I should have gone into medicine.
The other day I went for my annual prodding and poking aka my annual physical. As always, I came armed with my laundry list of self-diagnosed woes and the corresponding highly thought out remedy plan.
Runners, you may have noticed, are generally hyper aware about what they put in their bodies because the food we eat has a direct impact on our running.
This time I brought a book, How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger, to get my doctor’s take on it. (I highly recommend the book and its corresponding cookbook.)
You see lately I have been (even more) obsessed about nutrition and food. While I treat my body like a garden not a graveyard, I know there is always room for improvement. I have an aggressive and ambitious race schedule this year. I need all the advantages that I can get.
We had a good chat. I was pleased he humoured my chatter about eating a whole food diet to prevent and even reverse diseases. You are what you eat. It’s pretty obvious, right?
Lately I feel like every other day a friend or loved one is being diagnosed with this or that or even dying. It makes you look at your own life. What am I doing to ward off disease or to ensure I are feeling the best I can?
I am well aware that just because I run and eat relatively healthy doesn’t mean I am immune to any sickness. (Although I did survive the Advocate flu bug of November 2017 to January 2018). Stuff happens. You can’t predict what happens tomorrow, next week or next month.
It all comes down to doing the best you can with what you have. To me this means reducing stress, sleeping more than five hours, staying active and eating a whole food plant-based diet.
I digress ..
All good on the health front. I’ll have to wait a few days to get my blood results but I feel strong. Last year, for the first time in many years, my iron levels were down. (Women need more iron due to blood loss during their menstrual period. Runners typically need more iron too.) Oh and you’ve probably heard that rumour that all vegans are iron deficient. These days I am increasing the amount of foods enriched with iron.
Just call me Popeye.
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Find Running with Rhyno on Facebook and @CrystalRhyno on Twitter. Crystal is a certified running coach. Send your column ideas, photos and stories to crhyno@reddeeradvocate.com