Today the count is 13

Pierini Fitness is within striking distance of the Wharf to Wharf, an upcoming 6-mile fun run and his day of performance reckoning is closing in on him.  Fun run race day is in 13 days on the last Sunday of July.  So, as might be expected, his training heretofore will concentrate on running and fun run preparation.

With a previously established goal of completing the 6 miles at a 9-minute mile pace, Pierini Fitness believes he’s in good shape.  Yet, all it takes is one hiccup – uncooperating legs, belly ache, weak mind, or a stubborn cardiovascular-respiratory system – on race day and he could miss his goal by running at a much slower pace.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter.  It’s all about showing up, taking a trip down memory lane, enjoying the running atmosphere and nice scenery along the way and, whatever it takes, finishing the course.  If necessary, walking counts.

The countdown preparation, starting today, consists of about a half-dozen running workouts.  His approach is getting in a combination of slower-paced and longer-distance running along with faster stuff like 800 meters, 400 meters and 200 meters repeats, and some 30 second acceleration strides for multiple rounds.  It’s all about building running pace familiarity and running efficiency. 

For example, if today’s workout goes according to plan, Pierini Fitness will run 4 miles at a slower pace (maybe 80 percent of the fun run race pace) and then conclude with a Sprint 8 speed workout which is 8 rounds of 30 seconds running fast with 90 seconds of a slow run recovery.  The fast run stuff should be at a mile pace of between 7:00 and 7:30. 

But a planned workout doesn’t always go according to plan so we shall see.  It’s supposed to be a July hot day in the low 90F degree range, so Pierini Fitness better get his running workout done early.

Blessed to be able to run with his 64-year-old “wheels, Pierini Fitness is counting down and today the count is 13.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Middle-aged man fitness training burnout?

A “world” organization that Pierini Fitness is not a die-hard fan of is the World Health Organization (WHO) and he’s had a reflection or two over the years about the works and products of this worldly gang, such as this one:  Eating too many doughnuts

WHO’s latest revelation is that workplace “burn out” is now a legitimate syndrome people experience so they’ve added it as a serious health issue existing in the modern age in which we live.

WHO previously recognized this serious ailment by describing it as “state of vital exhaustion” but over time and in recognizing its work is never good enough or complete, had to ratchet up the description to a higher level. 

So that it’s not mistakenly diagnosed, WHO has provided further descriptive details such as “"feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy."

Therefore, it’ll now be officially listed in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Manual.  At this time, it’s not risen to the level of a medical condition but merely an occupational syndrome.  Pierini Fitness guesses it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a WHO medical condition along with relationship problems with your in-laws or getting bite by an orca. 

What would we do without your WHO?

But it does make Pierini Fitness wonder about whether there’s a burnout condition of a different type, one experienced by middle-aged men in their fitness, health and wellness journey.  One encountered by those having an “all or nothing” mindset and a proclivity for chasing fitness, health and wellness “pedal to the metal” style.

Might WHO one day agree and add to their gargantuan ICD Manual, a condition that’ll be described as middle-aged man fitness training burnout?

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Bacon or spaghetti

Since bringing life back to my Pierini Fitness blog the beginning of this year, plenty has been shared about my current fitness, health and wellness journey, currently a work in progress.  This includes nutrition and a goal of lowering my bodyweight.  It has been, for the most part, a pleasant journey and I now weight over 30 lbs. less than when I started, although, there have been a few stuck points along the way.  This is to be expected as any seasoned and successful weight-loss person knows.

When entering the fascinating world of nutrition for whatever goal you have – be in good health, muscle and strength gains, weight gain or weight loss – all the experts have their standard prescriptions of the precision eating one needs to do to accomplish their goals.  In sifting through and deciphering their “killer nutrition plans”, eventually one starts reading about macronutrients, more commonly referred to as macros.

One explanation of macros is that they’re the building blocks of nutrition and include calories (carbohydrate, protein and fat) but also vitamins and minerals.  In most nutrition chatter, however, when macros are mentioned, it’s the relative composition of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the calories eaten.

So, for example, if I eat something that has 321 calories consisting of 40 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of protein and 9 grams of fat, its macro composition can be expressed as 50/25/25.  The 50/25/25 means that 50 percent of the calories are carbohydrates, 25 percent protein and 25 percent fat.  This is because a gram of carbohydrate or protein is 4 calories, and a gram of fat is 9 calories.  Do the math to see for yourself.

Some middle-aged men chasing their fitness, health and wellness subscribe to various “killer nutrition” approaches.  Some eat low or near zero carbohydrates following the popular keto diet.  Others eat high carbohydrates following a starch-based nutrition approach such as that advocated by Dr. John McDougall.  Some take a more balanced approach getting, for example, 50 percent of calories eaten from carbohydrates with the remaining 50 percent equally from protein and fat.

Sometimes, in the diet and nutrition chatter, advocates for each will fiercely argue why their method is superior to the others.  Sometimes this chatter becomes very intense and mean-spirited, equaling in intensity and opposition as an atheist and Christian arguing about whether God exists.  If you remain in this crossfire, it eventually can become confusing, overwhelming and unmotivating.

What does Pierini Fitness think about macros?  What macro plan does he follow in his fitness, health and wellness journey?

In past journeys, I’ve tried just about all except for the low carb – or keto – approach; it’s not for me.  My body needs carbohydrates to fuel my daily and fitness training pursuits.  I’ve tested the high carb and low-fat approaches and, of course, a balanced approach.  They all work for me and provide eating satisfaction, for a while, before shifting among them.

Currently, I don’t pay attention to macros other than an afterthought at the end of the day after my nutrition journaling is completed.  I never pay attention to macros for meal planning.  Consequently, what I’m finding is that my macros are all over the place.  Case in point are two days last week.

Here’s a macro presentation of what I ate last Wednesday, a day that included a chicken teriyaki rice bowl for lunch and a big filet mignon steak for dinner:

And, here’s a macro presentation of what I ate last Friday, a day that included five boiled potatoes and, honoring my Italian ancestors, a very large bowl of pasta:

These two extremes coexisting with my continuing weight loss best exemplify that a calorie is a calorie and eating less calories than you expend, over time, is proven weight loss, whether you’re loading up on bacon or spaghetti.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum