Feerlessfood's Blog

Leap: that term can be met with one of two answers:

1. Skepticism and what are you talking about? Leap? What??
2. How high?

I find myself being on both sides of this answer depending on who the direction is coming from.  And I think this is the simplest factor in success of your goals and overcoming your fears and restraints.
For years I’ve been struggling with eating right, exercising correctly for my goals, and devoting more time and brain power to thoughts about food and workouts than to the people who matter most in my life.

That’s where the skepticism occurs.  I can do research all day online about the best ways to eat or exercise, listen to different experts in the industry speak on health and nutrition, or have intense conversations with loved ones about how much more I could be getting out of life.  But if you don’t truly BUY IN to this, and are willing to Leap, you won’t meet your goals if you’re the one holding yourself back.

I’ve spent years meeting with different registered dietitians trying to find the right ones.  The majority I haven’t been able to make progress with.  Either they didn’t understand me and my goals, or they were completely wrong about nutrition and the sessions were spent with me educating them!  I’ve had a few who have been amazing—they knew what they were talking about, I believed them,  I respected them, and most importantly, I trusted them and looked up to them—almost like a boss or celebrity.

These are the ones where they told me to “Leap” and I respond “how high?”  Maybe you don’t have this problem with your goals.  I have no problem doing many things where I trust myself, but nutrition and exercise are the points in my life that I need the most guidance on.  Currently, I am putting my team together to help get my life in order.

• I have an amazing family who I trust and love and who I know will always be there for me
• I finally have a doctor who understand the implications of what disordered eating and strenuous exercise can do to your health and is keeping tabs on me
• I have a great triathlon coach and friend who is helping me with my plan and racing who I really trust, and I also have a number of close friends in the triathlon community who support me
• Finally, I have a new Dietician who is incredible.  Not only does she know far more than I do, she GETS me and she has been through the same struggles I have.  She is also extremely responsive and I can tell she actually cares!  I’m sure you all know what I am talking about—when someone truly cares, their input makes a world of difference.  She was straight up with me and said “do exactly what I’ve told you to do—I will not get you fat, I promise!”

So what do I think one the keys to success and change is?  Trust.  You must buy into the commitment you are making and trust those who are there to help you.  This goes for all goals—if you’re trying to lose weight or gain weight, you need to find a nutritionist you can trust.  Find a personal trainer who cares about you and wants to see you succeed and buys into that goal WITH you.  Finally, connect with your family and friends and get them on your team.

Thus, I’m ready to embrace this change heading into 2012.  But I’m not waiting until January 1^st to start—instead I am already embracing next year and the ones to come after that.  After all, health and happiness aren’t annual  entities—they are life long.

My nutrition is improving too and I’m making the adjustments that my nutritionist and I have planned.  I’m eating much more fat from natural sources than I ever have in my life.  It really is so much more satiating and makes you feel so much better—grass fed meats, avocados, coconut butter and coconut oil, olive oil, nut butters, eggs, and raw organic full-fat dairy like whole milk, whole yogurt and cheese, and real butter.

Cedar plank salmon... Yeah I did light the plank on fire at the very end- shut up

Grilled chicken, raw cheddar, and avocado on corn tortilla

Paleo banana, pumpkin, peanut butter, coconut pancakes!

Paleo Energy Cookies

Recipes coming soon!

I’m also focused on eating better around my workouts and during my workouts!  I made my first batch of paleo energy cookies last weekend and I’ll start posting some of those recipes.  The biggest limiter for me is sleep.  What do you mean 4 hours isn’t enough?  I know, I know… Amy, my nutritionist has also given me guidance on my strength training as well and her number 1 rule is, if less than 6 hours of sleep, not allowed to workout.  You won’t have the energy and your body will instead just secrete more Cortisol which can lower testosterone and other factors of increasing fat storage and hampering muscle gain.

My triathlon support team is also making progress.  I want to have my most successful year to date in 2012 and know I can improve when pairing a better diet and sleep with better training.  I looked at a few of my results this morning and I noticed that I have gotten faster, and raced longer, but not substantially from when I was a new triathlete to now.

So, 2012 goals—besides being healthier, happier, and a better friend and family member!

• Do a full muscle-up!  Check out the video—basically a full pull-up into a dip (Means I’ve got to get stronger!)
• Break 3 hours at the Boston marathon and possibly at another marathon later in the year
• Qualify for ITU Long Course Duathlon Worlds
• Qualify for ITU Long Course Triathlon Worlds
• PR in every distance race
• Break 4:50:00 in a half ironman race
• What else?  I know I’ve got more that aren’t so result oriented and I’ll add them as I think of them

Speaking of change, I’m thinking about changing the name of my blog… the content wouldn’t change, but being that I write about more than just recipes, I’m considering the change.

Vote here and let me know what you think!

1. What are your goals for 2012?  How are you going to achieve them- do you have a plan?
2. Merry Christmas!