OBSESSION

Obsession seems to be one of those words that is only ever associated with certain types of activity.......and nearly always has a negative conotation. Excuse me for being defensive for a moment. People can be obsessed with work or a person they find attractive but mostly I here it labelled at anybody who excersises a lot....... and always by people who don't. I find this curious; I never here anyone say someone is obsessed about eating or partying into the early hours or drinking or reading or fishing or shopping for shoes or handbags or, or, or....and even if they do it is always light hearted and non judgemental; so why do we fitness types get such a bad rap and what is the reason for this. Generally speaking I keep a low profile but recently I have thought why? and hence this blog. If your goal is to become healthy and fit or to just maintain your health, I believe it should be celebrated and encouraged rather than denigrated or ridiculed. The Brits and some of the French are particularly vociferous at the latter. There is, of course, one place where encouragement is the norm and that is California........but they're all nuts I hear you mutter, you see, there you go again. I believe excersise should be classed, at worst, as a healthy addiction and at best as an example of dedication and character.

      I remember many years ago I had just returned from a run and was in the middle of some rather strenuous press ups and various people were giving me jibes about what I was doing until one person -a Californian - passed by and shouted  'Doesn't that feel great!'. I know, I know, perhaps a little over the top for us urbane English but at least it was encouraging.....and it made me smile.

     Some of you have asked exactly how much do I excersise and what do I eat. Now this really is going to sound obsessive but bear in mind that to my other fit friends I am a complete lightweight, so its all relative.

Average weekly excersise routine.

Monday       AM-  1 hour easy10k run in hills average elevation gain 1500 feet (500 metres)
                    PM - Various excersises inlc 60 press ups, planks, 50 squats, Pilates etc
Tuesday       AM - 20 mins Tabata sprints
                    PM - Rest
Wednesday AM - 4 hour 25k run in hills average elevation gain 2100 feet (700 metres)
                    PM - Rest
Thurday       AM - One Hour fast walk
                    PM - Rest
Friday          AM- Tabata sprints,30 mins uphill.
                    PM- Various excersises incl hip flexors, press ups , abs work, pilates etc
Saturday      AM - One hour fast walk
                    PM- Rest
Sunday         AM -13k  tempo run 1hr-20 mins
                    PM - Rest
I wiil then vary this training  over the next week and repeat; with lots of stretching.  Any comments or advice will be gratefully recieved.
       Rather than list everything I eat I thought I would just briefly summarise. I don't drink or smoke, I eat very little red meat and tend to eat chicken or fish. I have a mixed salad with no dressing every lunchtime and we eat very early in the evening before 7 pm. I do eat carbs but usually only 3 to 4 times per week and very small portions. This is sometimes difficult to balance because carbs are a pre-requisite for endurance running but from my research protein is just as important and so nuts are also included for this reason and  also for the 'good' fats they provide. Obviously we eat alot of vegetables and some fruit but not much and besides I supplement this with two 'Juice plus' capsules.
   Breakfast is always a half litre of green drink, not only for the abundance of nutrients but also to assist in alkalizing the blood stream plus a probiotic capsule whose benefits are too numerous to mention - trust me. After this, two handfulls of mixed organic meusli with extra almonds and oats, no milk or sugar.......and one ripe banana. Later I may have another probiotic mixture included in a shake with greek yoghurt, melon, strawberries and more green drink but not everyday. I drink at least two litres of water a day but when running, considerably more as my 'sweat rate' is about 1.2 ltres an hour. I will also be consuming gels and power bars which add to the Carb intake if I am running more that 90 minutes. (Glycogen depletion).
       Finally the BAD stuff, yes I do eat crap as well. I have two chocolate croissants and two coffees whilst reading my morning paper and after lunch and dinner will have 3 chocolat biscuits with a cup of tea. I figure with everything else I do I can get away with it. I have no idea if this regime is the right or wrong way but I have a fit and healthy physique, low body fat, healthy blood composition, excellent immune system and a low resting heart rate of 49. I intend to constantly improve my diet and excersise regime through research, advice and testing.........I am also aware that many things in life are far beyond my control but at least I am giving it my best shot.