Category Archives: The Metabolism Project

The Metabolism Project

Getting Back on the Wagon

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Falling-off-the-wagon

During my posting hiatus I had somewhat of a workout hiatus as well.  I took about a month break surrounding our purchase of the new house.  But during that time I was very active with packing and moving.  After a period of not working out sometimes it can be difficult to begin again.  For me, knowing that I have an event I am committed to helps me stay motivated and make the time to train because when that day comes if I have not trained it will be a lot less enjoyable.  If I don’t have an event coming up I can’t seem to find the time or motivation to consistently work out.  I have found what I need to do to stay on the wagon.  When I don’t have an end goal or event I tend to find myself in the gym wondering what I am doing.  I ask myself what is the point?  I usually get on a elipical machine for 30-45 minutes do some lifting but I never stick with it because I don’t know what I am working toward.  It feels monotonus and like a chore to get the work out finished rather than a journey to an end goal.  I have been back on the wagon doing my triathlon training now consistently for about 3 weeks.  The triathlon is less than a month away and I am feeling really good about it!   What keeps you on the work out wagon?

Current weight:  139

-Callie Ham

 

The Metabolism Project

Recommended Sugar Intake

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A while ago I was listening to NPR and heard a story about the negative effects of having a high sugar diet.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/02/03/271130613/sweet-tooth-gone-bad-why-22-teaspoons-of-sugar-per-day-is-deadly

According to the story women should have 6 teaspoons and men should have 9 teaspoons, but generally it is best to stay under 10 teaspoons a day.  It became complicated because on all food labels sugar is measured in grams instead of teaspoons.  So, I had to figure out how many grams of sugar are in a teaspoon.  There are 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon.  So basically it is best to stay under 40 grams of sugar in a day.

I have kept track for the past 18 days if I have stayed under the recommended number and without changing any habits I stayed under in 12.  It was really easy to go over the amount with one soda, dessert or a combination of snacks.  With that being said, so far it seems that my instincts guide me well when it comes to eating mostly healthy.

Current weight: 139

Books, The Metabolism Project

Triathlon Training for Pleasure Seekers

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I have done a few triathlons.  My first one was an Olympic distance and I did it in the summer of 2007 in Boulder, Colorado.  Since then I have done several different variations of triathlons.  I have done another almost Olympic distance triathlon, a half iron man and a 6 and 12-hour adventure race.

Adventure racing is similar to triathlons but you have a 2 or 4 person team that you have to stay with and the added challenge of navigation is included.  The swimming is replaced with kayaking, the road biking is replaced with mountain biking, the running is replaced with trail running and there are other fun outdoor activities sprinkled in.  In the 12-hour race I did we got to rappel, ride an alpine slide and go caving.  With that being said I have some experience but I am by no means an expert at triathloning.

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I am currently training for an Xterra Triathlon, which is kind of a cross between a regular triathlon and an adventure race.  There is no navigation component but you get to trail run and mountain bike instead of road run and bike.  Which is kind of perfect for me because I am horrible with the navigation piece and I enjoy mountain biking and trail running over the road biking and running.

I have found that when training for events, it is good to start early but give yourself breaks or cross train with other activities so that you don’t burn out with the training.  My Xterra triathlon is going to be at the beginning of August and I have already started training but I took a week off in February because I needed a break from the routine and I frequently substitute snowboarding or snowshoeing for workouts to change things up.  Because my motivation for doing these events is to have fun, challenge myself and stay in shape – with more of an emphasis on having fun and challenging myself.  I have tried to come up with workout plans without an end event in mind and I never end up following through.  I think it is because I have commitment to doing the event.  If my goal is to ‘stay in shape’ solely there is no climax and it is a never-ending process to ‘stay in shape’ which is very de-motivating for me.

The training book that I use to get workout plans is called “Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide: Plans, Scheduling Tips, and Workout Goals for Triathletes for All Levels” by Matt Fitzgerald.  I have looked at several books and cruised the Internet and I like this book the most.  It includes workout plans from a sprint triathlon all the way to a full-blown Iron Man with 7 levels of training intensity for all the distances.  It also has heavy and light ‘off season’ training workout plans which is what I am doing right now since the triathlon I am doing is months and months away.  So right now I am ‘suppose’ to be working out 6 days a week.  I am doing one swim, bike and run and on the other days I am doing strength and flexibility training.

essential-week-by-week

Current weight: 140.5

-Callie Ham

The Metabolism Project

Introducing the Metabolism Project

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I have always been one of those people who have not had to work hard to maintain a skinny figure, and for YEARS I have been hearing from multitudes of people that once I hit my thirties that my metabolism would slow down and it wouldn’t be so easy anymore.  I would like to chronicle my emergence into the dreaded thirties with a discussion about my weight, workout habits and my love of food.  On a monthly basis I will post my current weight and how things are going with me in this area of my life.

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As you can see right now I am at about 140.  My weight has maintained between 130-145 since I was in my mid-twenties.  But I did turn 30 in September so we shall see what happens.

As for my exercise habits, I am currently training for a xterra triathlon so I am working out more than normal, but as you can see from my training schedule (pictured below) I am not being super consistent with my routine.  For those of you who don’t know a xterra triathlon is like a normal triathlon except it is mountain biking and trail running for those portions of the race.

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And last but not least eating habits:  I have never and I don’t ever plan on going on a ‘diet’ but I have been trying to eat healthier lately and frankly when I am working out more consistently like I am I crave the healthier options naturally.  I also tend to choose the more fatty and calorie-ridden foods.  For example my husband eats Yoplait light yogurts but I just like the regular ones better.  Also, I drink the full-fledged sugary sodas, but it takes me a months to get through a 12-pack.

-Callie Ham