Yesterday I wrote about going to the diabetes centre for my dietician/nurse check-in. I talked about printing out two weeks of food data from My Fitness Pal. It's a great way to share my food diary and makes my life much easier.
It also makes me second guess everything I've eaten in the last few days.
Since I'm diligent about putting everything I eat into My Fitness Pal (even on those really bad days), it means that they get to see it too.
So I've had all sorts of conversations in my head about what I should and should not eat this week.
Like the conversation about whether or not I should have that chocolate? If I do, they'll see it. What if they compare the time I ate the chocolate to my blood sugar graphs and see a spike? Maybe I should just save it until next week and then have the chocolate. That way no one will know but me.
No way. I'm totally allowed to have chocolate and, if there is nothing bad in my food diary for two weeks, they won't believe it anyway. Nobody is that good. Have the damn chocolate.
One hour later: bloody hell. My blood sugar is spiking. I'm so going to get in trouble.
Or my daily conversation about nuts.
I often have some nuts as a mid-morning snack. I have a container in my lunch bag with almonds, cashews and walnuts in it. Most days I have five of each which is a great. Add a clementine or two and it's a wonderful snack. Not too calorie-heavy but enough to keep me happily full until lunch.
This week I look at them and wonder if I should have a few more just to show the dietician how diligent I am about trying to get healthy fats into my diet and how much protein I try to pack into a day. Even though it means extra calories which, technically, means that I probably shouldn't have a post-dinner frozen yogurt bar.
Twice this week I brought a big container of chopped veggies for lunch. I mashed up an avocado, poured a healthy amount of Frank's Hot Sauce over it and happily dipped fresh carrots, cucumber, red pepper and cherry tomatoes into it. Follow it up with a cup of Kefir with fruit and it's one of my favourite lunches. Since we didn't have any leftovers in the fridge for me to grab I was more than happy to have two days of this yummy feast for lunch.
Until I thought about how that would look to a dietician. The same breakfast and the same lunch two days in a row. No beans? No quinoa? Not a ton of protein. No variety in the veggies.
Tsk tsk.
Then I remind myself that they are also going to read about my five runs, four cycling workouts and 30k of walking on the golf course. And I decide not to worry one whit about what is or isn't in my food diary.
If they don't like it, well then bring it on!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Type A Diabetes
I have an appointment at the Diabetes Centre next week.
It's one of the appointments where I meet with a nurse and a dietician. Not the appointment when I meet with my endocrinologist.
So no blood work is required but I do need to arrive with a two-week food diary that tracks everything I ate.
When I need to keep a food diary I usually just print out a few pages worth of charts and then carry them in my purse for two weeks, dutifully writing down every little thing I put in my mouth.
This time I decided to see if I could print out reports from My Fitness Pal. My Fitness Pal is the food tracking app that I've been using faithfully now since last December. The one that has been keeping me honest and showing me without a doubt that I need more protein in my diet.
Turns out that you can indeed print from My Fitness Pal.
There's a nice little printable report you can generate that allows you to pick a date range, say the last two weeks, and then print all the food you ate (broken down by meals) as well as all the key nutritional info (carbs, protein, fats, sodium, fibre, sugars etc). It also shows any exercise that I did that day.
Sweet.
Add to that the reports I'm going to print from Diasend to show my blood sugar trends and I'm going to show up there with all sorts of fabulous data for us to comb through together.
Oh, and I can't forget my blood pressure data that I've been tracking for the past few weeks (before and after workouts as well as at random times during the day).
They are either going to love me...or put a note in my file that says "Watch out, this girl has Type A diabetes".
It's one of the appointments where I meet with a nurse and a dietician. Not the appointment when I meet with my endocrinologist.
So no blood work is required but I do need to arrive with a two-week food diary that tracks everything I ate.
When I need to keep a food diary I usually just print out a few pages worth of charts and then carry them in my purse for two weeks, dutifully writing down every little thing I put in my mouth.
This time I decided to see if I could print out reports from My Fitness Pal. My Fitness Pal is the food tracking app that I've been using faithfully now since last December. The one that has been keeping me honest and showing me without a doubt that I need more protein in my diet.
Turns out that you can indeed print from My Fitness Pal.
