Most people write about the end of the year around the end of December or January. But I’m not most people.

While the calendar may say it is Feb. 4, 2012, today is my end of one year and start of another. Today also happens to be the day I am running 100 miles. Yes running. Yes all in one day (or less). When I first registered for the race, I didn’t notice the date. Till a few weeks ago. I don’t believe it is a coincidence. And for some, running 100 miles seems impossible. But for what I have been through in my life, 100 miles doesn’t really seems all that bad. I don’t know you how celebrate surviving one tough year, but as fate (?) would have it, I am running 100 miles. True Sarah Stanley fashion (I ran my first 100 miler on my 30th birthday to celebrate it). 

2011 was (another) tough year. Let me highlight a few of the majors.

1) Setting a goal of running all 18 RnR’s and raising funds and advocating for different causes (the FIT Project)

2) Sensing God’s call to move to Colorado and four weeks later I packed whatever would fit in my car, took the rest to Goodwill, drove 2,000 miles solo in the worst winter storm in 50 years and spent the first night in Colorado in my car (it was 9 degrees). Feb 4, 2011.

3) Lost several part-time jobs and a roof over my head

4) Had former friends (some so-called Christians) not only turn on me, but stab me in the back AND chest

5) Being falsely accused, mocked, bullied, attacked and hated

6) Betrayal of agreements and promises

7) Sometimes flying to the races I was committed for and not knowing where I would stay or how I would get there (because of 3)

But I want to focus on 2. I left the Washington, D.C., area on Jan. 31, 2011 and started making the trek to Colorado. That evening I ended up in Columbus, Ohio due to a bad ice storm moving in. I got stuck there for the next 36 hours. Finally, on Wednesday morning, Feb. 2, I was able to start driving again and drove through some nasty weather to end the day in a foot of snow in Kansas City, Mo. Feb. 3, I left Mo. and started the eternity drive across the state of Kansas. I thought it would never end. God bless all of you who live there. I spent all day driving through it! I shouted out loud when I saw the wooden “welcome to Colorado” sign! Driving over the mountains on Route 70 I hit a blizzard. Welcome to Colorado, Sarah. I finally made it to the promised land. Barely knowing a soul. 150 percent knowing that God wanted me here.

Feb. 4, 2011. Unknown future. Uncertainty. But a peace that calms even the most stressed out soul.

I was in a brand new place, new state – everything was unfamiliar. Unknown. There were moments when I wondered how I would ever make it, let alone survive. While the full details of 2011 will be disclosed in my book, I can say that I did survive (who else would be writing this?!) and in spite of some VERY tough times, I kept the faith. Was it easy? No. Was it hard? You bet. Was it the right thing to do? Absolutely.

So today as I run 100 miles, it is a celebration of living and surviving a very tough year. Running 100 miles will be a piece of cake, comparatively. Because when God wants to do a good work in AND with you, you heed that calling. Even when it is tough and rough and dark and lonely and just doesn’t make sense.

I listed the seven major things that made 2011 a very tough and rough year, but I always believe in the positive in spite of the negative.

1) That friendships I thought were good, but God knew they weren’t and replaced with much better ones

2) I learned that God always provides, but not in the way I thought he would

3) Strength doesn’t come when we are strong; strength is made when we are weak

4) Determined to keep living with the passion and the faith and the grace that brought me this far

5) Forgiveness is healing

6) A few key people that made me believe in friendships and trust again

7) That just because I had/have tough times, it doesn’t mean I quit/give up, it means you dig deep and keep the faith

Perhaps you just found this site because of what I am doing today (running 100 miles) and you are having a rough, tough year or just plain life. You might feel alone, depressed and wondering why you are here. Let me assure you that God not only loves and cares for you, but has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). That plan looks different for each one of us, but the one thing that remains the same is this: God loves each and everyone of us, no matter what state of that plan we are in.

Dear 2011, you taught me to never give me up. Dear 2012, remind me of 2011 when I am tempted to give up.

And Lord, to all of those who are struggling, help them not to give up. May my struggles help them to see that you are a God who cares and loves. Even in our darkest valley. Amen.

peace, sweat, love: life

Here it is. Race eve. Not just any race eve, but a 100 mile ultramarathon race eve.

It is Friday evening and I’m in Houston at Devin & Alida’s place. Devin is also running the 100 miler. Go us I’m just about to attempt to fall asleep at 7pm. 3:30am cometh quickly! 

I know people have questions about ultras, but particularly 100 miles in general.

#1) What will I eat?

