Fitness Journal - 16 May 2009

I went running today after a two day break.

I didn't plan the two-day break. I've just been busy, but I have a deal with myself that I'm not going to wait more than two days between runs, so I didn't. I was not any worse for wear by taking those two days off. I tried something different this time though, to see how it worked. I took smaller steps when I jogged to see if it changed how long I could run for, and I was happy to see that it did. My knees also didn't hurt nearly as bad when I was done.

I kept the smaller pace a lot longer, and when I rounded the corner to take the last hill I pushed myself hard to sprint up it. I didn't make it to the top of the hill sprinting, and it took a long time to catch my breath, but baby steps, baby steps.

I feel great for the running. I am more energetic, and I spend time daydreaming about running now in different situations. Where I would only daydream about martial arts, now sometimes I see myself in foot races or sports. Good times, at least, in my own head.

The depressing thing for me is I'm still not seeing any change in weight, and not much in terms of waist size right now. I feel like I should have seen a change in that regard yet. Because I haven't, I'm looking to change my diet around. I was on Atkins, which does not work well for me, when I'm running. I need some carbs to replace what I'm using when running.

Someone suggested the Paleolithic Diet to me, but I'm not entirely sold on it. For one, I'm not entirely convinced that the human race hasn't evolved to allow us to profit from eating certain legumes and grains. Furthermore, the sites I've seen that recommend the diet say processed foods are bad, but also recommend olives. As a foodie who's watched Good Eats, I know what goes into the process of curing olives, and it qualifies as a processed food. Any time I need to soak my food in lye for a long period to make it what it is today, it's processed. I'm just saying.

What I think I need to do is increase the amount of leaner meats, swap out the bad fats like mayo (I'm gonna miss you buddy) for better ones, and start adding fruits back in. If I'm going to eat more carbs, they may as well be fruits.

Actually, what I think I should do is probably go see a sports nutritionist and talk this over with him/her.

We'll see what happens.

On the in-between days I'm doing the Hundred Pushups challenge and I'm going to start adding weight training. That will have a positive effect on both my running and my weight. I'm going to focus on mostly core exercises, though I will also work in squats, dead lifts, and lunges, so I build some more strength in my legs.

The goal is to get healthy by the fall so I feel like a better role model for my own kids, and then kids on my soccer teams. That, and live damn near forever. I'd like that too.

(Photo Used By Permission from Flickr user Carmelo Aquilina. All Rights Reserved)