Many people think that because I am a registered dietitian, I must be a perfect eater. This could not be further from the truth. Being totally honest and transparent, my eating habits need a lot of work. I mentioned in a previous blog post that I want to set new baselines for my running in 2023. I know that means I also need to work on my fueling – both in respect to food and hydration.
In previous years, I have written blogs about these attempts. I have been through so much personally in the past two years that eating, and drinking are not what I want to spend my energy on. I have gotten into the habit of going out to eat or grabbing fast food for nearly every meal. I drink pop and fancy coffee drinks from Starbucks and not much else. I am still young, and my body will get through tough workouts without the proper fuel, but for how long?
Sitting on my lap at this very moment is one of my favorite books for endurance nutrition – Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for Marathoners. I love Nancy’s simple approach to fueling for long-distance racers. I have probably read this book cover to cover several times, and I keep going back to it because it is such a great resource. I’ve pulled it out once again, and I hope that it will inspire me to make some changes.
My plan is to post about the changes I want to make and the goals I have for myself. My hope is that not only will it keep me accountable, but maybe it will inspire others, too. You may have noticed that in all of this babbling I have not once mentioned my weight or body size (until now). I do not want to make this about how my body looks, but rather how my body feels. Instead of measuring the success of making these changes by weighing myself or taking before and after photos, I want to focus on how I feel, and that is what I will be sharing here. I’ll monitor my moods, my sleep habits, my hunger and fullness, my running paces and perceived exertion.
I am looking forward to sharing my journey with all of you. If there are any nutrition-related topics you’d love to hear me jibber-jabber about, or if you have any questions for me, please let me know! I love answering your questions and creating conversation in this community.
RD on the Run 