Adding Exercise to Paleo

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I’ve been asked if I’m still eating Paleo now that I have started running. Some people are concerned that I may not be getting the right nutrients or enough calories to support the increase in calorie burn through running. Well, the easy, simple, and true answer is yes: I’m still Paleo.

There is no hard part.

I eat the same way I always have. Well, maybe I eat a little bit more, but in terms of ingredients, it’s exactly the same. For example, for breakfast, I ate an extra slice of bacon. After my run this morning, I just felt like I needed that extra slice, and now a couple of hours after breakfast, I can honestly say that I feel better than I would have without that extra slice.

For lunch today, I’ll have the exact same size portion I have been eating for the past 13 months, and for dinner, I’ll do the same with perhaps a muffin for dessert. Otherwise, my diet is the same as before. The only real difference is I add a tiny bit here and there to round out my nutrition to stave off any hunger. I’m working to increase my calorie deficit as well as getting fit, so eating a lot more would defeat a big part of the reason I’m running.

I don’t eat a lot of carbs. I have greens and some vegetable with my meat at every lunch and dinner, but I’m not loading up on them. I haven’t felt lacking in energy with the exception of one run, and that was in the heat after work when I was tired. Otherwise, on my morning runs, I feel energized and ready. I will even say I feel good. Today’s run was exceptionally good.

So, in my experience, adding exercise to Paleo is sort of a natural progression and doesn’t require any real additional food or planning other than maybe to add a fruit or some extra serving of something maybe twice a day to offset the increase caloric load on the intake.

Improving and Making Progress

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I lost a whole pound last week which puts me at 178.8 lbs. This last pound was the hardest fought pound of the 134 I’ve lost. I literally ran for a month to get it. But that’s okay, because I lost over an inch in my waist, and I feel so much better.

My run times are improving. I still run over 30 minutes, but I’ve been increasing the distance I run with nearly every run. My last run was 3.13 miles; just a little over 5k (which is good because I’m going to run my first official 5k Event in December!) and my pace was the best I’ve had in any of my runs. I push it pretty hard for the first half, back off a little for the next 1.5, and then take it easy for a half before pushing it again for the last half. As I add distance, I will likely be pushing hard for more than the last half.

I’m the kind of person who likes to track personal progress. Now that the scale doesn’t give me that constant feedback, it’s nice that running does. I can see my times and distances and I can track improvement. It’s a new measure I can to to compete against myself with. This fuels a really important part of this health and fitness stuff for me; progress.

I know the time will come when I hit a wall; I can only get so fast, only run so far, and only get so light and small. That’s okay; I’m not anywhere near the limits yet. When I get there, I’ll work to keep up with my speed and to keep my weight/size where it’s at. But until then, I’ve got a lot of work to do to improve and continue to make progress. And I’m actually enjoying it.

A Very Important Video

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This is a very informative video that could change your life and really understand why low-fat is so bad, how sugar effects the body, and how the 4-4-3-2 nutritional education of the 70’s has caused our obesity epidemic in the US. I implore you to watch this. It’s very informative, and may very well save your life.

Ran This Morning (and it was GLORIOUS!)

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I know, I know: another running post. Who is this guy, and what did he do with our PaleoMarine?

Me, the guy who said he could never enjoy exercise and didn’t understand those who do and went so far as to say he wished he could be one of those people apparently had his wish granted. I enjoy running.

There. I said it.

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I forgot to take a post-workout photo, so this one will have to do.

As for this morning’s run, it was actually very nice. I started at around 5:10 a.m. after doing 30 push-ups and hit the streets. I was experiencing a little hip pain from sleeping wrong on it, but after a step or three, the pain was gone and I was just running. After the first half mile, I found that I was feeling really good. Like exceptionally good. No pain in the legs, no problems breathing, and the cool 52 degree air felt great. I even ran at a pretty decent pace for the first full mile.

Miles 2 and 3 were uneventful and actually it felt nice to just be moving quickly and without any aches or pains. I did feel the slightest bit of a pain in my left knee while running the last half mile, but I found it had to do with the uneven surface I was running on. Once I moved to a more level surface, the pain went away.

The biggest surprise for me was when I finished, I felt like I could have gone on for another mile or so. The only reason I didn’t is because I only have so much time before work to run, and I had already used up my allotted time. I already started waking up 10 minutes earlier each morning I run to make time for the longer distances. Perhaps I need to back that up by another 10 minutes?

Either way, I feel great after this morning’s run. The pace was good, the run felt good, the breathing felt good, and I feel energized. It was a nice experience.

I look forward to being able to do 4-5 runs a week instead of the 3-4 I’m doing now, but that’ll have to wait. I’m still building right now and I don’t want to over-extend my capabilities and get injured. I don’t have time for injuries right now.

The Three Pains of Running Over 40

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file_000-51I found that there are three pains when it comes to running. I used to think there were just two: good and bad, but after getting back into running as an older guy, I found a third: the old man pains.

