The Marathoners Weight Loss Diet
By: Karla Adams
There are a large number of people that use “marathoning” to aid in weight loss. Highly effective weight loss programs consist of weight training, cardio, and the right nutrition. “Marathoning” is a great way to increase how many calories you are expending in a day and get you into great shape. If you balance long distance running and weight training with the right diet, the results are amazing. “Marathoning” is an extreme sport, 26.2 miles is a long ways to go. When training for a marathon you want to make sure you treat your body like you’re training for a marathon. You’ll want a balanced diet. A balanced diet allows you to feel good while maintaining a “healthy body weight”. A balanced diet for a marathoner is very different than one for a person that does moderate to no exercise. Your nutritional needs change when you become a marathoner. A balanced diet that focuses on weight loss is very different from some one that is just focusing on speed, performance and or maintaining weight. Excessive calories and most processed foods should be avoided when trying to reduce body weight. It can become complicated to try and balance marathoning and nutrition with the goal of weight loss. Running or walking 10, 15, 20 miles in a day is very extreme, you need to make sure that your body gets enough nutrients and calories to function healthfully. If you have too little or not the right combination of food, long distance training can leave you not feeling well, recovering slowly, and can put you in a state of deficiency of vital nutrients; therefore, a multivitamin becomes very important when you have a high physical demand on the body. Eating too much can keep your weight from going down or limit how much weight you lose. If you want to lose weight, your diet has to be looked at. If you are “marathoning” at the same time that will change your nutritional needs and how you want to diet. This makes your diet different from a regular weight loss diet. Most regular weight loss diets are designed for a person doing moderate to no exercise. Sometimes the difference in nutrients can be made up by supplementing alone but most of the time there is a ratio adjustment that needs to be made.
63% of the population is considered obese. Our social skills when it comes to food are not based off of the health and longevity for our body. As Americans, we eat for entertainment and we eat a lot. Your eating habits start in your mind. In setting yourself up for a healthier, happier life style, focus on changing your thoughts towards food. Changing your thoughts will change your habits. Changing your habits will give you a different result. Also, learn the right habits to change to. Don’t spin your wheels on something that is not working. If it’s not working try something else or think honestly if you are trying to the fullest. Our society is your biggest battle. It will always feel uncomfortable to go against “the norm”, but remember what is normal in our society is to be obese. 63% is over half of the population and that number increases every year. Our children are having problems with obesity. Taking a stand for yourself and eating right and healthy is the greatest thing you can do for yourself and the ones around you. Allow your new habits to greatly affect another in a positive way instead of being affected and led by the habits of society.
When you want to change your habits you need new tools to work with. These tools need to be the right tools. Putting a huge amount of effort into the wrong tool will not get you the right results. Make sure you’re working hard for what you really want. Be proactive in health. Spend the extra buck, spend the extra time, go the extra mile or five. You will be glad! This can keep you from being overweight, being on all the latest pharmaceutical drugs, and sitting on a sofa in your later years. Enjoying an active lifestyle and all the world has to offer sounds much more enjoyable. Don’t you think? Habits are just what you are accustomed to doing and that’s it! You can find many great new effective tools to use if you search for them, diet books are great. Remember to have a plan and follow it. If you make up your own version of a diet you get your own version of results. Personalized nutrition/exercise programs by a professional are highly effective. Your program can be broken down to a very specific science on what you personally need to do to lose weight. Also, don’t forget to read books that help enhance your mind. One of my favorite books is “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. Reading books like this well help you in the process of changing your thoughts and habits for a healthier life style and healthy fit body.
