So, this post is sort of the coalescence of a number of other posts & thoughts I've had over the past number of months. It is about health and how aspects of my lifestyle need to be changed in order to better it.
1. Fitness: I was sure I had made a post on it recently, but couldn't find one; maybe I've just been thinking about it a lot. I've had a sort of "wake-up" moment regarding my level of fitness. I've always considered myself relatively fit and active. Well, I'm not sure the evidence of the past few years (or more) really bears that out. In the same way some people might get a lot of"mileage" out of, say, a single trip to France; others (like me) might get an awful lot of "mileage" out of a single, relatively brief fitness training period per year. In recent years (and maybe before that), I usually have one or two long distance running event during the course of the year that demands a very intense training program, but in the big scheme of things, it's only a small portion of the year (12 weeks for my standard 25k trail run, but a paltry, condensed seven-week training period last year). Seven to 12 weeks out of 52 in a year? Granted, there are certainly runs I am going on for the rest of the year, but my commitment to keeping that regular and sustained is just not there. Considering most health experts recommend three to four 30-minute cardiovascular workouts a week, it's time for me to stop getting "mileage" out of my narrow window of regular running and commit to regular activity and fitness for the long term. So far, so good this year. I am going out for short (1 1/2 to 2 mile) runs, which seem surprisingly long (they're not all that tough, but when you only set out for a run that short it seems to take an amazingly long time), in an attempt to embark upon something that won't burn me out, can fit into my schedule, and do all the other things that are the recipe for something I can stick with, long-term. right now, I either run during lunch at work or after Lucy goes down on my "off-Lucy" nights. My runs around home are limited to more or less straight north, as I just don't think it would be all that safe to take to the trails after dark. As the weather changes (and the sun stays out longer), I'd like to mix in trail running, biking, and some other cross training to keep it interesting. Also, Sharon & I are going to try to incorporate a family hike on Sunday afternoons. A brisk, long one; it's time for me to stop being a running dick and stop poo-poo-ing the good health effects of walking.
2: Diet: I've actually made strides in this in the past few years. Since Lucy's been born, we have been buying a lot of natural, un-processed foods. But it was only recently, when I finally read up on the science behind fat & cholesterol (detailed in a recent post), that I really comitted to an extra effort in avoiding empty carbs, hydrogenized foods, and excess sweets. That stuff freaks me out enough now that I think this is going to be one that I can really stick with. My major issues in the realm of diet remain 1) the "binge," particularly those that occur late at night, and with peanut butter 2) overeating at supper. There are other things that I could tweak (more but smaller meals, a little more vegetable matter) down the line, but I think if I get those two major ones under control, I'll be in pretty good shape. Oh yeah, there's the coffee thing, too. That's one of my resolutions, so I won't dwell on it here. But other things, like pop at mealtime, has already made a significant decline in light of my new strides in avoiding the bad stuff. I plan to continue to have a beer about two out of every three nights-a good things in many health respects, but certainly a lot of empty calories (don't even say "light beer" to me). That is something I truly, truly enjoy and really want as part of my lifestyle, and so will just have to be compensated for by my fitness. Nothing like a nice beer as a reward for a day where you've done the right thing at meals & in excercise.
3. Stress: This is related to health. Since it's only fairly recently recognized as such by the medical community, I think we may someday discover that it's far more influential than we currently know. Sometimes I think I'm good at letting stress roll off my back, and sometimes I think I let it consume me. Truth is, I just can't get in other people's heads, so I really don't know how I compare. I worry and overanalyze things, but I'm also really good at living for the moment and putting all my concerns on the shelf when I am engaged in an activity. I think resolving some of the unresolved issues my family faces (also part resolution project) will help in this area, as will continuing to indulge myself in those things that I enjoy will allow me to manage this.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
5 comments:
I stand in ovation to your efforts at staying healthy. I look towards you as a mentor in this field.
Thanks. I don't know a ton more than what I'm indicating in this post. I'm just aspiring to get a little more practical grasp of the health info that floats around.
Next step: types of sugars and what they really mean to me...
All good stuff.
I'm less able to focus on fitness than you. From October to May I play basketball once a week and take two walks per day ranging from 15 to 30 minutes. The basketball is great cardio, while the walks vary, and are generally not very intense. Better than not doing it, but they're really more for Primus than for me, so she dictates the pace, and that involves copius sniffing and peeing.
I've never had a huge amount of trouble controlling my weight although I think it has as much to do with a fluctuating muscle/fat ratio as anything. I generally am trying to avoid most of the same crap that you are and have really cut down on my soda consumption - maybe 4 or 5 since the beginning of the year. Snacks too are down, though I'm likely to have chips and salsa for dinner, so that's not necessarily great.
Stress. I definitely handle it well, though there are times when it really digs its heals in and takes its toll. It has huge effects on everything health related, from fitness to diet to sleep, all of which can really make gettting out from under its shadow even more difficult.
We as a society are going to pay a real price economically for our crappy diets and lifestyles. At some point it will not be surprising if insurance rates are skewed wildly in favor of those that maintain healthy weights, and penalizes those that don't.
You say you're less able to focus on fitness than me, but I don't think that's entirely true.
I definitely have the "ability" (sickness?) to focus on a specifc window of time and get into an intense fitness schedule. You don't have the desire. Maybe the focus would be tough even if you did have the desire, or maybe that's neither here nor there.
I DO think your activity level throughout the year is more consistent than mine. Especially if you're going on 30 minutes to 1 hr of walking every day. If you can just find a way to make it more brisk, that may be all you need.
Perhaps some Lipton iced tea.
That shit is BRISK!
Post a Comment