nutrition

Navigating bar food.

| cheriarmour

So I’m adding an element to the blog.  Super relevant, yet super challenging.  It’s the part where we’re young and we like to go out with our friends – so how do we navigate the downtown bar/restaurant scene without totally wrecking our diets/lifestyles/training programs?  Here’s a little guide with a couple of tricks to help you navigate when your frands call you up.

First, don’t panic.  It’s tempting to, when you’re training, or when you follow a specific diet, alienate yourself from friends who don’t eat or drink the same way you do.  But just because you’re watching what you eat doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to spend a little quality time with friends, right?  So your friends call you up and say, “Hey, let’s go get nachos and watch sports (ew) at the bar!”

Draft 1

“Okay girl!  Let’s go!”

So second, scope out the scene.  Google the place where you’re going to go, check out the menu, and make a plan for yourself.  Don’t expect yourself to make a great nutritionally sound decision when under duress.

Draft 2

Third, skip the sodas, skip the bread basket, and skip the appetizers.  If you can manage that, you’ve already won half the battle right there!  Between those three things, you could add on enough calories for a full meal, so if you skip those, you’ll actually still be hungry when your food comes out!

Eyeball the sides.  Can you replace the chips or fries with something else?  Is there a fruit option?  An option for a side salad?  Even sweet potato fries?  Go for the one with the least grease, and stick to it!  Fries and tots are completely awesome, but trust me, your belly will thank you in the morning on your next run.

Draft 3
Veggie burger with green beans on the side! Proof that you CAN find better choices, even when you’re at the bar, among the nachos, beer, potato skins, and fries!

Do your thing!  Enjoy your meal!  And enjoy pretending that you care about sports!

Finally, finally, if you slip up and go for something that wasn’t the plan, that’s okay.  Don’t beat yourself up over the stray fry or the dessert that accidentally found its way into your mouth.  Food is meant to be enjoyed, and dang it, you’re allowed to have a good time once in a while!

So fear not next time you go out with friends, and hey, maybe your good habits will rub off on a few of them!

 

 

Seriously, this horse meat thing is starting to freak me out. Do I take the plunge and go vegan? (Make me a compelling argument either way)

| cheriarmour

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/31/burger-king-horsemeat-admits-tainted_n_2593538.html

If you’ve been watching the news, I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the gross admission Burger Kings in France made after traces of horse DNA were found in meat across Europe.  Um. What?! How does that happen?  What I’m most bothered about at this point is the fact that experts are stressing that there are “no health risks associated with the consumption of horse meat”.  I don’t give a flying stink if there are no health risks associated with eating horse meat.  That is not what everyone is freaked out about, and I don’t appreciate the experts trying to deflect attention from the real issue.  But this horse meat debacle has certainly raised some questions for me in my own life.

I am a pescatarian, and I’ve been one for about 5 or 6 years.  I lean more toward the vegetarian side of things because fish is just so…fishy.  And it looks like a fish.  Which is beginning to freak me out too.  And I don’t ever see myself going back to chicken, beef, or pork.  I don’t judge other folks for eating it, but beef especially gives me the willies and the way it’s prepared just seems brutal.  My first job out of graduate school, I witnessed firsthand kitchen staff breaking down a cow.  Like it looked alive.  Except it wasn’t.  And that’s how this all sort of started.

So here’s my question as I start to get more and more freaked out by the concept of eating animal flesh.  Do I take the leap and go vegan?  What are the pros/cons of going vegan?  What do vegans eat? 

Cons. The first thing people seem to be concerned about when you tell them you’re veg is protein + nutrients.  As in, “that’s not natural, how do you get enough protein/nutrients?” And that could be a valid concern, if you don’t know how to feed yourself.  It’s very tempting, the first month of any new veg diet to default to eating chips and salsa and french fries with an occasional salad with balsamic.  But that won’t work for me.  If I’m hungry, I’m hangry, and I’m not prepared for the undergraduate belly I had to make a return.  Sorry belly.  We had some good times, but you made bikini shopping hell.  I’m all about the balance now.  I suppose the key is making a better plan so I actually have choices other than fries to eat.  Also, my parents might roll their eyes at me when I go home on breaks.  But they kind of started doing that when I sprouted locs at the end of high school.

Pros. It’s friggin tasty! I started going on dates with my Whole Foods girlfriend, Tessa to this place in Raleigh called the Remedy Diner?  And I’ll be darned it that stuff doesn’t taste better than meaty options.  When done right, veg options are tasty.  Also, it forces you to plan meals a little better.  And provided you’re eating a balanced meal, it’s super healthy and plant-based.  Now there are a ton of animal welfare, compassion, and eco-footprint reasons that are beyond obvious, right, so I don’t want to list them here.  One, because they’re obvious, and two, because that’s the point at which people feel like you’re lecturing them.  Again, I’m not lecturing, you carry on, I’m just trying to make a decision for me, not for you.  So chill.

