Intro to good nutrition

This is how I feel

** Note: over the next few weeks I will serialize in blog entries the Nutrition page over there on your right. Feel free to read ahead. But the daily entries will be sometimes different than what's on the Nutrition page.

Good nutrition is a critical component to marathon training. In fact, I consider it important as road work. And nearly as important as rest, which you may recall me browbeating you about earlier. Rest is important and too because it is easily ignored and forgotten during a serious training regimen. Neglecting rest could be harmful to your health. Neglecting nutrition, too, is harmful to your health, but there are few Americans in these modern times who ever neglect a meal.

When I set out to write this blog I did extensive research on nutrition, foods, nutrients, vitamins, phytochemicals, nutriceuticals, and everything I could get my hands on about the science of nutrition. With a head obese with gluttonous food information, it occurred to me that not only was this information unnecessary, it missed the point. This blog is about dreaming the Big Thing and grabbing hold of it, all in the metaphor of marathoning. This is not a blog about dietary nutrition. I will give you advice if you prefer to tackle the science of food, but for the purposes of this blog, I will keep it simple, but essential.

And without stuffing your brain as much as your stomach with food information, there is still a lot to say about nutrition. It is critical to your marathon success. This cannot be stressed enough. And planning out a dietary strategy, in my opinion, is just as important as the actual running.

Energy

Energy is the fuel that powers you toward success. Energy can be mental and physical. Mental energy, as described below, is called motivation. Physical energy comes from real fuel: food. To remain energized, it is important to eat responsibly and exercise regularly. This is described in greater detail on the “Nutrition” page.

Eating responsibly means understanding what your body needs to be strong. To succeed, surround yourself with the right foods and establish an eating pattern that addresses your body’s needs and what satisfies you. The more you know about your body’s requirements, the better equipped you are to remain strong. Plus, if you take the time to understand what your body needs, you may make it possible to enjoy the things you want.

Responsible nutrition doesn’t mean eating only tofu and bean sprouts; it means a balance of a variety of food sources – including fats – to remain healthy. Again, surround yourself in an environment of nutrition and a pattern of responsible eating. This will give you the physical energy that is compatible with – no, critical to – mental energy.

Read the “Nutrition” page (when I load it), and then make a shopping list of all the healthy foods you need to eat each week to stay physically energized – which of course will help with your mental energy as well.