Chronic Cardio? Say It Ain’t So… Steve!

This was a diet and exercise ‘experiment’.

Below is a picture of the “stats” for the 4 days.

So… why did I embark on this Experiment?

Reason #1 : Talking from Experience

I will not bore you with my “story”, but if you are a new reader you can view it here or click on the “ABOUT” tab in the upper left corner.

I’ll just say that I was an obese diabetic who began walking and lifting light weights. I kept progressing, doing a little more each day until the end of May ’09.  At this point I was running 8-10 miles every other day.

I was on a lowER Carb Meal Plan, but I WAS NOT eating a  VLC (Very Low Carb)  Meal Plan like I am today and I was NOT primal.

Today, I typically eat between 15-30g of carbs…PER DAY!

Why did I do ‘Chronic Cardio”?

I wanted to see if I could run 10 miles on a Very Low Carb Primal  meal plan…. I can. :)

Almost weekly I hear an obese Type 2  tell me… My CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator)  told me I had to eat 45 g of carbs per MEAL!

…. I get SOOOO TIRED OF HEARING THAT!!! …. it is NOT true…. IT IS A LIE!!!!

I also periodically hear some ADA sponsored DIABETIC runner or bicyclist say  …my CDE or my Sport Nutritionist told me I had to eat 300g of carbs daily….  blah blah blah…. it ain’t so folks.

I consumed 48 grams in FOUR DAYS and I ran approximately 29 miles.

In the past, I could not answer them from personal experience.

YES I have run hill sprints and completed multiple P90X workouts in a single day… very strenuous for sure…but when I last ran 10 miles I was not on a VLC meal plan at the time. Before I tell someone that runs or bikes long distances that they can do 30g of carbs and still do their normal regimen, I wanted to try it myself, so I can speak from experience.  For 4 days…I averaged 12 grams of carbs… PER DAY.  I started off each run eating NOTHING but a few bites of butter….yes…BUTTER.

RESULT:  YES, I was tired after completing the runs… but I quickly recovered.

I am TELLING YOU… you do NOT need carbs for energy… repeat after me… I DO NOT NEED CARBS FOR ENERGY… that is what Ketosis is for. :)

I was very sore, especially after the 8 and 10 mile runs… it seemed that every joint in my body ached. I do believe  jogging for longer distances or as they call it “Chronic Cardio” is not healthy for me.

*** IF A nutritionist, dietitian or Certified Diabetes Educator…. tells you you must eat 45g of carbs per MEAL …they are either Deceitful or Lazy…or both. WHY?   Because there is MUCH research that proves what I tell you…plus there are numerous personal stories in addition to my own…. people who exercise frequently and who eat Very Low Carb meal plans.

Reason #2  P90X Break

P90X is a 90 day program…at the end of each 90 day workout, you should take at least one week off, two is even fine.  Well I just completed my 3rd 90 day program…and honestly, I have NEVER taken a full week off.  I will over train at times (shocker…I know) and I will take a break for a day or two mid week… but I’ve never had a full week off from heavy pushing and pulling, until now!!! :)

Now to some, running 4, 6.6, 8 and 10 miles on consecutive days may not seem like a break but it was a break from weight resistance exercises.

Reason #3  BG Response

My Overnight Fasting Blood Glucose (OFBG) has been running high lately. From the 90’s to the lower 100’s,  I don’t like that. So I wanted to see if this higher level of cardio would positively affect my BG.

RESULTS: Inconclusive. Yes it is a brief test and the results are likely tainted by a couple of factors.

A) Injuries on both feet, likely affected the results….nothing serious.

B) Both days I tested my “pre-run” blood sugar earlier than normal, due to the dawn affect, these numbers were likely to be higher than they normally would be.

SUMMARY:

I thought I loved running but after a year of P90X and Sprinting… I have learned my lesson. No more long laborious cardio runs. MY return into the depths of “CHRONIC CARDIO” taught me one thing… I do not want to do it again. I will run 2-4 miles again …those runs are too tough on the joints and runs of that length add variety to my normal workout mix.
Blood Glucose response? … overnight fasting blood sugar levels did seem to trend higher, however post running blood glucose was lower…. so based on such a short period of testing…I’d say it’s inconclusive.

Lastly, after doing multiple P90X workouts and performing hill sprints….after running 10 miles on a breakfast of butter, when I only had 12g of carbs the previous day…. I think for me, I have put the American Diabetes Association’s  “carb up and shoot up” policy to rest, for good.  YOU, me…”WE” do NOT need carbs to survive…NOR thrive! ARGH!!!! :)