Nourishing Ourselves (Yet Another Post About Body Image)
Yesterday I read two blog posts in a row about body image. The first was Janae, aka Hungry Runner Girl. She talked about the shift from her previous mindset of being at war with her body, to now trusting it and feeling safe. Immediately after that I read Nicole’s post, about how hard it is- after a lifetime of trying to make ourselves “smaller”- to embrace strength training and the resulting increase in muscle size. What’s up with all these body image posts? Steph left a comment that summed it up beautifully, and sadly: “Living in a woman’s body is never easy.“ For the past several weeks I’ve been doing Caroline Girvan’s Iron Series workouts on Youtube. These are very difficult- for me- strength training workouts, and I’ve been dealing with major DOMS. The soreness is intense and lasts for days. I’ve tried stretching, foam rolling, keeping active, getting a massage… finally I concluded that there was no avoiding it. And then… While my son is at school I use his room for my “home gym.” One morning as I finished my workout I noticed a bag of protein powder sitting on his desk. He got into weightlifting over the summer, and drank a protein shake on the days he worked out. There were just a few servings left in that bag, and I was saving it until he came home again. But on a whim, I put a couple scoops in a glass of water and drank it down. WELL. I had NO DOMS from that workout. The next day was a very intense glutes workout, and again I drank two scoops of the protein powder immediately following the workout. Again I had no soreness, so I did it again after my long run on Sunday. Previously, I had been working out fasted, and then waiting 60-90 minutes after working out before eating breakfast Not on purpose- it’s just the way my schedule worked out on most days. Who knew that fueling properly could have such a positive affect? DUH. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT, including myself. So why was I basically starving myself before and after my workouts? I think it’s from a deeply ingrained belief- from my teen years- that the purpose of exercise is to create a calorie deficit. I wasn’t thinking about that consciously, but it’s not my first instinct to eat more. I definitely eat (eventually) but I secretly enjoyed that depleted feeling after a hard workout, and didn’t rush to fill the emptiness. After all these years, there’s still a part of me that wants to be smaller. But I’m turning over a new leaf! I’ve ordered more of the protein powder- I just got the same kind my son had, which is called UpNourish. Yes, I’m going to nourish my body instead of depleting it. I have no idea why this is so hard for me, but I’m excited to try something new. I’m linking with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics. Thanks ladies! Do you eat breakfast before you exercise?- Rarely. Before a longer run I’ll eat a little fruit because it digests quickly. Are you conscientious about fueling soon after a workout? – I am now!