Monday, September 12, 2011
220 miles to train for a half-marathon....
Yep, thats right. In 3 months of training for a half marathon (based on the Hal Higdon's Novice Half Marathon plan), I will have run a total of 220 miles. Sounds like quite a lot, doesn't it? Yet, that will only reduce my weight by 8 pounds (220 miles X 120 calories burned/mile, divided by 3500 calories). All of that effort and only 8 pounds of fat! Doesn't really seem right! And not only that, I will be hungrier, I'm sure....gotta keep my appetite in check when I start this training plan in early November!
Resting Heart Rate versus Sleeping Heart Rate
A resting heart rate of 60 to 75 beats per minute is average, a low resting heart rate is an indicator of cardiovascular fitness (eg strong heart muscle and whatnot), and athletes often have heart rates below 50 beats per minute. The more well-conditioned your heart, the less effort, and therefore fewer beats per minute, it takes your heart to pump blood to your body....in other words, your heart has to work less to do the same amount of work an unfit heart has to do!
Normally, the heart rate slows during sleep at night; this is called the nocturnal 'dip'. Those with very small or no dips in sleeping heart rate were about 2½ times as likely to die in the next 7 years as those with normal or large dips during sleep, as detailed in this study.
In the study above, average awake and average sleep heart rates were used to determine "non-dipper" patients, defined as follows:
In other words, those with a sleep dip of less than 10% were more likely to die in the next 7 years. In normal subjects, the heart rate dips during sleep by at least 10%. And if the "dip" is significantly higher than 10%, you can count yourself as a very fit individual!
Now, where is that heart rate monitor of mine!
Normally, the heart rate slows during sleep at night; this is called the nocturnal 'dip'. Those with very small or no dips in sleeping heart rate were about 2½ times as likely to die in the next 7 years as those with normal or large dips during sleep, as detailed in this study.
In the study above, average awake and average sleep heart rates were used to determine "non-dipper" patients, defined as follows:
(awake value - sleep value)/awake value < 0.1
In other words, those with a sleep dip of less than 10% were more likely to die in the next 7 years. In normal subjects, the heart rate dips during sleep by at least 10%. And if the "dip" is significantly higher than 10%, you can count yourself as a very fit individual!
Now, where is that heart rate monitor of mine!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Salutation Nation 2011 Review
Yesterday was great! We parked in the Ringling Museum parking lot and walked the 1/2 mile path to the original estate. All 300 yogis were sprawled on their mats in front of the estate's shaded entrance, facing the gulf. We were able to get front row seating of the gulf's waters, and fish were consistently jumping out of the water and splashing. The breeze was great as well...and just the sound of the water rushing around was a pleasant change. They even had a drummer (probably from the Siesta Key Drum Circle) beat along with the program.
There were three teachers. The first one focused on meditation, the second one went through basic poses, and the third one...she was tough. Maybe I was still tired as a result of my fast, but I was seriously sweating and it wasn't solely a result of the heat and humidity!
I would definitely do this again next year....just to be able to do yoga while facing the gulf and a nice breeze was memorable.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Beachbody 2-Day Fast Update
So, 2 days of fasting has ended....its a bright and lovely Saturday afternoon. My waistline is down to where it was a week ago, and my extra water weight (and cleansing weight) is gone.
Personal Experience while Fasting
Thursday morning started off rough... I had made the typical shakeology of PB2, chocolate shakeology and a banana for my husband's breakfast, and he took one whiff of it and just couldn't drink it. He's enjoyed it for awhile now ever day, but the last several days his tummy and olfactory glands has been keeping him up a lot at night and making him super picky on his food. Now, if you want to do a cheap cleanse, just get food poisoning like he did! He's hardly taken a bite of anything all week! I digress...so rather than wasting it, I had that for breakfast Thursday. Lunch was a fasting shake, as well as dinner.
I didnt drink any lemon-water like the brochure suggested, since I was already sucking on several Ricola lemon drops throughout the day to ward off my cold/sour throat...thought that was a good enough substitute. But, I did stick to drinking a ton of water as well. Hunger through the first day was fine. Always a tad hungry, but never ravenous....so I just kept myself really busy and I was ok. I brough my daughter to softball try-outs that evening, so that filled in the time well for me.
