So I've entered the 6 hour race at Torq in your sleep, and now the reality is that I have to train for this, properly train cos if I don't do this right I'm going to set myself up for a BIG fail!
Thing is I'm crap, in fact if they gave out prizes for being crap, I'd sweep the board, big time! All hail the Queen of being crap!
OK, I probably shouldn't be so hard on myself, afterall it's not like I've entered the Elite class is it! No, I'm just a middle aged, menopausal, slightly mad woman who is doing this for no one else but me, so if I don't do this properly who am I letting down, me right?
Well no, actually all the people who love and support me will be let down, my Husband Leigh for a start who despite his piss taking a lot of the time (He suggested the name Team Tena Lady) I think he's quite proud I've booked in and appear to be taking this quite seriously!
I've created this illusion on Instagram of being a healthy eater, great cook, sharing pictures of all these amazing healthy, colourful meals and yes I do make this food pretty much every day but I'm going about it all wrong!
It's all well and good preparing meals with healthy ingredients but if you don't know when to eat, what to eat and why you should eat certain food pre and post workout, it's all rather pointless and I might as well go back to ready meals and burgers and chips!
I do have breakfast, I didn't eat breakfast for many years and only started doing so when I started my health kick back in March 2016. But to be honest I eat my breakfast at the wrong time of day! Instead of having it in the morning when I get up, before I exert myself walking/running the dogs, I have it when I get home AFTER walking/running 3 miles... eeeeeeer plonker!
So that's thing number 1 to change from now!
I quite often have no lunch, in fact I quite often eat nothing between my breakfast and evening meal, then wonder why I'm so hungry when I get to the evening.
I kind of know why I do this, CALORIES, I obsess about calories and in fact I don't need to anymore... I did a year ago when I was entering every morsel that came within 10 yards of my gob into MyFitnessPal, when I was a chunky monkey desperate to loose that huge muffin hanging over the top of my trousers!
But that's gone now, and I am slimmer, and with the amount of exercise I do, there's not much chance of Mrs Chubby Nuts returning so why am I still obsessing about how many calories I eat in a day?
If I am to train for Torq in your sleep properly, I need to be eating properly, not worrying about calories instead making sure I eat appropriately for the amount of exercise I am doing each day and that includes walking/running the dogs.
I've had a bit of a wake up call this last couple of days, after a week of exercise/training I am tired as hell and I'm wondering why? Hence the blog, I'm the only one reading this but if I give myself a good bollocking on here, where I can come back and read it at anytime, then maybe it will sink in?
I sat in bed this morning feeling absolutely knackered! I had told my husband last night I would get up with him at 6.30am and take the dogs for a gentle 3 mile jog round the park/lake.. well I felt so crap this morning it didn't happen. Well actually it did happen but not til 9am and it was more like 1.5 miles as one of the dogs decided he didn't want to join in!
Anyway, I'm sat in bed at 6.30am with a mug of coffee my husband had brought me, and I decided to Google 'Why am I so tired after exercising?'
I expected Google to say 'Your old and unfit my dear, get off your arse and sort yourself out!' well actually it didn't say that but the jist of various websites did say this...
Stolen from the interweb (from here actually)
When blood sugar levels drop too low, exhaustion may occur. Pre-workout meals prevent this by stabilizing blood sugar levels. Eat a high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein and low-fat snack between one and three hours before working out. This can be a banana, oatmeal, juice or low-fat yogurt. After-workout meals eaten within 20 minutes also help. A snack with a 3-to-1 ratio of carbohydrates and protein will restore glycogen and replenish tired muscles, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Good post-workout snacks include trail mix, yogurt with granola and chocolate milk.
Dehydration can lead to muscle fatigue, heat exhaustion and diminished energy levels, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. To monitor hydration levels, weigh yourself before and after each workout. Also monitor the color of your urine, which should be light. Drink eight to 12 ounces of fluid 15 minutes before working out. Drink at least 3 ounces of water every 15 minutes during your workout -- make that a sports drink if you exercise longer than an hour. Within two hours after working out, drink enough water to replenish each pound lost. The rule of thumb is 20 to 24 ounces for each pound, according to the American College of Sports Medicine
Post-workout tiredness may simply be a case of “too much, too soon.” The body needs rest not only to repair itself but also to grow stronger. Not allowing for sufficient rest may lead to fatigue and future injury. In addition to fatigue, over-training causes moodiness, confusion and impaired immune reactions, according to the American Council on Exercise. Incorporate at least one rest day after vigorous exercise.
So taking all that on board I am back on the Lean in 15 meals, I love the Joe Wickes recipes, they're yummy and easy to cook! And I've read up about hydration and after seeing a post on Facebook from Steve Day (single speed 24 hour World Champion who I happen to be friends with on FB) I've bought some amazing hydration products from Precision Hydration, which I hope will help me as well.
Hopefully if I can get this right, I won't feel so groggy after exercise, I can push myself harder and training will be easier, well as easy as it can be for a middle aged, menopausal, mad mountain biker!
