Running: A Fever

In both episodes 68 and 69, I mentioned recovery foods, and it's a good reminder not to starve myself, even though I'm not exercising near as much as I was when this episode was recorded. Not only will I not gain muscle when I don't eat well, but I can lose muscle as well. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/305   Photo by Allan Mas from Pexels

In episode 68 I was really trying to move beyond the biggest loser contest, and fill out some gaps in my diet or supplement regimen. That contest was not healthy in the sense that to win it I had to just basically starve myself for 12 weeks. That's not a healthy lifestyle. The one thing that did come of it, other than learning what NOT to do, was that I had an external motivation to move me along. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/304 Photo by Vinícius Caricatte from Pexels

This is a great statement of how you don't have to go crazy. Unfortunately, a lot of information you get is tied to supplemental products that you really don't need. If you're trying to do this and make money, that's the kind of thing you have to promote. Fortunately, you have Running: A FEVER, amateurs that we are. We have no such alignments. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/303 Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

It's good to get all the nutrients you need to stay healthy nutritionally and to burn enough calories to have a healthy body composition and a healthy weight. But immediately what comes to mind is one of those blue zone concepts discovered by Dan Buettner. Specifically, staying in a caloric deficit. Perhaps at first glance, it doesn't make sense. After all, if I consume fewer calories than I need, you would think that eventually, I would die from malnutrition. But that's not necessarily the case. As we get older, we burn less energy and can get by on fewer calories. Also remember that metabolism is tied to caloric intake, so a reduction in calories means lower metabolism, allowing us to get more from the calories we consume. This is why short-term extreme dieting doesn't work. I suppose, like everything, we need a balance. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/302 Photo by Dominik Martin on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/@dominikmartin  

The point of this series is to learn from my previous success, and also failures. But I said in episode 65 that it isn't about knowledge, it's about just doing it, and it's not easy. That thing about how overcoming an obstacle makes it easier to overcome the next one, so one success is a lot bigger than it may look at first. If I can get through a week without overeating, if I can get through a week counting all the calories from every meal, those things are huge, and the next week it's that much easier, and because of that, I can go further, until eventually, I feel as I did in episode 65, that I can do just about anything. You don't get there overnight and you don't get there easily. It's hard work one day at a time, and one success at a time we finally do get there, and hopefully, stay there. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/301 Photo Credit: Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/@suzyhazelwood

This is a good example of what I had learned about patience I think. I get a sense that slow progress is good. And I should continue to learn, that's key as well. It shows up in what I learned about extremes of hydration and dehydration as well as the metabolic issues I had early in the year. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/300   Credits: Tortoise Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash: "A giant Galapagos tortoise stares me down while hanging out in a mud pool." from the Memphis Zoo, Memphis, TN, USA. Joshua is available for hire: https://unsplash.com/@jcotten "Funky Trap Sax" Music by John_Sib from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/users/john_sib-15655402/?tab=audio&utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=audio&utm_content=4864 "Tense Detective Loop" Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/users/zakharvalaha-22836301/?tab=audio&utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=audio&utm_content=10054  

Confidence is a result. It's a good reason to work hard. Realize that if I'm not confident in myself, I need to work that much harder. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/299   Photo by Michael Starkie on Unsplash

In this episode, I am ramping up my resistance training. Something I'm trying to be more consistent at here in 2021. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/298   Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Another motivational episode, which I like. I can list the things I've done in my life. I don't count any as great accomplishments, but it has been exciting, and there have been some high points. What do I want the rest of my life to be like, when I'm in my teens again, 113-119, and looking back on it. What about you? Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/297 Photo by Magda Ehlers from Pexels Photo by Michael Davis Media

I like this episode. Any time I hear good, motivational encouragement, that's good. I like the idea of challenging reality and not limiting myself and persisting. Hydration. I like the idea of having a goal, at least 8oz for every 16 pounds. For me, that's 17 servings. The dietician told me to add more based on how much I need to lose, but I think 17 is a good intermediate goal. Like the other things, I think keeping track of my hydration will help me get the right amount. And it's real easy, not like tracking grams of carbs or something. At this time I was able to have 1300-1400 calories. Not too bad. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com Photo by Michael Davis Media