Day 2, I woke up and had a banana immediately. The directions indicated that a banana was fine if you experience headaches, but since I was going out for a run that morning, I thought getting something into me was advisable. I had a poor run....2.2miles in 25 minutes, so it was an ok pace given my lack of nutrients the day before. I had a fast shake for breakfast (put a scoop of whey protein in there as well), lunch and dinner...and still had a lot of water and sucked on a few dozen lozenges :) Again, hunger was manageable, and during parts of the day, I didn't even notice any hunger. At that point, I had done 5 servings of the suggested 6.
Day 3 for breakfast I had the last serving, which staved off hunger until lunch time...at which time my fast will be officially over.
Hunger? It was manageable....but definitely needed something to distract me. I would not suggest doing this fast if you weren't planning on being very busy! If I was bored, the hunger would have been way too much for me to handle. But, since I was at work, and I had a ton of little things to finish, it was more than ok. Also, if you have a sugar/caffeine addiction, you may want to wean yourself off of those as much as possible beforehand, as the resulting headaches could make the fast miserable. Fortunately, that was not an issue for me at all, and I experienced no headaches.
Benefits/Assumptions of a Liquid Fast
Just note that fasting should never be done solely to lose weight. You may easily lose 4-7 pounds (and I was right in the middle of that range), but most of this is water weight, so it will come back....not all of it, but most of it. The cleaner you eat after the fast, the better chance you have of not adding the water back on. Therefore, as you can imagine, most people who denounce any fasting product are simply missing the big picture.
Also, there was some discomfort....but I kept busy...and I dropped a ton of water weight, simply confirming that my body was holding on to so much water just to prevent the toxins from harming me!
I feel I have more energy, and my clothes are a tad looser, although thats mostly a temporary benefit I know. Now, I'll start my serious diet and see if I can drop another 10 pounds while I work on the "Slim in 6" program and continue my running training schedule (35 down, total of 20 to go). But, I feel healthy and vibrant, and it will hopefully encourage me to stay true to my diet!
Would I do it again? It got rid of toxins and excess water, which the scale definitely showed. I would do it again, for sure. Its definitely cheaper and quicker than other cleansing products I've tried in the past! If the product is of interest to you, visit here, then click "shop" and then "Nutrition and Supplements" and then "Weight Management" .....the ingredient/nutrition label can be seen here. Now, if you want to try an alternative approach, here are a few suggestions:
Personal Experience while Fasting
Thursday morning started off rough... I had made the typical shakeology of PB2, chocolate shakeology and a banana for my husband's breakfast, and he took one whiff of it and just couldn't drink it. He's enjoyed it for awhile now ever day, but the last several days his tummy and olfactory glands has been keeping him up a lot at night and making him super picky on his food. Now, if you want to do a cheap cleanse, just get food poisoning like he did! He's hardly taken a bite of anything all week! I digress...so rather than wasting it, I had that for breakfast Thursday. Lunch was a fasting shake, as well as dinner.
I didnt drink any lemon-water like the brochure suggested, since I was already sucking on several Ricola lemon drops throughout the day to ward off my cold/sour throat...thought that was a good enough substitute. But, I did stick to drinking a ton of water as well. Hunger through the first day was fine. Always a tad hungry, but never ravenous....so I just kept myself really busy and I was ok. I brough my daughter to softball try-outs that evening, so that filled in the time well for me.
Day 2, I woke up and had a banana immediately. The directions indicated that a banana was fine if you experience headaches, but since I was going out for a run that morning, I thought getting something into me was advisable. I had a poor run....2.2miles in 25 minutes, so it was an ok pace given my lack of nutrients the day before. I had a fast shake for breakfast (put a scoop of whey protein in there as well), lunch and dinner...and still had a lot of water and sucked on a few dozen lozenges :) Again, hunger was manageable, and during parts of the day, I didn't even notice any hunger. At that point, I had done 5 servings of the suggested 6.
Day 3 for breakfast I had the last serving, which staved off hunger until lunch time...at which time my fast will be officially over.