I’ve written about it before, but aid stations (AS) don’t really have real, nutritious food. They have processed sugar, candy, etc. For this 100 miler I’ve made my food or bringing everything with me. At the AS I will eat cold, hard, boiled potatoes dipped in salt, fruit dipped in salt and hot chicken broth at night.

Here is the food I made and brought (and bought if we are going to get really technical!)

Sweet potatoes. I bought 7 LARGE sweet potatoes. I may never want to eat another one again! I mashed 5 and chopped the other 2. After mashing I added fresh, grated ginger, sea salt, a little honey, brewers yeast, cinnamon and a little Goji Juice. Once I filled the 25 little baggies, I added soaked chia seeds and hemp hearts.

Chopped sweet potatoes with fresh, grated ginger & cinnamon

Sweet potatoes with chia seeds

Sweet potatoes with hemp hearts and chia seeds

Row of sweet potato nutrition!

I will eat some pure energy nut bars (Lara Bar & Bearded Brothers), sunflower seeds, Q Energy, nut butter, and Gen UCAN. *I have no idea why it flipped the photos around. I didn’t have time to fix them. You’ll have to turn your computer or smart phone around if you are really picky

Gen UCAN (mix with water)

Justin's Nut Butter (almond)

sunflower seeds

Lara Bars

Bearded Brothers Natural Energy bars (with chia seeds)

Q Energy Drink (mix in water)

Alida also made cashew butter (raw/vegan) and I’ll have some with veggie chips. All the food I will be eating is additive free, chemical free, natural, and/or homemade. Just the way I like it

That’s the food part.

#2) Travel

For a big race (I think a 100 miler qualifies), I like to be at the race 2 days before hand. And smart decision that was. You never know about flight delays/weather/other. I flew into Houston, TX from Denver, CO. And not a moment too soon. A HUGE snow storm moved in just hours after I flew out. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. Thank the Lord I booked my ticket to fly out on Thursday.

Shannon picked me up at the airport and we made a quick trip to the store to get some ingredients (tuna, avocado, tomatoes) for my lunch. Then she dropped me off at Devin’s. I made my lunch, took a late nap, went and got all the sweet potatoes for race day and salmon for Friday’s night pre-race meal.

I had a good night of rest (although I was getting nervous) and woke up refreshed Friday morning. To a weather forecast of 80% rain and 83% humidity. 24 hours till go time.

I made 2 hardboiled eggs mashed with avocado and cut up cherry tomatoes for breakfast, then started preparing sweet potatoes! As they were baking I got some work done, shot a video, and tried to relax . Not much luck there. Ha! My best friend Rachel called me and then my friend Terry called and prayed with me. Definitely better after that!

Took a nap, mixed my sweet potatoes up and laid out all my food for tomorrow. This whole nutrition thing takes a lot of planning, prep and hard work!

Had salmon, peas and sweet potatoes for dinner and going to bed early. We have to be up at 3:30am and at the race by 5am. Race start is at 6am.

Pre race dinner!

I’ve trained hard for this. Put a lot of time, energy, and investment into it. I am ready by the grace of God.

My prayer is that I will run strong and that God will use my feet to honor and glorify him. And that children in Africa will be sponsored.

Thank you to my friends, my supporters, everyone that encourages me, and yes, even to the haters- you actually motivate me to do a better job for the Kingdom of God. So thank you!

I’ll be posting live updates as I am able (80% chance of rain might hinder that plan) or my crew will.

Till next time, may you be encouraged to go do something positive, something hard, and do it well.

Oh and you don’t want to miss tomorrow morning’s article. It’s really good if I do say myself.

Sweet dreams!

peace, sweat, love: life

Each Friday we feature a real-life person who has embraced a healthy lifestyle from a former sedentary life. We hope their story inspires you to start living and breathing a healthy life!

Today’s story is from Adrienne who lives in Phoenix, Ariz.

Sarah: 2003 was the year that started the change for you, can you share with us what happened?
Adrienne: In 2003, I moved to Arizona to take yet another job in television. While I’d been somewhat athletic growing up, I was always raised to think it was better to be smart, than pretty. And it showed. By the time I arrived in Arizona, I was at least 50 pounds overweight, a complete party girl, with many health issues looming on the horizon (diabetes, stomach issues, etc) and most of all, my self-confidence was shot. And I didn’t realize ANY of these things.

