Cue Simon and Garfunkel…
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t compare fitness to darkness but a funny thing happened this winter. I quit working out. Oh, I ran here or there, or had a few spurts when I actually got to the gym for a 30 minute workout. But, truly, I barely worked out. Especially in February and March. I blamed it on all kinds of things. No need to bore you with that. Bottom line? I didn’t want to work out. I slept, I had an extra cup of coffee, I blogged.
Another funny thing happened. I didn’t gain weight. I mention this because in January I made my declaration to buy bigger clothes, rather than diet. It seemed that embracing 10 extra pounds + no exercise should = more pounds.
Nope. I weigh exactly what I weighed on January 1.
My theory? Because I’m eating a healthy, balanced diet. I’m drinking green smoothies and green juice every morning. I’m eating higher raw meals. I’m eating enormous amounts of vegetables and fruits and beans and a good amount of grains. Sure, I enjoy an occasional vegan marshmallow sandwich but I’m not packing on the pounds because most of the time I eat like this or like this. I guess my point is that it’s about diet (the noun, not the verb) first and foremost. Years of running like a crazy woman (2 marathons, 17 half-marathons and 8 – 10 triathlons since 2004) didn’t make me skinny. It simply put me on a roller coaster, with the scale going up and down all year long, always ending at my current weight. It feels good to no longer look at exercise / fitness / racing as a weight-loss method. Because it isn’t.
But just because I haven’t gained weight with this lack of exercise doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be exercising! I need to exercise for my bones, for my heart and for my longevity.
Enter triathlon training. My husband was recently certified as a USAT Triathlon coach. He is now my coach. For the first time in our nearly 13 years of marriage he finally gets to tell me what to do. But only within the context of my needs. I explained that I don’t want to win my age group. I don’t want to work out seven days a week. I don’t want to get injured. With that, he put together a reasonable training plan that will get me to the start line and should prepare me for a solid, fun, race.
It feels good to be moving a bit more. It feels good to have a training plan because, face it, I need a nudge. But it feels great to enter a race plan knowing I’m racing for the joy of racing. It has zero to do with my weight.
I feel good.
And you, readers? Diet? Fitness? Both? How do you maintain your healthy (note I didn’t say skinny) weight?
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I’m delighted to join the One Green Planet team as a monthly columnist. I hope you’ll check out my first article: Daily Fuel For the Vegan Athlete.
32 thoughts on “Hello fitness, my old friend”
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There are some gems in your blog post, namely, “Sure, I enjoy an occasional vegan marshmallow sandwich” and “For the first time in our nearly 13 years of marriage he finally gets to tell me what to do.” Keep it up!!
Thanks, Stina! xo
I do it (stay active, run marathons, 70 – 100 mile weeks, etc.) to stay race-ready, but also for the health-benefits of being physically fit. I haven’t been to the doctor in years and my HSA account keeps accumulating in case anything disastrous happens. The weight control is just an added benefit of it all. 6″, 138 and holding steady.
Good for you!
For my body it is more diet than exercise that determines weight as well. But a combo of both is obviously preferred! Good to know the high raw diet is doing your body well.
I think higher raw does have something to do with it — hard to say what would have happened if if was filling up on tofu scrambles every day instead of 7 – 10 fruits and veggies before noon every day (in the form of smoothies and juices!)
I love James Brown!
Sometimes you just need some James Brown!
Great post. I’ve actually been working on a similar post about how I exercise for the joy of it–not because I’m trying to lose weight (though it helps to maintain my weight loss) and not because I have an unhealthy obsession with it (as well-meaning friends have accused me of). For me, fitness is a passion that makes my body and mind feel wonderful. And like you, I think weight maintenance is really about the way I eat on a daily basis–basically, what your vegan101 coach advised for health. Congrats on committing to triathalon training! Looking forward to hearing about it as you progress.
This is interesting Jennifer. The “joy” part resonates with me. See,most of the time I love working out. And when there were times I didn’t, I did it anyway, worried about my weight. I guess my revelation was that when it’s not joyful, switch it up, whether resting more or finding a new routine. It’s when we think “I must workout to stay xx weight / xx size, even if it sucks” that I think it becomes problematic. Thanks on the triathlon training. It’s not my first but I took last summer off from tri’s to run half-marathons. I’m looking forward to the diversity of training!
Congratulations! It sounds like you were at your right weight all along … I’m imagining a very Wizard of Oz scene here, wherein you discover you were right where you should be all along 🙂
Jamie, I love that!