Hunger? It was manageable....but definitely needed something to distract me. I would not suggest doing this fast if you weren't planning on being very busy! If I was bored, the hunger would have been way too much for me to handle. But, since I was at work, and I had a ton of little things to finish, it was more than ok. Also, if you have a sugar/caffeine addiction, you may want to wean yourself off of those as much as possible beforehand, as the resulting headaches could make the fast miserable. Fortunately, that was not an issue for me at all, and I experienced no headaches.
Benefits/Assumptions of a Liquid Fast
Just note that fasting should never be done solely to lose weight. You may easily lose 4-7 pounds (and I was right in the middle of that range), but most of this is water weight, so it will come back....not all of it, but most of it. The cleaner you eat after the fast, the better chance you have of not adding the water back on. Therefore, as you can imagine, most people who denounce any fasting product are simply missing the big picture.
Another benefit is that your stomach will shrink a little in that 48 hours of not eating...so when going off of the fast, do NOT grab a HUGE meal, which will just stretch your stomach out again. Instead, have small meals, and if you give it a chance, you will notice that feel full faster than before. Keep that going....its a great way to lose weight without any effort!
Fasting with a liquid diet (as opposed to fasting with just water) is not as stressful to your body. The result is to give your organs and digestive system a break (eg no fiber for your body to break down), but still ingesting nutrients your body needs to be healthy. By giving your system a much-needed vacation from breaking down food, your body is able to divert all of its energy it usually uses for food into healing your body. Your immune system therefore can focus on repair.
The idea of a good detox diet is to eat clean foods (which is what is in the beachbody can) that will ease the functioning of the lymph, kidneys and liver. Anything that harms their functions is avoided. If this is not periodically "cleaned up", toxin levels can increase and negatively affect our body. Specifically, toxins hinder the functioning of the liver, the second largest organ in our body and whose primary purpose is to detox and purify the blood. When your liver is healthy, your body can fight diseases more effectively. When your liver is not proficient, fatigue, skin problems, immunity, allergies, headaches, etc can increase in occurrence.
Many people use a fast to kick-start a diet. Why? Because, simply put, when you remove the impurities in your body, your body is better at processing the nutrients. If you are going to reduce your caloric level by half, you better make sure that every nutrient ingested is being put to work 100% and is being absorbed by your body.
Type of Toxins
Toxins are created both externally and internally, which can build up to unsafe levels. Our body works constantly to remove these toxins from our system.
We are all exposed to external toxins such as polluted water, car exhaust, breathing polluted air, make-up chemicals/solvents and standard household products. Our bodies were simply not designed to handle toxic elimination to this extent. Even the food we eat can contain toxins that are naturally bad for our body; we ingest pesticides and on our food daily, and our food now contains less vitamins/minerals than ever before because we alter how these animals feed/live (eg feeding grains to tilapia and cows, neither of which serves their genetic makeup). Alcohol, cigarette smoke (even second hand), fast foods, sodas and processed food create long-term toxin buildup in our body. You simply cannot avoid all toxins in today's world.
Our own body also creates toxins internally. Viral infections and bacterial infections produces toxins in our body. Stress also contributes to this build-up.
Summary
Toxins, which the body cannot easily release tend to be stored in cellulite (a form of fat combined with water). The only way to get rid of it is to use foods and herbs which support your body’s detox mechanisms. My cellulite looks less noticeable, although I didn't really compare before and after pics. :)
Fasting with a liquid diet (as opposed to fasting with just water) is not as stressful to your body. The result is to give your organs and digestive system a break (eg no fiber for your body to break down), but still ingesting nutrients your body needs to be healthy. By giving your system a much-needed vacation from breaking down food, your body is able to divert all of its energy it usually uses for food into healing your body. Your immune system therefore can focus on repair.
The idea of a good detox diet is to eat clean foods (which is what is in the beachbody can) that will ease the functioning of the lymph, kidneys and liver. Anything that harms their functions is avoided. If this is not periodically "cleaned up", toxin levels can increase and negatively affect our body. Specifically, toxins hinder the functioning of the liver, the second largest organ in our body and whose primary purpose is to detox and purify the blood. When your liver is healthy, your body can fight diseases more effectively. When your liver is not proficient, fatigue, skin problems, immunity, allergies, headaches, etc can increase in occurrence.
