Episode 5-498 – Dr. Shuck – How I got to 165 lbs.
If you think it’s time to get serious about your health, and take action for yourself, reach out to Rachel at www.drshuck.com/rrl and have a conversation.
Hello my running friends. Welcome to episode 5-498 of the RunRunLive podcast.
How are you all doing? Another wonderful week, yeah?
You’ll be delighted to know that I survived my birthday. And, yes this is an interesting phase of life I’ve entered into.
Last episode we talked about memento mori – or remembering that death is always there. This was a big thing in the middle ages because, death was always there. It’s a bit more intellectualized now. We’re not going to die from stepping on a nail or a intestinal parasite, probably, but death is still there.
A quote that could be attributed to a 100 people, but I chose Jim Morrison, “No one gets out Alive”.
So for me, with this birthday, Death may not be in the room with me warming up, but he may be sleeping on a futon next door thinking about it!
Paradoxically I’m doing great!
Today we do a summary review of my campaign over the summer to get down to 165 pounds with my nutrition coach Rachel, or as she is now known, ‘Dr. Shuck’. It really makes me wonder why we don’t start teaching nutrition in early education.
There is a basic grab-bag of topics that I wish someone had taught me. Like basic financial planning. And how there are different personality types. And the importance of living in the present.
In section one I’ll talk about the relationship between losing weight and running faster.
In section two I’ll talk about the compound effect.
Some more basic information. Knowledge I s out there. I just wonder why we do such a good job of hiding it and/or obfuscating it from those who need it.
Now, as is our compact, I’m going to tell a story. Because a) I heard you like stories and b) my personality type likes to tell stories.
I was out doing my weekend run with Ollie on the rail trail. Beautiful fall morning. The crunchy leaves underfoot. The cool dry air. The weak but warm fall sun caressing me obliquely from the horizon.
And I noticed a couple things. First, Ollie makes people happy.
I’ve got him really well trained for running on-lease on the rail trail. He runs at the end of the 15 foot retractable leash. He stays in his lane. He avoids other dogs. He pulls out to pass and then pulls back in. He does not pull or dart or make my life miserable.
But, when I look up at people’s faces when we pass them they are smiling. Something in Ollie’s workmanlike efficient running make them happy. He is a beautiful dog. I don’t’ consider what he’s doing that amazing, certainly not enough to evoke a joyful response, but I’m happy it does.
Second, I got told that I had nice form a couple weeks ago by a woman on a bicycle. Yeah. That never happens to me. Truth be told she might have been talking about the dog. I was kicking at a tempo pace to finish the run and she, a woman of an age contemporary to mine, passed me and said, ‘nice form’.
I had to hurry home and tell my wife.
Finally, the last story is as I was running on that same rail trail on that same beautiful fall morning through my old home town of Groton. I was passing the old town fields where I had suffered through little league baseball games as a kid. I heard the distinctive crack of an aluminum bat. The noise traveling crisply in the dry air through the leafless trees. Followed shortly the excited roar of the crowd. My god! Such a Norman Rockwell moment.
I’d like to remind you that despite what some would tell you, those beautiful, small-town moments still exist.
And kind and happy people still walk among us.
The world is there, if you open your eyes.
On with the show.
Section One – Does losing weight make me faster?
https://runrunlive.com/does-losing-weight-make-me-faster
Featured Interview:
Dr. Rachell Shuck
Rachel Shuck holds her doctorate in Integrative Healthcare with an Emphasis in Clinical Nutrition. She has evolved from a runner chasing her own goals, including being a Boston Qualifier, to a beacon of hope for those lost in the maze of metabolic health issues. She’s not just teaching diet; she’s sharing the wisdom of holistic health. Her emphasis is on the crucial interplay of proper nutrition and the body’s innate healing capabilities. Her insights and experiences have graced platforms like Mind Body Green, Personal Growth, and Livestrong.com, bringing her message of health and empowerment to a wide audience. Her message is clear: Food is Medicine.
https://www.instagram.com/dr.shuck/
https://www.facebook.com/doctorshuck
Section Two – Compounding
https://runrunlive.com/the-power-of-compounding
Outro
Ha Ha! I laugh at you, or perhaps with you, in my gravelly old-man-voice and say, “You have successfully lost your bosy mass by eating better and exercising through the end of episode 5-498 and these small, positive actions will, undoubtably, compound and lead to a wonderful end-state.
Yeah?
So – My training is going well. The broken shoulder is getting better.
I signed up for a marathon in Mesa Arizona on Feb 8th. If any one wants to join me or is already planning to be there let me know.
My friend Tim, well, honestly I think everyone is Tim’s friend, has invited me to go run the Bataan Death March with him in New Mexico at the White Sands range in March. I’m considering it.
And Eric has organized a Rim to Rim to Rim attempt at the Grand Canyon in May – so – yeah – goals.
Since my last set of goals was so successful I’m working on hew goals to take me through the race in February.
Here’s what I’m playing with.
- Run a Boston Qualifier at Mesa. Hey I’m old. It’s possible.
- Work on my relationship with my wife. This, honestly, is an untended garden that scares the crap out of me. Ample opportunity for growth.
- A media fast. No news, no news popdcasts, no endless social media scrolling. Replace all that with other, more mentally stabilizing activities.
- Will be to solidify the book publishing plan for the next year.
These are notes in green ink that I put down while sitting in the coffee shop on my birthday. I still need to flesh them out, find my ‘whys’, create plans and start to execute.
Another one of my personality type foibles is that I’m great at making big declarations nad then not following through!
How about a story? I heard you like stories.
I am in an audio book phase. I discovered the Libby app at my local library and have been listening to 2-3 books a week, (in addition to the 3-5 actual books I’m reading).
I find there are certain genres that I like to listen to. One of which is the ‘self-improvement’ type book. A couple weeks ago I listened to “In My Time of Dying, by Sebastian Junger”
It’s a deep book, and, Frankly, this is where a lot of the memento mori attitude springs from in the recent shows.
I was on a business trip to Shippensburg Pennsylvania as I was listening to it. As is my habit I got up early in the morning to go for my run on two of the days. It was before we set the clocks back. This meant the first half of my run was in the dark and the sun was just starting to glow on the horizon as I turned around.
From my previous trip I knew there was a rail trail about ¾ of a mile from the hotel. In one direction it dead ended in the heart of Shippensburg. In the other it went on for miles and miles through the Pennsylvania farm country.
There I was, in the cool, dark morning, padding my way along the smooth gravel path. The smell of earth and cows in the air. It was still and noiseless and windless. Just me, alone, in my zone, in the dark, listening to Junger speak about death.
It was quite beautiful.
One or two cyclists passed me silently moving in towards the city or, more probably, the university. I could see their headlights for long minutes as they appeared at the end of that long straight distance. They started as points of light that after several long minutes grew into apparitions of cyclists and disappeared again like phantasms in a dream.
At the turn around point with the orange glow of the new sun spreading across the farm fields like warm molasses, I crossed a small road and an Amish buggy trotted towards me.
The beauty of it all struck me. The beauty juxtaposed with the conversations of death.
And so as I let you head towards the exit today you may say, “Chris! Everything is out of control! I have no way to change the world. I can only watch helplessly as things churn. What can I do?”
I would say to you that you are in control. You are in control of how you think, how you act and how you spend your energy.
You’re not responsible for the world. You are responsible for you.
Be thoughtful. Be kind. Be present.
And I’ll see you out there.