Nutrition, or as I like to think of it, Rocket Fuel, is vital to keeping my body functioning. Especially as, I hate to admit, I get older, I am staring down the barrel of double-nickels, 55. 55!! Fifty. Five. Yikes!!! But age is not the topic here today, only as a peripheral aspect of nutrition.
As everyone knows, the holidays are a tough time to keep on track with decent eating. I know that fighting against the desire to sample the tasty delights of the season is not worth the stress and angst. So I indulge. I do try to limit it to one or two days of gluttony. But I feel the residual effects. Too much sugar, wheat, and butter (yummmmm) and I am approaching the New Year feeling a bit gruesome. So as I finish out 2016 I am regaining my footing, and getting back on track. After all, a few days of slipping off the wagon is not a calamity (a full month might be catastrophic, but still not insurmountable). With Christmas only 2 days behind us I am already focusing on plant based nutrition, which is actually my norm... so I guess I'm saying, I am back to normal after 2 days off.
This morning I made one of my favorite breakfast dishes. A concoction I made up a few months ago, and wonder why I didn't figure it out sooner. Yams, quinoa, and rolled oats. Yeah, a little weird, but not really. This is how it goes:
YAM & OATS ala Deasal
1 small Yam, peeled and grated
1/4 cup Quinoa, rinsed
2 cups Water
2/3 cup old fashioned Rolled Oats
Handful of chopped dried fruit (I like apple)
Handful of Raisins (I get to use my own homegrown... super yum)
Dash of Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
Cook Yam, Quinoa, and Water in saucepan: bring to boil on medium high, immediately reduce heat to gentle simmer. Cook about 20 minutes until yams are cooked and quinoa has sprouted its little tail. Stir in Vanilla, Dried Fruit, and Raisins. There should be at least a cup of liquid still in the mix (kind of soupy) if not, add a little. Stir in Oats, increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to gentle simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, keeping an eye on the moisture, add a little if needed to keep it from scorching. When liquid is absorbed, and oats, cooked, remove from heat and let stand a few minutes.
Eat as is, if that is your inclination. Me, I like to dress it up a bit. My usual is to stir in a little brown sugar or agave nectar, and a sliced banana. Then I shake some brown rice protein powder into almond milk to pour over it all Sometimes, if I am feeling a little wild and reckless I will add a spoonful of peanut butter.
This is a very flexible food, add or subtract as you desire, or to go with ingredients on hand. I've added chopped nuts, coconut oil, hemp seed, sunflower seed, pepitos (shelled pumpkin seed), maple syrup... the options are endless, and delicious.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Workout Journal
I have finally started keeping a workout journal. All these years, decades really, of regular training of one form or another, and I have finally committed to keeping a handwritten journal. It is just the basics: date, time, duration, yardage, sets, type. You know, basics. Then, at the end of each week I tally up swim yardage, time on bike, and total hours of training. At one time I tried to keep the stats posted here, on my blog, but that lasted about twice. Keeping regular records has never been my strong suit. But I have a handful of small journals lying about, each with a different purpose. One is full of quotes that strike my fancy, another for good business ideas that pop into my head at the weirdest of times, one is just random thoughts and lists. I had a spare, unused, hardcover, small journal that needed a purpose,.. my workout journal was born.
So far, I have been good at keeping it updated. Okay, it has only been ten days, but for me that is a new record. The downside is that the ice and snow we had last week kept me away from the pool all but 2 days. I have really been upping my pool time, and aiming for a minimum of 4 days a week, preferably 5 days. This week and next I will be sabotaged by the holidays, since the club will be closing early two saturdays in a row. Saturday has been my favorite "big" night; heavy upper body workout followed by a strong swim. I will be bumping that to Friday to compensate.
One advantage of a journal is the ability to accurately track distance and duration. Yes, I am actually really good at keeping a mental record of recent workouts, as well as training schedule. But I am thinking of it in terms of the visual satisfaction of seeing it in black and white. Kind of like making a list of projects and getting to cross them off the list as they are completed. It is very satisfactory.