Many people use a fast to kick-start a diet. Why? Because, simply put, when you remove the impurities in your body, your body is better at processing the nutrients. If you are going to reduce your caloric level by half, you better make sure that every nutrient ingested is being put to work 100% and is being absorbed by your body.
Type of Toxins
Toxins are created both externally and internally, which can build up to unsafe levels. Our body works constantly to remove these toxins from our system.
We are all exposed to external toxins such as polluted water, car exhaust, breathing polluted air, make-up chemicals/solvents and standard household products. Our bodies were simply not designed to handle toxic elimination to this extent. Even the food we eat can contain toxins that are naturally bad for our body; we ingest pesticides and on our food daily, and our food now contains less vitamins/minerals than ever before because we alter how these animals feed/live (eg feeding grains to tilapia and cows, neither of which serves their genetic makeup). Alcohol, cigarette smoke (even second hand), fast foods, sodas and processed food create long-term toxin buildup in our body. You simply cannot avoid all toxins in today's world.
Our own body also creates toxins internally. Viral infections and bacterial infections produces toxins in our body. Stress also contributes to this build-up.
Summary
Toxins, which the body cannot easily release tend to be stored in cellulite (a form of fat combined with water). The only way to get rid of it is to use foods and herbs which support your body’s detox mechanisms. My cellulite looks less noticeable, although I didn't really compare before and after pics. :)
Also, there was some discomfort....but I kept busy...and I dropped a ton of water weight, simply confirming that my body was holding on to so much water just to prevent the toxins from harming me!
I feel I have more energy, and my clothes are a tad looser, although thats mostly a temporary benefit I know. Now, I'll start my serious diet and see if I can drop another 10 pounds while I work on the "Slim in 6" program and continue my running training schedule (35 down, total of 20 to go). But, I feel healthy and vibrant, and it will hopefully encourage me to stay true to my diet!
Would I do it again? It got rid of toxins and excess water, which the scale definitely showed. I would do it again, for sure. Its definitely cheaper and quicker than other cleansing products I've tried in the past! If the product is of interest to you, visit here, then click "shop" and then "Nutrition and Supplements" and then "Weight Management" .....the ingredient/nutrition label can be seen here. Now, if you want to try an alternative approach, here are a few suggestions:
- CleanseMax is a natural approach. Its not jarring on your system, but is pricier and takes 30 days of supplements to complete.
- If you have a juicer, you can always chose just to create a natural juice drink to consume three times a day, and then just water between those "meals". If you want to try this approach, use beet root, carrot, celery, cucumber, watercress and spinach in your juicer.
- You can also use freshly squeezed diluted fruit juice (apple, grape, strawberry, pineapple, mango, melon, papaya, peach, pear). The costs for this fruit does add up fast, but if you are adversed to "box food" this is an excellent option.
Note: Diabetics should definitely avoid fasting unless you are under strict doctor guidance....and really, anyone with any doubt of fasting should always consult a physician. I'm definitely not one, so don't rely on just my opinion. But, fasting has been done for cultural and religious reasons for centuries, so I don't think there is any harm to the overwhelming part of the population!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Recovery Heart Rate Explained
Your heart rate should begin "recovering" immediately after you stop running. A heart rate that is slow to recover within the first minute (and subsequent minutes) after running is a strong predictor of overall mortality!
- 1 Minute: If your heart rate has not dropped by more than 12 bpm one minute after you stop running, this may indicate an increased risk of heart attack. But while your heart rate one minute after exercise is the most important measurement, later measurements are significant as well, because how quickly your heart rate returns to its resting heart rate is an indication of your fitness.
- 3 Minutes: Your physical condition is improving when your heart rate three minutes after you stop exercising is closer to your resting heart rate than the 1 minute interval.
- 5 Minutes: If your heart rate is over 120 heartbeats per minute (under 50 years old) or above 100 heartbeats per minute (over 50 years old), your next exercise should be less intense.
