Newbies in the Gym

I was working out this morning (at 5:15, because Melissa and I are idiots like that) and watching one of the newbies at my gym work on the elliptical trainer in sweats and a heavy cotton hoodie. And I was pretty warm in my short-sleeved tech tee, so he must have been dying under all those layers.  Maybe he wanted to sweat some weight off?  At any rate, that's what got me thinking about newbies in the gym.

We all know what January and February bring - all the New Year's Resolutioners come out to the gym in droves. And they hog the machines, and they don't understand letting someone else work through, and they just get in the way.  And most of the regular gym-goers grit their teeth until March or so, when the rush dies down and most of the New Year's Resolution crowd has gone back to their former ways.

I think, though, that we should all welcome and encourage new people to come to the gym, or join us on the trails.  Even if they slow us down a bit at at first, and even if they get in the way.  Here's why: even the most athletic of us was new to the gym or to the trail once.  We've all been there! Maybe somebody was kind enough to mentor us, or maybe we soldiered through on our own, but we were all the newbie at some point.

Additionally, obesity and inactivity costs money.  And we all pay - to the tune of $147 billion a year or so. Some researchers predict that if we keep going on our current path, half of the US will be obese by 2020. Think about that - half of the population.  It's mind-boggling! And, yes, a person can exercise regularly and still be overweight, but I really think that a lot of the health psoblems associated with obesity are also a result of inactivity - if a person who is overweight is exercising regularly, I think it's safe to say that they'll have fewer complications than someone who spends the day on the couch.

It's also true that fitness feels good! But it doesn't necessarily feel good while you're getting there, and if you've never been fit you don't know how good you're going to feel when you do get fit and healthy.  Wouldn't it be great if everyone in America could feel what we feel after a good race? Maybe that newbie just needs a little encouragement so they can get past the initial aches and pains and start feeling the rewards of their hard work.

Finally, the more people engage in a given activity, the more resources are alloted to that activity.  So, if a large part of your community takes up cycling, for instance, it's a pretty good bet that more cycling trails will be built, and there will be more cycling events to participate in.  Numbers = resources, and which of our sports couldn't use a few more resources? And I can assure you that those of us at the back of the pack are perfectly happy to support those of you at the front of the pack - and we do so, by paying entry fees into races we have no hope of winning, and by buying merchandise from the vendors that sponsor you, and by simply admiring you as you race ahead.  More newbies means more dollars to go into the prize pots, and more sponsorships for elite athletes.

As to gym and trail and race etiquette, well - that can be taught.  So, consider taking a newbie under your wing this year.  Teach them to share the trails and the gym equipment, and teach them to line up appropriately at the start of a race. I think you'll find that helping someone else has rewards of its own!

January Wrap-Up

Well, January has come and gone.  It seemed to fly by, didn't it? Or maybe that's just me.

Anyway, I completed 89 miles in January.  This is 11 miles short of my goal of 100 miles for the month.  However, I did complete a marathon early in the month for my Run For The Bling Of It challenge, and during the recovery period my mileage was down a bit.  I'm pretty sure I'll kick it up a notch once spring gets here. 

I've broken the ten-minute-mile barrier. Not consistently, to be sure, but at least on the shorter runs I'm getting faster. And I managed to get on the bike.  I wasn't agile or speedy or even good on the bike, but I remained upright for more than 45 minutes, so I'll count that as a success.

Melissa and I are working through a cycle of Body for Life to build some muscle.  So far, it's going pretty well, except for the first week when I thought I needed to do twice the amount of work that I actually needed to do, and nearly incapacitated myself. But, other than that we're doing well with it!

Oh, and I started my doctoral coursework.  A minor stressor at this point, but it does take up some of my time and so deserves a mention.  

Now I'm looking forward to February.  I have a half marathon scheduled in the middle of the month, and my goal is to cover 25 miles a week, and get on the bike several more times.  We'll see how that goes.  How was January for you? And what are your plans for February?

Melissa's "Fried" Potatoes

There aren't many things better on a cold winter morning than eggs and fried potatoes.  Traditional fried potatoes are fatty and high in calories, though, so I used to avoid them, until Melissa taught me how to make them without all the added fat.

Take one or two potatoes, and scrub them.  Cube them. Microwave in a microwave-safe dish for 3-5 minutes, until fork-tender. Put 1 teaspoon of olive oil into a frying pan over medium-high heat.  Stir fry the potatoes in the olive oil until browned on all sides. I like to finish my potatoes with 1/4 cup of water poured into the pan.  I put the lid on immediately after and allow the spuds to steam for a minute or two.  I like the consistency this gives the potatoes, but the last step isn't necessary by any means.

If you like onions in your potatoes, brown them for a minute or two in the olive oil before you add the potatoes. 

If you use one medium potato and a teaspoon of olive oil, this dish has about 200 calories; with two medium potatoes the total is about 340.  Not bad for a dish that tastes like an indulgence!

Sometimes I throw a beaten egg on top of the potatoes and let the heat of the skillet cook it, and then top that off with 1/4 cup of reduced-fat cheese.   That adds about 80 calories for the egg and perhaps 80 more for the cheese.  You can have a hearty breakfast skillet for 350 - 500 calories. 