Diet seems to be the thing that has the largest impact on me as well. When I was in competitive weight lifting, I had a heavy training schedule and a very restrictive diet. I now have long hard hikes/climbs on the weekends, but during the week I’m doing moderate yoga. I am eating a larger range of foods, and more of it. And my weight between these two “regimes”? Absolutely the same. A kinder, gentler, more joyful approach for the same results. Works for me 🙂
Tawney, thank you so much for sharing this! It really helps to see that others share this experience. And yes, gentler and joyful always wins for me! 🙂
Wow-are you inside my mind?
I have been in such a similar boat in that I just got back to a regular workout schedule after about 5 months off and did not gain weight in that period but ate what I wanted to when I wanted to.
It is nice to be breaking a sweat regularly again as with you, it’s not for weight loss purposes.
I love your outlook about the upcoming Tri as well!
Kindred spirits! There was just something about this winter …or I just needed a serious break…either way, I’m happy with the outcome. And I really am enjoying the tri training now (of course, that could be because I’m in Tucson and running in cool temps in the morning and swimming laps in the hot sun at the end of the day! LOL)
Love the update!
Weight is such a funny thing! In wellness coaching, I tell people that food is going to make the biggest immediate difference (and middle-term difference) in weight…and fitness mainly addresses long-term metabolism. When people workout like crazy and then quit, the body goes through metabolic and physiologic changes (holding less water in muscles, re-routing some glycogen storage, etc)…so although weight can remain, the body may be a lot different! It often takes many months (year?) to show up on the scale.
For myself, I try to keep a balance on my workout outlook—or I start to use it as a calorie-burning-crutch (oh, I can eat that, I’ll just do extra cardio). Since this doesn’t work long-term, I like to focus on quality of food and use exercise to enhance my body shape, long-term metabolism and give me a dose of happy chemicals 🙂 As long as I keep my head on straight about that…my weight stays “normal.”
I do agree that balance is key. I’ve been striving for balance in so many areas of my life over the past few years and definitely add exercise/fitness to the “needs improvement” category. I’m hot or cold. I’m aiming for warm. 🙂
Now I have sound of silence stuck in my head, but I’m okay with that. 🙂
This is a great post! I workout almost daily but it’s not always intense and it doesn’t feel like work. It’s something I enjoy. That being said, I think you’re right in the fact that food plays the bigger factor in weight loss/maintenance. I eat pretty healthy, but it’s something I continue to work on.
Brittany, that’s a really good point. I think I often think the workout has to be for something (hard, short run / long, easy run) rather than simply thinking I should move today, how about an easy 30 mins on the elliptical. Thanks for this!
Simon + Garfunkle = Awesome 🙂
I think it’s a combo for me. I’m all about building muscle, plus when I work out I feel more energized and able to focus throughout the day. Same goes for my diet – when I get the right nutrients, my energy level is good and my mood is better (which my co-workers appreciate!).
Hmmm, I was a bit crankier when I wasn’t working out as much 🙂
Wow. I know what you’re saying is true, but I still have a hard time accepting. I’m getting there though. You are eating what you want and what your body needs (quality and quantity). I know if I can stop obsessing about it I will be there too. Thanks for the encouragement. Really. THANK YOU.
Elizabeth, trust me, this is a process for me! But I’m glad you find encouragement from this. As you know, I’m in awe of your dedication!
Way to go feeling happy and healthy at your current (probably ideal!) weight! I think it’s great that the one time in your life where you’re truly not working out is the one time where your weight stays the same…probably means something there! Love your blog btw, I just found you:)
Olivia, thank you so much for stopping by and for the very kind words! I’m going to check out your blog! 🙂
I’ve been struggling with my amount of exercise. I love the energy I gain from it, but spending so much time on cardio on busy weekdays is not easy, especially when playing in the kitchen and blogging too.
I maintain my weight by eating well most of the time with an occasional raw dessert spurlge and eating out and a pretty intense workout schedule.
I hear you on being busy and cramming in workouts. I think that was part of the reason I pulled back. I want to do a few things well, not many things half-a**ed. But it feels good to find myself in a nice, moderate groove…
Love this post! I’m trying to wean myself off of obsessive exercising (though I’m not planning on quitting or anything) and also learn how to maintain my healthy weight. I’m definitely interested in eating more of a vegan/raw diet.
Thank you for the feedback! Believe me, it’s been a process (and still is) but it’s great to try to find a true balance in my fitness and diet. RE: raw/vegan diet — spring and summer is such a great time to experiment! I could eat salad morning noon and night this time of year! (but raw is so much more than salads, of course!) 🙂