So the previous week was a TOUGH one! I was sick, dealing with overtraining syndrome, and starting to deal with it by eating. I wasn't eating junk food, but still eating probably more than I needed (which no matter how healthy of food it is overeating is overeating).
I found a PERFECT article in Runner's World to describe how I was feeling. It's called Undereating (or something like that). It's about how undereating is becoming larger among long distance and cross country runners because there are studies that show lower weight = faster time. What runners forget to see is that yes, a lower weight will make you faster, but if you're underweight or not eating properly you will hurt yourself and your training. This section right here jumped out at me with HUGE letters and totally describes how I was feeling. I have been training and running for 8 years (if you include high school cross country). Even though I have been told that only 1% of Americans will ever complete a marathon I had become a part of the endurance racing world and met many people like me that I was feeling "average." I am a marathoner and I LOVE that feeling of knowing I am part of a small percentage of people (slightly crazy) that will ever run 26.2 miles. Unfortunately, after hanging out with runners (which I still love doing) I didn't think I was that extraordinary or different and endurance athletes don't like being average. It's why we push our bodies to the extreme and run, bike, or swim so far. We love knowing that few will attempt what we do everyday. When I started thinking I was "average" or normal I wanted to push myself harder and further. I was training 2 times a day, 6-7days a week, each time for at least an hour (now I see why I was so tired).
"there's a part of them that's threatened to be average."
So this inspired me to start writing one inspirational or motivational quote on my mirror each week to get me moving. So here's this week's:
"No workout will undo a bad food choice"
I think it's perfect for keeping me on track. I know deep down that I am what I eat, but sometimes that's hard to see when I'm looking at my peanut butter container. Now looking at this every day will remind me that no matter what workout I do or how hard I push myself, if I don't make the right food choices I'll undo everything. I'll post them each week, so you can use it too if you want!
Okay, one challenge for me this week is to eat what I've cooked or put together. I'm trying to eat more clean and eating clean is all about cooking and baking all your own food. This is going to be toughest with my protein bars. I love protein bars because they're so easy to just grab and keep in my purse or backpack as a mid-morning or afternoon snack. Well, I want to kick those along with other items, but after seeing this little blurb in Oxygen Magazine it won't be so difficult...
Okay, so here's my BIG challenge for the week. It's really to help me get more variety in my veggie and fruit choices. I am doing a "rainbow" challenge. Each day I will eat a food from the color of the day. So here's how the week is going to look:
MONDAY: Red
- I ate red cherry tomatoes
TUESDAY: Orange
-I packed orange peppers and carrots
WEDNESDAY: Yellow
- I have yellow peppers, tomatoes, and spaghetti squash
THURSDAY: Green
- I have celery, green pepper, and arugula salad
FRIDAY: Blue
- I bought blueberries
SATURDAY:
- I bought purple grapes and raisins
SUNDAY: RAINBOW
- I am going to eat (or try to) one of each color on this day!!
I'll let you know how it goes! Now I will leave you with some YUMMY pictures of clean foods I cooked on Sunday...
oatmeal muffins
stuffed pork tenderloin
clean pesto chicken pizza
chicken muffins, hummus, green pepper, and pre-workout PB ball
Pre-workout PB ball
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