There's a nice little printable report you can generate that allows you to pick a date range, say the last two weeks, and then print all the food you ate (broken down by meals) as well as all the key nutritional info (carbs, protein, fats, sodium, fibre, sugars etc). It also shows any exercise that I did that day.
Sweet.
Add to that the reports I'm going to print from Diasend to show my blood sugar trends and I'm going to show up there with all sorts of fabulous data for us to comb through together.
Oh, and I can't forget my blood pressure data that I've been tracking for the past few weeks (before and after workouts as well as at random times during the day).
They are either going to love me...or put a note in my file that says "Watch out, this girl has Type A diabetes".
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Bruised Forearms
Last Friday I squeezed in a massage between the end of my workday and a 9-hole round of golf with Doug.
I booked it to give my legs some tough love.
Instead, I decided to see if we could improve the condition of my sore elbow.
I explained the symptoms. We discussed the last year - lots of golf, lots of typing and writing at work, lots of swimming. We decided that this issue has been slowly developing over a fairly long period of time. And that my attempts at self-treatment were not really helping much.
It turns out that, when tendonitis happens, it's usually because of tight muscles.
Two seconds into my forearms being worked on, we both knew that we were dealing with very very tight muscles.
My massage therapist focused on trying to loosen up the almost solid muscles in my forearms.
I focused on breathing and trying valiantly (and successfully) not to faint or vomit right there on the bed.
A little while later, my blood sugar had shot up to the high teens and my forearms were red and throbbing.
Through the haze of pain I could tell that they were much improved. So much so that I felt nary a twinge in my elbow.
I left and headed straight for the golf course. Nine holes later, my elbow didn't hurt at all.
My forearms however we so bruised and sore that the wind hurt. The feel of my sweater on my arms hurt. Thinking about my arms hurt. Icing my arms felt fabulous.
The next morning I woke to find visible bruises on both arms. And nary a twinge in my elbow.
And Sunday's 9-hole game with Doug and some friends didn't hurt my elbow one bit.
Forearm massage number two is less than two weeks away. Here's hoping the second time isn't nearly as brutal as the first.
Oh, and I played so well on Sunday that my handicap dropped again. My goal of getting it under 40 by the end of the season may need to be re-evaluated if this keeps up.
Maybe I'll get really ambitious and aim for 35.
I booked it to give my legs some tough love.
Instead, I decided to see if we could improve the condition of my sore elbow.
I explained the symptoms. We discussed the last year - lots of golf, lots of typing and writing at work, lots of swimming. We decided that this issue has been slowly developing over a fairly long period of time. And that my attempts at self-treatment were not really helping much.
It turns out that, when tendonitis happens, it's usually because of tight muscles.
Two seconds into my forearms being worked on, we both knew that we were dealing with very very tight muscles.
My massage therapist focused on trying to loosen up the almost solid muscles in my forearms.
I focused on breathing and trying valiantly (and successfully) not to faint or vomit right there on the bed.
A little while later, my blood sugar had shot up to the high teens and my forearms were red and throbbing.
Through the haze of pain I could tell that they were much improved. So much so that I felt nary a twinge in my elbow.
I left and headed straight for the golf course. Nine holes later, my elbow didn't hurt at all.
My forearms however we so bruised and sore that the wind hurt. The feel of my sweater on my arms hurt. Thinking about my arms hurt. Icing my arms felt fabulous.
The next morning I woke to find visible bruises on both arms. And nary a twinge in my elbow.
And Sunday's 9-hole game with Doug and some friends didn't hurt my elbow one bit.
Forearm massage number two is less than two weeks away. Here's hoping the second time isn't nearly as brutal as the first.
Oh, and I played so well on Sunday that my handicap dropped again. My goal of getting it under 40 by the end of the season may need to be re-evaluated if this keeps up.
Maybe I'll get really ambitious and aim for 35.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Earn Your Easy Week
"Earn your easy week."
Is it weird that about 9k into my 20k long run the voice of Coach Troy, star of my favourite Bending Crank Arms video, popped into my head?
In that video, the toughest cycling video we have, Coach Troy tells us that it is a very challenging workout and suggests that we take the next day as an easy day. He then laughs and says that the day after that and possibly the day after that will also be easy days.
