Sunday, May 02, 2010
No Free Lunches
A common misconception about triathletes is that we can eat whatever we want whenever we want. Most of the public believe that because we dedicate so much of our free time to training that our bodies are calorie and fat incinerators that can dispose of anything that enters our mouth. On the surface those people are right. By dedicating hours per week to working out with our heart rate in various zones our bodies are in fact very efficient calorie burning machines. Where the disparity lies is in the notion that we can eat absolutely anything we want and get away with it. Admittedly there are some athletes who workout as a means to offset the effects of eating a less than stellar diet. Instead of looking exercise as a way to offset diet we should instead look at our diet as a way of fueling our exercise.
The analogy I use when people ask me about nutrition is this: Do you put low quality gas in your car that could wreck your engine or clean gas that helps your car run better and longer? Just about everybody chooses the latter, myself included. A car is a replaceable item. When it runs out of miles we get a new one, but we still give it the best fuel possible. Our bodies are our vehicle to take us through life. But unlike the car we drive we can’t trade it in for a new one when the miles run out. So why would we not want to fuel a vehicle we can’t replace with anything less than the best fuel possible?
Most Ironman and half Ironman athletes spend a minimum of ten to fifteen hours per week training. Could we polish off a whole pizza without minimal effect on our body? Probably. Would it be smart? Probably not. It wasn’t until my junior year of college that I started to realize the importance proper nutrition plays in not only overall health but also in athletic success. My “ah ha” moment came when I looked at pictures of myself from a New Year’s Eve party. Until then I didn’t realize how big I actually was. That’s when I decided to make a change. Fortunately I had a roommate who was a competitive amateur body builder who sat down with me and worked out a nutrition plan step by step. Within weeks I was starting to see results. Not only was I feeling better, I was looking better as well.
We all have those vices that are almost impossible to kick. Mine is ice cream. It’s the hardest thing for me to kick during a training period. Instead of giving it up completely I use it as a training tool. I tell myself I have to earn my ice cream. That means no ice cream on easy days, only hard days. And on those hard days I have to train at an effort that justifies reward. I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s anything but. Keeping your nutrition on track is in some ways harder than the physical training we do as triathletes because it’s completely mental. It’s okay to still enjoy your favorite foods even while you’re training. But just remember you have to earn your ice cream.
-Athlete Ian
Posted by Athlete Ian on 05/02/10 at 10:24 AM
EFC Athletes •
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