So there’s a myriad of things to consider if I’m going to do this.  This is certainly not a decision I’m going to be making tomorrow, because I’m focused on the marathon right now, but it’s definitely something that’s in mind, and as I consider making this change, I will be a little more conscious of what I’m eating, and what I can swap out to make my transition a little easier.  Put your compelling arguments either way in the comments, and provided they’re not idiotic (kidding!) I will definitely log that away for consideration.

Let’s talk about poop, baybee! Running makes you move!

| cheriarmour

I’m not talking about some chub jiggling.  I’m not talking about the booty bouncing.  I’m talking about p-o-o-p.  I don’t want to say it, so we just have to spell it.  (My mom reads this blog, so we can’t get too graphic, because she will call me and yell.

If you run any sort of distance you know what I’m talking about.  You’re in the groove, and all of a sudden, the urge hits you.  The urge to ::ahem:: evacuate the dance floor, if you will, hits you.  There can be a number of reasons for this.  1, if you’re running in the morning, it’s part of the natural cycle of waking up and getting yourself together.  2, if you eat a little breakfast before you head out, your body wants to move things along!  It’s natural.  3, if you’re completing a long run and you’re taking gels, the combination of sugars and/or caffeine can give you a kick in the gut.  And finally, 4, if you’re racing, sometimes nerves can get the best of you, and set your stuff aflame.

So what do you do when you’re running, and all of a sudden, it hits you?

-In a race?  Hit the port-a-johns. Avoid looking down, make sure your quads are strong, and HOVER. Just hover.  Douse yourself in Purell, and keep on your way.

-My least advisable option is to take an Immodium before a big race. I’m not too big a fan of this option because it freaks me out to artificially plug things up.  Unless you catch the stomach flu and are severely dehydrated before a race, I’d skip this one.

-Before a long run or a race? Hit the throne so you can clean house before you find yourself 15 miles from home with a bewildered look on your face.  Skip the super fibrous veggies just before and clean house in the days leading up to a race or a long run.  Don’t eat weird or exotic (to you) foods just before a long run.

-If you really find yourself upset often, try switching to a non-caffeinated gel.

– Trees. If you’ve ever run a long race, people will regularly leave the course on the nature-y parts.  Don’t look at what they’re doing.  You know what they’re doing.  Don’t peek.  That’s weird.  You can do it too if you find yourself in a pickle.

-Finally. Finally. Finally. Map out the bidnesses in the area that will allow you to use their facilities. Some places (understandably) won’t let you use their restrooms, presumably because they don’t want folks getting dressed/having relations/using Listerine/getting drunk and throwing up in their places.  It’s happened to them before, so they not with it. Coffee shops that you frequent in real life, the YMCA, sandwich shops, or places that you worked in high school usually will be nice about the bathroom stops.  Use them.  Thank the folks who let you use them.  And make sure you frequent and patronize these bidnesses when you’re not running as well so you build a lovely rapport with these owners.

For those of you who live in Raleigh?  I’m working on a database to store those bidness (business) owners who are willing to let us use their facilities, and who might even spare a cup of water on a good day.  Look out for the info!

20 Miles Today

Image | | cheriarmour

20 Miles Today

Never in a hundred million years would I think that I would be running around in the cold for 20 miles. But I did it. At 6am it was me, Kathy Griffin’s autobiography (which literally had me falling over laughing at one point), some fairly caffeine-free nutrition, and a meet up toward the end for a few miles with my work bud, Jenny. And I did it! And I don’t feel like dying. I’d say all-around, 20 was a success. Now bring on the taper-madness! (PS I had a Roctane left over at the end, so that’s going to be my lucky gel from now on.)

Marathon training is turning me into an nutjob.

| cheriarmour

Don’t get me wrong, marathon training certainly has its perks.  It’s forcing me to eat a little healthier, go to bed earlier, and to be more regimented and disciplined, which is spilling over into my real life.  Plus, people seem to be, overall, pretty positive about the adventure I’m taking with this marathon, and have been wishing me luck both left and right.  I’ve been far better about budgeting, cleaning, and crosstraining, but its also served to take my inner nutjob and magnify it by 1000.  I’ve never run a marathon, but is this normal?  It can’t be, right?  The following are examples of how training for this marathon is turning me into a nut.