This episode showed the good in getting adequate sleep and the bad in not getting enough. Apart from the mental effects, I wind up getting up later in the morning and missing out on workouts. Also, if you listen between the lines, you can see that there is a relationship between overeating and lack of sleep. I tend to eat later, go to bed later, and when I get there I don't sleep as well. Sometimes it leads to acid reflux, or I don't breathe as well. Whatever the symptoms, it's all part of that vicious cycle of one bad habit leading to another, but the positive side is that good habits behave the same way. And I am doing a couple of those things right these days. I am eating earlier. I generally aim for 4 pm for supper. And as a result, I am sleeping better. Another thing on my list now is not watching videos, but reading, especially later in the evening. That helps me get to bed earlier and sleep better when I get there. It's a holiday weekend going into a vacation week, so my diet isn't great. But I have b

This was 2018 but I still love Thorlo socks. Also, I think inversion and traction would help me even though I'm not having the shoulder pain it was started in order to correct. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/294 Photo by Moose Photos from Pexels

It's time for the perennial favorite top 10 list of the oldest people ever. Living to be 100 is still very rare. According to newretirement.com, worldwide, only 6 in 100,000 will do it. So how much of this really applies to us? I hope it applies to me, but I really don't know. Right now, there's no formula for living to 100. Just not enough data. The people on this list are those for which there is documented proof of their age. I'll give you the whole list in countdown fashion, the changes since last year, then a little biographical info on a super-centenarian. Super-centenarians are people who have lived longer than 110 years, which includes everyone on this top 10 list. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/293 Image by Nile from Pixabay

In this episode, the dietician recommended 64oz +8oz per pound you want to lose. I recently read that Tom Brady (see episodes 120,121,122,129,174) drinks between 14 and 37 glasses of water per day, sometimes more. There are so many opinions on how much you need. Personally, I should probably drink as much as I can. I don't think I could drink too much and I'm definitely not getting enough now. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/292 Full Episode 57: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Xd2KuaxC7IaxvHedrc2r8 Tom Brady YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-YNhuffh89maOARmUnz2QCb9r1rNNyi Photo by Michael Davis

Here we are 28 episodes into the Shattering-the-Yoyo series. I'm not sure how, in episode 56, I got from saying I'm going to stay the same weight for six months, to "I need to ease down". Seems kind of like I was cheating. I was already in really good shape at this point. There should have not been a lot of urgency to lose weight, and the battle for metabolism was in full swing. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/291 Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

I am starting to notice my step count now that I've started back to working in the office and wearing my fitness watch. It's a great reminder of how stagnant I can be. I have been eating yogurt again, sometimes have the oatmeal for breakfast, though I really like the Bicak breakfast, the "Egg McMuffin". I got a little burned out on oatmeal, and chili as well. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/290 Photo by Farhad Ibrahimzade on Unsplash

Welcome to 2022! And happy new year to everyone! In episode 54 I sought medical advice for the first time for my neck problem. I still have the problem, but the arm pain has not returned since I had my physical therapy back then. I have also gained back the weight and that can't be good for my spine. I do notice that there are a bunch of aches and pains that go with being heavy. My knee and feet hurt more. I have occasional back pain, but not often. Anyway, I eventually found out the true nature of my problem and got treatment for it, and that's the real message here. If I hadn't gone to the doctor about the pain, I would never have known how to eliminate it. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/289 Image by Dr. Manuel González Reyes from Pixabay

I had my biometric screening recently for 2021. This is when the company "incentivizes" me to come in and get weighed, and swabbed and stuck, and measured. Like anything, you can look at it as punishment or reward. Just doing the screening gets me $10 per payday, testing tobacco-free gets me some more, and more for a low enough blood pressure and BMI. I still do have a blood pressure issue in addition to my high BMI. Regular exercise helps lower blood pressure, so I'm starting to do some of that, need to do more. And reducing stress also. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/288 Image by VSRao from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/users/vsrao-8105725/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3168269  

I think the calorie log is really important. Not that writing the stuff down in itself is valuable, but by doing that, yes, we learn how many calories are in the foods we eat. Write them down even if you know you're going off diet. That way, the next time you get those 20 chicken nugget's you'll know how many calories that is. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/287 Theme music "Drivin' Into Town" by Repo Man http://RepoManBand.com Photo by Sourav Mishra from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/@photosbymishra?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels  

I've eaten a lot of oatmeal in my dieting in the last few years and I've learned a lot about the different types. Many instant oatmeal products contain sugar. And steel-cut oats have more calories than plain instant, but because they have a lower glycemic index they are a better use of those calories. And I can still get variety by adding my own flavors like cinnamon or adding a little fruit just for flavor. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/284