Sarah: How did you start your healthy life journey?
Adrienne: Through circumstance, a co-worker was successful following the Weight Watchers program, so I thought, “Why not?” In April of 2004, I’d removed 56 pounds to reach my goal weight, and was approached by Weight Watchers about becoming a Group Leader – and helping others reach their goals. Again, I thought “Why not?” and agreed to take the facilitation training and start part-time. Within weeks of the training, I realized that TV was no longer a good fit for me, and came to work for WW full time.

Sarah: Wow! That is incredible! Tell us about your new job!
Adrienne: Fast forward eight years, and I’m now one of the Managers of the company, helping with training, media and still leading members to reach their goals each week, some even taking off more than a hundred pounds.
This isn’t a WW commercial, though. Losing the weight sparked me to find ME. I often say “My outside matches my inside now.” I’m confident. I’m raising my family to be healthy and active, so they can avoid the struggles I had. My daughter has a fabulous self-image, which means the world to me, since I didn’t have that kind of role model growing up.

Sarah: Tell us how you started running.
Adrienne: After having my daughter, I was trying to find “my thing.” That thing that was mine, that wasn’t work. Or family. And some friends across the country reminded me about running. I’d dabbled in running here and there, but didn’t think much of it. Well, having a toddler was enough to make me lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement.

It was quiet. I could think. Or not think. And my feet just kept moving. The miles became my therapy. And I felt stronger and more confident than ever before. That was fall of 2010. Since then, I’ve run two half marathons, and more than a dozen other races. And then, less than two weeks ago, I crossed the timing mats of my first marathon. Needless to say, I’m hooked.

Sarah: What is life like today for you?
Adrienne: I’m healthier and happier at 34 than I was at 24. My goal used to be just to see my next birthday. Now my goal is to be that healthy, white-haired woman who passes the young whipper-snappers at races, while encouraging them the whole way.

Sarah: Do you have any healthy goals for 2012 and beyond?
Adrienne: My  goal is to run seven races. Raging from four miles to two marathons. I have specific time goals for the marathons so I’m working with a coach on that. Incorporate some cross-training and continue to live a healthy life!

Adrienne before

 

Adrienne after (finishing a race)

Back-to-back Marathons Part 2!

I was exhausted and feeling the affects of Jackson, Miss. hills when I fell into bed last evening I wondered how in the world I was going to run ANOTHER marathon in mere hours.

I woke up at 5 a.m. and prayed that God would give me the strength, courage and grace to finish this morning’s marathon. Ken had picked up my race packet last evening and that was a godsend. I had no energy to go pick it up. I repeated what I did 24 hours previous (mixed my Gen UCAN and got dressed) and hit the road for the short drive to the race start.

This marathon (BankTrust First Light Marathon) was very low key. It fully supports the L’ Arche Foundation. No chip time, the start line was a painted orange line, and gun start. Just the way I like it. I was still in a fog and between stages of pain and sleepwalking.

7:30 a.m. and the race began. I was thinking that I was going to be walking a lot and told myself to give the race my all. Whatever my all was. Surprisingly, my legs actually moved. And not just moved, but ran. I was happy. As each mile came and went, my legs began to get the hang of it. YESSSS …

There were other people who had run the full yesterday as well and so we quickly bonded. Or commiserated. Regardless we all encouraged each other. Around Mile 5 I started running with another back-to-back marathoner. He was VERY experienced, had run over 100 marathons and many, many back-to-backs. I quickly started asking him questions. We were also running at the same pace so it was a natural fit to run together. I think we were both happy for the company. He had run this course the last five (?) years and so he knew the tough parts on the course. 

I remember my heart kind of sinking when he said that this is a tough back-to-back to do. Great! Good thing I like challenges. Ha. He paced the five hour group yesterday and was shooting for a 4:30 finish time today. He figured I could run that time. The only caveat was that I ran pretty hard yesterday on a tough course and today’s course was not as hilly, but still tough. I don’t shy away from doing my best and said I would run a 4:30 pace as long as I was able to.

Mile 17-18 was a big climb, the sun came out and we grabbed oranges before we started up it. Although I was tired, I still felt strong. And determined to hit that time goal. The highest point of the race course came around mile 20. Most people don’t think Mobile, Ala., has hills. For the most part it doesn’t, but at mile 20 we were looking over the city. Good times.

And what goes up must come down. So we started a slow descent. After a few last climbs, we finally hit the last five miles and flatness! Happy, happy. I pushed a little harder and passed a ton of people. Including some relay runners that had just started. That felt good.

