Food is Fuel

12/30/09
I weighed in this morning just because the personal trainer tool I'm using from the Runner's World web site can track it daily. To my chagrin, I was at 232 pounds or 3 more pounds than when I weighed in Monday. Disappointing, but shouldn't be surprising since I haven't been tracking what I eat, and eating pretty much whatever I wanted. So today I made a run at trying to eat better and did pretty good until a few minutes ago when I had a bunch of Doritos. I was feeling a little empty and they were sitting there and though they hadn't tempted me until the moment before I started in on them, I didn't hesitate a moment before opening the bag and digging in.

Here's the thing. Food has become much more to me than it needs to be or should be, and also so much less. What it is, is fuel to make my body run and to keep it healthy and running at the optimum efficiency. Eating the right foods and quantities will help me to live better, feel better and do more in my life. I want it to be simply that, a tool I use to run my body and mind well. Instead, I have given it the power to make me happy or deprived and have focused on two negative aspects of eating. Eating too much so I feel really full, and eating food that is processed and convenient and that I can pull out of the bag at 10:30 at night and ostensibly make myself feel better when it has the reverse effect. And I keep doing it anyway.

I'm starting to think about exercise - running, as a method for getting fit and for setting and achieving positive goals, rather than a way to get thinner. I'm thinking of it in terms of wanting to do it because it is fun to see what goal I can achieve, fun because there are all sorts of data to track and analyze and that provides instant feedback on what I've done and how I'm progressing toward the next goal. It's simple and can be done just about anywhere, (as long as you have warm clothes) anytime. Its a chance to see what *I* can do on my own; how far I can improve and what I can achieve.

So the feeding of my body, the instrument of the running is just as important as everything else I'm doing with running. Eating right will support progress in running both physically and mentally. My body will have the fuel it needs to perform and as my body performs better, that feeds the mental side, which can in turn, drive the body to achieve even more when I'm tired during a run, or don't want to get out of bed for a run. It all works together. It isn't reasonable to expect that I can maintain running without also maintaining a healthy diet. SO, the question is, am I making a commitment to running or not?

How do I do it? By eating REAL food, not over processed junk food that only pretends to be fuel. By eating the right amounts of real food at meal times. Avoid going out for dinner so much when the healthy options are limited and the information about nutritional information is even more limited. By educating myself on what I really should be eating and then taking the steps to have that food available. Create a meal plan and stick to it-make it realistic and know that I will be able to eat meat and fat along with fruits and vegetables. Have those indulgences like half and half with my coffee. Eat desert as long as it is a real food desert, not processed crap like candy bars and muffins out of a tube.

The fun part is that I believe I can do this. I believe I will do it despite all the evidence to the contrary in the form of numerous failed attempts in the past to get healthy. The difference I have now is running. Running as a goal and as a positive activity that I enjoy and which can be the focus of my efforts, rather than losing weight or some vague notion of getting fit. Yes, those things are important and I expect they will happen, but it isn't the focus, isn't the main goal. The goal is to run a marathon, along with a bunch of other races, starting with a 5K on April 25th in Iowa City. Rain or shine, I will run 5 kilometers and not only finish, but finish feeling pretty good. And making that goal a reality is not going to be easy, but the steps are pretty simple. I have to prepare my body and mind to run 5 kilometers. That preparation comes in two major forms. Training through runs of greater duration and distance leading up to 30 minutes/3.11 miles. And fueling my body and mind with the right kind of food. As long as I do those two things, then I can't be stopped in pursuit of those 5 kilometers.

FOOD IS FUEL-MAKE SURE MY BODY GETS THE BEST I CAN GIVE IT.