Here, I’ll go through the pains of running.

Good pain. This is the muscle ache you feel after a good run. It’s a pain that says, “Good job on that last run. You worked it. Now give us a day to heal and get stronger and you can go again.” I used to really hate even this pain, but I’ve grown to embrace it as a sort of trophy of my efforts.

Bad pain. This is when you pulled or hurt something. This is typically a sharp pain and needs to be paid attention to. This also tells you that it’s time to back off a bit and heal before heading back out again. I dread bad pain. I’ve been lucky in the past month to have not been visited by bad pain.

Old Man pain. This is what I feel in the mornings when I wake up. Either a hip or a knee are the usual culprits. I find that this old man pain makes it a little painful to walk, but once I start running, the pain goes away almost immediately. If I set a good pace and stretch out my steps, the pain goes away even faster. The strange part: when I finish a run and start walking again, the old man pain can sometimes come back (like it did this morning).

Part of my ability to get back into running in a way I never have before was recognizing that running involves some level of discomfort just as studying for exams involved mental discomfort. Anything worth acquiring requires discomfort in one way or another as well as delayed gratification. I knew I wouldn’t be running 6 minute miles within a month of starting back up, but I’m nearly at 9 minute miles after starting at 12:30 minute miles just four weeks ago. I consider that solid progress, and running 3 miles every other day hasn’t been nearly as bad as I made it out to be. I still plan to start hitting daily runs soon.

Categories PT

Another Run in the Books

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Look at my tiara. I framed the photo like this on purpose.

This morning’s run almost didn’t happen because I was lazy. However, I thought of the people I’m friends with who write post-run and post-workout reports on Facebook and of the times they wrote something to the effect of, “I didn’t feel like it today,” or “I didn’t want to, but I did it anyway.” They motivated me and I pulled myself out of bed and just did it.

Once I got outside, I did my push-ups (30 this time) and with my heart beating faster, I let my Fitbit sync up with GPS and I hit the road. I stretched out my legs a little more this time than normal and my pace reflected it: 4:24 for the first half mile, and 4:57 for the second half mile for a total of 9:21 for my first mile)! That’s my best time so far (since Active Duty)! I kept the pace for the first mile and a half and slowed for the last half to just over a 10 minute/mile pace. I’d like to get to about a 7:30/mile pace eventually, but for now, I’ll take the sub-10 minute/mile pace. It’s a good place to be after three weeks.

It is getting easier. My legs didn’t feel so thick today. I can’t describe it any other way. For the past few weeks, I could never shake the feeling where my legs felt thick, or as if they just didn’t want to loosen up. I’m not talking about stretching; they just felt like they didn’t want to run. That changed today. The only limit I felt was how hard I wanted to breathe. My legs were up to the task, and with the exception of a little bit of aching for the last 1/4 mile, it actually felt pretty good.

I can’t say I love it (yet? lol) but I do enjoy it. The music helps. A lot. I’m still fine tuning my running playlist, and may eventually post a link to it here (it’s on Spotify), but right now, I’m not sure I’m entirely happy with it. There are a few songs that have moments that just aren’t conducive to fast running.

I am backing off from the daily running thing for now, though. The day off really does help my legs heal and recover a bit, and I can feel the difference that day makes. I try to walk a little on the off-days that I don’t run, but I’m thinking four times a week is plenty of running and my progress so far has been pretty good, so I feel it’s enough to keep me progressing.

So, as I say on Facebook, I didn’t die on this run, so it was good. Now I find myself looking forward to the next run.

Categories PT

My Anti-Bad Food Rant

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sugarIt’s been a while, but it’s time for a rant.

We need to reject the horrible anti-nutritious food that we are being bombarded and inundated with. The vast majority of the food available to us in the grocery stores are filled with either sugar, grains, soy, dairy, or chemicals. The only foods that I can trust are meats and vegetables, but again, only as long as they are unprocessed in any way. Some foods that you would NEVER expect to have harmful or questionable additives do. Try to find tuna fish that is just tuna fish in a can. Bacon? Good luck finding any without sugar and nitrates.

There is nearly nothing good for you in the frozen section except for frozen vegetables and maybe some fruits, but even a lot of the frozen fruits have sugar added to them. It’s maddening trying to find anything good to eat in a GROCERY STORE.

What’s worse is how much of this horrible stuff is marked as “Heart Healthy,” “Healthy,” or “Organic” all while being filled with sugar, grains, soy, and dairy. The low-fat, no-nut, gluten-free labels are all over the place, as if those were really any better for you. Rice is still a grain. I can understand people with Celiac disease avoiding gluten, but everyone else? It’s the GRAINS you need to avoid!!!

Nuts? If you have a nut allergy, sure, avoid them. Everyone else? It’s one of the best foods for you to eat!

I feel like Mugatu in Zoolander: “Am I the only person here not taking crazy pills?”