The last 5K I ran really strong and before I knew it, I was hearing the sweet sounds of the finish line. After a few turns, there it was and I ran the second marathon in a 24-hour span in 4:27! As I crossed the line I threw up a little and my new friend held me up. I stumbled over to a chair and tried to fully comprehend what I just accomplished. Tom helped me over to a bench and went and got me food. So awesome.

As I sat there, I was completely stoked and proud of myself. At the start of the day I had NO idea how I was going to walk, let alone run and I surprised myself by running pretty much the whole way. The feeling can not be described. To God be the glory.

The race was absolutely amazing. The marathon is fully supported by the L’Arche Foundation. From their website: “L’Arche is an international federation of communities in which people with an intellectual disability and those who help them can live, work, and share their lives together.” And that community MADE our medals and the special back-to-back awards. So touching. The marathon fees went strictly to L’Arche. The post-race party was also great. Tom, myself and other runner friends we made all talked about the race and other things where you wished you a mouse on the ground .

Soon, it was time to hobble back to the car and go get a shower! I wasn’t able to take an ice bath, so I put my legs up on the wall (a good trick to know) and then slept for a few hours. It felt great to sleep – finally!

Ken had friends over in the evening for dinner and it was great to meet more friendly people! I washed my sweaty clothes and then I went to bed. I had an early flight (again).

All in all it was a great, whirlwind, sweaty, long, fun weekend. My first back-to-back marathons done and won’t be my last!

The first weekend of January I embarked on my first ever back-to-back marathons. What is a back-to-back marathon? Glad you asked! A back-to-back marathon is when you run a marathon Saturday morning and then run another marathon Sunday morning. So 52.4 miles (plus travel) in 24 hours. Let’s just say it’s not for the faint of heart.

While I’m used to ultra distances and hardcore events, doing something for the first time still has that vibe of nervousness and anxiousness.

I’ve been training for Rocky Raccoon 100 mile ultramarathon and I needed to get in some long miles. I figured what better way to get the miles in then to add another challenge to the plate. Back-to-back-marathons it was! I registered for the races a few months previous and I was really excited to run both. I love home town races!

A 2:30am wake up call and I was once again bound for the airport- my second home at this point. I flew into Mobile, AL after a layover in Houston where I had to run from one terminal to another. I got my warmup run in early! After landing in Mobile, the hunt was on for some healthy food. No Whole Foods Market Bar this time. Thankfully I found a Panera Bread and had a salmon salad.

After getting to my friend’s place, I took a much needed nap. Feeling refreshed I buried myself with work and then researched for a nearby yoga studio. I was in for a treat! There were 8 people including myself. One of the fun things about traveling all over the country is the diversity of yoga studios across the nation. I love it!

It was a great practice- perhaps because I finally did a headstand! I had been practicing for years and I finally got it. It clicked when the yoga teacher had me squeeze my inner thighs- right above my knees- together. Granted the headstand was against a wall, but I was still excited.

That evening Ken made seared tuna and a green leaf salad. So, so good!

Friday morning it was time to hit the road and head up to Jackson, MS. Along the way I stopped and met up with Heather. It was a nice way to stretch the legs!

The drive from Mobile, AL to Jackson, MS was a little over 4 hours. Traffic was slow going through a few towns. However the drive went by quickly as I listened to messages by Steven Furtick at Elevation Church.

Finally arrived in Jackson and headed to the expo. It was small and awesome. They had a blues band playing, a harmonica in our goodie bag, and everyone was super friendly. Then I checked in to my hotel and pondered what I would have for dinner. The marathon had a list of places that were offering marathon specials vs a traditional pasta dinner which was another bonus point for Mississippi Blues Marathon!

I found a cute little restaurant and had a salad with crab. Got a gallon of water at CVS on the way back to the hotel and then crashed early. Oh what a party animal I am on a Friday evening!

Saturday morning came quickly. I rolled out of bed, went through my usual race morning rituals (drink my Gen UCAN, sleeveless shirt, compression socks, shorts, shoes with orange laces and a big smile ) and then headed to the start. It was on the cool side, but I knew it would be warm/hot/sunny later on, so I warmed up by doing some yoga poses while waiting in the potty line.

7:00am and the marathon was officially started! Let the back-to-back marathons journey begin!

As we started out the sun was rising and it was beautiful. Right away the course had a climb. My legs were feeling really, really good. It is amazing coming down from elevation to sea level. I felt strong and happy to run! I kept a pretty good pace and was surprised by how friendly everyone was! Usually I’m the one who talks to people around me- it was nice to have others start the conversation!