1.  I’m constantly hungry.  In my regular life, Cheri + hungry is a terrible combination.  When my blood sugar plummets, so does everyone’s fun, and all I can do is fantasize about slapping or saying really mean things to those around me.  Because of this, I’ve adopted the concept of second lunch.  I split my lunch in half, and eat second lunch around 3 or 4.  That way, my blood sugar is never too low, and no ones life is in danger when I become too hungry to be around.

2. Toward the end of my long runs, I’ve literally started talking myself through the final like tenth of a mile or so.  I’ve been “WOOING” as well.  Additionally, I actually did a victory dance after yesterday’s seventeen. I stopped when I realized it could be viewed as insane by passers-by.  As I entered my apartment, I kept dancing until I felt that it was time to stretch.

3.  I’m a little more anxious than usual.  And that’s not cool at all.  What am I anxious about?  Oh snap, time for another indentation, this one gets its own sublist.

  • My hair is looking a little jankier than usual.  Which is cool, I wear it natural.  But I’m running SO much, I haven’t had as much free time to twist it.  What if people think I look awful and unkempt?
  • I fainted in class two Saturdays ago due to a nasty cold I caught.  Now I am frightened that I will faint again (possibly during the marathon) and it is scaring the heck out of me.  Also, I don’t want to be fainting girl.  I just do not want to be known as sickly girl who faints all over the place!
  •  That my family/coworkers are sick and tired of hearing about this marathon.  Am I talking about it too much?
  • That I will lose a finger when my fingers get all Raynaudsey and I will be down a digit or two.
  • That I won’t be able to finish the marathon, and I will be thrown into the marathon paddy wagon and bring shame to my family.
  • And finally, that I’m doing my training all wrong.

Lucky for me, I work with a boatload of folks who have done this already, and my dear buddy Jerry directed me to this website which sort of eased my mind.

mcmillan running

You guys heard of this?  McMillan Running Calculator dohickey?

pace calculator

As I was thisclose to having a full-blown marathon-related meltdown at work, Jerry directed me to this site.  You put your 1/2 Marathon time in, and it calculates from that a reasonable estimate of where your pace should be, and where you should be as for as your miles times and such.  Jerry and Co. looked it over and remarked that I was right where I should be!  ::sigh:: Okay.

I recognize that my marathon-related fears are unreasonable and relatively non-issue-like.  And it certainly doesn’t help that I probably haven’t slept a full night since I graduated in 2011 (that’s another story for another day, lemme tell you what).  Taking that into consideration, I am going to do like they used to tell us in the early mornings during Residence Life training and choose my attitude.  Tomorrow, I’m going to choose to view this stuff as insane and unreasonable as it is, and not allow these ridiculous thoughts to creep in and sabatoge my marathon.  I certainly didn’t invest all this time, money, and effort, to let my fear that I haven’t packed enough for lunch, for example, ruin the great weekend we’re gonna have in Virginia Beach in a little over a month!

A few things….

| cheriarmour

This is why we run.

Rise

If you think for a second that just cause we run, we don’t like to eat, you are very sadly mistaken.  I’ve been dibblin and dabblin in running for a few years now, and the more I run, the more wicked my sweet tooth gets.  The way I prevent myself from getting as big as a house is that I just can’t keep the good stuff around the house.  However, if someone brings them to work?  You better run.

Mizuno Matt brought us some donuts from Rise (a Bakery in Durham around Southpoint), so instead of eating my lunch, I ate most of an Oreo.  Then I pretended I was only going to eat half of a chocolate by cutting it in half.  I ate the first half, got three steps away, and ate the second half.  Woops.

GlovesAnd sometimes when you run, you find out what you’re doing is just not gonna work whatsoever.  I ran early this morning, where the temps were holding around a balmy and breezy 23 degrees.  ::fans self:: Hawt!  Anyhoo, obviously I was wearing my gloves and the whole shebang, but I think I touched my face a few times because by the end of the 6-miler, my hands were soaked, and I was in some pretty serious pain.  Thankfully, I managed to loop back around to my house, where I spent the next 20 minutes in absolutely agonizing pain.  I ran out after lunch today and hastily procured a new pair of thicker, drier gloves.  That brush with frostbite was more than enough for me to learn my lesson!

Fueling for a long run. Read me!

| cheriarmour

I’m not a big girl by any stretch of the imagination.  But because of how active I am between teaching and training, I eat constantly. I eat breakfast, I eat a snack.  I eat lunch, I eat two snacks….you get the deal.

So, when you’re running for literally hours on end, simply by virtue of the fact that you’re out there for hours, you’re gonna need to fuel.  Factor that in the fact that you’re burning a tremendous amount of calories, and sweating a ton, and you’re going to be dragging hardcore if you don’t figure out how to fuel.  Training for a half or a full?  Let me help you decide what you’re going to need to stay chugging for 13.1, 26.2, or maybe even ultra-marathon mileage!

