Feed Your Body!

I’m beginning to think that not eating enough might be the reason I’ve been feeling totally lethargic this past week.  I feel like it’s been a vicious cycle of not wanting to eat because I feel crappy, and then feeling crappy because I don’t eat, and it’s been affecting more than just my stomach lately.  I’ve felt weak and nauseas during my workouts, tired and cranky during the days, and generally just not like myself, and it’s a cycle I’m very ready to bust out of. 

Even though sometimes I feel like all I do is eat, it’s mostly low-calorie fruits, veggies, and proteins, so it often doesn’t add up to enough.  Between increasing the intensity of my workouts and just generally being busy, I’m obviously expending a lot more energy these days, and I need to increase my intake accordingly.  (I go back and forth with calorie counting, but in the end, it usually ends up being too much work, and after a few days I forget about it.  I know, life is rough.)

We’re all busy, we all worry about overeating or eating the wrong things, and we all have better things to think about than food, but we also need to remember that it is so important to feed your body.  Unfortunately, it took me a few days of feeling like garbage to realize that this might be the problem, but yesterday I made a semi-conscious effort to take in more, and I’m already feeling better.  (I say semi-conscious because I didn’t really think of it until after I’d already packed my food for the day so I had to improvise a bit later on, but still.) 

My day started off as most days do, with a workout that looked like this:

1. Warm up: 10 minute walk on treadmill
2. Workout (5x):
1. Row 250 M
2. 10 Overhead squats @ 50lbs
3. 10 Reverse-grip rows @ 50lbs
3. {10 Pull-ups (assisted @ 60lbs) + 10 hanging knee lifts} x4
4. {20 Vertical swings with med ball + 30 Weighted side bends + Run 1 lap} x4
5. Front squats:
1. {12 @ 60lbs} x2
2. {8 @ 85lbs} x2
3. {6 @ 95lbs} x2
4. {3 @ 115lbs} x6

6. Cool down: 10 minute walk

For breakfast, I had a two-egg scramble with spinach and green peppers, plus a large banana and a Kashi cereal bar.  (These cereal bars taste just like Nutri-Grain bars, in case you were wondering.)

For lunch, I brought a big helping of fajita chicken with red and green peppers and snow peas – a meal I never get tired of!

I was still hungry after eating the lunch I packed, but since my “eating more” thought didn’t happen until I was already at work, I didn’t have any extra snacks. I knew heading to the vending machine while hungry could be dangerous, but with no other option, I went anyways.  Luckily, I fared pretty well, coming out largely unscathed, with just this granola bar to show for it.   (Whenever I make an “it could’ve been worse” decision, I always feel pretty good about myself.) 

My afternoon snack was the same as it often is: Fuji apple with almond butter. 

Even though it might seem a little boring at times, finding healthy snacks I like makes it easier for me to stay on track.  What I’m learning now though is that if I stick to the same eating schedule/volume when other variables (like exercise) change, suddenly what worked before may not be sufficient anymore. 

For dinner, I used up the last of the broccoli and asparagus in my fridge, roasting them in the oven with a little bit of olive oil and black pepper.  The chicken was baked right along side the veggies under the broiler, topped with my signature spice – crushed red pepper.  I drizzled a tiny bit of honey over the top, and it was the perfect sweet and spicy combo!

Aaaaaand for dessert… I had the last of the whoopie pie leftover from the other night. 

Sure, this last “meal” of the day could’ve been better, but it was just staring at me from the fridge, and I was still hungry so I went for it.  Besides, I’m pretty sure I burned off almost every single thing I ate yesterday just while watching Duck Dynasty anyway.  Does anyone else watch that show?  I watched a few episodes last night and found myself laughing hysterically (all alone, out loud) at their antics.  Seriously, it’s great. 

Questions:

What factors influence how you adjust what/when/how much you eat?

Is eating a conscious effort for you or just an afterthought?

Do you watch Duck Dynasty? (Because if not, you should.)