As the course went on, I was starting to realize that Jackson, MS had hills. And not just one or two, but like 50. I’m not kidding. The only thing saving me was that I was at sea level. However, sea level made me feel too good. I ran really strong, enjoyed the course, the people, the volunteers and wondered why no one told me that Jackson, MS had freaking hills! By mile 20, I was really feeling the affects of the heat and hills. I reminded myself that I had a marathon to run tomorrow so don’t die today.

MS Blues Marathon elevation graph

I just kept running and reminded myself that there was an end even if I didn’t see it. Finally, I could see and hear the finish line. Of course finishing on a slight incline. 4:12 and finished 7th in my age group. Not too shabby!

After crossing the finish line I walked over to the sidewalk and collapsed on the concrete. It felt great to just lay down and gaze at the sky. But I couldn’t linger long- I had an ice bath to get and another drive BACK to Mobile, AL. I dragged myself over to the post-race party and the food spread was pretty great. They had sandwiches, cookies, tomato soup, rice & beans, pizza…if you are looking for great post-race food, put Mississippi Blues Marathon on your list!

I sat on an ice chest as I ate some food and then a volunteer needed to get in it. I told her she would have to shove me off. I was so exhausted. She graciously got me a chair and I transferred my tired butt to it. Then I scrapped myself off the chair and began the walk over to the car. I saw some relay runners and I casually mentioned to them that they made the right choice.

I stopped at a gas station on the way home and bought 20lbs of ice. Ah, ice bath. It couldn’t happen soon enough. I lugged myself and the ice up to the room. Where is my sherpa when I need one?! After freezing my legs off, I got a warm shower and hustled to pack up and check out. Someone suggested a cafe to get some food and I stopped on my way out of Jackson. I met a nice couple and we ate together. I love nice runners!

I shot a quick video before finally hitting the road. Jackson, MS it was nice to see you all of 20 hours!

I stopped in Biloxi, MS on the way back and dipped my feet in the ocean and watched the sun set. Never miss an opportunity to enjoy the ocean!

I got back to Mobile, AL around 7pm, got a bite to eat although I was more tired than anything and fell into bed at 8:30pm. Marathon morning was just hours away.

FIT Project Miami Edition

Race Date: Dec. 11, 2011

HERE IT IS! The last race of 2011 and the last race (No. 18) in the 2011 Rock n’ Roll Marathon series! Hallelujah! I can’t believe I survived this year!

I flew into Ft. Lauderdale and I was getting off the plane a flight attendant – Jim – was getting on. Now this may not seem like a big deal, but I flew here a few weeks ago and Jim was on my flight to Denver! Travel/fly much Sarah?! Needless to say, we were both in shock!

A friend picked me up and we headed down to South Beach. I was digging the warm, humid weather.

Saturday, I took a yoga class and walked around the town a bit. Oh and picked up my final race bib of the year. WOOHOO!

If you’ve been following my traveling/racing adventures you know that I haven’t spent much time home, let alone having time to do normal things like getting my hair cut. My last haircut was back in June when I was traveling in Vancouver, B.C. Yeah, past time for one! So I researched a reasonable hair studio and got a haircut Saturday evening before having dinner with the other runners that also ran all 18 RnR races. What was special is that I was the only female to run them all .

After dinner I crashed. Race morning cometh!

Sunday morning dawned and I was excited for the 13.1 mile victory lap. The sunrise was beautiful and reminded me that God will never leave me nor forsake me. I met up with my friends and before we knew it, we were running! The weather was humid (hey, it’s  Miami after all!) and sunny, then turned to rain and wind at around mile 9 for me.

The course was fairly scenic which I like. There were some hills via bridges and the wind made them challenging (but fun). I have to say I felt pretty strong. I always put my whole heart, mind and soul into whatever I do and every race I run. Today was no exception.

As I was running, I was thinking back over the past year and everything I have been through, overcome and achieved. More about 2011 this weekend.

Soon enough, I was hearing the sounds of the finish line and I ran to it. 1:54:41. Good enough for 30 in my age group (out of 397). As I crossed the finish line, I thought I might become emotional with the accomplishment I just achieved. But I didn’t. I simply got my medal, wandered through the crowd and walked back to hotel. No fanfare. No celebration. Just quietly ran and finished.

I had a photo shoot to get to! I quickly got a shower and then did my hair and makeup. The shoot was a ton of fun and it was a nice way to conclude a very epic year! And then after the shoot I took a glorious nap. Yessssss.

That evening I went out to dinner with other running friends and we talked about the past year. Good memories.

