So, here I am – totally benched at the worst possible time of the year…the holiday season! In preparation for this horror, I am already digging my “fat jeans” out of the back of the closet.
But lo and behold, into my inbox recently flew an inspirational little piece by Christina Luff (one of my favorite fitness writers) called “Secrets of Skinny Runners.” Made you look!
Now, normally, I don’t pay much attention to the weight loss pundits or latest diet advice – but I know that any additional weight that I put on during this time is going to negatively effect my efforts to get back into training once I am able to run again.
So here I share with you those secrets as told to me by CL…sage advice:
Watch your portion size
Think “ice cream scoop” when you think about portions…put only that size portion of each item on your plate. When you eat out at a restaurant, split the meal in half and eat what remains. Take the rest home in a “doggie bag.” Eat slowly without distractions, like the television or the computer. Eat your fruits and vegetables first; they’ll fill you up and prevent you from over eating meat or pasta.
Eat plenty of fiber
High fiber foods are less calorie dense and fiber makes you feel fuller longer. Keep “snackable” fruit like baby carrots or celery for a quick grab instead of chips or cookies. Use whole grain bread and plenty of sprouts, lettuce and tomato on sandwiches. Sprinkle berries on your oatmeal or yogurt; add kidney beans to your salad.
Spread out your calorie consumption
Eating several “mini-meals” throughout the day helps stabilize your blood sugar and staves off hunger to help keep you from overeating when you sit down for a meal. Keep healthy, easy-to-eat foods in your purse or desk. Low fat granola bars, dried fruits and nuts are perfect. If you have a sugar jones, go for fat free pudding, frozen yogurt or frozen fruit bars (watch the ingredients for added sugar.) Pretzels are also great, as are the under-100-calorie snack packs of crackers.
Eat a healthy, filling breakfast
I have a running friend who swears that if she eats breakfast in the morning, she can’t stop eating all day. While everyone is different, it remains a fact that if you starve your body, it will think you are fasting and slow your metabolism. Also, if you eat earlier in the day, you have a much better chance of burning off those calories throughout the day. Best selections for breakfast are yogurt topped with granola, toast, bagel or an English muffin topped with a thin spread of peanut butter and a few banana slices, or (the best) a breakfast smoothie consisting of ½ cup of low fat yogurt, a banana and some frozen berries.
Don’t use food as a reward
A couple of months back I wrote about the dangers of emotional eating. Most runners use the reward system when achieving a personal goal – but resist the temptation to use food as a motivator. Try tracking your food consumption in the notes section of your training log. Make a list of non-food treats you’d really like and refer to that list when it’s time to reward yourself. Each time you find yourself going to the kitchen – consciously ask yourself why you are eating. If you’re not hungry, try doing a quickie form of exercise for 15 minutes like some sit-ups or a fast walk around the block. Getting into this habit of substituting unhealthy habits for healthy ones will pay off big time both physically AND emotionally.
Get enough sleep
Sleep is truly critical to runners putting heavy demands on their bodies, and when you’re tired, you’re much more likely to feel stressed and give into the temptations of unhealthy foods. Don’t go to bed hungry, but try to finish eating 2 – 3 hours before bedtime and avoid heavy meals in the evening. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, like reading a book or listening to pleasant music before putting out the lights. (TIP: no “slasher” movies before bedtime.) Aim for 7 – 8 hours of sleep every night. Again everyone is different, so if you are getting significantly less sleep than this currently, try increasing your sleep time by 20 minutes per night a week until you reach the sleep time goal.
So there you have it, 6 secrets of skinny runners. And I'm going to add one more: H20 - and plenty of it! Hydration is incredibly important to everyone and especially to runners. Water not only fills you up, but proper hydration helps prevent injury (no snickers, please) and assists in performance.
Not too many sacrifices…just a few lifestyle changes and a little conscious effort. Mmm…maybe I won’t have to haul out the “fat jeans” after all?
