Well Rested

Saturday 11 February, 2012

they got that right in Taiwan

11:05 - Snick. Beep. 122 mg/dL. Another "no bad number." OK, let's see how many rules I can break today. It started with skipping breakfast due to some odd hours scheduled working. I'm not too functional in the morning anyway, but when I've got to mix an early morning with doing something with a smidgen of skill and courtesy, it gets real hard for me and important things like breakfast and setting a good example just kind of slip through the cracks. I walk upstairs and all I can smell are sourdough English muffins toasting in the toaster oven. A late breakfast is in the works. How can I say no?

So I have an egg, fried not quite soft and not quite hard on a toasted sourdough English muffin (21g carbs) with melted cheddar and a bunch of mufaletta spread. When I'm done, I call it brunch and I have olive oil all over my plate, fingers, hands and chin. I didn't need the carbs but hopefully the 5 units of NovoLog insulin will calm things down in my bloodstream. It's going to be a busy day today and I wonder how I'm going to eat right, exercise and basically have the kind of day that's going to help me reach my goal of 177 pounds.

mighty? no. fatty. carby. etc.

15:37 - A McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 40 grams of carbohydrates and 26 grams of fat. Oh, and 510 calories. I find myself standing at the counter and I'm feeling a little pressure because I'm running out of time before I have to be back at home and ready for work. But the kids have been promised McDonald's so I say: "I'd like three kids meals, 1 with chicken nuggets and 2 with plain cheeseburgers, 1 boy and 2 girls, all with diet coke to drink and no sauce for the nuggets. I also need a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, just the sandwich not the meal." I'm trying to save time by giving the person helping me at the register all the information she needs to help me quickly.

"What size Quarter Pounder meal?....Oh, just the sandwich?.....Did you want a drink?....How many kids meals?....how many nuggets?....What did you want on the cheeseburgers?....Both plain?....2 boys' toys and 1 girl?....What did you want to drink with those?....Did you want frys or apples?....Oh, that's right. You get both now....What kind of sauce for the nuggets?" OK. Really? So much for expediting the order process. I wait. I get my food. I leave. Not a power lunch but not a power window lunch either. I walked inside because the window in my van's driver's side door doesn't work. So that was my exercise for the day.

pink gooey slime that is ammonium hydroxide

In my haste to pack my youngest daughter and 2 boys in the van and go pick up my older daughter, I have left my blood glucose monitor at home. I'm feeling a little jittery. I don't know if it's because I'm running late or because my blood glucose is going low. That's why instead of waiting until I get home and having something semi-healthy I opt for the Quarter Pounder with gooey "pink slime" ammonium hydroxide and Cheese. Better safe than sorry and even though McDonald's has confirmed that they have stopped using the "pink slime" in their burger meat, I can't get the image of ammonium hydroxide out of my head. Splurp yum yum yum yum yum.

I did bring my NovoLog insulin pen and I inject 4 units to try and overcome the charge of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese into my bloodstream. It was all I could do not to get the meal, but aside from saving the money, I didn't need the extra 380 calories, 19 grams of fat and 48 grams of carbs that a medium fry would add to my folly. So I enjoy my Quarter Pounder with Cheese as I rush home with everyone eating a late lunch in the van. In my haste I squirt a little drop of ketchup on my shirt. Grand.

Fitness Rule #7 - Get plenty of rest and recovery

I'm having no problem with Fitness Rule #7 over the last few days. I haven't done any exercise and I've spent a lot of time recovering. I'm not sure today is very restful. But I know for sure that today I'm not going to have the time to do anything that's going to help me lose weight or add to my fitness. And you know what? Sometimes that's OK. For your efforts at fitness and weight loss to work, you have to get plenty of rest and engage in plenty of recovery. It's just as important as the other stuff.

If you're working out hard core, you're going to need to rest. You're going to have to give your body time to recover between the stress that you are creating to make your muscles grow stronger. You're body can only grow and get stronger during the process of recovery and to recover you need rest. Rest can mean many different things. It can be both active and passive and both are very important.

Get lots of sleep - Sleep is the time when your body's glands and organs help your body recover and heal. Get lot's of it. As much as you can. It will help you build muscle which will help you loose weight and be fit.

Take naps - If you are worn out and feel tired. Take a nap. Naps are powerful healers.

Don't over do it - Don't "over-train." Most of us are not in much danger of over-training. Frankly, if you're just starting out with exercise, it's almost impossible to do. You are going to see your biggest gains in fitness right away and thank goodness for that. Hopefully that will keep you motivated to continue. And if you continue you will eventually plateau. That might be a sign of over-training or it could be a sign that you need to move to the next phase of whatever you are doing to make you fit.

If you do over-train your progress will stop or slow to a crawl. If you notice that happening to you it is likely that your not mixing in enough rest and recovery. So sleep more. Mix in naps. And lay off the animal workouts here and there. Your body needs time to repair the damage that those work outs are causing. That is how your muscles grow stronger. Not from the working out, but from the recovery. Give your body the recovery.

Rest good - I spent a little time in the U.S. Marine Corps as a forward observer in the infantry and I learned a lot. I did and saw a lot of things that helped make me who I am, both good and bad. I think probably the most valuable lesson I learned while serving was to take cover under fire. The next most valuable lesson, and the one that has had the most impact on my life outside of the military, is "Never stand when you can sit and never sit when you can lay." Wise words. Make sure you rest good. It will help your fitness and weight loss.

Use active recovery - Rest and recovery isn't just about sleeping and being lazy. Spend some time doing what you do for your fitness and weight loss but just take it easy while doing it. Are you sore from doing push-ups to failure? Do your workout, but don't go to failure. Just do a few. Recovery. If you cycle, you can still go for a ride, just make it a recovery ride. I wrote about recovery rides last year. The Fat Cyclist also has some good information on a recovery ride as well.

a salad as big as your head

18:22 - Snick. Beep. 132 mg/dL. Not bad after a Quarter Pounder with Cheese but now it's time for a real meal. A meal that obeys the Fitness Rules. 4 units of NovoLog insulin and a nice big salad with onions and green onions and an ounce of grated cheddar and a half cup of mufaletta spread and four wafer thin slices of ham sliced up and some Tony's and Italian dressing to top things off. There's still no time to exercise. I've got to eat quick and get back to work.

23:21 - It's a good thing resting is a Fitness Rule because I've spent the last three days obeying that rule. And the way things look tomorrow, I will probably be obeying that rule for a fourth straight day. I inject my 15 units of Lantis insulin and head off to bed later than I should for another night of not enough restful sleep.