Operation Nooga Nutrition

I learned when I ran a marathon last summer that no excellent workout can erase bad eating habits. Anyone who has attended a triathlon or even a road race can see this. Not every athlete has this hard, lean body. And while I firmly believe genetics plays a role in body type (I will never get rid of these massive feet and broad shoulders), nutrition plays a huge role (or roll for some of us) in appearance and ultimately performance.

Our smarter-than-us ironman friends have informed us and model the importance of a solid nutrition plan. So, starting today (we're a little lax when we begin new year's resolutions here), we implement Operation Nooga Nutrition. 

Reading about nutrition plans (meaning everyday nutrition and not race-day-nutrition strategies) really intrigues me. Every athlete has an opinion. One of our super-smart friends has one rule: don't let anything cross your lips that won't help you. I like this rule because it allows so much flexibility and thus less stress, which should rule training at this point. Stress, according to another smarter-than-us friend, is toxic, and who wants that. With that said, I think we still need a bit more structure with a few more rules. 

I read a nutrition column recently at triathlete.com by Matt Fitzgerald (author of a book I'd sure like to have time to read) entitled "Racing Weight: the Doable Diet." Basically Fitzgerald says the fewer rules an athlete has about nutrition, the more likely he'll be to stick with that plan. If I have to count fat grams, and protein grams, and carbs right now, I'm pretty sure I'd find myself so stressed I'd reach for the next cookie I could find. (Self-diagnosed cookie junkie medicate themselves this way.) So, the Nooga Nutrition Plan (with the aim of moving us down to racing weight and also fueling our bodies for the fun workouts we have ahead) focuses on our weak spots. It looks something like this for now: 

1. Drink water. Lots and lots of water. 

2. Drastically reduce sugar (this means no more cookie binges :( )

3. No carbs after 6pm. 

4. No snacking after 9pm unless we have a late-night workout (one that ends after 8:30pm). 

5. Eat a real breakfast with protein. 

And that's about it for now. I'm refusing to stress out over the fact that grapes have more sugar in them than any other piece of fruit. After all, they're better than a cookie. (Okay, they have more nutritional value, but really, what can taste better than a cookie?!) 

As far as training goes, we're slowly seeing added workouts. I put in a treadmill interval session that made me want to puke yesterday (I found it to be quite gratifying in the end), and we both are increasing our time on the bike. Mr. T. is utilizing his Spinervals and dreaming of more, and this past week he channeled his inner geek and found a way to map IM Chattanooga and put it on the compu-trainer so we can actually ride the course. He also graciously mapped the courses for the other three tri's I'm doing this summer. Now that's love. 

Looking ahead, I'm most likely going to put in some early morning sessions this next week, which I'm really looking forward to. Nothing feels better than finishing a workout before 7am. We are continuing on with our Tuesday and Thursday night spinning with friends (because our weather REALLY stinks right now--we're under a serious windchill advisory for the next 48 hours). Thankfully, having anywhere from four to seven people spinning simultaneously on a given nigh generates a little heat. We just need to figure out a way to deal with the smell now.