Weights vs. Cardio: Which is truly more beneficial?

I am one of those individuals that always needs to have a new challenge and something to strive for. For a few months, training for a marathon definitely fulfilled that for me.  There is an incredible sense of accomplishment in finishing a 14, then an 18, then a 22, then finally a 26.2 mile run.  But when you are logging 70-80 mile running weeks, it can only lead to one thing- a complete burn out.  At least that's what happened to me.  After my marathon, running became like a chore, something I had to do to stay fit.  I needed another form of exercise, and I needed it bad.

So I started trying to workout.  I'm not going to lie, it was pretty rough at first.  A weight room can be extremely intimidating, especially when you are 22 years old and have never lifted a weight in your life.  But I went through every machine, every free weight, every muscle group. I just didn't want to turn into a big, muscle head He-She!

Along with helping me with my diet, I had a schedule that I could maintain of lifting and doing cardio, so that I would have a good balance.  Eventually, I became so comfortable in the weight room that I felt confident going through the exercises, and even lifting with the other juice heads.

The changes I saw in my body were crazy! I think I have always looked relatively fit and skinny, but nothing like what I was starting to develop.  I could actually see the outlines of my abs!  Biceps, triceps, calves and glutes became firmer and more toned.  And I'm telling you ladies, I lift HEAVY (for a 108 pound girl).  I am sore after every workout and it feels great.  This is the most amazing part- I dropped 5 pounds (which for me is quite a bit), and still looked feminine. On the days I was lifting, I only had to do 20 minutes of cardio.  Because I wasn't running everyday, the desire to run reignited, and it began to feel like an enjoyable activity once again.

But the benefits don't stop there.  My running became so much more than it was before.  Because I was getting stronger, I became faster. I no longer wanted to run in races, I wanted to compete in them.  And compete I did-  I placed 2nd overall woman in the Abilene Half Marathon, with an average 7:38 minute mile!

I don't tell you all of this to brag- I am just still in amazement myself at the incredible changes lifting weights has made in my life.  I have worked up to lifting 4 days a week and running 3 days a week (I really should have an off day, but I am addicted to both!).  By splitting my workouts, I find that I still enjoy both activities and give my body a chance to recover from each.  On the days I lift, my heart gets to rest and not be at such a constant high rate.  On my running days, my muscles relax and I work the soreness out.

So which is more beneficial, cardio or weights?  For me, it has to be both.  I try really hard to be good about my diet, and for the most part, I eat very clean.  I started eating right and lifting at the same time, and was equally committed to both.  But I have, and always will have, a major sweet tooth.  I now have dessert on a daily basis and have been known to go through an entire box of cereal in a day.  So in order to work off the extra calories, I do have to incorporate cardio.  And I do still love to run.  However, the cleaner you are with your diet, the less cardio you have to do.

Ultimately balance in all aspects of life is a good thing.  For the first 22 years of my life, I was thin, but not toned, and pretty weak.  With the incorporation of weight training in my workout, I feel leaner, faster, and most importantly, stronger.  And who doesn't like a strong woman?

How to be a healthy foodie!

Diet: What does that word really mean? To most of us, it means eat less and lose weight, right? Or it means depriving ourselves of things we like to eat. To be frank, diet is a hated word that no one likes to do, but at some point in our lives, we all try to do it.

But if you look up "Diet" in the dictionary, the definition is this: food and drink considered in terms of its qualities,composition, and its effects on health. So how can we apply that to ourselves and our daily eating habits?

The first part is the most important: quality. I always used to assume that to lose weight, I needed to have no fat and as few calories as I could possibly manage. Now I'm not going to lie, initially, this tactic works. You drop the first few pounds relatively easily, though you are probably grumpy and starving in the process. But what is even more frustrating is that eventually your body learns to function off of the very few calories you are giving it. What's worse, your body holds onto every calorie, storing it as fat and not allowing your metabolism to function at as high of a level as it can and should. So first and foremost: TO LOSE WEIGHT, YOU HAVE TO EAT! Believe me, no one had a harder time accepting and living by this as I did. But I quickly learned that by focusing on the quality of food I ate and the times that I ate it, I was able to not only eat more and feel fuller, but I felt better and had more energy all day.

Here's what I mean by quality: Eat the best types of each food group for your body. Eat the best carbs, the best protein, and the best fats. And eat them at the right time of day. Ideally, it is best to consume your carbs in the morning, so that your body has all day to utilize those calories for energy. It is also important to consume carbs pre- and post- workout for optimal performance during the workout and recovery after. Also (and ladies I know, this one was hard for me to grasp too) you HAVE to incorporate healthy fats into your diet. Otherwise, your body stores other food sources as fat, and again, this is not optimal for the metabolic process. And finally, the most important component, protein- this is what helps us build and rebuild muscle. Also, our body has a harder time breaking down protein, so it really fuels our metabolism.

Composition and quality really go hand in hand- eat foods that are composed of the best ingredients for the highest quality. The last part is the effect on your health- if it isn't going to impact your body in a positive way, try to avoid making it a part of your daily diet.