I suppose you could do this with sweet potatoes, too, but I haven't ever tried it.  I prefer to make baked sweet potato fries out of my sweet potatoes - but that's another post!

Big Fat Greek Marathon Fund: $75 - I am going to have to start seriously contributing to this thing if I have any hope of making it in 2012!

My Pants

Melissa and I are meeting some friends for a run later this morning.  It's 29 degrees outside right now, and I am already wearing my favorite winter running pants. They are an old pair of Champion Wind Pants, and they are completely indestructible, toasty warm on the coldest day and horrendously unflattering to my short, stocky frame.

You see what's important to me, right?  Because these pants make me look like a rather short hippopotamus, and I wear them anyway. These pants laugh in the face of ice and snow, and they feel like the softest pair of jammies you've ever worn.  I could sleep in them - they're that soft!

Champion Youth Wind Pants - here they are, in all their glory!

You know all that advice about dressing like it's 20 degrees warmer than it actually is?  Yeah - that doesn't work for me.  I can get cold in the summer on a run - that's how whacked out my internal thermostat is.  Even if I run at my maximal pace for as long as I possibly can, I chill as soon as I slow down.  I usually keep a jacket tied around my waist in all but the warmest weather, because I just find the cold so difficult to bear.  So, if you're ever at a race, and you see an impossibly overdressed runner near the back of the pack, it just might be me.  In my stylin' pants!

Exhausted

I am sooo tired! We just started a new semester, and I am teaching and taking doctoral courses and working and working out and the days are short and gray and icky.... waaaahhhh!  Ok, enough whining. For the next few (14!) weeks I'll be doing most of my blogging on the weekend and catching your blogs as I can.

But spring is coming, and I have a conference in Florida to look forward to next month, and spring break in March, so really I can do this in little 4-week bursts.  It's manageable.  I think.  I hope.  Have a great week, everyone!

Cereal Bars

I generally spend a little bit of time on Sunday getting ready for the week ahead.  I pack my gym bag, and pack a lunch (sometimes two or three!) and make my breakfast plans for the week.  During the week, I'm up between 4:30 and 5 a.m. to meet Melissa at the gym, and I go straight from the gym to work.  And I have to have breakfast every day - preferably 400 or 500 calories worth of protein, fiber and complex carbs.  This is challenging, because I tend to eat that breakfast in the car on the way to work

This week I found a link to this cereal bar recipe on Lifehacker.  Now, the recipe calls for corn flakes and we never have corn flakes in the house.  But I had some Nature's Path organic cereal (to which I added some organic trail mix from Earth Fare for extra texture) and some natural peanut butter.  I substituted honey for the agave nectar called for in the recipe.  I also cut the recipe in half, because I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the house who will eat them.

The result? Twelve bars with approximately 286 calories, 6.5 grams of protein and 11 grams of fat each.  Not bad for breakfast - if I add 12 ounces of skim milk that puts me in the caloric range I'm shooting for. If I skip the milk I could have two bars and I'd be just over my caloric goal.  I'm hoping that the combination of complex carbs, fat and protein will be sufficient to hold me until lunchtime on a normal workday - approximately 5 hours.  We'll see!

Update: These bars taste like a complex peanut butter cookie, and even better with a big glass of milk. Hubs ate one bar and youngest son ate two. So much for having them all to myself! "This is the best healthy breakfast you've ever made!" The last time they said this was when I made breakfast burritos using Melissa's recipe - I'll see if I can get her to write that recipe up for you one of these days.  Anyway, I think the cereal bar recipe is a keeper!

Volunteering

Melissa and I volunteered for a local race today.  This was the first time that I'd volunteered at a race.  I know, I'm ashamed of it, but this is also the first time I've been in an area with an active local track club that  is always looking for volunteers.  Anyway, the race today was ten miles on a very hilly course, on a very cold day. It was a chilly, hilly run!  It was sponsored by one of my favorite local restaurants and they put out a great spread for the runners, post-race.

It was 23 degrees at the start of the race, and we (the volunteers) had already been out there for over an hour setting things up. Then the long, chilly wait for the runners - I'm not sure I've ever been so cold in my life.  But then the runners were there (I was at the finish line) and it was so great to welcome them!  The other folks at the finish line thought I was bananas, I am sure, because I was applauding and cheering for each runner as they came across.  But, hey - anyone who gets out in the cold and races ten miles on a January morning deserves applause, don't you think?

I had a blast, in spite of the cold, and I learned a lot about race logistics. I'm already planning my next volunteer experience, at a half-marathon in February.  Oh, and next time I'll be sure to have some of those little hand and foot warmers. Don't say I can't be taught!

Then we joined some friends for a seven mile training run.  And, yes, I know I could have just run the ten-miler, but it's a little soon after Disney to be racing ten miles, and anyway I like running with friends. Besides, who would have cheered for those runners if I hadn't been there? :)

And, yes, I cheered as loudly for the last runner to cross the finish line as I did the first - because I'm cool like that!