This post brought to you by the early hour and a hot coffee in front of me. (And the letter B, which is for breakfast, and the number 7, which is the number of days a week you should eat breakfast.)
For the sake of brevity, the post could end there, if you'd take it and run with it and not look back. Those who need further convincing, read on.
In high school, I convinced myself a great way to "save calories" for the day was to skip breakfast, many of which I didn't have time to prepare anyway, as sleeping in trumped food for me. Who needs a mediocre breakfast when you can have another ten minutes of suddenly appearing naked in front of your audition audience for your school play, right? RIGHT? Er...maybe just me?
This rejection of breakfast worked against me. I'd wait until lunch to eat, at which time I'd be cranky and hungry to the point of not caring what I put in my face. I'd then tell myself after lunch that since I'd "saved" so many calories by avoiding breakfast, that a logical snack in the afternoon was whatever candy I wanted, in order to avoid the 2-4pm energy slump. TA DAH, health fail. This is a standard occurance for those who skip what is, in fact, the most important meal of the day.
But why? Why is breakfast important?
Your body has not eaten since you went to bed. (Unless you take Ambien and are given to late night unknown trips to the fridge, not uncommon as I understand it.) Your body has been in a state of fast for 6-8-whatever hours. In order to end that state of fasting, your body needs food. Some say this is needed to jumpstart your metabolism, some say it's just to begin the process of fueling your body's needs for the coming day. The truth is, if you don't eat breakfast, it is far more likely you'll make poor food choices later in the day, and overestimate what else you should eat.
Ok, I give in. What SHOULD I eat for breakfast?
If you're convinced, and willing to use this excellent tool to assist in your fitness goals, then let's talk about what to eat. I'm currently a fan of eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day, so my breakfast usually consists of 1/6 of my daily calories. 4-6 eggwhites is only ABOUT 110 calories, and packs a whallop of protein. (Approximately 3.6grams of protein per egg white.) I've got to be honest here, having been on and off eating plans since March, I've grown a bit tired of the egg white. I have recently embraced the whole egg. I eat fewer of these, one or two on a heavy workout day, but it should be noted that a whole egg has 6.28 grams of protein, and approximately 75 calories, therefor those on a reduced calorie diet should eat in moderation.
In addition to the egg/eggwhite, I have a half cup (uncooked) of oatmeal, seasoned with some cinnamon, or with a tablespoon or two of bee pollen (shut up, try it, it's amazing), or pumpkin puree and spices. I eat this until I'm so full I can't cram another bite into my face, and it's usually not the full serving. Paired with a big glass of water, you're stuffed. I usually am full until lunch with this meal.
If I'm at the gym, or rushing out of the house, I make sure to mix a scoop of whey or multi-protein with water and chug it so I have at least gotten the nutrients going. The important thing is NOT to NOT eat. Eat. Eating fuels your body, and your energy, and your life.
I may add some fun breakfast recipes in the future!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
New View, New Year
Five days into starting the blog, and I've blogged twice as of now. Ashamed? Not so much, I'm too busy kicking my own ass at the gym. As much as I focus on my own workouts, I've started to witness the influx of new gym-goers, the ones who are imagining their resolutions to include a tighter, fitter, stronger body. There are more, however, I fear, who are focused entirely on a number on a scale.
I'll probably wax overlong in the future about the horrendous game the modern American media sends to women in particular, but everyone in general, about body image ideals. I observe (and have experienced firsthand) women being brainwashed into believing their bodies are disgusting, unsatisfactory, and ugly unless they are a size 2.
From the time I was about 8 years old, I believed I was fat. I held my stomach in from age 8 through the end of college, trying to imitate the models I saw in the media with flat little stomachs. I also admired the washboard abs of the fitness models and surfers I grew to admire. Can I re-emphasize for a moment that as an eight year old, I believed I was too fat to walk around without my stomach sucked in? In retrospect, that's borderline demented. From age 8, I was aware of the "need" to stay thin, to stay small, and not to be seen as fat. My focus, always, was more on size and weight, than on strength or fitness.
(At some future post I'll elaborate my rehabilitation moment; my perception changed in one amazing awesome moment where I suddenly appreciated my own body and what it could do over the ideals hammered into me by years of media and socializing. Suffice it to say, for the moment, that it's far better to bend, than to break.)
As I am now, my goals are strength and fitness. I love the moments when I can pull or push more than the last workout. I love feeling my muscles flex as I finish a challenging movement. I love having to put back a weight I'm used to, in favor of a heavier weight for the rest of my sets. What I want is for more women, particularly young women, to stop obsessing about a number on a scale, and focus more on what their bodies can DO, rather than what size jeans they wear as opposed to their friends.
Three things I want women to change:
1.) "I will lose weight this year!" to "I will be able to run a 10 minute mile, squat 100 pounds, and do a pull up before June 1, 2013."
What does this do? It takes a vague goal and turns it into a distinct series of fitness accomplishments, that allow for planning and perseverance, and can be adjusted for what a person's abilities and needs are. Be specific. Be realistic. Set an exact date by which you want your goal accomplished.
2.) Focus on your fitness, not your failures. Be aware of where you are (realistically) and how far you can go. Sometimes, this self awareness comes from talking to a trainer, or a doctor, prior to setting realistic goals for yourself. Do not be cruel to yourself. "I'm so fat. . ." no, please. Try, "I have a world of potential. Every step is a step forward."
