Weighty Matters, Part I: Bemoaning Belly Fat
Welcome to the week of Weighty Matters: a website- and podcast- series devoted to weight-related issues that have popped up among the #motherrunner crowd and seem to have resonated.
In each of the website series, we pose the issue and then offer perspective and tips from an expert. The #motherrunner + the expert will then discuss the situation and thoughts on an Another Mother Runner podcast: the two episodes will air on April 26 and May 3.
Because we don’t want to leave them—or you—hanging we will then follow up with the #motherrunners on posts the week of June 24 and a podcast on June 28 to see how integrating the expert tips + perspective worked for them.
Weighty Matters: The Belly Fat Conundrum from Jennifer
This popped up on the Many Happy Miles Facebook page, and there were plenty of affirmative responses and suggestions, including connecting with Simply Nourished Nutrition’s Ellie Kempton, who is our expert for this round.
We are family: Jennifer’s sister Lindsay, Jennifer, and her daughter Shelby at the Cooper River Run 2018.
Anyone struggling with losing belly fat? I am 47, I have reduced calories and carbs-seeing only tiny weight loss! I am trying to find a lifestyle that will help me avoid this constant struggle!
Some athletic background: I have been running for 20 years. I’ve done multiple triathlons, half-marathons, local 5k/10ks and one marathon. In my 30’s I had an extra 10 pounds on my wedding-day weight. Over the last three years, I gained 10 more, then I gained 10 more pounds this last year. It isn’t budging. And it’s landed almost all on my belly.
Some physiological background: I wish I knew where I was in menopause cycle. I dabbled in unsuccessful fertility treatments in my 30s, trying to give my only daughter (conceived naturally) a sibling. About five years after we boycotted that mission, my cycle got wonky.
At age 45, hot flashes and night sweats began so I started on estrogen patch and progesterone, and didn’t get my period for two years. Then I started to feel different tired, unfocused, and not like myself, and I found out that my testosterone level was low. So got me some of that. Three weeks later, I was stealing tampons from my daughter’s bathroom. Go figure.
I am discouraged that weight and food seem to ALWAYS be a discussion in my head. I have tried many fad diets; most provided a little weight loss. That said, the combination of constantly trying and decision fatigue has created an exhausting cycle of hunting the new shiny thing—and I’m exhausted too.
Jennifer, sandwiched by her local running buddies Amy + Theresa.
THE EXPERT WEIGHS IN:
“The female body is designed with one priority: to preserve fertility. That can be terribly frustrating when you’re 42 and don’t want your belly to be a warm, cozy home,” says Ellie Kempton, MSN, RD, owner of Simply Nourished Nutrition in Denver and creator of Simply Nourished Like a Mother + Metabolic Reset in the Train Like a Mother Club. “Women typically start seeing fat around their bellies when there’s an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone. Compounding the situation, those hormones fluctuate wildly in perimenopause, so it can be like chasing a moving target.”
Here, Ellie shares tips for women like Jennifer who are beyond their child-bearing days and are fed up with extra layers around their midsection:
o Get your sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) tested. That’s always my first recommendation for women over 40 in this situation. Your ob/gyn should prescribe this test, as well as any hormone replacement therapy. Urine is the most accurate way, especially when you time it properly in re: your cycle. Right after you ovulate is the most accurate time; if you’re in peri-menopause or don’t have a reliable cycle, using an ovulation test (found at any drugstore) is a great idea.
o And make testing an annual event. Proactively have your sex hormones tested when you turn 40. If you wait for signs or symptoms of imbalance or repletion, it won’t be too late, but it’ll take more time to solve any issues. In an ideal world, you would take a urine hormone test like the Dutch panel every six to twelve months.
o Evaluate your stress. Hormone therapy can definitely do wonders, but it’s also really important to look at stress levels. Progesterone is heavily impacted by stress and cortisol, its associated hormone. When your body is producing high levels of cortisol—the one that kicks into production when stress kicks in—progesterone levels naturally fall. When they plummet, then the hormone balance is inevitably thrown out of whack.
