances are, there have been half a dozen instances of negative self-talk in your life this week.  I'm guilty, too! 

Now be honest again... are you actually fat?  I mean clinically, are you fat?  Is your body fat percentage over 30%?  Is your waist more than 35 inches around?  Is your BMI over 30?  If not, shut it.

It's a major pet peeve of mine: women who look perfectly fine going on and on about how fat they are when they aren't.  I used to do it all the time, and sometimes I still catch myself asking my husband if I look fat or complaining that I "feel fat".  But I am not actually fat. Intellectually I know this, but after years of being a woman in America who is conditioned to believe that the only path to beauty is through unattainable physical perfection, its hard to believe.

About a year ago I stopped reading fashion and gossip magazines. They just made me feel bad about myself.  I also made a promise to start being nicer to myself and stop expecting to be perfect all the time.  The more I practiced positive self-talk, the better I felt, and the better I started to look to myself.  Over time, I started noticing more and more how many women are still in automatic put-down mode. 

So if you're one of those women who is not actually fat but can't stop telling yourself you are, here's what helped me stop:

1. Focus on your body's strength, not it's size.  In the past two years I have completed the Ultimate Fitness Challenge, ran two half-marathons, and completed a triathlon.  An unfit person would not have been able to do those things.  Once I realized that, it became easier to focus on what my body could do, not what it could fit into. 

2. Do some research.  Get online and start learning about the actual benchmarks for obesity.  Get your body composition measured and start using actual data as a tool for determining your fatness, not your mirror.

3. Every day, celebrate something you love about your body.  Yes, I mean every day.  There is something about your physical self that you can appreciate.  It can be the same thing two days in a row!  The point is to get into the habit of appreciating the beauty you already have.

4. Stop getting second opinions.  Who cares if someone else thinks you're fat.  The only opinion of you that matters is yours.

Besides, talking about how fat you are when you're not actually fat makes the actually fat people around you feel even worse. 

I've gone through a period lately of feeling fat and hearing myself slip into those old habits of being all down on myself because some physical limitations have kept me from my usual high-intensity workouts.  So, I'm calling myself out on it and inviting you to join me back on the positive path.  Take time today to be nice to yourself.

Good day!