Thank you so much for the comments to my last post! I still have not the slightest what exactly I want to keep doing here, so for the time being it’ll pretty much be whatever I feel like, whenever I feel like it. Come to think of it, I kind of like the sound of that.
I realized something weird today. Unlike my previous profession, I no longer dread Mondays. I woke up this morning (rest day! first one in oh, three weeks?) and wondered about the status of certain patients as I got ready. I felt excited to get to work, check in on them and see what the day had in store. How weird is that? Even though I’ve been a working RD for a while now (well, at least it seems like a while?), it still gives me goosebumps and causes almost overwhelming giddiness when I’m reminded that yeah, I’m doing exactly what I want and love it. Monday blues be gone!
When people hear I’m a dietitian, in many cases the assumption is that I try to help people lose weight all day or “oh I just ate XXXX don’t judge me” or “you must eat SO HEALTHY.” To the contrary, I spend 90% of my time trying to get people to eat and making sure they get enough calories and protein. If (most) of my patients lose weight I cringe and wonder what I did wrong. Now, this is largely due to the nature of my specific job(s) and patient populations, but definitely has an influence on my views and thoughts on food and eating in general.
I guess what I’m getting at here is what exactly I consider healthy eating. It’s not “eating clean” all the time, avoiding certain foods or food groups or counting calories. Getting too focused on these things, while may be beneficial in some cases, can also lead to disordered eating. There is such a thing – a diagnosed condition – defined in part by an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. With all of the fads, information and opinions out there, it’s easy to buy into this whole thought that you are only “healthy” if you eat a certain way – whether it be clean, juicing, vegan, fasting every other Tuesday, whatever.
But I don’t think any one eating “plan” like these determines whether you are “healthy” or a “healthy eater.” To me, healthy is being able to eat what you crave when you’re hungry, being able to stop when you’re full and feeling satisfied with your meal without guilt or second guessing. Sounds simple, but just think about the last time you did this without doubting your instinct or choice due to your own or others’ certain beliefs.
this is a “salty pimp” from Big Gay Ice Cream. SO GOOD
I’m not saying you should eat cake and ice cream for every meal because, duh, you crave it. Balance and moderation should always exist. But food is delicious, (except olives. uggghhhh) and part of being “healthy” to me is being able to enjoy it. I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t always been able to do this very well, but now that I’m an RD I feel even more of an obligation to be the example that I not only want my patients to look towards, but people in general when they discover my profession.
Thoughts?
Here is a quick training recap from last week:
- Monday: 3 miles recovery, 50 minutes yoga
- Tuesday: 10.75 miles, 5 @ tempo pace (7:43/mile average), strength (abs, arms)
- Wednesday: 9.5 miles easy, strength (abs, legs)
- Thursday: 10.25 miles easy, 5 x 30 second strides, strength (abs)
- Friday: 7.75 miles easy strength (abs, arms)
- Saturday: 20 miles, 5 @ close to MP
- Sunday: 7 miles super easy
Total: 68.25 miles
An all-time high mileage week (by 0.25 miles, but whatever)! Feeling pretty good but a little tired, and while Tuesday’s workout was an awesome one, the MP miles during my long run were a bit on the slow side. I guess it evens out in the end? This week will be a down week in terms of mileage, and I have a 10 mile race this weekend which will be a perfect way to mix things up and see where I’m at in terms of fitness.
That’s all for now!