So what are you supposed to eat? Do you have to live on broccoli and baked chicken? Unless you are Kyle, no you do not! Healthy food tastes good, and even better, you feel good eating it knowing that it is benefiting your body.

Let's start with carbs: There are good carbs and bad carbs. Quick digesting carbs, such as sugar and anything not whole grain, are really only good after a workout, as it fuels recovery for your body. For the most part, you want to stick with slow digesting carbs as part of your daily diet. Examples of my favorites are Ezekiel bread, whole grain pasta, oatmeal and sweet potatoes. Almost all vegetables are "free" carbs, so add them into your diet anywhere you can!

Protein: This is the bulk of my diet. Protein sources that I like include eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, and occasionally red meat. I try to eat some source of protein at every meal.

Fats: Really, my best sources of fat come from two things: Naturally More peanut butter and edamame. Other sources of healthy fats include olive oil, almonds, avocados, and generally anything high in Omega 3 and low in saturated fat.

So what does a typical diet look like? I have to say, between the weight training and dieting, my body completely transformed this summer. I have never felt so lean and strong and HEALTHY! I will address the weights in a different blog, but here is a sample of the diet put together for me this past summer:

PRE-WORKOUT:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 (1/8 cup) scoop protein powder

POST-WORKOUT:
1/2 banana
1 tbsp. Naturally More peanut butter

BREAKFAST:
3 egg whites
4 oz. turkey
1 slice fat free cheese
French toast
- 1 egg white
- 1 slice Ezekiel bread
- 2 tbsp. sugar free syrup

MID-MORNING SNACK:
1 Carbmaster yogurt
1/4 cup Special K Protein Plus cereal

LUNCH:
1 slice Ezekiel bread
1 can tuna fish
1 slice fat free cheese
1/2 sliced apple

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK:
1 Carbmaster yogurt
1 Mama Lupe's Low Carb tortilla
1 tbsp. Naturally More peanut butter

DINNER:
1 cup broccoli
4 oz. chicken breast
1 slice fat free cheese
2 tbsp. BBQ sauce

EVENING SNACK:
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
5 strawberries

LOOK at how much I got to eat! It is amazing how eating the right type of foods allows you to eat more, look great, and most importantly, feel better. I utilized Daily Burn to track my calories, which really helped me stay on track. What's even better, once a week I ate whatever I wanted for dinner. Literally. Dessert and everything! This one "cheat meal" a week served to rev my metabolism back up and satisfied my desire to have a yummy meal with no strings every once in a while.

Now that it is winter time and I do not have to be seen in a bathing suit anytime soon, I have definitely increased the cheat meals to more than once a week. I no longer hate the term "diet" but rather embrace it as a means to a healthy lifestyle. I hope you will do the same!

The first post...

It is only appropriate that my first blog is about running.  Make no mistake, I was not a lifelong runner.  I have years of Gymnastics and Cheerleading on my activity resume, but only a couple years of running.  I think what most people struggle with is a starting point.  For me, it was sheer boredom that spiked my interest in the sport of running.

I had lived in Wichita for a few months and didn't know many people.  This was definitely my own fault- I woke up, went to work, came home, went to bed.  On the weekends that I did not have to work (I was working retail at the time), I would go home to Manhattan.  I would occasionally go see my boyfriend at the time in Topeka.  My life was repetitive, dull, and uneventful.  I clearly needed a hobby.

My mom has always been a runner and suggested that I try it.  In college, I would run 2-3 miles tops, and hated every second of it.  To me, running was just a means to stay in shape and work off the calories of candy and liquor that basically composed my diet. It was never enjoyable.

So I began running every day after work, starting with just 2 miles.  After running every day for about 3 weeks, I really started to enjoy it and upped my mileage.  After a month and a half, I was running 8 miles a day.  On a trip up to Manhattan, I logged 14 miles! It was that day that my Mom signed me up for a marathon- 2 months later.  I will tell you that looking back it is not wise to train this fast for a marathon, but if you ever have the pleasure of meeting my Mom, you will understand- she is the biggest go-getter I have ever met in my life.

Over the next 2 months, running became something different to me- rather than something to fill the boredom, it became a passion.  It was a means to let out the stress and loneliness I had thus far experienced in Wichita. When things ended for good between my boyfriend and I, running truly healed me.  I joined a gym to cross train in an attempt to prevent injury, and ended up meeting my closest friends.  My incessant running around the track spiked the interest of my now best friend, confidante, and soul mate.

I ran my first marathon in May of 2009, after just 2 months of serious training.  I logged a time of 3:52, which beat my goal of under 4 hours.  The feeling of crossing that 26.2 mile finish line was pure bliss.  I have never been more proud of an accomplishment in my life.

Running really changed my life, and the direction it has now taken me.  I don't log more than 10 miles unless I am training for a race, so running has become more relaxed and easy for me. I will be a lifelong runner from here on out, because running is a sport that gives back what you put into it- and look at how much it has given to me.