Powering On

Another good workout today and the traces of the dreaded lurgy are nearly all gone. I've caught up on a few blogs (Carolyn, I've found a dead mouse in the fridge on one move occasion but I think the squid tube is definitely the winner there!) and got some sweet potato on the go to have with dinner (sans mouse) - so here's the blog whilst I'm waiting for it to cook.

We were up early this morning to go to the building site and meet with the cabinet maker who is doing our kitchen - deep and meaningful conversations on topics such as how deep the pot drawers should be followed as well as ensuring that there was enough space for the fridge, the cooktop was placed just where we want it etc. The house is looking marvellous, we've got a nice cream coloured Colourbond roof and some steel blue trim - we also organized where the TV points were (the aim being to get a big plasma screen in the rumpus/gym - will be amazing!)/

Then it was off to the CBD to teach RPM which was good fun - hard work though after you've been a bit crook but worth the effort. I had to have a giggle at my post workout meal today - I had planned on heading back to Indro to pick up a Vietnamese Salad but instead got way laid talking to someone and ended up spotting a white chocolate Freddo. I don't have white chocolate often, but when I do, I really enjoy it - so I savoured my 15 g little Freddo, went about my business, got back to Indro two and a half hours later and realized that I was starting to get hungry for lunch at 3pm. Unbelievable that a Freddo Frog kept me powering on for hours! Learning to listen to your hunger cues is important - even though we humans like order, there's no reason to eat every three hours unless you're genuinely hungry. Today's intervals have been 2 hours, 1 hour, 4 hours, the magic Freddo, 2.5 hours, 2.5 hours and who knows when dinner will hit my plate?

Sometimes we get caught up in these eating patterns of "I should" for example "I should be eating x but not y" , "I should be eating my carbs post workout" , "I should be.." . This is imposing external control, whereas I feel the locus of our control should be internal. My only "should" is to honour myself with choices that make me feel good about who I am, and that allow me to be the best I can be. (and yes, this is a predominantly clean diet with the odd Freddo thrown in..lol)

Intuitive Eating and Biology

This morning I read Magda's post about the struggle she has faced post competition and wanted to share a few personal thoughts as to why the going gets tough.

It's worthwhile googling "The Minnesota Semi Starvation Study" to see the effects of a very restricted diet on a group of men and the psychological problems experienced afterwards and during the study as a result of the restriction. All comp prep requires a calorie deficit to some degree but an extremely strict and lengthy prep will have the same effect as the study above. It is often said that Figure and Bodybuilding Competitions are a breeding ground for eating disorders, which I agree with on many levels. I believe that bodybuilding tends to attract the "all or nothing" type of person (a common thread in bulimia/BED), the perfectionist (a common trait of anorexia nervosa sufferers) and other compulsive types. Now not all competitors are like this, nor do all go on to suffer eating disorders, but a good percentage do.

To sum up there is a demonstrated biological link - with many theories purporting to why this happens, but the fact is that it does happen.

The other thing that disturbs me about the bodybuilding world is that competitors jacked up on steroids are shown to be "inspirational". The IFBB Olympia is on this weekend, the so called "best" women's figure competitors are those with good symmetry (tick), good muscle (tick) and the best access to human grade (if you're lucky) pharmaceuticals (a 'false impression' if ever there was one ) In my opinion there's absolutely nothing inspirational about these girls.

I've digressed but I'm coming back now to the concept of Intuitive Eating that a few bloggers here are embracing. Even though I've done a "prep" this year, my whole year of life coaching has shown me the importance of making self care a priority. The focus on Intuitive Eating seals this for me. There is a lot of discomfort in letting go for many of us, but embracing some of the principles of Intuitive Eating can do us all some good, even if you're not ready to take all the steps. I'm not ready to take the steps surrounding my triggers and I've been reading an interesting blog that talks about both intuitive eating and triggers which explains to me why I feel terrible after eating a lot of junky food! Yes, I really do crave healthier fare afterwards, but studies relating to the opioid effects of processed carbs on the brain (that this author mentions as well as David Kessler in his book "The End of Overeating") suggest to me that it is a far greater honour towards myself to skip these types of foods.

Check out Sheryl Canter's work here , it is really interesting.

Taught RPM this morning, which was pretty tough and then had the most beautiful berry fruit salad with a dollop of yoghurt for morning tea. I sat there marvelling at the taste and crunch of the berries and felt deliriously happy that I'd treated myself with a great workout and some great eats.

I'm now half watching the Broncos get thrashed. I have a theory that if I left the TV, they may turn around and make a comeback!