o Start in the AM. One of the most effective ways, in my opinion, to manage daily stress is to manage your morning. If you’re waking up and the world feels like it’s on fire from the get-go, you pretty much know how the rest of your day is going to go. On the other hand, if you are intentional about your morning routine and tasks, you can streamline that perspective into the rest of your day. Check out My Morning Routine for some inspiration.
o Take an inventory—and breathe. Another way to lower stress levels? Sit down and make a stress inventory. What raises your cortisol levels the most? It is an overfull email inbox? Your communication with school? Your responsibilities for an aging parent? Think about what you can do to manage that situation, whether it’s changing everything about it or simply your approach to it. Simply making time for a short meditation or body scan (I like the free one on Insight Timer) prior to approaching a stressful task can make a noticeable difference.
o Bring exercise into the inventory. Exercise also raises your cortisol levels. I’m not saying don’t exercise—I know that’s sacrilege to say around these parts, and movement is a vital part of physical and mental health. Instead, I’m asking you to be aware of how intensely you exercise on a daily basis. If you are running every day, consider subbing in a gentle yoga class, a walk, or a rest day for a run or two.
o Decrease your exposure to estrogen. As women enter into menopause, they tend to be estrogen dominant simply because stress depletes progesterone and boosts estrogen. One simple way to mitigate this imbalance is by cautiously choosing your dairy sources, seeing as dairy is a potent source of estrogen.
Look for dairy alternatives like almond milk or cashew yogurt. Please know: I’m not advocating to forgo dairy completely, but rather choosing it intentionally: sample a great cheese platter with friends or enjoy a delicious ice cream cone. Worried about the missing calcium and other nutrients dairy provides? Don’t. Instead, up your consumption of leafy greens, and especially spinach, which offer a one-two punch of calcium and vitamins and minerals for female vitality.
o X it out. Similarly, look at your exposure to xenoestrogens, which are foreign sources of estrogen found in plastics, hair products, cosmetics and cleaning products. Looking for simple products—ingredients you can pronounce and recognize—is the best call. (And an easy lemon and vinegar cleaning solution? One of my favorites.)
o Don’t forgo carbs. Carbs a vital macronutrient—but unpackage them to minimize sugar and maximize the nutrition they offer. Unpackage means they’re minimally processed, and generally not in a wrapper. Consider potatoes over potato chips; fruit instead of fruit loops; roasted chickpeas instead of crackers. Bonus: Unlike a bag of chips, it’s also much harder to overconsume unpackaged carbs.
o Finally, realize that honing a sculpted six-pack is a full-time job. You can definitely manage belly fat, but as you do, also try your best to keep a grateful perspective of how much your body has done for you—and how much it continues to do on a daily basis.
Can you relate?
If so, what perspective and tips have helped ease the belly fat burden?
#360: Three First-Time Boston Marathon Runners
Sarah and Dimity have a nearly marathon-length conversation with three first-time runners of the Boston Marathon—including Dimity’s husband, Grant Davis! First is Kristen Genet who, despite running fast enough to qualify for Boston, wore a charity bib in the legendary event. Laugh as Kristen tells about a treat she gave herself at the top of Heartbreak Hill, the notoriously hilly section around Mile 16. Find out why she stopped when she first spied the finish line.★ RACE LIKE A MOTHER: TWIN CITIES + KANSAS CITY ★
We’re thrilled to announce Race Like a Mother, a brand new 360-degree training experience.
We’re thrilled to announce Race Like a Mother, a brand new 360-degree training experience.This year, we’re rolling it out to coincide with the races at Twin Cities Marathon and Kansas City Marathon, and would love for you to join us!
Ready to have the most fulfilling training experience and memorable race of your life?
Ready to be supported by an expert team, including a coach, sports psychologist and running-focused nutritionist?
Ready to share some miles—and finish-line tales—with local running friends, both new and old?
Then you’re ready to Race Like a Mother!
Race Like a Mother incorporates all the accessible, comprehensive elements of the Train Like a Mother programs you already love and trust and adds three new dimensions to them:
1. A Local Element: In addition to regular weekend group runs led by local #motherrunners, you’ll attend two in-person clinics with Train Like a Mother Head Coach Dimity McDowell and members of Team AMR.
Also, $20 of every Race Like a Mother registration will be donated to a local, running-focused nonprofit: Mile in My Shoes in the Twin Cities, Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City in Kansas City.
