The fun continues here in LA. While Clinton is preparing for the next block of filming, I personally feel like i am on holiday. For example, yesterday i went out for breakfast, went for a long run along Venice Beach, loaded up for the rest of the day at the local salad bar, did 30mins of swim cords and core and watched not 1, not 3, but 4 movies! In LA, you watch movies... (when in Rome and all that).
Venice Beach, the scene of today's training
the boardwalk where i ran
the market along the beach, also on my little run routeIn general, the last couple weeks have been very, ummm... healing for me. Using the word healing means there must be something i am healing from. What that is i couldn't tell you exactly. Sometime last year between a difficult break up, a move to a new city and a batch of disappointing and unsuccessful races, i needed some recovery time. These last few weeks, I have refocused on my own health, AND am starting to feel really quite good.
I want to tell you what i did. And i also want to tell you what i didnt do.
I didnt decide to change anything. I didnt make any resolutions. There was no beginning and no decision made that "I am going to feel better".
Here's what happened:
1. After a 3-week break from training, I really wanted to be out there doing some real excercise again. Training, by definition, is the process of breaking down and building up. A lot of the time, its hard. Lately, I've been training for health and fitness, a completely different reason. Dont get me wrong, I've been doing 15-20 hours of training/week, some of it hard. But, given my sports background, I can do a solid 20h week and still recover from each session, and feel great waking up every morning.
2. The second thing i've done to improve my health is to stop drinking coffee. (crazy. I know). I was inspired by my friend Anna's detox blog (see Vitality for Life on the right, its a good read, she's a childhood friend and a naturopathic doctor). By drinking green tea instead of coffee i no longer have the slumps in my energy levels that i used to experienced daily.
3. Lastly, I have been eating fairly "cleanly", having almost no sugar, reduced wheat and have been eating my fill of quality grains, like brown rice and quinoa. Also, veggies and fruit (I always ate lots of these), beans, pulses and some chicken and fish. My diet was always fairly healthy by normal standards, but i know from past experience (I ate gluten-free for all of 2008) that i feel better without refined wheat and sugar, my bloodsugar levels are even and my body says "Yay!"
I have found (surprise surprise) that by watching what i put in my body, I get more out of every day, every moment. Its been amazing to be able to depend on my energy levels and really enjoy the little things. I have always felt that enjoying the little things, the ordinary things of everyday life is really the best we can ask for.
I want to reiterate that I never thought "I am going to start a new diet" or "i am going to make some changes", just slowly but surely, I kinda thought, "i'll try this", or "i feel better eating that" etc... basically, there was no "resolution" involved. My process has been entirely organic. So with no rules, I also have no worries. If i am at a friend's house for dinner, i will eat what is on offer and be thankful, dessert and all. Saturday night I went to the pub and had a burger and salad and a beer, for no other reason than thats what i wanted. There is a lot of freedom in not deciding.
On that note, I am not trying to give anyone advice. Just acknowleging that the most permanent changes come from the inside out. Another childhood friend, Alyson, wrote an honest and insightful blog recently about New Years Resolutions, some of the themes are simillar to my musings here. Link here. Enjoy.
S.
I want to tell you what i did. And i also want to tell you what i didnt do.
I didnt decide to change anything. I didnt make any resolutions. There was no beginning and no decision made that "I am going to feel better".
Here's what happened:
1. After a 3-week break from training, I really wanted to be out there doing some real excercise again. Training, by definition, is the process of breaking down and building up. A lot of the time, its hard. Lately, I've been training for health and fitness, a completely different reason. Dont get me wrong, I've been doing 15-20 hours of training/week, some of it hard. But, given my sports background, I can do a solid 20h week and still recover from each session, and feel great waking up every morning.
2. The second thing i've done to improve my health is to stop drinking coffee. (crazy. I know). I was inspired by my friend Anna's detox blog (see Vitality for Life on the right, its a good read, she's a childhood friend and a naturopathic doctor). By drinking green tea instead of coffee i no longer have the slumps in my energy levels that i used to experienced daily.
3. Lastly, I have been eating fairly "cleanly", having almost no sugar, reduced wheat and have been eating my fill of quality grains, like brown rice and quinoa. Also, veggies and fruit (I always ate lots of these), beans, pulses and some chicken and fish. My diet was always fairly healthy by normal standards, but i know from past experience (I ate gluten-free for all of 2008) that i feel better without refined wheat and sugar, my bloodsugar levels are even and my body says "Yay!"
I have found (surprise surprise) that by watching what i put in my body, I get more out of every day, every moment. Its been amazing to be able to depend on my energy levels and really enjoy the little things. I have always felt that enjoying the little things, the ordinary things of everyday life is really the best we can ask for.
I want to reiterate that I never thought "I am going to start a new diet" or "i am going to make some changes", just slowly but surely, I kinda thought, "i'll try this", or "i feel better eating that" etc... basically, there was no "resolution" involved. My process has been entirely organic. So with no rules, I also have no worries. If i am at a friend's house for dinner, i will eat what is on offer and be thankful, dessert and all. Saturday night I went to the pub and had a burger and salad and a beer, for no other reason than thats what i wanted. There is a lot of freedom in not deciding.
On that note, I am not trying to give anyone advice. Just acknowleging that the most permanent changes come from the inside out. Another childhood friend, Alyson, wrote an honest and insightful blog recently about New Years Resolutions, some of the themes are simillar to my musings here. Link here. Enjoy.
S.
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