taubes on oz

Hello September! (Yes, I know it's a little late.) Apologies for lagging on the blogging. Things have been hectic, as I enter yet another phase in my life....

For starters, I re-located and now live in not-so-sunny South San Francisco. This means a few things: (1) I had to suspend my One World membership because I can't figure out how to commute to the gym (plus, my car is about twelve years old and can barely handle the current commute I put it through). (2) I miss my One World family! (3) For the time being, I'm going to have to Globo Gym it for a while.

Before you judge or make fun, I will say that the Globo Gym I signed up for is quite nice. There are LOTS of classes and I'll be taking advantage of their spin, kettlebell, yoga, dance, and bootcamp courses. They also have several CrossFit-esque classes, which should be interesting. Also, I kinda miss just walking into a gym and doing whatever. I'll let you know how it goes:)

Outside of personal stuff, did any of you catch Gary Taubes on Dr. Oz recently?! In case you didn't know, Gary Taubes is the author of Why We Get Fat and Good Calories, Bad Calories, two books that are staples in anyone's paleo/primal book collection. He's also written a few major articles in the New York Times: What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie and Is Sugar Toxic? The Dr. Oz segment is quite entertaining. The title of the segment alone should draw you in: The Man Who Thinks Everything Dr. Oz Says is Wrong. Why yes. My interest is piqued. If yours is too, here are links to the segments.

 The Man Who Thinks Everything Dr. Oz Says is Wrong: Part I
 The Man Who Thinks Everything Dr. Oz Says is Wrong: Part II
 The Man Who Thinks Everything Dr. Oz Says is Wrong: Part III
 The Man Who Thinks Everything Dr. Oz Says is Wrong: Web exclusive!

Admittedly, I have some strong feelings about the segment, which I'll cover at another time. For now, I'll let you know that Taubes did indeed take a cholesterol test. His blog post about it is here.

I participated (very slowly) at last week's Giant Race.

FINALLY, in a previous post, I mentioned that I was participating on a "Road to the Half" challenge, where I would commit to some kind of exercise for 30 minutes everyday starting September 1st. Well, I failed miserable on the first two days. However, by September 3rd, I went right on track. Here's my progress so far:

9/1: No workout
9/2: No workout
9/3: Rowing/Biking at Globo-Gym
9/4: Run 10 miles
9/5: Stretching to recover from 10 mile run

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Regarding the 10 mile run, I conquered it in two segments: a 4 mile run and a 6 mile run back to back. For breakfast, I had Canadian bacon and a slice of cheese for my pre-run workout. After the first four miles, I was POOPED and wasn't sure I could continue. However, the SO bought me a luna protein bar and some sharkies. For long runs, I'm used to having snacks like that to sustain energy. I'm not sure how paleo diets go with endurance runs. From this weekend, I can honestly say that I do need a piece of fruit or snack to keep me going. No. nuts and beef jerky don't quite do the trick. I say this because when I did the Giant Race, which was a few weeks ago, it was only a 5K and I was knocked out for the afternoon. However, when I did this 10 miler with a few snacks, I could continue with no problem. Also, when I came home, I didn't conk out for the rest of the afternoon (unlike I did with my previous 8 miler and the 5K). Hmmm... Will have to see what Mr. Cordain says about nutrition and endurance sports. I'll also have to look up some things about endurance athletes and paleo eating.

don't call it a comeback

Hello all!

Yes. It's been ages. I've been off the workout wagon and I need to get back on. Consistently. With that, I'm designing my "Road to the Half" Challenge. Starting September 1st, I'm going to commit to working out at least 30 minutes a day. It can be as intense as running or CrossFit, or as simple as yoga or walking. The idea is to get my butt moving for at least 30 minutes a day (and to spend less time on the computer). The Nike Women's Half Marathon is Sunday, October 16th. That will be the last day of the challenge. After that, I'm going to have to craft a new challenge that prepares me for my next (and likely last) race of 2011, which is the San Francisco Mermaid Run, where I'm running the 10K race. The Mermaid Run happens on Saturday, November 12th. Again, after that race happens, I will post yet another challenge to help me cope with the year-end holidays. Finally, to celebrate 2012, I will again, craft another challenge.

I figure it's good to put goals on paper so that I can be held accountable for my health. Lately, my eating habits have definitely improved and I've lost some weight since joining Chris Stroud's Lean Out program. The progress is slower than I had anticipated, but a lot of it has to do with my level of commitment. I'll do a longer, much more efficient post on Lean Out. For now, if you have questions, you can contact me directly. Better yet, go straight to their site!

Another reason why I'm fully committing is because by 2012, I'd like to get off the Byetta for good. The medication is costing me way too much and frankly, there are a lot of other things I'd like to buy for $80/month (and that's WITH insurance). I like to think I'm on the right path. Though I'm on medications, my blood sugar checks have been the lowest I can remember in a long time. This week, I went as low as in the 80s. Right now, I just need a game plan.

Anyway... Happy Saturday and cheers to better health:)