Blog

Find the latest updates on my Instagram Feed (@fuelmybalance). I do plan on writing more for the blog, but currently haven’t written anything in a LOOOONG time.

 

 

I Heart Fat

I eat saturated fats and cholesterol, with no regrets!  Over the last few months since starting the NTP program, I’ve had a few people ask me regarding my fat intake.  Our media has demonized cholesterol over the decades and now we are terrified of saturated fats and cholesterol.  I do not understand how our government and media allowed this – literally making us unhealthy and sick.  But on the positive side,  there is a shift occurring, people are starting to take their health in their hands and eat fat and less processed foods.

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2017 Triathlon Season

Today was a wrap on the 2017 triathlon season!  Since my first one last year, I have fallen in love with this race.  I completed 3 Tris this year – one was suppose to be an ocean swim, but due to rough waters it was cancelled (Islandman Triathlon in Avalon); another in a pool which I’m not a fan of the serpentine style race (Lititz RecCenter Triathlon); and a lake which was awesome, even if my shoulder was acting up and I had to breast stroke the entire distance (Marshman Triathlon in Marsh Creek State Park).

Like all my half marathons, I really do need to start properly training for these events.  I do believe going to CrossFit a few times a week does help build strength and endurance, but CrossFit does not prepare you for sitting on a bike for extended period…Luckily you can swim however you want so there is always breast stroke. I would actually like to do better so I really need to start freestyling and conserving my energy for the other 2 legs.  Maybe next year I’ll properly plan and train for any Tris I decide to compete in….I do always say this for whatever race I sign up for…one day tho!

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Nutritional Challenge – Changes

Day 7 of no sugar, gluten, dairy, or alcohol.  Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t have delicious and tasty food!

Only 1 day of slip ups which for the most part were out of our hands…look I know we could’ve CHOSEN to not have alcohol or dessert, no one was MAKING us consume these things. But stressing out about our food choices will not benefit our bodies either. So yes, we had beer (Zach) and champagne (me) and ate desserts (shared mini desserts and didn’t Repeat the same one). The food at the wedding was amazing and I’m sure there was sugar and hydrogenated fats in there, but I didn’t stress about it. We did make the conscious effort to not eat bread at dinner and didn’t stuff ourselves. So I’ll take that as a win while dining out.

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Nutritional Challenge – WHY?

Starting today, for the rest of the month – NO GLUTEN, SUGAR or DAIRY!  My snacking has gotten out of control the last few weeks, the worst part is that I’m not even hungry! I’m just eating because I need a mental break and do something else.

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Food Prep is Key

I’m fully anticipating this week being a little crazy.  My client has some pretty insane deadlines for the end of the month and items keep getting added.  However, there are a few things that are non-negotiable to me: SLEEP (7 – 8 hours!), FOOD, & EXERCISE.  Regardless of what is going on, I need these to get through the day.

Over the past 3 years, I have learned meal prep is key to not eating out and/or binge eating.  I’ve become quite the snob when it comes to eating out as I prefer my own cooking and if we are going out it better be something to die for!

With a lot of trial and error, I think I’ve become pretty efficient with food/meal prepping.  It was definitely a struggle at first, but at some point I realized that I didn’t have to make complex recipes and FAT is critical to making a delicious meal.  The only thing required for the week were basics and doubling everything now that the husband has realized the benefits! Also, making large dinners guarantees leftovers!!

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Lititz Triathlon Recap

I do have one regret from last weekend’s triathlon…I should have gone harder. I’ve had the mentality lately of showing up and doing the work without pushing myself. Sunday’s race was no different. I swam and biked with minimal effort.

I am competitive but I’ve tried to keep it under control the last few years. It is more with myself than it is with other people. However, a little friendly competition isn’t going to hurt. The friend that got me into triathlons was doing this one. We both signed up last minute without any true training for the tri. But CrossFit trains you for anything, right?!

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Digestion: The basics to help fuel your daily grind

With all the stress I have in my life, the last thing I thought I was effecting was my digestion.  Hell, for the past few years I’ve completely shifted what I ate and how I thought about food.  I thought I was doing a pretty damn good job of eating the right foods to provide my body the fuel I needed to perform optimally. Enter NTA and a wrench in my daily grind…I have come to the realization that over at least the past 2 years I have been “thriving” off of cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline).

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Recap – Islandman Triathlon

I love triathlons for the sole fact that you get to execute three activities within one event.  Islandman Triathlon was a few weeks ago in Avalon, NJ.  Honestly, I had no true training plan…I had done a handful of swims and bike rides as well as ran at least once a week since signing up in February (I was going to CrossFit at least 2-3x a week).  I know, not the normal mentality of someone who committed to a race.

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Recovery Journey

Adrenal Fatigue – Part 3

I have been doing CrossFit for 4.5 years with varying degrees of dedication.  I would consider myself one of the “weaker” females in my gym.  My 1-rep max deadlift hovers around 155# (that is this year) and has seen little improvement.  The weak deadlifts have always been blamed on my running habits – quad dominant and weaker hamstrings; oh and my inability to activate my glutes.  Well in April this chick hit a 200# sumo deadlift. SAY WHAT?! My body felt great that day, there was no “knot” above my right glute and that damn bar went up when I lifted it.

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The Crash

Adrenal Fatigue – Part 2

Adrenal fatigue does not appear overnight.  There are subtle things that can fester over the years.  There can also be one event that will throw your adrenals over that threshold into fatigue.

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