Fueling your body is just as important as fueling your car if you plan to do any sort of distance. There is a ton of information out there on what to eat, how to eat it, and how much to eat. I, to be perfectly honest, am a little bit lazy and unmotivated when it comes to food, so I’ve come up with a few strategies to make my diet as good as it can be (given my personal constraints).
1. Try to buy “whole” food – That means buying lettuce, tomato and avocado as opposed to salad in a bag. Or… more importantly, try buying potatoes and ground beef to make shepherd’s pie, rather than just grabbing one from the frozen food section. This can extend to making your own granola (super easy and something that I do) and bread. If you can get the “whole” food in an organic version, even better!
2. Try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can – It is really easy to slip into the bagel diet (trust me, I’ve done it). So now I just focus on getting at least one whole fruit in with any of my meals and try to make a salad the biggest portion of my dinner.
3. Experiment with starches – The basic filler foods are pasta, potatoes and rice. I’ve tried to replace traditional pasta with rice pasta and jazz up the other options a bit. If you’re going to be waiting for rice to cook, you might as well try quinoa, barley or even lentils. They’re all substitutes and will keep you from getting to bored!
Those are my three rules of thumb that should accommodate most diets. The most important thing is to get enough in and pay attention to your cravings – if you’re craving caffeine or sugar you’re probably a bit low in some other nutrient so take a look look at your diet (consult a nutritionist or dietician) and quell those cravings with real food!
Now… get your shoes on and enjoy some spring weather!
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Born in Nova Scotia and emigrating to British Columbia via Ontario and Alberta, Magi has been running the entire way. Primarily defined as a cross country ski racer, Magi has competed nationally and internationally in that sport. The highlight of her career was competing in the World University Games and the World Cup races in Canada in 2007. Cross country skiers rely heavily on running for cross training and Magi has become an accomplished trail and mountain runner, representing Canada at the World Mountain Running Championships in 2005 and the winning numerous national championships medals.
Today Magi runs for fun… and it’s a lot of fun! Epic mountain runs, city cruises with friends, and more keep her happy and occupied outside of work and school.