Races

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A woman cannot live on Cliff bars alone.

I took an impromptu day off today. I had a long department retreat, which went very well (considering I was leading the retreat) but I am tired and the weather is just miserable. Just miserable, miserable, miserable. I don't think it is helping things.

I'm in a state of ambivalence.

Term has ended, reports need to be written, the summer is ahead of us, the weather is awful, my bike is brilliant, my swimming sucks, raf is wonderful, our nanny quit, a dear friend is pregnant, a little unknown boy was found dead.

I suppose this is life, with all its seeming untenable paradoxes of good and bad, of hope and hopelessness.

I am likely not alone in having to work at staying on top of this ambivalence, and training is one way I do this. It keeps me in motion when I might otherwise be paralyzed, it provides me with some space and time where I get lost in the physical aspect of it all, and yet today I skipped my bike ride (it was raining and I could not cope with the trainer in May) and I find when I do this that I lose traction straight away, I turn inward and irritable.

Why did I miss that ride, I'm asking myself.

Alas, I did. but one thing that I wanted to blog about is my terrible, terrible eating habits. I have been living on cliff bars and fruit and sandwiches. I can't remember the last time I had three square meals a day. My Dr. thinks that my body might be run down - thus the nausea and sickness. My Vit D was very, very low, my cholesterol was very low, too, which of course isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but it might suggest that my nutritional needs are not being met.

So I;m going to make an effort to really get serious about nutrition, of making the time to eat real food, of thinking carefully about what I need to support my training. I'm also nursing still, and I think that this inevitably places more demands on my body. So I am going to get serious, seriously. I may even post some plans here in an attempt to keep me on track.

5 comments:

  1. I'd love to see your plans. I get three meals a day, but it's not enough calories and I'm constantly grabbing something I can eat one-handed and/or on the go. Luna bars, Clif bars, and smoothies are my go-to but at the same time I keep thinking it's not optimal.

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  2. The last couple months I've started making my own energy bars (http://greengroat.blogspot.com/2011/03/protein-bars-galore.html) that are super easy and taste like a combo between lara and cliff bars. I think they are a bit healthier and tastier than cliff...they've got a nice carb, protein, fat ratio, and they have worked really well for me as a snack and training fuel on the bike. If you really like bars, I highly recommend making your own!!

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  3. I agree with McKayla there a lot of great ways to make your own. http://www.nomeatathlete.com/chia-energy-bars/

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  4. Thanks you guys! These recipe ideas look great. I am not really a bar person, per se, I've mostly been eating this way because I never seem to have time to actually sit down and eat something. Before Raf I was a really careful eater in terms of variety and health, but frankly its taken a back seat. but I must get serious. once again this morning was a bust... I am sat in my PJs writing end of year reports and have had 2 sandwiches! lol No bars left.. though I do think i might have a lara bar stashed a way somewhere.

    This evening I am going to sit down to a big salad with seeds and other yummy goodness. Right. I just need to get to the supermarket before then.

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  5. Hi, can I contact you through your email? I've something to share that might interest you.

    Aaron
    aarongrey112 gmail.com

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