Saturday, July 17, 2010

Summer training

It is certainly summer here in Southwest Florida. I have been starting my runs between 5:15 and 6am. My newest training partner is Tiger, my Dad's German Shepherd. He is almost four and all 110 pounds are full of energy. I have started taking him 2 to 3 miles in the morning before my regular runs. He is great protection and is going well on a short Caesar Milano soft lead. My Shepherd Lexi is getting a little old and little too furry for much running.
This week was week one one of my 16 week marathon training for the marine corps marathon. I hope to run a little faster in this one. I have added a Tuesday speed session and a Thursday longer run. I hope I can keep this up.
The Cardiac running/walking group continues. I am adding in more running intervals now that they are gaining confidences and endurance. The group is growing slowly. I hope to have more patients show up. This week I listened to the Endurance planet podcast and they spoke with the trail Geek of the month. I don't remember his name but the story is similar to others that I have read. He was overweight and out of shape nearly 40 year old that was encouraged to tray a 5k. He liked it and one thing lead to the next and now he has run several 100 miles races and is very conscious of his nutrition and has lost a ton of weight.
I think exercise is the key first step. Especially running. You start running and then start paying attention to nutrition to run better. There is no fad diets or quick fixes just the learned enjoyment of running and then a healthy lifestyle. Otherwise the weight just yoyos on and off.
I had a patient tell me the other day that his son was one of those exercise and nutrition "nuts". I told him he was only a nut in the eyes of overweight sedentary America that we have come to know as normal. Hopefully, someday the nuts will be the known as the couch potatoes that serf from one fast food place to the next.

5 comments:

  1. Ain't that the truth... the nut is the sedentary person. I love running so much that I'm happy if someone were to call me a running nut.

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  2. Exercise can seem daunting to an overweight and out of shape person who already has aches and pains attributable to their condition. The thought that putting the painful joints under load will help with the aches and pains in the long run often seems unreasonable to many, and is a real barrier. Because of this, many people have much more success by working on nutrition and losing some weight first, then beginning to exercise when they are more confident it will not overly stress their lighter bodies. This was my approach. I was 45 lbs. overweight, with joint aches and pains and frequent backaches. Losing weight eliminated most of my aches and pains, which in turn helped me feel empowered to start exercising seriously. Now, the good nutrition and exercise is sort of self-perpetuating! The only requirement for a good route into health and fitness is that it results in fit and healthy lifestyle that in more encouraging than discouraging along the way.

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  3. I have been observing patients with obesity for over 20 years and the success stories are few and far between. I have only seen dietary modification alone work in near death experiences. However, I am encourged by the results obtained by Disneyrunner, AirForceTed and other marathon and ultrarunners who have improved their nutrition as a means to be better runners. I do not believe in fad diets or jump start appetite suppressants. The best results in anything are achieved on your own with hard work.

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  4. I know what you mean. I also don't believe in fad diets, diet pills, or magic supplements. However, I do believe that good nutrition can be a "jump start" of sorts. It was for me.

    I have the advantage of being a research biologist and physiologist, however, so I understand that my background gives me a leg up with regard to understanding metabolism and nutrition. I had some idea of where to start with regard to improving my nutrition, whereas nutrition is highly confusing and esoteric for most people.

    I have overweight friends who started losing weight by setting a lofty physical goal and plunging directly into exercise. Their successes led them to become ore interested in better nutrition. I also have two friends, also biologists (food scientist and another physiologist) who started with nutrition first, and began to exercise after they lost weight. I recently asked them about this, and they both said that physical achievements were not an incentive for them, because they were so out of shape that lofty physical goals seemed unreasonable-but they became more reasonable once the weight started coming off.

    The thing everyone I know who has lost weight through diet and exercise has in common is one or more people who are important to them who are supportive of their efforts. It's not necessarily the people they live with or their families. Sometimes in an online community, even.

    Motivation is where you find it, I guess. The key first step, from my perspective is whatever works! :)

    These are all topics that fascinate me, as the only one of 5 adults in my immediately family who is not sedentary and weights in excess of 300 lbs.

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  5. You have a great summer training, keep it up. Looking forward for great result.

    zbsports

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