Our new fitness challenge diarist, Vina
Silvis, stumbles when it comes to eating healthily and keeping up her energy
levels
I love exercise! Currently my weekly
workout log looks something like this: 2-3 swim sessions (1 hour each); 2 runs
(30 minutes each); 3 spinning sessions (45 minutes each) with a 20-minute run
after at least one spinning session; and longer rides or races over weekends.
But I seriously lack the energy to maintain
this pace. In the evenings after work I can’t keep my eyes open, but I then
wake up tired. Five minutes after arriving at work I’m starving and devour my
lunch (if I had the time to pack any!). I usually have a throbbing headache
after work. I can add the following to my list of concentration and, at times,
blurry vision…
So my main area of concern is not my
exercise output or my ability, but my lack of energy.
My meal frequency doesn’t match my activity
levels; I might go as far as calling it shocking – disastrous really. I’d eat a
banana before an exercise session at 5am, have a low-GI breakfast, like muesli
and yogurt, then starve myself until 1pm.
I usually oversleep and don’t have time to
pack snacks or lunch – then greedily gobble down anything I can lay my hands
on. Usually I’ll raid the sweet drawer or rusk tin at home, and then have
dinner at around 7.30pm.
I
usually oversleep and don’t have time to pack snacks or lunch
My first (very important) step to the Swazi
Adventure Race is to sort out my nutritional needs. I must ensure that I have
sustainable energy levels to compete in this grueling endurance race for 7-14
hours.
I decided to consult registered dietitian,
Dr Nelly Silvis, who also happens to by my aunt. Together we went back to
basics.
We walked about the importance of keeping
my blood sugar levels stable, did an overview of my lifestyle and the small
changes we’d implement in the coming weeks.
The good news is that most of my symptoms
can be alleviated. I will do this by adjusting my meal frequency, and adapting
the type of food I eat before, during and after exercise. I will also start to
snack regularly. Nelly recommended that I eat a low-GI snack, for example, a
yogurt, before I exercise to keep my sugar levels in the safe zone.
During exercise I can drink diluted juice
(half juice, half water). After gym, I can have the other half of my juice to
restore my blood sugar levels.
Something I’ll implement immediately is to
pack snacks and lunch for work. Snack times will be at 9am and 11am, with lunch
at 1pm and my afternoon snacks at 3pm and 5pm.
Dinner must be before 8pm, with one last
snack if I go to bed after 10pm.
We’re taking baby steps to get me into a
routine of healthy eating habits. Besides focusing on my new nutrition regime,
life also happens during this new adventure. I recently moved house and am in
the process of changing jobs. So my mantra right now is: plan, plan…
Giant leaps with my eating habit won’t be
sustainable for more two days before I return to my “don’t care” attitude to
eating. But small nudges will work.
Armed with this advice, I hope to attain a
lasting healthy eating routine.