- 30 Minutes: Your heart rate should equal its resting rate 30 minutes after you're finished exercising.
My daughter...the competitor
She saw me run my first race and was such a HUGE cheerleader for me! Anyway, she want to race, so I signed her up for the kids race that is managed as part of my next 5k. I can't wait to see how she does...she's competitive and pretty fast! Now, my son on the other hand, says he is interested, but so far, he's not shown any athletic interest....so we will see if he actually races as well. They will actually be in different heats, so he won't be running "with" her, which may dissuade his interest. I would love for him to experience some joy out of some athletic venture, but I realize its not something you can push....I just hope he views it as an exciting thing rather than filled with dread!
One other thing that is encouraging...next school year, my daughter will be eligible to join the "mileage club" at school. Its an after-school activity where the kids get a free t-shirt, but also log their mileage walking/running with the other club members every Monday after school. She isn't eligible this year, as she's just in kindergarden, but once she's a first grader...watch out world!
Yes, I know...she's a competitive one...thats why people refer to her as my "mini me" :)
One other thing that is encouraging...next school year, my daughter will be eligible to join the "mileage club" at school. Its an after-school activity where the kids get a free t-shirt, but also log their mileage walking/running with the other club members every Monday after school. She isn't eligible this year, as she's just in kindergarden, but once she's a first grader...watch out world!
Yes, I know...she's a competitive one...thats why people refer to her as my "mini me" :)
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Beachbody 2-Day Fast
I swear...whenever I have a ton of carbs, my body just carries so much water! I have pasta for dinner, and the next day I'm up 2 pounds. Its amazing how much fluid is needed for digestion of 3 ounces of spaghetti. It hasn't dropped even a few days past that spaghetti dinner, and its bugging me. I know its not "fat" but still want it gone! I just feel so bloated, you know?
So, I'm attempting the Beachbody 2-Day Fast product. I read a ton of reviews and realize that the chocolate flavor is 100% better than the vanilla. Now, while the directions say that this should be the only thing you ingest for 2 days, it does not curb your appetite...but I'm ready for that. I have some tea that I will drink that should avoid the massive hunger pains. I'm ready...bring it!
So, Thursday and Friday are my fasting days...I expect work to be a bit slow these days, so if I'm somewhat distracted because of any hunger, I should be ok regardless.
So, I'm attempting the Beachbody 2-Day Fast product. I read a ton of reviews and realize that the chocolate flavor is 100% better than the vanilla. Now, while the directions say that this should be the only thing you ingest for 2 days, it does not curb your appetite...but I'm ready for that. I have some tea that I will drink that should avoid the massive hunger pains. I'm ready...bring it!
So, Thursday and Friday are my fasting days...I expect work to be a bit slow these days, so if I'm somewhat distracted because of any hunger, I should be ok regardless.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
First 5K....Flashbacks
Now that I've had time to think about how things progressed...how would I have done things differently?
I woke up 2 hours before the race to have breakfast. While I had a good meal, I probably should have had more carbs....and I even had a lot of my peanut butter pretzels that I could have grabbed, but simply didn't consider it. Just getting the kids out of the house was keeping us busy!
And, I think starting next week, I will try to run once-twice a week in the morning...there is simply no getting around this. After all, studies do show that it takes 21 days to form a habit (someone on Facebook reminded me of this...thanks Dorsey). So, I need to do it, even if its a short one. After a few weeks, I will be accustomed to running in the morning. I need to lay out my clothes for my run at night, and make sure I need to physically get up to turn the alarm off...or find someone to run with who will hold me responsible and who I don't want to let down.
Hey, if it gets me a better 5k time, I'll do it! Next race is next week!
P90X2 Ordered
Ok, so I pre-ordered it...should get it sometime before Christmas. Question though...will I be ready for the muscle pain that goes along with it? After Slim in 6, this will be the next project I tackle :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Run Every Day
Now, wouldn't having a "running streak" recorded somewhere be pretty cool? And, its only 1 mile/day....I could even do this!
http://runeveryday.com/
http://runeveryday.com/
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