Health and Nutrition
So, I’ve been really focused on health and wellness lately. This seems like nothing out of the ordinary for me with yoga, swimming, vegetarianism, etc. But - I had the opportunity to have a fitness assessment in July and that really opened my eyes to a couple of new things!
First, as a vegetarian for the last 30 years, I felt like I was already doing all of the healthy eating things – LOTS of vegetables – go me! What I wasn’t pay a lot of attention to was my protein intake or how I fueled my body with carbohydrates before exercise or helped my body repair itself with protein after exercise. When told I should be in the ballpark of about 100 grams of protein a day, I realized I have been starving my body for probably the last 30 years! When I think about this, it really explains a lot.
The second thing that came to light was an imbalance in my types of exercise. I do yoga consistently, swim 2-3 times a week and walk anywhere from 7-upwards of 20 miles a week. I’m good right? Wrong. Strength training. I was lacking strength training, which is even more important now that I’m in my ‘wisdom’ years
So! For the last 3 months, I have been paying very close attention to my macro nutrients (carbs, fats, protein) which has been really interesting. I have to carefully plan my meals and snacks and think about what and when I’m eating. At first, this was completely overwhelming, and I felt like I was eating a ton! I’m much more used to it now but use My Fitness Pal (a cool app) to help me stay on target. I’ve also incorporated 2 full-body strength training sessions into my week of exercise. This means I usually have at least 6 days of exercise a week and sometimes multiple things in one day. I feel my body growing stronger, which is super cool, and I’m really curious to see what the effects are longer term.
So, the big question is: HOW IN THE WORLD CAN I POSSIBLY FIT ALL THE THINGS INTO 7 DAYS A WEEK!?!?!?!?!
Seriously, that’s a challenge. Here’s what has worked for me.
1. Scheduling, scheduling, scheduling – if I don’t put it in my schedule, there’s a greater chance I’ll skip a workout.
2. Planning meals. Now, I don’t do this on a Sunday for the week, but I do take a little time each morning to think about my day away from home and what I need to pack to sustain me.
3. Protein bar stash in my office for emergencies.
4. Remembering that even if I’m not feeling it one day, I know I’ll feel better after I do it, so that’s usually enough motivation for me.
What does this have to do with being a musician? Our body is the vehicle for this thing (music) that we love to do. If we are not taking care of our body, there’s no way we can be at our optimum performance levels in anything, including playing music. If we think of nourishing our bodies like an athlete would, we may/should find that both our physical and mental endurance are better and stronger.
Just my 2 cents~
Dr.T