I’m 5’4” w/out heals. I was 120 something pre-kids. My weight has danced around 140 give or take in a twenty pound window most of the last 15 years. I hardly exercised at all prior to around 2005 or so when Steve bought a treadmill. I don’t think I ever got above four miles on it, but then one day, I decided to run outside (what a concept right). I enjoyed it but the idea of racing never even crossed my mind – I just jogged around our neighborhood in the mornings and it became my thing.
Fast forward to 2009 when I see a post on facebook from my friend Donna who says she has a bib for the Army Ten Miler, Does anyone want to join her?
Having never run more then five miles, I say I’ll do it. I go into it thinking I wont finish, but I do. And from that day I am hooked. I quickly sign up for a half, thinking, Its only three more miles, and this time I’ll actually train!!
Six months later I’m registered for my first full, and while training, I get down to 120# soaking wet. I complete MCM pretty slow. I’m thin, but I’m not healthy. I think I eat better than most people, because Ive been gluten free for the last 7 years, I only eat lean protein, don’t drink soda etc but really, I don’t have a clue. I don’t know what clean means and I have a lot to learn.
In the next month or two I start lifting. I put on ten or more lbs. But I’m fitter and I know it. This is where I learn that the scale isn’t much of a truth teller after all. If anything, I’m even smaller, and I run my next marathon nearly an hour faster than the first. Then I do a 50k pretty fast, and a couple months later, I do a 50 Miler.
Ok now I’m an Ultra runner. I figure I’ll stay thin by my lifestyle alone, which is not only sustainable and maintainable, it is enjoyable for me and I have no desire to go back to anything else.
I race a lot. I constantly refine my nutrition to make it that much better with little changes here and there. But I am slowly putting on weight. And not like good-muscle weight like I described previously, I mean I’m getting a belly.
Now today, this is who I am. I exercise every day. I do core and strength just as much as I run – so its not unbalanced at all. I even gave up the only two things I had left that weren’t healthy – I gave up the sugary liquid treats at Starbucks that I used to justify in my head w/ killer workouts or long runs. And I 99% gave up wine – after all, its just empty calories. So I eat clean/whole/real/un-manufactured or modified foods; only lean protein; nothing fried and rarely prepared by anyone else. Very little sugar, gluten free, I drink a crap ton of water daily, infact it is the only liquid I consume besides straight up espresso sweetened w coconut oil – I could go on and on – the point is, there’s not much I can think of left to improve nutritionally.
I have done three cleanses in 4 years and I’ll tell you about them now.
I did Isagenix twice and Advocare once.
Isagenix was suggested by my holistic-wellness-sports-med dr; Advocare was recommended by my trainer as something approved by the Olympics for which she is training. Trusting both of them, I tried both.
The first time I tried Isagenix I had a significant weightloss in a short period of time, the 2nd time I didn’t lose an ounce. Here is why I think that happened. Because in order to do it, you have to follow a meal plan, and there are even a few days you don’t eat anything. So the first time it was prior to me knowing about clean eating – really label reading and portion size and frequency. That change alone, plus the amount of water you are told to drink would drop lbs off anyone who didn’t live that way normally. Read that last sentence a few more times, I stand by that a million percent and I think that applies to every plan/product out there today.
The second time, it just didn’t do anything for me because I already eat small, frequent, clean & leans meals. My body had nothing to react to. I think our body always needs something to react to, like the muscle confusion concept, its real – the body is smart and it adjusts.
When I did Advocare, I lost no weight. But I did lose inches and feel fantastic.
I have never tried Shakeology or Beachbody etc – I imagine it is the same type of thing and lets face it, the concept works but its not about products in the end. Its about us and what we do. So pick a product, research them, theyre fairly indistinguishable to me but if anyone wants to chime in and tell me how and why one is better than the other Im all ears.
– Protein shakes are good – the cleaner the better – and the less crap you add to them the more affective they will be – period. Read the labels, pick the one you like and don’t add a bunch of crap to it. Now I use soy or whey and I add frozen bananas and whole raw almonds. That’s my post-workout deal and/or breakfast replacement on the run.
– HIITs training is the best. Find some videos you like – I like Jillian and Bob. I like kettlebells and I like to mix it up. My biggest struggle here is boredom, if I’m at home I need a way to force myself to just stick it out for a minimum of 30 mins, preferably an hour. A trainer or a video or a trip to the gym outside of the house will usually do the trick there to make me stay it out longer.
– I’m not a run or workout w others kind of person. I’m not a comradery/group-hug kind of girl. I like to go solo. Others thrive with others, whatever works. Do your thing.
– Clean food doesn’t come out of a jar, can or envelope. It doesn’t have ingredients on it that you cant pronounce. Shop around the outside perimeter of the grocery store. Eat frequently and drink half your body weight in ounces daily of water, or more.
I’m not 20 or 30 anymore. I’m 40. There is no sense trying to figure out how I was 10 or 15 pounds lighter two years ago when if anything I’m exercising more and eating better now than I was then.
There are no magic products or secret codes.
DO MORE AND DO IT BETTER. That’s all I can do. Today. Now. And tomorrow.
<3
~K~
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