Fueling Up

Food is fuel and not a solution to anything other than giving your body nutrients.  I love chocolate like the next girl, but it's not going to change my situation. -- Gabrielle Reece

It's totally weird that two of my sports idols are volleyball players, isn't it.  (Remember my lovefest for Kerri Walsh?  Yeah.)  Sometimes it seems that they are a little more normal and a little more balanced than some other athletes.  Don't get me wrong - I love triathletes like Chrissie Wellington and I enjoyed her book, but her lifestyle is not mine.

Anyway, enough hero worship - food as fuel.  That's been on my mind a lot recently.  It could have something to do with the 4-5 pounds I've gained in the last couple weeks, between Disney and the beach.  I don't want to lose those 5 pounds just for the sake of losing them - heck, I still fit in my skinny jeans (although I'm aiming for a skinnier pair of skinny jeans and another 10-15 pounds beyond those 5).  Mostly I want to lose those 5-20 pounds to feel like I am as healthy as I want to be.  Right now, I don't think food=fuel is necessarily driving all of my choices - and maybe it shouldn't drive all of my choices, but I want to make it a more integral part of my inner dialog.

And it's not just for myself.  With two athletic girls and a tri-husband (meaning he does tris, not that I'm trying him out...ba dum bump), we should probably eat better as a family.  Sometimes it's easier than others - I like to cook (most of the time) and I don't do a lot of pre-prepared meals, although I've sunk into them recently as our schedules have been insane.  I'd like to cut out more of the processed food the girls take in their lunch boxes, but that too would require additional time and a little more adventurous spirit from them.  They are actually really good eaters - but hey, would you rather take a (organic & minimally processed) granola bar or carrots & hummus in your lunch box?  Exactly.  They'll eat hummus at the dinner table, but in front of their buds who eat cheetos and fritos and doritos, oh my!  Yeah.

Throughout the spring, I've eaten a modified-paleo type lifestyle (not diet).  Meats, veggies, fruits, limited processed carbs, etc.  That, of course, went to hell in a handbasket during our vacations.

I'm intrigued about taking it a step or two further, but I'm not sure I'm ready to commit.  I've been studying the Whole30 program - but I'm not sure it's something I can even really consider until after the HIM.  I'm still trying to figure out nutrition/hydration for the race, let alone trying to do it all natural.  (Besides that, the Whole30 would take away dairy (I eat yogurt occasionally but could live without it) and alcohol (NOOOOOO! Don't be messing with my wine and beer.).)  

I realize the idea of healthy eating is about moderation - but to take a few steps away from the small amount of processed food we eat would be so interesting to me.  Believe it or not, I'm not a freaky granola mom.  I wasn't a baby-wearer and I have no qualms killing many trees, printing documents at work.  It's not an environmental thing or even an ideological thing - I just wonder if the purported healthy effects would be worth the extra work.  Just something on my mind.