Another advantage is that my naturally competitive nature will make me want to keep upping the ante. I am good at keeping myself honest anyway, if I plan on swimming 3000 yards, I will swim the 3000 yards (unless I have a good reason not to). But to put pen to paper will give me even more reason to push myself. At least that is the hope. So, let's see just how long I can keep journaling. Keep it up long enough and it will become a habit, like training, and that is something I am very good at.
So far, I have been good at keeping it updated. Okay, it has only been ten days, but for me that is a new record. The downside is that the ice and snow we had last week kept me away from the pool all but 2 days. I have really been upping my pool time, and aiming for a minimum of 4 days a week, preferably 5 days. This week and next I will be sabotaged by the holidays, since the club will be closing early two saturdays in a row. Saturday has been my favorite "big" night; heavy upper body workout followed by a strong swim. I will be bumping that to Friday to compensate.
One advantage of a journal is the ability to accurately track distance and duration. Yes, I am actually really good at keeping a mental record of recent workouts, as well as training schedule. But I am thinking of it in terms of the visual satisfaction of seeing it in black and white. Kind of like making a list of projects and getting to cross them off the list as they are completed. It is very satisfactory.
Another advantage is that my naturally competitive nature will make me want to keep upping the ante. I am good at keeping myself honest anyway, if I plan on swimming 3000 yards, I will swim the 3000 yards (unless I have a good reason not to). But to put pen to paper will give me even more reason to push myself. At least that is the hope. So, let's see just how long I can keep journaling. Keep it up long enough and it will become a habit, like training, and that is something I am very good at.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Increasing the Mileage
I made up a new game at the pool today, I named it "Pursuit." It only works when there is someone else swimming laps, and preferably someone who is at least a tolerable swimmer. So in my case, this won't happen often, since I am usually the lone lap swimmer. Anyhoo, it goes like this: after 1000 yard warmup, I let the guy in the other lane get 25 yards ahead, then I have 200 yards to catch him. Then 100 yards each breast stroke and backstroke for recovery. Repeat 4 times. 500 yards to cool down. The point behind this was to swim a hard 200 yards, at about 90%, long strokes, good form, and pushing hard enough that the last few yards were tough. Okay, really the point was to have fun, take some of the tedium out of lap swimming and get in some High Intensity Interval Training. Also, as I have admitted before, it is really hard for me not to race the swimmer next to me. No matter who they are, or how fast/slow they swim, I want to race them. Slow swimmers I will see how quickly I can lap them. Decent swimmers (like today) I try to either pace them or outswim them. It is easier to gauge my progress if I have to try and catch them. Besides, then they don't know they are being raced. Funny thing today; I could catch the guy in about 190 yards, but once I was alongside him he would put on a little heat and not let me pass. This proves my point: we all race the swimmer in the lane next to us, at least on some level.
I am increasing both the number of times a week I swim, as well as time and distance of my swims. My "regular" after work evening swims are now closer to 90 minutes, and have a weight lifting workout before and an aquatic leg workout after. I have added two "nooners" to the weekly rotation, Tuesday and Thursday. Shorter swims, 45-60 minutes, but with higher intensity and speed work. Swim coaches will tell you it is better to do 5 shorter swims a week than 2 or 3 long swims. I want to get my weekly mileage up, as well as daily miles. I have started tracking my mileage, actually writing it down. yeah, I usually have a decent idea of where I'm at, but I want to have it literally in writing.
I have my Eyes on The Prize: The Portland Bridge Swim. And need to train accordingly. If I can manage to add just a modicum of excitement to the endless miles, that is a total Win for me. Playing "Pursuit" is just the tip of the iceberg, time to start getting creative
I am increasing both the number of times a week I swim, as well as time and distance of my swims. My "regular" after work evening swims are now closer to 90 minutes, and have a weight lifting workout before and an aquatic leg workout after. I have added two "nooners" to the weekly rotation, Tuesday and Thursday. Shorter swims, 45-60 minutes, but with higher intensity and speed work. Swim coaches will tell you it is better to do 5 shorter swims a week than 2 or 3 long swims. I want to get my weekly mileage up, as well as daily miles. I have started tracking my mileage, actually writing it down. yeah, I usually have a decent idea of where I'm at, but I want to have it literally in writing.