My nutrition drawer. In addition to aluminum foil and ketchup packets (don't judge me, we all collect those), I've got Nuun, Clif Shot Blocks, gels, and some unidentified protein powder.
My nutrition drawer. In addition to aluminum foil and ketchup packets (don’t judge me, we all collect those), I’ve got Nuun, Clif Shot Blocks, gels, and some unidentified protein powder.

 

What is it/When do I need it? Pros Cons
Water (hydration) Hydration is going to be the biggest key to you not bonking.  I’m a camel, so I need a lot.  But generally the rule of thumb is if you’re going to be running (in normal temps) for over an hour, you need to build water stops into your run.  Drop water along your route before, run by a few coffee shops you know won’t mind giving you water, or wear a fuel belt, camel back, or a little handheld. All available at your local Fleet Feet! It’s water!  Don’t overdo it.  If you slam too much to quickly, it can cause you to cramp, so just swallow little mouthfuls at a time.  Also swishing and spitting is great for sticky runners mouth.
Nuun (Electrolyte enhanced drink tabs) Nuun is not a water replacement, but it helps to replace sodium and electrolytes you may have lost in a long run.  A few of the flavors contain a little bit of caffeine if you need the boost, too. This is a great alternative to a Gatorade, (which doesn’t suck either) because they’ve cut down on the sugar, while still maintaining the electrolyte replacement aspect.  If you’re watching your weight too, it’s low-cal! Generally, it tastes okay but dang I have come across some nasty flavors!  Pick one you like, and stick with it!  Even if you’re not running, sip on on one throughout the day.  (Also great for hot yoga).
Sport Beans Sport beans are energizing jelly beans are formulated to help you blast through any long run.  You take these guys about 30 minutes before activity, and continue as needed throughout activity.  Consume with water! They come in a convenient little pack, and they’re full of carbs, electrolytes, as well as energizing vitamins. They are really sweet, which is fine for some people, but they sort of made my teeth hurt.  Consume with a lot of water to cut the sugar.
Gu Gu is a thick energy gel that comes in a convenient little aluminum pouch thingie. I think I have a pack in my nutrition drawer. It comes in a host of different flavors, both caffeinated and uncaffeinated and it delivers carbs, electrolytes, and calories in a swift little 100-calorie punch.  The conventional thoughts on these is you pound on 15 minutes prior to a long run, and every 45 minutes after. Energy!  These little guys are super powerful, and the Roctane in particular really give you that extra boost that you may need to push through the last 6 miles, especially of a marathon.  Some people really find that they like the flavors of these things as well! Firstly, I’m not particularly partial to the taste of these.  They get the job done, but they’re difficult to choke down.  Also, **they are rough on your stomach** and I will leave it at that.  Experiment with these before race day, because you may find yourself making a few extra ladies-room breaks.
PowerBar Energy Gel Same exact idea as the Gu, but a little thinner of a consistency.  Same wisdom applies here, 15 before, and every 45 minutes after. Much better tasting, and the thinner consistency makes it a little easier to swallow (heh heh, no pun intended) with a good bit of water.  I find it a little easier on your tummy as well! If you’re really really sensitive, this may have a similar effect that Gu does on your stomach.  Once again, experimenting during training is super necessary to prevent any surprises.
Shot Blocks My personal favorite, these guys come in a gummy stick form partitioned out for consumption.  I usually don’t break into these until about 40 minutes in, and eat whenever my blood sugar starts to dip a little bit, before I bonk.  Again, it’s important to take this with a hearty helping of water. They come in a ton of flavors, and they’re caffeinated, so you’ll feel a little boost as soon as you eat it.  They’re not too sweet, and not too hard on your stomach. Some folks hate the idea of eating something while you run.  I have no issue with it, but it’s definitely valid!

This list is by no means exhaustive, but in my search, these popped up as the faves!This stuff can be purchased at your local running or outdoor-type store.  But may I suggest, if you have a Fleet Feet in your area, that you look them up and visit them!  If they don’t have something, they’ll know where you can get it, and staff there usually has tried everything at least once.

And last but not least, for folks who have dietary restrictions, your training is the time to experiment with things so that you’re not faced with a potentially dangerous or ugly surprise on race day.  I spoke with Mike Chappell, who’s a diabetic AND a local runner about this, and to fuel, he puts a lot of thought into what he eats the entire day, not just in the moments leading up to run time.  In addition, if you’re a vegetarian, read your labels…some of this stuff contains animal product from time to time.

Feel free to add your fuel of choice in the comments below!  Hope my handy chart helps!