I headed back to FLL on Monday where I ended up spending the night at Midway in Chicago on the floor and made a friend Nancy. All the flights were full to Denver, so had to wait for the Tuesday 6 a.m. flight out. Needless to say we didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. And we both crashed on the flight to Denver.

Another flight down. Home. Mission accomplished. Thank you Jesus. To God be the Glory. Amen and amen.

peace, sweat, love: life

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen the photos I post of the meals I prepare and eat. While this is second nature to me, I’ve realized that the rest of you are curious about the food I eat. Over the next few weeks I’ll share with you my food journey, the foods I don’t eat, the foods I do eat, the foods I crave, what I drink, what I don’t drink – my personal seven health principles.

But first, an overview of my food journey.

I’ve always been a really healthy eater. From childhood, the food on my plate was a lot of fresh, organic veggies (that I planted, raised, harvested with my bare hands), fruit, organic whole wheat flour (that I ground), whole milk and then skim milk, goats milk that I milked (make sure they don’t eat onions!), honey versus white sugar, 100 percent pure maple syrup that I helped make from maple trees on our farm (fun fact: it takes 40 gallons of raw sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup), drank my first soy milk when it first came out (1986? 1985?), ate kale before it became the 2012 buzz word (back in the early ’80s), only drank water (no soda, barely any juice and no coffee), and if we ate meat we killed it. I knew where my food came from, how it was raised and the blood, sweat and tears it took to get that tomato on my plate.

I started cooking and baking at the age of 5. I began making breakfast then lunch and dinner. Everything was made from scratch, all organic and of course tons of vegetables. I enjoyed experimenting and creating new dishes. I cooked with fresh herbs and whatever was in season. It’s probably why the kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in a house. I love, love to cook and prepare tasty, colorful dishes for other people. If you’ve ever had my cooking, you know this first hand.

For four years (1994-1997) I had a successful bakery with my two younger sisters where we made everything from scratch. We ground organic wheat berries to make the whole wheat flour, we used honey  (I remember lugging 50 pound buckets of fresh honey up to the kitchen) vs. white sugar, we used all organic ingredients, fresh, in-season fruit, fresh organic brown eggs, organic dairy and of course made with a lot of tender loving care.

Translation = no processed crap, no food dyes, no additives, etc. in the food we ate. If it was a cookie, cake or tart, it was made with the freshest, purest and organic ingredients.

I remember when Muir Glen, Garden of Eden, Cascadian Farms and Stonyfield Farms weren’t household brand names. Yes, I now feel old.

When I went to college, my body was shocked that the rest of the world didn’t eat like I had. It was a great eye-opener. After college, I was happy to be back in my own kitchen and cooking/baking again!

Then in the early 2000s I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. For being so young I thought it was ridiculous that I was put on a variety of medicines instead of being encouraged to look at other treatments. (Prescribing pills is quick. Healthy treatments can be a long process.) I strongly dislike medicine(s) and took myself off them after a few months and began other methods of natural treatment and making sure the food I ate was organic and as fresh as possible. Much like I grew up on. For the first couple of years my body seemed to do well with it and I was happy that I ditched the medicine. Then my training started to increase and other added stress began to take its tole on my body and my endocrinology and adrenal system took a huge hit. My body responded my treating everything I ate as inflammatory. Now a little side note. Autoimmune diseases need anti-inflammatory foods. Combined with turning older (God bless aging), I needed to do something different.

So, I started experimenting with the foods I was eating. I did extensive research and came to the conclusion that I should take grains out of the food I was eating. A few months later I took dairy out. I loved cheese. I thought it would be really hard for me not to have it, but you know what? A few months into it I decided to have a cube of cheese at a party and I couldn’t stand it. Proof that your body can learn new tricks. And by taking grains and dairy out of the food I ate, it pretty much eliminated sugar as well.

Since removing all dairy, grains (not just wheat or “Gluten Free”), legumes (and I loved beans) and pretty much all sugar (even honey) I’ve noticed substantial positive body improvements. My body isn’t fighting with itself (as much). I’m still a work in progress. I do have an occasional – and when I say occasional that means one or two times a month – a baked goodie. Like a cupcake.

Now I have many things to say about all the above. I wish I could write them all right now. But you don’t want to read the entire journey right now.  And I need to keep your interest so you’ll come back and read the rest of it .

However, I’ll leave you with a few thoughts based upon my research, working with people across the country, traveling across the country and my own personal opinions. I’ll explain in greater detail in future parts what exactly I mean by each point. Here they are. Get ready, they are deep (laugh, it’s a joke).