I have my Eyes on The Prize: The Portland Bridge Swim. And need to train accordingly. If I can manage to add just a modicum of excitement to the endless miles, that is a total Win for me. Playing "Pursuit" is just the tip of the iceberg, time to start getting creative
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Decide What You Want....
I am feeling a little guilty for not keeping up with my writing. Today I read something that touched a spark:
Decide what it is you want.
Write that shit down.
Make a fucking plan
and work on it.
Every. Single. Day.
It brought to mind a mantra I have used for several years:
Rule #1: Train Every Day.
Rule #2 Make a Plan.
Rule #3 Be prepared to change The Plan.
I may not have an Ironman in my near future, but I make it a point to train every day. Honestly. Even on days that I'm not hammering on a decent, focused workout. On my "rest" days I am still getting in an hour or so of stretching and flexibility, with some core work thrown in for good measure.
As we go rolling into the dark, cold days of winter I have fewer demands on my adulting time. Most of the house projects are on hold while the rain lashes the windows and the wind whips the trees. Sure, there will be a decent day now and then, and if it coincides with a day off from work I will go out and putter about. But for now, there isn't a lot of responsible projects on my plate. You know what that means? Yeah, I can get in more training hours.
I did get my new running shoes, Hoka Bond 4s, and took them out for a quick spin. They are definitely heavier than my Sauconys, but the cushioning is undeniable. But I have to ease into running slowly and gently, despite the plush new kicks, so that won't add much to my training hours.
Where I am really starting to ramp up is with my swimming. I was in the water 5 times this week. I am making it a point to have specific swim sessions, not just getting in and grinding out lap after lap after lap (though I need t do that now and then too). Tonight I hit the weight room for 30 minutes of heavy upper body weight work. I have decided to use machines twice a week since it lets me lift heavy without the need for a spotter. As always, I do Super Sets. I like working through my different muscle groups without wasting time resting between sets. I've been doing weight pyramid sets: starting with lower weight/higher reps, adding weight each set, until I am doing heavy weight/low reps. I usually do 3 or 4 exercises per Super Set, and 5 or 6 sets. Makes me nice and warm by the time I hit the pool. Tonight's swim was one of my favorites: Individual Medley; 100 yards each breast stroke and backstroke, 200 yards crawl. I like it because it works all my muscles, and it is easy to keep track of my lap count. Tonight I decided I really needed to Burn Off the Crazy, so I decided to "swim until I am done." I had no idea how long that would be, I started with the goal of a single mile. About half a mile into it I decided to shoot for a mile and a half. About 2/3 of a mile in I got the wild hare to go for 2 miles. Now, 2 miles isn't bad when it is all crawl. Crawl i designed to be efficient. Breast stroke and backstroke, however, not so much. Being a neurotic stroke counter I know it takes me 10 strokes to swim one length doing the crawl. Breast stroke takes 22, and backstroke takes 18. Double the strokes = double the time = double the energy. So, swimming 2 miles I.M. is the equivalent of swimming 3 miles. Yeah, I was kinda tired when I was done.
I am ramping up my swim because I am determined to swim the Bridge Swim come this summer. I need to be able to swim for at least 3 hours in the pool without feeling too gruesome. Tonight I swam for a steady 95 minutes. Not that unusual, but a little longer than usual. 90 minutes needs to become a short, easy swim. And I am working towards that. I know if I swim 90 minutes of the crawl I won't be nearly as tired as I am right now,
I have also increased my weight lifting/strength training considerably the last couple of months. Strength will increase my stamina. And Strength + Speed = Power. When the day comes for the Bridge Swim I want to be able to have not only the endurance to finish, but I want to have the juice so I can swim the home stretch with power, beautiful form, and good cadence. In other words: I want to Finish Strong. And I want to have enough strength so that at the end of the swim, in front of all the onlookers, I can manage to get out of the water and back on dry land under my own power, and not so gassed I feel like puking. I think that is reasonable goal setting: Be able to climb out of the water on my own, and not vomit in public,
So, this is me, Deciding what I want, writing that Shit down, making a fucking Plan, and working on it. Every. Single Day.
