Fuel for Thought

Well, it had to happen. I knew this moment would come. It's time to start thinking more seriously about food and liquid consumption in terms of increasing my energy stores and improving recovery for my 100km training. So here are the top 5 action items on my list to improve my training from a nutritional level:

1. Drink more water. Lately, I've gotten out of the habit of drinking water during the day, and this means I'm often dehydrated. So my number one change will be to aim for 10 glasses of water daily.

2. Boost immunity through juicing. With the fall and winter seasons coming, my daughter will be bringing home a few colds and maybe the flu bug that gets passed around her classroom. Unfortunately, I am prone to sinus problems and have to be diligent in preventing sinus infections every year. So adding to my arsenal of preventative weapons this year, I'll be juicing on a regular basis to boost my immune system, and will aim for at least one glass of fresh vegetable juice daily. (I'll be giving my daughter fresh juice as well)

3. Reduce refined carbs. Along with my coffee addiction, I am also addicted to sugar. However, in the past whenever I've reduced my sugar intake, I've been able to stop the cravings and end the cycle of sugar boom-and-bust. So I will aim to limit myself to eating candy and baked goods (like my favorite morning muffin) to once per week. I'm hoping to take that down even further, but will stick to once per week to start.

4. Pack my lunch. I'm going to pack my meals and snacks for work, and allow myself to eat lunch out once per week (as a starting point). Controlling my food by packing it myself means I know what exactly I'm eating, and will become a healthier choice.

5. Eat enough. Sometimes if I have a workout session after work, I haven't fueled up enough earlier in the day and will turn to whatever is in my desk drawer to pull me through - often a high sugar item. This is poor planning and I'll need to be more vigilant about eating more, earlier.

So this is the top 5 action items to target for now. I may add more items to this list once these become habits, but it's a fairly good start.