And during the video, when we are holding squats for 60 seconds on trembling legs or when we are pushing through a five-minute, hardest gear on the bike, slog, he will say "earn your easy day".
I've done that video enough to know that I would never do it the day before a long run and I would not be able to do it the day or two after a long run. Bending Crank Arms is a Wednesday workout or it doesn't happen. It's just too tough to tack on to another tough workout.
So on Saturday, as I was nearing the half way point in my long run, his voice popped into my head.
"Earn your easy week."
This 20k run is always a tough one in my half-marathon training cycle. It's the third Saturday in a row of long runs that are getting progressively longer (16, 18 and then 20k). My legs are tired and achy. My body wants a rest.
It's an important run though. Running 20k on tired legs is part of the training. After that run, I get an easy week of 5k runs and a 10k run next weekend. Then the last part of the training cycle begins.
22k
16k
10k
race day
No run in the training is as tough as that 20k. Even the 22k, which is longer, is easier because I do it after coming off of an easy week. No tired legs to contend with.
So when I started to channel on Saturday Coach Troy, it felt right. Don't just finish the run. Finish the run well. Earn your easy week.
And earn it I did.
I ran 20k. I stopped only once, at 12k, to refill water bottles, check my blood sugar, and assure Doug that I was fine.
Every step I took was a step I ran.
I sipped water or Nuun every kilometre as is my new routine. I kept my heart rate in check. My ears did not plug up. My energy did not flag and my blood pressure before and after the run were almost identical.
I finished my run well and I earned my easy week.
Thanks Coach Troy!
Is it weird that about 9k into my 20k long run the voice of Coach Troy, star of my favourite Bending Crank Arms video, popped into my head?
In that video, the toughest cycling video we have, Coach Troy tells us that it is a very challenging workout and suggests that we take the next day as an easy day. He then laughs and says that the day after that and possibly the day after that will also be easy days.
And during the video, when we are holding squats for 60 seconds on trembling legs or when we are pushing through a five-minute, hardest gear on the bike, slog, he will say "earn your easy day".
I've done that video enough to know that I would never do it the day before a long run and I would not be able to do it the day or two after a long run. Bending Crank Arms is a Wednesday workout or it doesn't happen. It's just too tough to tack on to another tough workout.
So on Saturday, as I was nearing the half way point in my long run, his voice popped into my head.
"Earn your easy week."
This 20k run is always a tough one in my half-marathon training cycle. It's the third Saturday in a row of long runs that are getting progressively longer (16, 18 and then 20k). My legs are tired and achy. My body wants a rest.
It's an important run though. Running 20k on tired legs is part of the training. After that run, I get an easy week of 5k runs and a 10k run next weekend. Then the last part of the training cycle begins.
22k
16k
10k
race day
No run in the training is as tough as that 20k. Even the 22k, which is longer, is easier because I do it after coming off of an easy week. No tired legs to contend with.
So when I started to channel on Saturday Coach Troy, it felt right. Don't just finish the run. Finish the run well. Earn your easy week.
And earn it I did.
I ran 20k. I stopped only once, at 12k, to refill water bottles, check my blood sugar, and assure Doug that I was fine.
Every step I took was a step I ran.
I sipped water or Nuun every kilometre as is my new routine. I kept my heart rate in check. My ears did not plug up. My energy did not flag and my blood pressure before and after the run were almost identical.
I finished my run well and I earned my easy week.
Thanks Coach Troy!
Friday, April 24, 2015
Triathlon Training or the Lack Thereof
Why is it that I am extremely regimented when it comes to half marathon training...
...and yet extremely lackadaisical when it comes to triathlon training?
I have had my long run distances written out for two months now. They are posted on a sticky note in my office. Every Saturday I dutifully run the distance I am supposed to run. Every Monday when I get to work I cross another run off my sticky note.
I have a triathlon the weekend after this half marathon I am training for and I won't be doing anything specific for it other than swimming at the pool and cycling either on the trainer or outside if it ever warms up enough to do so. I don't build up. I don't taper. When I swim I swim for 45-60 minutes and when I cycle I cycle for about an hour. C'est tout.