3.) Learn this. Love this, live this. I learned from Tosca Reno (look her up, she's a star) that the way your body looks IS within your control. It's not determined solely by your genetics. You are NOT a slave to your mother's crappy metabolism. You CAN change your own metabolism, through changing your habits and your body composition. A body's appearance is (according to Ms. Reno) 80% diet, 10% genetics, and 10% exercise.
In short, muscle burns more calories than fat, at a resting rate. If you lose fat from your body, and gain muscle, you will have a faster metabolism. Period. That's just a fact. Therefore, women, lift weights. Gain muscle. You will not bulk up into the imagined bodybuilding muscular "masculine" image your mommy warned you about. Women CAN'T get like that without chemical assistance. If you lift heavy weights, you will gain muscle. You will lose fat. And you will be fitter.
So please keep 1, 2, and 3 in mind if and when you decide to set your fitness goals for the New Year. You will love you more. And you deserve that.
I'll probably wax overlong in the future about the horrendous game the modern American media sends to women in particular, but everyone in general, about body image ideals. I observe (and have experienced firsthand) women being brainwashed into believing their bodies are disgusting, unsatisfactory, and ugly unless they are a size 2.
From the time I was about 8 years old, I believed I was fat. I held my stomach in from age 8 through the end of college, trying to imitate the models I saw in the media with flat little stomachs. I also admired the washboard abs of the fitness models and surfers I grew to admire. Can I re-emphasize for a moment that as an eight year old, I believed I was too fat to walk around without my stomach sucked in? In retrospect, that's borderline demented. From age 8, I was aware of the "need" to stay thin, to stay small, and not to be seen as fat. My focus, always, was more on size and weight, than on strength or fitness.
(At some future post I'll elaborate my rehabilitation moment; my perception changed in one amazing awesome moment where I suddenly appreciated my own body and what it could do over the ideals hammered into me by years of media and socializing. Suffice it to say, for the moment, that it's far better to bend, than to break.)
As I am now, my goals are strength and fitness. I love the moments when I can pull or push more than the last workout. I love feeling my muscles flex as I finish a challenging movement. I love having to put back a weight I'm used to, in favor of a heavier weight for the rest of my sets. What I want is for more women, particularly young women, to stop obsessing about a number on a scale, and focus more on what their bodies can DO, rather than what size jeans they wear as opposed to their friends.
Three things I want women to change:
1.) "I will lose weight this year!" to "I will be able to run a 10 minute mile, squat 100 pounds, and do a pull up before June 1, 2013."
What does this do? It takes a vague goal and turns it into a distinct series of fitness accomplishments, that allow for planning and perseverance, and can be adjusted for what a person's abilities and needs are. Be specific. Be realistic. Set an exact date by which you want your goal accomplished.
2.) Focus on your fitness, not your failures. Be aware of where you are (realistically) and how far you can go. Sometimes, this self awareness comes from talking to a trainer, or a doctor, prior to setting realistic goals for yourself. Do not be cruel to yourself. "I'm so fat. . ." no, please. Try, "I have a world of potential. Every step is a step forward."
3.) Learn this. Love this, live this. I learned from Tosca Reno (look her up, she's a star) that the way your body looks IS within your control. It's not determined solely by your genetics. You are NOT a slave to your mother's crappy metabolism. You CAN change your own metabolism, through changing your habits and your body composition. A body's appearance is (according to Ms. Reno) 80% diet, 10% genetics, and 10% exercise.
In short, muscle burns more calories than fat, at a resting rate. If you lose fat from your body, and gain muscle, you will have a faster metabolism. Period. That's just a fact. Therefore, women, lift weights. Gain muscle. You will not bulk up into the imagined bodybuilding muscular "masculine" image your mommy warned you about. Women CAN'T get like that without chemical assistance. If you lift heavy weights, you will gain muscle. You will lose fat. And you will be fitter.
So please keep 1, 2, and 3 in mind if and when you decide to set your fitness goals for the New Year. You will love you more. And you deserve that.
Friday, December 14, 2012
It Starts
Today, as I strained up from a set of straight-leg dead lifts, a drop of sweat (ew, right?) made it's way from my hairline down my forehead, along the side of my nose, and I swear it looked just like a tear. I laughed to myself, and found in that moment my new gym mantra. Sweat, not tears.
My "teardrop"
Life has thrown some pretty lame moves at me lately, and instead of wallowing in self pity, I've found fun and exertion at the gym are just what I need to move forward through the stress. Working out is a fantastic way for the body to reduce stress. It releases endorphins. It gives you a mental sense of accomplishment. For me, while I'm concentrating on pushing my body, it takes all my focus and allows me to ignore what's going on outside of the gym doors. Fitness has become my escape.
For a long time, I've considered starting a fitness or body blog. I've spent time on fitness websites, ordered subscriptions to Fitness, Women's Health, and Oxygen Magazine. (Incidentally, the only one worth reading, in my humble opinion, for anything more than fluff, is Oxygen.) I've worked out since I discovered the weight room in high school, and for years was an avid devotee of hours on the ellipse machine.
My weight has gone up, my weight has gone down. A never ending weight roller-coaster. I'm definitely a typical "average woman," I've never seen a size 2, I frequently lament the size of my thighs, and I struggle with knowing what's good for me to eat, versus what tastes or feels good in my face hole. Hence, my fitness journey, ramblings, and experiences may help others on their path towards a healthy, happy, body-accepted lifestyle. Share my journey with me!
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