Thursday, October 04, 2007

30 Days of Swimming - Day 18, Day 19 and 'Diets'

Wow, the days are really ticking by!

Day 18 - I decided to change my workout a bit and used one of the sets of drills Mike Ricci gave me.

      200 yard warm up easy again


      8x50 (2 lengths) and alternate
      drills (#1 and 5- finger tip, #2 and 6 – one arm, #3 and 7 – one
      arm, #4 and 8, fist drill) – your rest would be 15” (seconds)


      Then swim 8x 50 on 15” rest
      again. This time just swim.


      Then say 4 x 25 (one length)
      very fast – start out fast off the wall and try to hold it there for
      as long as you can. Your rest on these is at LEAST 1 minute. Take your
      time getting your HR back down and then when you are ready go again.

      Swim a nice easy 100 yards for
      cool down


I had some trouble with the one arm drills... I haven't liked those from the moment Mike first had me try them... ugh.
I also swapped the second one arm drill with the fist drill in the order, so it's Fingertip, One Arm, Fist, One Arm, Repeat...
And it all adds up, conveniently, to 1200 yards.

Day 19 - Same set as yesterday, totaling 1200 yards. The one-arm drills felt a lot easier today (at least for a while).
I'm not sure whether I'm looking forward to the 30 days being over or not. On the one hand, it's nice having that consistency. I will swim today. Every day.
On the other hand, it would be nice to have a day off from the swimming and I'd feel like I could put in longer swims if I didn't have to swim every day. Such as doing 2400-3000 yards per swim, but only going every other day.

I've been reading the Paleo Diet for Athletes recently on recommendation from some cohorts and because the concept itself appeals to me. First, a note about 'Diets'. I think in general, diets and dieting, are foolish ways to achieve a goal. Mos diets are unrealistic as far as long term maintenance in the modern western world. people make a change to achieve a goal, then go right back to their old habits.
I don't feel the need to lose any weight (my grandmother would certainly say I need to gain some, but that's what grandmothers are for) and I didn't pick up Paleo for that reason. Firstly, the premise, eating like our ancestors evolved, relates closely to my architectural thesis (it sounds odd, but it's true). Secondly, I never really learned healthy eating habits, I've mostly gotten by on a combination of luck and a naturally high metabolism. As an active and fit person, I feel like I should learn how to eat better and healthier.
I also haven't been looking at this book as any sort of plan of how to eat. Instead I look at it as additional information to consider when I decide what to eat. I'm never giving up Cheez-Its or Pizza or the foods I love. But I might eat less of them and more of other foods with a better understanding of what is good for me and WHY it's good for me.
This is all part of what's been a slow process to, basically, get myself to eat more fruits and veggies.
So what do I think of the book? The premise is sound, namely that we evolved eating certain foods and those foods are healthiest for us. i.e. fruits, veggies and lean meats. That many of the processed foods we eat do not fit well into our natural diet and thus cause health problems.
Most importantly, it talks about why different types of food are better (or worse) at certain times. Such as before, during or after a workout or race. It's intriguing and I've already seen it start effecting the food choices I make.


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