Maybe it's because a triathlon is three different activities, and none of them too long. I never worry much about finishing because I know that I can fairly easily complete each of those distances on their own. And if I slow down a bit, I have enough energy to complete them in a row.
I could never just go out and wing a half marathon. Run a few 10k runs and then somehow pull off twice that on race day. I've been running this distance for years and have never once thought it was remotely easy to do. Even the training knocks me out.
And yet every triathlon I have done has been done without following any kind of triathlon training plan. I just swim, cycle and run and then, on race day, do them one after the other wearing a special outfit.
Is that weird? Do other people religiously follow triathlon training plans the way I follow half-marathon ones?
I have an Olympic distance triathlon coming up in July. The first and only other time I have done that distance I did not follow a training plan. I just took it one activity at a time and tried not to burn out before the finish. I didn't burn out and it went fairly well.
Should I try following an actual training plan this time? If so, why? I'm open to it of course but if my triathlon goals are to a) finish and finish strong and b) have fun doing it, then do I need to do any more than what I'm doing?
I do all three sports because I like them and they help keep me healthy. I string them all together on race days and call myself a triathlete because it's fun and I really enjoy it.
Why make it any more complicated than that?
...and yet extremely lackadaisical when it comes to triathlon training?
I have had my long run distances written out for two months now. They are posted on a sticky note in my office. Every Saturday I dutifully run the distance I am supposed to run. Every Monday when I get to work I cross another run off my sticky note.
I have a triathlon the weekend after this half marathon I am training for and I won't be doing anything specific for it other than swimming at the pool and cycling either on the trainer or outside if it ever warms up enough to do so. I don't build up. I don't taper. When I swim I swim for 45-60 minutes and when I cycle I cycle for about an hour. C'est tout.
Maybe it's because a triathlon is three different activities, and none of them too long. I never worry much about finishing because I know that I can fairly easily complete each of those distances on their own. And if I slow down a bit, I have enough energy to complete them in a row.
I could never just go out and wing a half marathon. Run a few 10k runs and then somehow pull off twice that on race day. I've been running this distance for years and have never once thought it was remotely easy to do. Even the training knocks me out.
And yet every triathlon I have done has been done without following any kind of triathlon training plan. I just swim, cycle and run and then, on race day, do them one after the other wearing a special outfit.
Is that weird? Do other people religiously follow triathlon training plans the way I follow half-marathon ones?
I have an Olympic distance triathlon coming up in July. The first and only other time I have done that distance I did not follow a training plan. I just took it one activity at a time and tried not to burn out before the finish. I didn't burn out and it went fairly well.
Should I try following an actual training plan this time? If so, why? I'm open to it of course but if my triathlon goals are to a) finish and finish strong and b) have fun doing it, then do I need to do any more than what I'm doing?
I do all three sports because I like them and they help keep me healthy. I string them all together on race days and call myself a triathlete because it's fun and I really enjoy it.
Why make it any more complicated than that?
Thursday, April 23, 2015
A Little Trust Goes a Long Way
I was thinking a bit about trust yesterday.
I was thinking about it as I sat at the hair salon having my hair coloured and cut.
I was thinking about it because to both of the wonderful ladies who take care of me, I said the same thing: "I trust you. Do whatever you think would look nice"
I came out with a new chopped hairdo with lovely highlights for spring.
I could have come out hating what they had done but I knew without a doubt that they would have fun but leave me feeling good about what they had done rather than horrified.
Some people I trust completely.
If they give me a running schedule to follow, I follow it without question.
If they recommend a product, I go out and buy the big bottle without even trying it first.
If they tell me to read a book, I buy the hardcover rather than take it out from the library, because I know I'm going to love it.
They know me well enough to know what will and won't work and I know them well enough to know that they know that.
Other people might give me a workout routine and I'll say a sincere thank you and then go home and change it to suit my personal taste.
The thing is that I'm pretty sure if I had my hair cut by someone that I didn't trust and they gave me the exact same haircut that I got yesterday, I probably wouldn't like it as much. But because it was cut by someone who listens, knows me and respects my boundaries, I love it.
So it's not so much about the haircut as the person cutting it.
Strange how that works eh?
