June 18, 2012
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It’s a race and I’m running
The older I get, the more I feel like I need to do whatever it takes to stay on earth as long and healthily as possible. I hate running, but I’ve been running habitually lately in preparation for all the qualifying races I need to do for the 2013 marathon. I have lost about 17 pounds this year, mostly by exercising and eating better, but I feel like I need to go as lean as possible. No point of having any excess fat in my body.
After reading the book “Born to Run,” I am convinced that the way we’ve been eating in the West is terrible for our bodies. I have decided to eat as naturally as possible, avoiding virtually all processed foods and even going as far as limiting meat intake in my diet.
Unlike my aunt who eats without flavors because she deems any kind of seasoning as unhealthy (she doesn’t use oil either), I think it’s possible to eat great tasting food, even though it’s not necessarily meat. We always say we should do everything in moderation, but I think I’ll be takin that approach up a notch or two and have meat sparingly.
In terms of exercising, I’ve been running mostly but I’ll be doing weight training and other high cardio workouts (Insanity). I started running with the Vibram Fivefingers and after adjusting to then, they are great. I am convinced that the modern sneaker is detrimental to your health. Did you know that humans have been running marathons every day throughout the ancient times and they didn’t have knee injuries? Did you know that knee injuries didn’t really happen often until the 1970s, pretty much when Nike invented the first sneaker dedicated to running? Did you know that the more “support” you have in your sneaker, the more likely you’re going to hurt yourself because you will be running in poor form?
Tied to my high energy , virtually vegetarian diet, I hope to push the limits in my current physical state. My bestfriend commented that I used to be ripped. Although I don’t care much for vanity, having a good strong body is a measure of health. It would severly limit my risks with cancer and heart disease.
As I said before, “you only live once,” should not imply “carpe diem.” Instead, it’s knowing that you only have one life to live and to live it as happy and healthy (and as long) as possible.
Comments (25)
I read the book “Born to Run” too!! I ended up trying those chia seeds and it really does give me a boost of energy whenever I run. YOLO!
Good resolutions, all, really. So are you going to run barefoot then? ^_^
Good luck with the training for your upcoming races! I’m in the process of building up my endurance for running and hopefully sign up for a 5K one of these days!
good job jigg! i’m running another 5k next Sunday!
@resolc - lol. I ordered the chia seeds too. Gonna try them out and see how it feels. I heard it’s great for most people, but not for everyone.
@nimbusthedragon - Not barefoot entirely, but the Vibram FF feel really great and have great response. I’ve gone 8 miles on them in a half marathon I ran in May and it was good. I switched out to something else to finish that race, but I think I’m going 100% FF for all my future runs.
@xx_smilez - The trick is to do what sugarvirgo did just sign up for one. Experience it once and know how to better prepare for the next one!
@sugarvirgo - Awesome! Are you prepared?
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
If I wasn’t so out of shape, I’d run barefoot along the shore.
@mkazama - Gotta get back in shape! And since eating is like 70%, all you have to do is begin eating healthy and your body will automatically begin adjusting. =)
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
@mkazama – Being out of shape, is WHY you start running, is it not? lol
Jigg, nice to have you back! You were gone there for a second. ^^ I’ve picked up jogging not too long ago; it’s quite the journey! For the first 10-15 mins, I’m absolutely miserable. After that, it actually becomes an enjoyable experience. I think it has to do with my oxygen intake, to some degree… Not sure though. Any tips?
@jigg - I do eat small portions. For the most part, it’s pretty balanced but I like to live a little. I’ve got a lung problem so I can’t over exert myself but I do jog (just not as regularly as I would like.)
@Simply_Cynical - I’ve never really stopped so how can I start?
@mkazama - Just gotta put the time in then! Maybe mixing it up with some light weight training to build muscle would help?
@Simply_Cynical - Yeah, I couldn’t think of anything to blog about. So I’m trying to get back into the groove.
Anyway, you should definitely read the book, “Born to Run.” It explains a lot about how humans were born to run and also how to run correctly.
A good running schedule is good as well. This is how mine looks like:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsamwjqDOQWHdGJQaV9McmxUa2dNQmxBdU5TV2gzNHc#gid=0
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
that’s awesome that you are curbing your habits sooner rather than later. good luck on all of your upcoming races!! my fiance is a runner, but i haven’t really gotten into it as much as he is. im more of a yoga person, although we’ll go swimming or hiking together. my last race was my half-marathon back in late 2010. i’ve done little 5Ks here and there, but not sure if i want to train for a longer race anytime soon — i lose a TREMENDOUS amount of weight, and look REALLY skeletal no matter how much i am eating when i train, lol, so blah!
@jigg - I maintain my muscles by doing body weight exercises but what’s really killing me is not jogging as much as I used to. That and I drink more than the average girl. Meaning water and booze.
@mkazama - Maybe get into cycling? Or you can walk on inclines. As long as you keep your heart rate below the metabolic threshold and keep your exercise in the aerobic phase, then it would be beneficial to burning calories–especially fat.
Here’s a site that helps you calculate what your heartrate should be to stay in the aerobic zone.
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/hrm1.htm
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
@jigg - Thanks, I do speedwalk all through the city daily but it’s really not the same as pushing my endurance with jogging. But due to my lungs crapping out on me, I never really see any significant boost in my endurance.
this is some hardcore dedication to the cause. approved.
born to run? really? i will look into the book. great stuff. 17 lbs is huge!
props to you…i’m stuck in the western lifestyle and i can’t bring myself to do otherwise
I run too…I really want to do a marathon but I’ve been so busy with work that I cannot fit in my training for it. I will have to look into that book.
Very interesting post, esp. since the excess fat part struck a nerve with me. Ever since moving to Asia I gained a few kilos – and in the West Asian cuisine is deemed healthy. I am wondering how you eat healthily over lunch break? Is your wife participating in this “diet”?
@superGchik – I wake up at like 5 to run or run when I get home from work, which sometimes is super late. I try to run every other day, but work sometimes is a killer. Don’t gotta put in a lot of time. I run a 5k (3.2 miles) and it takes about 30 mins.
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
@beowulf222 – That’s interesting because when I moved to Hong Kong right out of college, I was heaviest at 183lbs. I came back to NYC 7 months later and was 172.
I think you should just spread out your meals and cut rice out. I stopped eating white rice in HK and I think it helped me lose weight.
For lunch, I bring the previous night’s dinner. And yes, my wife wants to ear healthy as well. We stick to mainly produce. She doesn’t need to lose weight though.
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Jigg, what do you eat everyday?
I want to try this diet of your’s.
@Argenis_sama - It’s actually pretty simple–anything that’s not processed and packaged. The only exception would be coffee as I drink about a cup or two, black everyday.
I am also actively staying away from meat and even poultry. I try to stick with fresh produce, beans, and fish.
One of my friends eats vegetarian on weekdays and healthy non-vegetarian meals on the weekend. He lost 15lbs in a couple of months.
Maybe this sounds too extreme for you, so a good way to start is try to cut out excess carbs. Anything sweet is something you should try to stay away from as much as possible. Don’t starve yourself–just don’t stay away from packaged/processed goods and sweets and you should be ok.
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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