Rihanna featuring Nicki Minaj...Raining Men

I just wanted to share this song, as it is my new favorite favorite song of the moment. Thank you to Olivia for burning me the Rihanna c.d. "Loud", because it has been playing in my car nonstop. I can only imagine that this song will help boost my energy during my runs. Now, I just have to figure out a downloading program other than Limewire so I can have updated music. I'm so behind the timessss ahhh. Anyway ladies, love this song. Because it really is raining men.

Speaking of Rihanna. Let's discuss bodies, shall we?

After my fourth email from Runners World in about 6 hours, it came up with something interesting to share....specifically, how to lose weight without sacrificing performance or being perpetually hungry. Let's start with some numbers:

1) You need to know how many calories your body needs at rest. The Harris Benedict Equation allows you to get an estimate of your resting calorie needs or basal metabolic rate:

Women: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years) = BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) .... (I figured mine out to be 1385)

Men:
666 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years) = BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

Then, add in your activity factor:
BMR x 1.55 if you exercise 3-5 days a week.
BMR x 1.75 if you exercise 6-7 days a week.
Now you know how many calories you need to maintain your weight.

(Again, even though I've been exercising 6 times a week, I'm going to err on the side of caution and discovered that I should be eating about 2146 calories a day to maintain my weight).

2) Keep a food record. It is really important to write down when you eat and drink, what you eat and drink, and how much you eat and drink. And if you really want to be accurate, use an online program like the one here to calculate how many calories you consume.

Now you know both how much you need to eat to keep your weight steady and how many calories you are currently eating. If you cut calories by 250 to 300 per day you will likely see a weight loss of about half a pound per week (500 a day if you want to lose a lb. a week. But remember, factor in your calories burned...but don't trust the machines!). While that's a small amount, you won't be as hungry and will be less likely to abandon the plan. (I should be eating around 1600-1800 calories a day to lose weight while exercising. I must be overeating like woah.)

Here is how to organize your plate if you are trying to decrease body fat:

A little more than two-thirds of the plate should be lean protein (poultry, fish, veggie burgers, soy, low-fat dairy, or eggs) and fruits and vegetables and less than one-third of the plate should be grains or higher-carb vegetables, like pasta, rice, bread, cereal, potatoes or corn. Don't omit fat, just use a little to enhance flavor. Olive oil, nuts, or a thin spread of nut butter are all good choices. You can also cut calories by avoiding sugary drinks and snacks, and minimize portion size by using small bowls, plates, and glasses.

Sounds easy...lets see if it works! I started the day with my omelet combo job and my tea, but then came to work and had a chocolate. Fail! But only if I don't get my butt in gear later. If I do, I have a little more wiggle room. Ain't that a monkey's uncle!

This evening's plan includes a 4-5 mile run around Southie, and then hitting up South Boston Yoga with Megan. I want to check out the scene there because even though Golds offers Yoga, South Boston Yoga offers a...Yoga for Runners class on Sundays! Although I'm not a big fan of yoga, I think the once a week stretchfest might do me some good. Boxing shall continue before then, but I might go to a class on Sunday, or tomorrow. Everyday is an adventure.

"You'll find a way"

So on my run today, my Ipod died, AGAIN. In the EXACT same location that it did last time. Right in the parking lot of castle island, right in front of random people sitting in their cars doing god knows what.

Here is an image of Castle island ala Google Earth. Although this isn't a picture of my entire run, it gives you an idea of the route I take. I am blessed to be able to run by the ocean everyday, if I wanted to.

First off, I am looking to tone up, add muscle, and lose weight before I start running. I don't really want to lose much weight during my training because once I stop running so much, I'll put the weight right back on. Instead, I've been taking a good hard look at what kind of food I've been consuming, how often, and how much. I have to admit that looking at my diet makes me a little anxious, because I know I have a habit of becoming obsessed with food.

This summer, in my effort to cleanse my mind, body, and soul, I read the Book "Women, Food, and God: An Unexpected path to Almost Everything" by Geneen Roth. I loved this book because

it spoke to our obsession with changing who we are, to make a better life for ourselves as women. One of my favorite lines reads as "We have become so obsessed with getting rid of our obsession, with riding on top of our suffering and ignoring its inherent message, that we lose the pieces of ourselves waiting to be found beneath it. But fixing ourselves is not the same as being ourselves. The real richness of obsession lies in the ineffable stillness, the irrefutable wholeness, that is found in turning towards its source." I found that this book opened my eyes to how accepting who I was, every piece of me, was the most important goal I had for myself at the time. It also made me realize that I was going to enjoy food, all food, for exactly what it was; nourishment. To eat what I want, and eat until I am full and eat until I am satisfied, but also learning to turn off the emotional radio that constantly plagues women to eat when they are sad, or lonely, or frustrated, or angry, and to instead just accept those feelings for what they were and revel in them.

I have done a great job living by this philosophy since this summer, and personally, I feel like I've never looked better. Although I'll always have a penchant for nachos, and for eating what I dang well please, I need to be aware about how the food choices I will be making in this training time, can completely affect my performance. I started by looking up info about the Paleo Diet, which is a lifestyle change that focuses on eating fats, animal proteins, and low to moderate carbohydrates. A lot of crossfit fanatics (which I will be taking a class at the Southie Crossfit next saturday at 10, stay tuned!) swear by the paleo diet, as you cut back on fruits, processed foods, eliminating sugar and dairy, not overexercising and eating when you are hungry.

Although people swear by this food philosophy, as you can see major results in your performance and energy, not to mention weight loss, I don't think this will ever be a lifestyle change that I make. No way jose, there is no way I could stick to that without becoming obsessed with it. And becoming obsessed with what I can and can't eat. I could almost guarantee that I would put on weight on this diet.

However, I do agree with this philosophy on eating carbohydrates and the level of exercise you should maintain as an active adult; "When you exercise a lot, you can afford to eat more carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables because your liver and muscle sugar reserves (glycogen) are more often depleted. When this is the case and you eat carbohydrates, the glucose goes directly to replete the glycogen stores instead of being treated as extra unneeded sugar and sent to your fat cells by insulin." I can live with that. Its the old tried and true philosophy that to stay fit and a healthy weight, calories in must equal calories out. Now, that's not the only food lifestyle rule to live and love by (it does matter what type of calories go in and in what form i.e. twinkies compared to bananas when training) but in terms of weight loss, that's the simplest formula you can use.

I also looked up an article on Fitbie by Msn entitled "The Secret to Being Fit for Life" which suggests that the more active you are, the more likely you are able to get back into shape after a slump. Good to know for all you high school athletes out there that have put on weight over the years thanks to college, demanding jobs, and the fast-paced lifestyle that is common for 20/30-somethings.

I also have to give a big shout-out to Daniela Bitto who offers personal training sessions in the Hyde Park/Dedham area, and runs the website Fitness by D. I like to look over her information from time to time, to help aid me in my training, because she offers a lot of good tips. AND because I know her personally and have hung out with her, I know that she is a real live female human that has made fitness her life, while maintaining sanity and having fun. What a role model for the rest of us.

Keep looking up, researching, and trying out new fitness programs and lifestyle changes that work for you. Hopefully, some of the information I have been writing about can help you attain your goals, from walking a 5k to running a marathon. Its all about what works for you, and what makes you feel awake in this life.