2. Nutrition Advice: You’ll (virtually) take part in two interactive sessions with Stephanie Howe, Ph.D. in sports nutrition and elite ultra runner; she’ll devote one to eating on the run, and the other to eating for the run.
3. Mental Fitness Focus: Twice during the training cycle, you’ll (virtually) hang out with Dr. Justin Ross, sports psychologist, who will help you set appropriate race goals—and then help you thrive during training and nail race day.
How does it work? Glad you asked.
STEP ONE: PICK YOUR DISTANCE + PROGRAM
★ Select what race distance you’d like cover in the Twin Cities on October 6 or 7 or Kansas City on October 19, then check out the program options and start dates.
STEP TWO: START TRAINING (POSSIBLY)
★ Depending on the number of weeks in your program, you may or may not start training prior to our first in-person session. Here’s the line-up of starting dates.
STEP THREE: JOIN US IN JUNE FOR A KICKOFF!
★ On a Saturday in early June, Dimity + Members of Team AMR will lead a half-day, in-person training session that includes a short run, strength class, foam rolling instruction, light brunch and plenty of our favorite swag for you.
★ We’ll also distribute a schedule of group training runs and locations so you can plan accordingly.
STEP FOUR: REGISTER FOR THE RACE
★ If you’re joining us in the Twin Cities, the first 30 people who register for the 10-mile option in Race Like a Mother: Twin Cities will receive guaranteed entry to the Twin Cities 10 Mile on October 6. You will still need to pay for the race entry, but you do not have to enter the lottery. If you’re joining us in Kansas City, we’ll share a discount for all race discounts.
STEP FIVE: EMBRACE THE 360-DEGREE TRAINING EXPERIENCE
★ As you log your miles, bask in support and inspiration: you’ll have access to an interactive Facebook group, complete with weekly Q + A sessions with your coach, and weekly newsletters. If you hit a speed bump with injury or inspiration, we’ll help you with next best steps.
★ Attend group runs as you can; all are encouraged to attend, regardless of your race distance, specific workout that day, or pace.
★ You’ll build your mental fitness with two interactive webinars with sports psychologist Dr. Justin Ross.
★ You’ll focus on best nutrition practices, both on and off the road, during two interactive webinars with Stephanie Howe, Ph.D. in sports nutrition and elite ultra runner.
STEP SIX: WEAR YOUR SPECIAL RACE LIKE A MOTHER HAT AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE
★ Ok, you don’t have to sleep in it; we just wanted to call out the special running trucker hat (wicking like a running hat; stylish like a trucker hat) designed for this program and included with your registration.
STEP SEVEN: PEN IN AN OCTOBER DATE FOR A CELEBRATION!
★ Dimity + the AMR Team will be back for race day! The day before the race, we’ll gather to chat about race day, calm your nerves, laugh more than we should, and make sure you’re ready to rumble.
STEP EIGHT: RACE LIKE A MOTHER!
★We can’t wait to cheer you on!
We’re really looking forward to helping you Race Like a Mother! Let us know if you have any questions–or put them in the comments below.
Boston Marathon: Go Get It, Grant!
Despite the fact that Grant, my husband of nearly 19 years, and I enjoy both each other’s company and endurance sports, we rarely run together. We have logged a few miles side-by-side, but this picture, taken on vacation in Yellowstone, is indicative of our attitudes towards running.
I’m all: How can I make this more entertaining? Grant’s all: Business.
Nevertheless, one pillar of our relationship is built each of us spending hours each week to sweat—and the support necessary to be able to do that. Back in the day, we traded babysitting gigs so we could each get in a weekend workout or two before the week started fresh. (And yes, I know I should say parenting, not babysitting, because we’re both parents, but parent gigs? Not a thing.)
These days, when we no longer need to babysit, there is at least one conversation daily—usually more—about the workout on the docket or recently completed. What did you do today? Can you set up my bike in the basement? Can you walk the dog so I can swim? Does your calf still hurt? How was your run?
How was your run? That question has been volleyed Grant’s way on a very regular basis since the holidays when he started training for Boston.
