A Pound of Flesh

I was sitting around with some of my mates after work having a beer or four. I was congratulated for my new running life style. Though my eating habits have been also commented on. I must admit I don't watch what I eat. I know the craze with the book Run Your Butt Off has got people watching everything and anything they eat. Running is great for weight CONTROL, but it harder for weight LOSS. And so that is where this book comes in.

I remember when I was a kid and deficient diets for runners were the rage in weight loss programs. Today, I am an "old" man and really don't have the time nor the inclination to watch what I eat.

I love Chinese food. I love Indian food. I love grilled steak. I like fish of any kind. Seafood by the plateful. I like cafe con leche by the gallon. Ad I love positively love beer!

So what am I to do with my weight?

I run. And I run often. And I run hard. And I run RUN long!

Those who are talking about my eating habits don't run nor even go to the gym and have equally bad eating habits. Or worse.

Again, if I had my way, I would be running 5 km every morning before work. But I am that old man and have to be careful. Still I am burning off several hundred calories every day between my morning run and my constant walking for work around Madrid. And then my long runs that eat up nearly 2000 calories in a DAY. Furthermore, I've to start my marathon training schedule this summer and so I will be burning off even more calories.

But what are we talking about here?

A pound of flesh is 3500 calories. At 100 calories a mile, a runner has to run a 35-mile run to lose that pound.

That's a lot of running.

That's why running is great for control and not loss. You need watch what you have going in to slowly take it off. And slowly is the word.

The average person of 150 lbs loses 100 calories moving that 150 body 1 mile down the round. So you multiple that by miles and days and add them over time and you have a slow trickle down without too much sacrifice.

As I said early, I am not really in the mood for sacrifice. I am a bit over weight. I've got a spare 15 lbs I'd say I need to drop off. But I know that at the rate I am going that I will drop it off. So why put myself through the agony of pinching every calorie out of my life. I have too watch enough things in my life and I don't want to have to do it with food also. And I would rather concentrate on the agony of running (of which I have spoken of before.)

Movement is silver bullet.

Movement through running or walking is the solution. But it is magic that takes a minimum of 30 minutes. 30 minutes to get through the sugar in your system and start to burn into the fat stored in your body. So 30 minutes a day, three times a week, to conjure effects on your weight. That's the magic. That's how it works.

But it works slow (unless your pinch calories)...

And it's magic that for some (those who sit and critique) is cursed. Cursed how? Well it is a magic that works only if you are moving, and moving constantly. All the time, for the rest of your life.

30 minutes a day, 3 times a week. And the magic happens...

You will lose weight, gain muscle, increase your pulmonary system, strengthen your heart sleep better, etc.

...And I do more.

The more magic you spin, the more benefit you get. I run longer, harder, more often for more magic.

And for me that means I can eat anything and drink as much I damn well want!

In the three months since I have been recovering and improving, I have seen myself pick up the obvious improvements: breathing and mentality. Next over the months of summer and fall is improvements in muscle and bone. And then more magic from 1 hour a day, 6 day weeks, 30 km long runs.

So in the end, you want that pound of flesh, you do the magic. It's that easy.




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