Is it a conspiracy? Maybe. It is the food industry that has paid for our nutrition research over the past 50 years, and they’re the ones who came up with this whole nonsense of low-fat, not eating eggs, gluten-free, etc that is nothing but BS and causes more harm than good. Now, drug companies are buying food companies that sell high-carb foods. The high-carb foods cause health problems which the drug companies medicate for. Is that not a conspiracy?

Eat meat and veggies and fruits, people. You will get healthier just through eating right. Avoid the middle of the grocery store; shop the perimeter. Your body will thank you.

Extreme Exercise

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ej5kI made an admission a few posts back: I actually enjoy running. I also dismissed the idea that I would never be able to like exercise in the future. I clearly have changed my opinion on it. However, there’s one thing I’m very certain about: I will never enjoy extreme exercise.

I get it; some people not only love it, but thrive on it. They truly enjoy pushing themselves to new levels of fitness, strength, and speed. Heck, I understand wanting to get better and stronger; that’s what I’m doing with my running ad push ups. However, I don’t see myself doing two or three different workouts in a row in a single day. I don’t see myself wanting to really push so hard that I’m left a puddle of sweat afterward. That’s not enjoyable to me.

I enjoy the gains I’m realizing after working out. I enjoy the fitness it’s bringing me, and the ability to take a long hike through a new city’s trail system without effort. It was truly pleasurable and a reward of all the work I’ve been doing on my runs. But that’s about it. I run to be fit, not to prove anything to myself or to anyone else.

I am not, nor would I ever begrudge anyone who does engage in extreme exercise. It’s neat to watch, and I enjoy reading the new levels of fitness people reach. I’m forever motivated by these very same people whenever I think about skipping a run for no good reason. However, I don’t want to run so hard that my muscles want to explode, or do so many push ups that I can’t brush my teeth afterward.

I feel fortunate that I’ve found a workout routine that is working for me. It allows me to make gains, get fitter, and not feel hurt or broken afterward. That’s the key for me: a manageable amount of pain for gain. I am not lazy, but I’m not a fan of pain. I accept some soreness, but pain is out of the question. It’s not a badge of honor for me; it’s a matter of quality of life.

The bottom line is that everyone needs to find what works for them. Also, realize what is working for you may not be what’s best for someone else, and vice-versa. What I do and write about is all about my journey and helping others find theirs. If mine works; great! If not, I encourage you to find what does work and go with it!

What happens when the alarm clock isn’t set properly?

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You don’t get to run before work. It was a beautiful and cool morning today, too. Now, I will be running after work. It’ll surely be hot out, too.

I woke up about an hour before my alarm clock was supposed to go off, and I remember thinking, “I think the alarm isn’t set. Maybe I should do that.” But then I let myself go back to sleep and didn’t think of it again until our normal alarm went off. Sherry and I both knew immediately that running was out of the question for the morning and went about our normal non-run day routines.

I was a little sad, though. I like getting those runs in early. Oh well. I’ll get my run in later today and see if how it is. You see, that’s what I’ve been enjoying about my runs. It’s not the running, but in how little I am affected by running. The less I have to “work” while running, the happier I am. It’s a measure of my fitness that I can feel and experience. The more fit I get, the easier these runs get which in turns makes me happy.

So, no early morning run, but I’ll still get it done today. Just a little later than originally planned.

After a month of exercise, no weight loss

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File_000 (39)I can relate to people who work, work, and do more work to lose weight and just can’t seem to do it. Over the past year, I’ve experienced a great amount of weight loss, but once I hit 180-183 lbs, the loss stopped as if someone pulled the parking brake. I figured that running would help me burn more calories and thus, I’d end up losing more weight, but it hasn’t really happened yet. This morning, I was within a half pound of my lowest recorded weight, but that’s as close as I’ve gotten.

The weekend trips we’ve been taking have also impacted any progress in weight loss due to the amount and sometimes even the types of food we’ve been eating.The other thing to consider, and Sherry reminded me of this the other day, is that muscle weighs more than fat. As I’ve been getting stronger and running more, I’m building muscle. That translates into offsetting any loss I may have realized through my diet.

There have been a few bright spots that have given me motivation in the past few days, however. I’ve officially lost an inch off my waist. I have to also look at the fact that I can run every other day now and I have been improving my run times and stamina. I am no longer tired after a run; I just feel invigorated. It’s all about finding the victories where you can, and in these past few months, it has been hard to find any victories.

I know that I’m at the cusp of losing weight again. It’s hard to explain, and I can’t put my finger on any single thing that leads me to know I’m about to lose weight again, but I feel it. I don’t think it’ll be a large amount and should be just enough to make clothes I wear now feel a little more comfortable. I’ve already moved to 32″ trousers and medium sized shirts, so losing another 5-10 lbs shouldn’t affect that too much.

The scale is but a single measure of our fitness and health. Don’t ever let it rule your perception of your progress, health, or fitness. I’m sure that if you keep looking, you’ll find victories of your own to reinforce your healthy lifestyle and habits.