Decide what it is you want.
Write that shit down.
Make a fucking plan
and work on it.
Every. Single. Day.
It brought to mind a mantra I have used for several years:
Rule #1: Train Every Day.
Rule #2 Make a Plan.
Rule #3 Be prepared to change The Plan.
I may not have an Ironman in my near future, but I make it a point to train every day. Honestly. Even on days that I'm not hammering on a decent, focused workout. On my "rest" days I am still getting in an hour or so of stretching and flexibility, with some core work thrown in for good measure.
As we go rolling into the dark, cold days of winter I have fewer demands on my adulting time. Most of the house projects are on hold while the rain lashes the windows and the wind whips the trees. Sure, there will be a decent day now and then, and if it coincides with a day off from work I will go out and putter about. But for now, there isn't a lot of responsible projects on my plate. You know what that means? Yeah, I can get in more training hours.
I did get my new running shoes, Hoka Bond 4s, and took them out for a quick spin. They are definitely heavier than my Sauconys, but the cushioning is undeniable. But I have to ease into running slowly and gently, despite the plush new kicks, so that won't add much to my training hours.
Where I am really starting to ramp up is with my swimming. I was in the water 5 times this week. I am making it a point to have specific swim sessions, not just getting in and grinding out lap after lap after lap (though I need t do that now and then too). Tonight I hit the weight room for 30 minutes of heavy upper body weight work. I have decided to use machines twice a week since it lets me lift heavy without the need for a spotter. As always, I do Super Sets. I like working through my different muscle groups without wasting time resting between sets. I've been doing weight pyramid sets: starting with lower weight/higher reps, adding weight each set, until I am doing heavy weight/low reps. I usually do 3 or 4 exercises per Super Set, and 5 or 6 sets. Makes me nice and warm by the time I hit the pool. Tonight's swim was one of my favorites: Individual Medley; 100 yards each breast stroke and backstroke, 200 yards crawl. I like it because it works all my muscles, and it is easy to keep track of my lap count. Tonight I decided I really needed to Burn Off the Crazy, so I decided to "swim until I am done." I had no idea how long that would be, I started with the goal of a single mile. About half a mile into it I decided to shoot for a mile and a half. About 2/3 of a mile in I got the wild hare to go for 2 miles. Now, 2 miles isn't bad when it is all crawl. Crawl i designed to be efficient. Breast stroke and backstroke, however, not so much. Being a neurotic stroke counter I know it takes me 10 strokes to swim one length doing the crawl. Breast stroke takes 22, and backstroke takes 18. Double the strokes = double the time = double the energy. So, swimming 2 miles I.M. is the equivalent of swimming 3 miles. Yeah, I was kinda tired when I was done.
I am ramping up my swim because I am determined to swim the Bridge Swim come this summer. I need to be able to swim for at least 3 hours in the pool without feeling too gruesome. Tonight I swam for a steady 95 minutes. Not that unusual, but a little longer than usual. 90 minutes needs to become a short, easy swim. And I am working towards that. I know if I swim 90 minutes of the crawl I won't be nearly as tired as I am right now,
I have also increased my weight lifting/strength training considerably the last couple of months. Strength will increase my stamina. And Strength + Speed = Power. When the day comes for the Bridge Swim I want to be able to have not only the endurance to finish, but I want to have the juice so I can swim the home stretch with power, beautiful form, and good cadence. In other words: I want to Finish Strong. And I want to have enough strength so that at the end of the swim, in front of all the onlookers, I can manage to get out of the water and back on dry land under my own power, and not so gassed I feel like puking. I think that is reasonable goal setting: Be able to climb out of the water on my own, and not vomit in public,
So, this is me, Deciding what I want, writing that Shit down, making a fucking Plan, and working on it. Every. Single Day.
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