A few times, his answer will include a few numbers: I ran a 10K PR today; I had 7:xx splits; I was slower than I wanted to be.
“How much?” I’ll ask.
“7 seconds a mile,” he’ll answer.
Because his splits are, to me, crazy fast, empathy is hard to conjure when he just knocked out 12 miles at, say, a 7:47 instead of his planned 7:40. (Envy, of course, is much easier to conjure.)
“That doesn’t feel like much to me,” I say, “Give yourself some grace.”
“It adds up over 26.2 miles,” is his reply.
Which is true, but still.
After a long run, I don’t really need to ask; his body language tells it all. After he nailed double-digit miles, he showers quickly and is in the kitchen soon thereafter, dumping spinach and protein powder and frozen mango into the blender. After a tough one, he gets vertical on our bed, salt stains on his cheeks, staring into Strava on his phone. (I assume he is; I know better than to look over his shoulder.)
When the run has not gone to plan, I do my best to try to give him space to obsess about it and not judge.
Here’s the thing, though: he—and all runners who have Boston qualification on their running to-do list—are entitled to a funk or three after crappy long runs. Because for most of us runners, Boston is a crazy challenging goal that requires years of focus, persistence and, perhaps hardest of all, patience.
The final stretch in 2013. Grant ran 26.2; Ben ran 10 steps.
Grant qualified for Boston at the Colorado Marathon in 2013—the same spring of the Boston bombings. The support for Boston naturally swelled, and his qualifying time of 3:22:xx wasn’t enough.
Five years—and a few marathons—later, he returned to the same course and qualified again with another 3:22:xx. Because of his impending 50th birthday, his time gave him a seven+ minute cushion, and he was in.
Five years—over 1,500 days!—of keeping a soft focus on one tough goal, a goal whose standards have become even harder over time. (And I know plenty of other Boston runners have worked for close to a decade to get to the starting line.) I could no more focus on a goal for five years than our dog could ignore a squirrel hovering on our backyard fence, but maybe that’s why we fit together well.
Whether or not he—or anybody—got the BQ is secondary to the fact that they, for years upon years, regularly launched themselves outside their comfort zone to grasp for a ring that their fingertips couldn’t yet touch. To me, that is the impressive part, especially when you consider how easily the daily demands of dentist appointments and diaper changings, work deadlines and loads upon loads of laundry can sand down one’s competitive edges.
Yes, 7:xx splits invoke envy, but the dedication to continue to sweat and sweat for a marathon time that, depending on weather and the performance of other runners, may or may not come to fruition? I bow to all you Boston runners with crazy amounts of respect—and, in the case of Grant, pride by association.
If you happen to see this number, yell “Go HEWSIE!” at the top of your lungs. (Long story about the nickname…I’ll share another time.)
For a variety of practical, parenting-related reasons, I am not in Boston this morning. I asked him a gazillion questions before he left, then the kids and I sent him off with plenty of sugar—I mean carbs—for the plane.
For the record, he wants to run a solid race. I didn’t dig too deeply into that answer prior to his departure; I didn’t want to poke the tapering bear.
Here’s to a solid race for Grant—and to all the other Boston runners having the day they’ve imagined as they trained through snow, rain and doubt for years. Regardless of what the time on the clock reads when he crosses the line, I’ll be on the phone with him this afternoon, asking the question that is part of our love language: How was your run?
#359: Runners Inspired by Boston Marathon
Sarah Bowen Shea and Amanda Loudin team up to talk to a trio of runners motivated by the Boston Marathon. The guests weren’t inspired to necessarily run Boston, but inspired by it—the size and scope of the marathon or by the tragic 2013 bombings. The first guest is Julia Gibson, a mother runner of three, who vowed she’d never run 26.2—until she “watched that Boston Marathon documentary with tears in my eyes, and I wanted to be a part of something that historical.” Julia offers advice for other BAMRs looking to BQ.
Next is repeat-guest Erin Wright, who was so moved by the Boston Marathon bombings, she registered to run her first marathon the very next day! Erin shares how the event colored the 26.2 miles she ran in October 2013 at Twin Cities Marathon.
