All about spear throws!
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Saturday, July 18, 2020
This Is Spartan Trifecta Weekend Episode 1
Let's give 'em something to vlog about. How about a trifecta weekend next year?!
Friday, July 17, 2020
What I Eat in a Day
It seems like a staple of fitness-related blogs to post "what I eat in a day." To basically take a typical day of eating and post it for public consumption (pun intended?). I figured, why not? I started eating like this back in January, in an effort to expedite the healing of my sprained foot. Since then I've been limiting overly processed foods (something I used to eat constantly) and focusing on increasing my protein intake from 10-15% of my daily calories to 20-25%. I also try to shoot for at least 25 grams of fiber daily, with a variety of fruits and vegetables as my main carbohydrate source. I'm also trying to lose weight at a rate of approximately 3 pounds a month. My calorie deficit ranges from zero to about 800 in a typical day, depending on how much I exercise and how big my appetite is. I've found that this way of eating has really helped me maintain muscle mass and energy levels while losing weight at a reasonable pace. I also have treats every single day, which helps general morale in this stressful time.
Here is what I ate (and drank) July 16, 2020, which is pretty typical.
Here is what I ate (and drank) July 16, 2020, which is pretty typical.
Water throughout the day (oz): 96
Gatorade Zero during/after exercise (oz): 32
Breakfast
Coffee (black) 10 oz
Greek yogurt (170g) topped with a nectarine
Two pieces light wheat toast with peanut butter
400 cal, 25g protein
Exercise
10K run, 58:14
Lunch
Turkey sloppy joe on bun
Nonfat cottage cheese (100g)
Bell pepper slices
Two Hersheys Nuggets (milk chocolate, toffee, and almond)
450 cal, 35g protein
Snack
Chocolate protein muffin
Skim milk (12 oz)
Cherries (165g with pits)
350 cal, 20g protein
Dinner
Chicken (4 oz) and vegetable stirfry with teriyaki sauce
Rice (1 1/3 cup) with low-sodium soy sauce
S’mores (1)
600 cal, 40g protein
TOTAL: 1800 calories, 120g protein
Garmin-Estimated Calories Burned: 2771
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
The Joy of Training...For Nothing
It's official: all of my 2020 races have been cancelled. So many of us are in the same boat. Perhaps you feel untethered, as I did a few weeks ago. For the first time in my entire fitness career, I have nothing to train for. No goal to anchor my daily workouts. I don't need to build mileage for a marathon. I don't need to practice Spartan obstacles for a Beast. I don't need to build up my burpees. For the first time ever I can just...have fun out there.
Since becoming an adult (meaning, since age 25 or so), I have enjoyed exercise for its own sake. It feels good to strive, to push my body, to get faster, stronger, better than I was a week ago, or a month ago, or a year ago. I like the process as much as the result. I enjoy sweating, breathing hard, being sore. I like learning how my body responds, what it needs from me based on how it's feeling at any given moment. But one thing I have always encouraged in my clients is to pick a goal that they can work towards, since it's always worked for me. It keeps me motivated to know there's an event coming up, so I'd better either be in shape for it or I'm gonna have a lousy time.
With COVID cancelling everything, our priorities must shift when it comes to fitness. So here is my revolutionary idea.
DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT.
That's right. Work out just for the sake of working out. I hate the term "joyful movement" because it sounds ridiculous, but that's what it comes down to. You don't have to slog through endless road miles...unless you want to. You don't need to practice triathlon transitions or moving from obstacle to obstacle...unless that excites you. What sounds good to you today? Go do that.
In the last several weeks, there have been many workouts where I left the house not knowing exactly what I was going to do or how long the workout would last. I figured it out as I went along. "Oh, I think I'll scale that fence, then do a lap, then crawl a bit, and repeat." "Huh, this track workout is boring, let me put my backpack back on and I'll go through the neighborhood instead." "My left forearm hurts today, I'll do something right-handed like throw a spear 100 times."
DO IT. WHO CARES?!
Now is your chance to get in the best shape of your entire life, FOR NO DAMN REASON. And frankly, it is awesome. The workouts have zero pressure attached. I don't HAVE to run 5 miles in 50 minutes, but if I do, that is dope. I don't need to get up to 75% with the spear throw, but if I do, awesome! Unlike when we have a race as a goal, when you are totally untethered to concrete metrics, you do not have to meet any kind of standards for greatness unless you WANT TO. And it is the best feeling in the world. Go out there and jog until you get tired, then walk instead. Take a break mid workout and sit in front of some stranger's lawn sprinkler. Enjoy the process of fitness for fitness's sake. If you embrace the lack of goals, you might find that you improve anyway, and have more fun along the way. And that's a goal we can all get behind.
Since becoming an adult (meaning, since age 25 or so), I have enjoyed exercise for its own sake. It feels good to strive, to push my body, to get faster, stronger, better than I was a week ago, or a month ago, or a year ago. I like the process as much as the result. I enjoy sweating, breathing hard, being sore. I like learning how my body responds, what it needs from me based on how it's feeling at any given moment. But one thing I have always encouraged in my clients is to pick a goal that they can work towards, since it's always worked for me. It keeps me motivated to know there's an event coming up, so I'd better either be in shape for it or I'm gonna have a lousy time.
With COVID cancelling everything, our priorities must shift when it comes to fitness. So here is my revolutionary idea.
DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT.
That's right. Work out just for the sake of working out. I hate the term "joyful movement" because it sounds ridiculous, but that's what it comes down to. You don't have to slog through endless road miles...unless you want to. You don't need to practice triathlon transitions or moving from obstacle to obstacle...unless that excites you. What sounds good to you today? Go do that.
In the last several weeks, there have been many workouts where I left the house not knowing exactly what I was going to do or how long the workout would last. I figured it out as I went along. "Oh, I think I'll scale that fence, then do a lap, then crawl a bit, and repeat." "Huh, this track workout is boring, let me put my backpack back on and I'll go through the neighborhood instead." "My left forearm hurts today, I'll do something right-handed like throw a spear 100 times."
DO IT. WHO CARES?!
Now is your chance to get in the best shape of your entire life, FOR NO DAMN REASON. And frankly, it is awesome. The workouts have zero pressure attached. I don't HAVE to run 5 miles in 50 minutes, but if I do, that is dope. I don't need to get up to 75% with the spear throw, but if I do, awesome! Unlike when we have a race as a goal, when you are totally untethered to concrete metrics, you do not have to meet any kind of standards for greatness unless you WANT TO. And it is the best feeling in the world. Go out there and jog until you get tired, then walk instead. Take a break mid workout and sit in front of some stranger's lawn sprinkler. Enjoy the process of fitness for fitness's sake. If you embrace the lack of goals, you might find that you improve anyway, and have more fun along the way. And that's a goal we can all get behind.
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