1) Too much dairy in our ‘diet’ (diet meaning the food we eat, not a diet plan)

2) Soy is not a health food

3) We don’t know where our food comes from, how it is made or how it made it onto our plate

4) We mask our disease with pills vs. healing our bodies with real food that God created

5) We buy packaged food – wrappers, boxes, bags, etc. vs. buying or growing fresh produce

6) Farms and farmers are being replaced by developments OR being paid to genetically (GMO) grow crops (corn being a great example) (The food we eat today is vastly different then the food we ate 10, 50, 100 years ago)

7) We are a lazy, sick nation instead of being a hard working, healthy nation when it comes to our health and the food we eat

I believe we have the ability to heal our bodies (granted with God’s help) and it is our responsibility to take care of the body God gave us (as well as the land He created)

In the coming weeks we’ll discuss these points, I’ll share the foods I do eat, recipes I’ve created, some of the myths and truth behind the different foods and why I believe that if everyone took their health as seriously as I do, some of the health problems we are seeing might cease to exist or be drastically reduced.

peace, sweat, love: life

Welcome to Soul Food. Each Sunday on this site we focus on healthy living by reflecting on our soul and God. For if we neglect that, we have lost everything. (Luke 9:25 and Matthew 16:26)

I’ve been spending a lot of time the last two weeks in preparation for Rocky Raccoon 100 miler (in five days if you are keeping track). From being super strict with my already fine-toothed health food plan (I don’t like the word ‘diet’) to getting enough sleep and rest to visualizing the race to planning my nutrition for race day, what I will eat, how much I will eat, what time I will eat … the preparation starts WAY before I even get to the start line. So I could go a few different directions with this edition of Soul Food. 

1) How much preparation do we put into our faith with God

2) The race of faith

3) Visualizing not giving up when it gets tough

But I decided to write about what life toxins.

Like I wrote above I spend a lot-A LOT-of time and dedication to what kind of food I eat and don’t eat. I’m really careful about what goes in my body. Food dyes, chemicals, additives and other toxins are all banned. But how many times do I let other toxins into my life? Is my soul filled with love or hate? Compassion or indifference? Patience or stress? Faith or fear? God’s word or gossip?

It was a stark reminder that I need to be just as diligent about life toxins as food toxins. Life toxins can be deadly. They can eat away at us. Ruin relationships. Make us cold hearted. Bitter. Cynical. And a host of other things. Bottom line is that God wants us to live IN faith. A faith that forgives just as quickly as we say no to that second donut. A faith that views life toxins as harmful to us just like food toxins. 

Call to action. What about you? Do you have life toxins that are eating away at you? What will you do about them?

We’re kicking off a new series called Fitness Friday! Each Friday we’ll feature a real-life, inspiring story of someone who has changed their life from inactive to healthy.

I think you’ll be really inspired by today’s feature!

Matt is 26 and lives with his wife, Lindsey of 3.5 years in Greenville, SC. They hope to adopt a child in the next year. He is a branch manager for a local bank and you can follow him on Twitter.

Matt & Lindsey (before life style change)

Sarah: What motivated you to start losing weight and exercising?

Matt: Three factors primarily: one, was a diagnosis of pre-hypertension (high blood pressure) at age 23. My doctor had me on blood pressure drugs and warned me I might have to take them the rest of my life. Second, I began to notice that the pants which had fit me all through college didn’t fit so well anymore! Finally, and most important, was the quiet encouragement of my dad. He took up running in his late 40s for his health and had even gotten into racing a little. It occurred to me that I couldn’t conscience a world where my own dad could outrun me. Plus, he seemed to be enjoying it so much that I figured I’d should try it.

Sarah: How did you and your dad help each other?

Matt: Well, we live 700 miles apart so chance to actually run together are pretty unusual. But I can tell you, every time we are in the same state on a weekend we are looking for a race to run together! For example, this summer we are planning to do Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN. Also, we text each other often about workouts. We both have to get up between 4-5 am on weekdays to get a run in before the day starts!

Sarah: How long did it take you to reach your goal weight?

Matt: I started my running career at 240 pounds. A fitness challenge at work inspired me to watch my diet and keep up the exercise. Within 15 months I had dropped from 240 to my target weight of 165 – I guess that works out to about 5 pounds per month.

Sarah: love the healthy weight loss! 

Sarah: You have some impressive and inspiring marathon and half marathon times! Share them with us!

