Eat to Train

I was due to write on 'The Fear' .. that anxiety you have the day after having too many drinks and the neuro processes that cause it.  So, sorry to disappoint, I might come back to that, I just could not get the writing flow about it.  I know what I wanted to write but just couldn't get it out of me.  Instead I just wrote and the piece below came about regarding how my approach to training and fueling has changed over the last couple of years.

Some people claim that they exercise or train to eat.  They want to maximize the number of calories they burn, they want to lose weight.  I used to do it.  I used to run a lot.  10k runs, half-marathons even a marathon.  I lost some weight, but not quite what I was expecting.  Maybe I should have accompanied the running with a reduction in red wine consumption!  After running I felt I earned my food.  I didn't think about it too much, but it is actually quite an unhealthy approach to take.  Food is fuel, it's necessary, I shouldn't have felt that I needed to earn it.  I shouldn't have felt guilty about what I was eating.

These days my approach has changed and I eat to train.  I run less, a lot less, though do still get out for a couple of 5K runs per week.  I stopped wanting to lose weight and wanted to get stronger.  I started going to a gym.  I didn't know what I was doing so I joined a CrossFit gym.  I learned how to do all sorts of exercises, for power, for strength and for conditioning.  I learned to deadlift, to do weird things with kettlebells and to even love the assault bike.  I got stronger.  I got better muscle tone.  I can do exercises I could never do previously.  My core is now incredibly solid.  More importantly I now eat differently.  I think about what food I am putting in my body.  I learned about macros and what carbohydrates, fats and proteins actually do.  I now eat more often and when I exercise I know I can do it because my body is fueled and ready to go.

So, tonight I'll have my fish 'n' chips and a glass or two of red wine and know that when I get to the gym in the morning I will be fueled and ready to go.