Then YiOu Wang rounds out the conversation, telling how she morphed from a couch potato to a 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials participant (!!) after spectating Boston as a student at MIT. While watching thousands of runners and spectators, she told herself, “This is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen, and I want to be a part of it!” YiOu describes how she “Couch-to-5K’d” her way to becoming a runner—and she’s now a professional ultramarathon. YiOu gives loads of advice, including tips for stepping up from 26.2 to 50K races, how to stick to a training plan while traveling, and how to nab a stunningly beautiful run-photo for Instagram!
In the intro, Sarah and Amanda talk about their kids on the college-admission path, and Sarah shares about encounters with tap-legend Savion Glover. Talk of Boston starts at 13:27.
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Dry Martini: Running, Writing, and … Roosters?
By the time you read this, the first real draft of the book I’m writing will be off of my plate and on my editor’s. The sigh you heard was me, enjoying the first real deep breath I’ve taken for about six weeks.
Writing the first real draft — meaning the first one that anyone other than me will see — is like running a long distance. To quote one Dimity McDowell, you have to chunk it up because there is no way you can handle it all in one big push. In this book’s case, that meant committing to writing 1,200 words per day for eight weeks so that I could hit my my projected word count of about 70,000.
Some writers allege they can’t pen a word unless they are visited by an ethereal muse. I am not one of those writers. My muse is an imaginary hairy-knuckled old-school newspaper editor who sits just behind me muttering, “You done yet, Martini” over and over again. Then he takes a nip from the flask he keeps in his bottom desk drawer and threatens to replace me with a trained monkey.
Whatever works, you know?
A runner friend has this sign above her desk. I love it. We are all damn majestic.
To keep the running and writing metaphor going, I did weeks of training (a.k.a research) and plotted my route before I set out on my 1,200 word runs so that I wouldn’t get sidetracked by having to figure out where I needed to go.
I treated the last eight weeks like a running streak. No matter what, I could not skip a day, which meant I would frequently get home from work, eat dinner, then disappear until bedtime. I have vague memories of my children. I’m told they are doing well.
About three weeks into this routine, my body let me know that any runs longer than an Eminem (that would be eight miles) would be a bad idea. More than distance ate up too much time and left my brain about as useful as a dish of pudding and decidedly less tasty. Fortunately, my Seneca Seven legs are just over three miles each, which is doable. I’ll be rolling into the Eau Claire retreat and half marathon sorta, kinda trained but sorta, kinda not. Which is fine, really, because my only goal will be to finish it and check off another state.
Oh — and run over all 11 bridges with unabashed glee because bridges are my favorite.
Speaking of, I’m currently in Northampton, Mass., to finish this first real draft. It’s a luxury to be able to pay for a hotel room so that I could get away from my family for 36 hours and do nothing but focus on the task at hand. I’ve enjoyed only having to feed myself and not be concerned about maintaining even marginal standards for personal hygiene.
I picked Northampton for a few simple reasons:
- It’s a 2.5 hour drive for me, which is far enough that I really feel like I’m away but not so far that I wasted precious writing hours getting there. Plus, I’ve been here a couple of times before and know the general lay of the land.
- The Hotel Northampton is surrounded by restaurants that I can walk to.
- Most importantly, there’s a lovely rail-trail that has a big ol’ bridge over the Connecticut River.
The Mighty Connecticut River (and my big head)
It’s totally normal to pick a place based simply on its proximity to a rail-trail, right?
I checked the trail out Monday afternoon during a break in a lovely spring drizzle. A four-miler with a little speedwork was exactly what I needed to get my energy moving again. Well, a run and a mocha, which I picked up on my way back to my room.
That run was much cooler and damper than the long run from the week before, which was in Oneonta. It was finally sunny enough that I regretted my clothing choices. After months and months of layers and layers, I’ve forgotten how to dress when it’s above freezing. Sadly, the way my layers were, I couldn’t take anything off without running a risk of being arrested.
It was also Wizard of Oz-style windy, which made the out of my out-and-back a joy. Less joy was had on the back — until I spotted something that hadn’t been there before:
There has to be a story here.
It’s a rooster costume. In a tree. Over a fence. On a hillside.
I spent the rest of the run home pondering exactly what series of events led to this abandoned rooster husk. I never could work out a story that is even marginally satisfying.