Matt: My first three marathons were anything but impressive in terms of time goals (but I had fun!). I really hadn’t built up the physical stamina to run that kind of distance so I ended up walking much of the last 6-8 miles. Then in October 2011 a training plan with much higher mileage finally got me ready and I ran a 3:04:35, just 25 seconds faster than my Boston qualifying time. In that race, I was running with the 3:10 pace group until mile 14 when I decided I was going to go for broke and see if I could make up 5 minutes on the last 12 miles and I did!

My half marathon PR came just a couple weeks ago at a local race. It was 1:23:35. I’m pretty happy with that but I definitely feel like I can improve.

I’ve also done a couple of ultramarathons – one 50K and one 24-hour run. Both were very low-key events with about 80 runners in a state park. Those were surprisingly fun. Not a lot of pressure to finish in a certain amount of time, and you can really enjoy nature and companionship with other runners.

Sarah: What do you love about running?

Matt: Where do I start? I love being able to get out an enjoy the world on foot. I love the fact that I’ve made friends with runners all over the country. I love beautiful sunrises enjoyed in solitude on the trail near my house. I love the thrill of toeing the line at the start of a race, full of anticipation about what will happen over the next 3 or 13 or 26 miles. I love my volunteer work as the social media guy for PACE Running Magazine (on Twitter @pacerunningmag). I love coming in from a hard training run knowing I’ve left it all out there. I love being able to clear my head before or after a busy day at work.

Sarah: In order to drop the weight, you had to not only start running, but also change the way you eat. What is your plate today vs before?

Matt: I worked in foodservice at the university I attended, and that meant all-you-can-eat buffets three times a day. Nice for a college kid on a tight budget but not great for my waistline! Since then, I’ve become much more concerned with eating unprocessed foods. We live less than a mile from a great little farmers’ market, and we probably shop there more than we do a regular grocery store. I limit my meat consumption and have really grown to love some “unusual” vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and avocado.

Sarah: So many people are looking for a quick fix when it comes to their health. What would you say to them?

Matt: It’s not going to be quick. Almost everything in life that’s worthwhile takes time, effort and patience. The most important thing is to write down your goals and your plan to get there. Nobody is successful by thinking “You know, I’d like to be healthier.” You have to have specific goals and a detailed plan on how to get there.

Sarah: What are your goals for 2012? 

Matt: I spent a good amount of time on New Years’ Eve 2011 writing out what my goals would be for the coming year. Here are some of the running-related ones: sub-2:50 for a marathon; sub-1:20 for a half marathon; run 3,000 miles total, and enjoy every day of it. But the one I’m most excited about is this: help at least 3 other people get started with running so they can enjoy this sport that’s become such a big part of my life.

Spinx Marathon 2011

Thank you Matt, for sharing your incredible story with us! We hope this encourages others to take that first step- literally- and start embracing and living a healthy life!

peace, sweat, love: life

Have you seen the Nutella ad on TV saying that it is a wholesome and nutritious breakfast? Well, contrary to what that ad says, Nutella is NOT a breakfast food. It IS a sugary treat that should be used sparingly.

Why is Nutella not a breakfast food? Here are some points to consider.

A Nutella label

1) The first ingredient is sugar

Sugar is not a health food, just an FYI. And just not white sugar, but all the other forms of sugar (sucrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar) too. There are many health risks with too much sugar in ones diet. The classic disease/health risk is diabetes. Sugar can also spike your blood sugar, cause headaches and cause weight gain. Sugar also turns to fat (your cells turn it to fat when not being used the way it should). While you do need sugar for certain things in life – like endurance events, and breakfast is not an endurance event.

2) Modified palm oil is second ingredient

Palm oil is used for the texture to make Nutella. Food manufacturers are trying to avoid trans fat, so they have to modify the oils in order to create the desired consistency of fat. Palm oil is found not just in Nutella but in other packaged food as well.

3) A serving of Nutella has 21 grams of sugar!

No wonder why kids and everyone else like it so much! The average American consumes 170 pounds of sugar A YEAR. Sugar contributes to our obesity problem. Bottom line: eat veggies for breakfast, not a spoonful of sugar.

4) Other ingredients

Nutella also has skim milk in it. Don’t think you’re getting your calcium by having a serving of this. People already consume too much dairy (wonder why more and more people are becoming lactose-intolerant?) and this only adds to it. Get your calcium from real food – like spinach, almonds, okra, blackstrap molasses and broccoli to name a few.

Bottom line? By all means, enjoy some Nutella on occasion, just not for breakfast or a snack or frequent use of it.

Now you know! Eat for health!

peace, sweat, love:life