All that to say that I got my hair cut yesterday, that I make up my own half marathon training plans but always ask Doug for feedback on them, and that I'll read any book my mom tells me to read.
I was thinking about it as I sat at the hair salon having my hair coloured and cut.
I was thinking about it because to both of the wonderful ladies who take care of me, I said the same thing: "I trust you. Do whatever you think would look nice"
I came out with a new chopped hairdo with lovely highlights for spring.
I could have come out hating what they had done but I knew without a doubt that they would have fun but leave me feeling good about what they had done rather than horrified.
Some people I trust completely.
If they give me a running schedule to follow, I follow it without question.
If they recommend a product, I go out and buy the big bottle without even trying it first.
If they tell me to read a book, I buy the hardcover rather than take it out from the library, because I know I'm going to love it.
They know me well enough to know what will and won't work and I know them well enough to know that they know that.
Other people might give me a workout routine and I'll say a sincere thank you and then go home and change it to suit my personal taste.
The thing is that I'm pretty sure if I had my hair cut by someone that I didn't trust and they gave me the exact same haircut that I got yesterday, I probably wouldn't like it as much. But because it was cut by someone who listens, knows me and respects my boundaries, I love it.
So it's not so much about the haircut as the person cutting it.
Strange how that works eh?
All that to say that I got my hair cut yesterday, that I make up my own half marathon training plans but always ask Doug for feedback on them, and that I'll read any book my mom tells me to read.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
(De)hydration experiments
Last Saturday I did my 18k training run for the Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon I'm doing in June.
After the 16k run the week before, when my ears plugged and my blood pressure tanked, I decided to be a little more focused on hydration.
Usually I don't bring any water with me when I'm running 12 or 14k. Once I hit 16k, I still don't usually bring water but Doug often comes out to meet me two thirds of the way through my run and I drink then. In fact, no matter how far I'm running, I only tend to bring water with me when it's a) really hot out or b) Doug isn't meeting me en route with water and snacks.
This time I wore a water belt with a full bottle of water and a full bottle of Nuun (electrolyte mix without any sugar in it).
My watch beeps every kilometre and the plan was to take a sip of water or a sip of Nuun every time it beeped.
I stuck to the plan and, by the time Doug met me at 13k, I was completely out of Nuun and just about out of water. I refilled my water, had two edisks (electrolytes with a bit of sugar) and continued home still drinking every kilometre.
Guess what happened?
I ran 18k without my ears plugging.
My pre-run blood pressure was 112/78 and it was 104/56 when I got home.
Still a drop but much better than the 112/80 to 78/52 drop of the week before.
Also, my heart rate was much easier to keep in check. Instead of struggling to keep it under 170 like I did last week, I was able to keep it under 160 for most of it, only reaching 170 in the last 2 kilometres.
This Saturday I'm slated for 20k so I'll do the experiment again and see how it goes.
After the 16k run the week before, when my ears plugged and my blood pressure tanked, I decided to be a little more focused on hydration.
Usually I don't bring any water with me when I'm running 12 or 14k. Once I hit 16k, I still don't usually bring water but Doug often comes out to meet me two thirds of the way through my run and I drink then. In fact, no matter how far I'm running, I only tend to bring water with me when it's a) really hot out or b) Doug isn't meeting me en route with water and snacks.
This time I wore a water belt with a full bottle of water and a full bottle of Nuun (electrolyte mix without any sugar in it).
My watch beeps every kilometre and the plan was to take a sip of water or a sip of Nuun every time it beeped.
I stuck to the plan and, by the time Doug met me at 13k, I was completely out of Nuun and just about out of water. I refilled my water, had two edisks (electrolytes with a bit of sugar) and continued home still drinking every kilometre.
Guess what happened?
I ran 18k without my ears plugging.
My pre-run blood pressure was 112/78 and it was 104/56 when I got home.
Still a drop but much better than the 112/80 to 78/52 drop of the week before.
Also, my heart rate was much easier to keep in check. Instead of struggling to keep it under 170 like I did last week, I was able to keep it under 160 for most of it, only reaching 170 in the last 2 kilometres.
This Saturday I'm slated for 20k so I'll do the experiment again and see how it goes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)