Last week after a day like today I was feeling incredibly tired. Today? I feel great!
I think my improved mood is all due to fruit.
Yep, fruit.
Earlier today I went on my run/walk session for my triathlon training at the nearby park where I always go. The run was a bit more difficult as this week I moved up to running FOUR minutes at a time and it was hot and sunny (I’m not a fan of the sun here). I’m really enjoying triathlon training and the gradual increase in time and distance running each week. It’s been great having and sticking with a running plan for once. I’ve moved up from running one minute at a time the first week to now running four minutes at once. I’m still not back to the place where I ran a mile, but I’m getting close. I ran for a total of ten minutes today, which is almost a mile at the snails pace that I run. I’m close.
But the point is that after the run I made a wonderful decision and popped into the fruit shop near our apartment to buy a bunch of fruit. A quick investment of $5 and I walked out with four bananas, four plums, three apples, a pear, and an orange. Yummy.
Throughout the day today I had a banana, an apple, a plum, and a leftover tiny apple I already had. I think it’s all this extra fruit that’s made me feel better all around today. I think last week I had the problem of not eating enough while doing a lot of activity and this week I completely changed that by eating fruit for snacks.
One thing I’m trying to learn is how to eat properly while I’m doing more activity. I’m burning more calories and eating less is not the correct option (even if I feel like eating less food which happens when it’s hot). So I’m trying to make sure I eat more, mostly in real food like fruits and veggies which also helps me accomplish my personal goal in my challenge. It also makes me feel a lot better to feel properly fueled when I’m doing things.
I still need to read up more on how to eat properly for this kind of thing since I’m far, far, far from an expert. But so far I think I’m doing a good job at figuring it out and adjusting to what my body needs. Running (and swimming and walking) and fruit seem to go together.
Do you eat a lot of fruit? What’s your favorite fruit?
ooh look.
Im first.
and I am indeed Fruity Mcgee.
all berries (blue black rasp :) golden rasp)
I saw your tweet yesterday about the post-run fruit and for some reason the JOY in those 140 characters just made me smile.
You are first a lot! It’s because you start the day at the butt-crack of dawn and spread your commenting love around the blogosphere at that time. <3
:)
I love fruit so much. I could eat it all day.
My favorite is nashi–Japanese pears. They remind me of a hybrid apple/pear. Taste like a pear, but with the texture and crispness of an apple.
I do eat quite a bit of fruit… it helps me stay away from other sugary treats. Strawberries are my favorite, but this time of year, I eat a lot of apples and pears.
I could live off fruit. My favorite is Macoun apples, but since they’re only available for about three weeks in the fall, I’ll go with peaches. Even better if they’re fresh-picked. The only fruit I dislike are honeydew and cantaloupe melons. Which is a shame since they’re the cheapest.
I love fruit. Especially ripe stuff in the summer, like cherries and nectarines. Love blueberries and raspberries. Right now I am on a boring apple kick since the other stuff is not in season.
I eat tons of fruit too. I don’t eat it before I run (fructose is not the kind of fuel you want, plus fiber issues are never good when running), but it doesn’t matter too much for short distance runs. But either way, since I run in the morning, I’m then free to eat fruit all day long! The only fruit (and one of the only foods in general) that I hate is bananas. I’m not wild about honeydew or cantelope, but I’ll eat them. Other than those, we try to eat a huge variety — aiming for many different colors each week. All-time faves: green grapes (seedless, though I know that’s unnatural), strawberries, raspberries and Honeycrisp apples. Post-run fruit feels particularly refreshing when it’s warm outside.
Yeah I didn’t eat it before my run but instead all day after (and after swimming) and it really helped me feel better and less tired. :) Right now I don’t get as much variety as I would like because I normally just eat apples and bananas. But I bought all the pears, plums, oranges for something different. Next week I’ll try something new!
Ton’s of berries, blueberries, black berries, raspberries.
Sometimes mini apples and whatever fruits is there and also dried fruits =)
I’ve noticed a huge difference in my energy levels since I’ve made a real effot to eat fruit. I tend to eat one banana in my oatmeal for breakfast, an apple for an afternoon snack and an apple or pear before bed!
It’s amazing how much energy you can get from a couple pieces of fruit! It completely changed how I felt during the day and even the next day without changing much else. I’m actually fascinated by how much of a difference it made with my body and how I feel.
I eat a lot of fruit too. I’m not really a fan of veggies, so fruit basically takes the place of veggies in my diet. (Except for carrots, salad, green beans and corn.)
Congrats on running a full 10 minutes! That’s really something to be proud of! :)
I’m another lover of the fruit. My favorites are berries — blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in particular. Too bad all of those are generally so expensive. I also love a good ripe pear. Oh, and a perfectly crisp apple, and and and. I will stop before before I list pretty much all the fruit out there.
They are a bit more pricey, which is why I didn’t buy any. I noticed the frozen berries are quite inexpensive so I’m going to stock up on those for smoothies once I get a blender. Fruit in smoothies is awesome too. :)
Glad to hear you are focusing on fruits and veggies and feeling better this week. You can add some nuts in there too for a little protein. Just make sure they have no added oils. Oh and you don’t have to be an expert, you just have to figure out what is best for your body for your activity level. :-)
I love fruit, mango, strawberries, pineapple, nectarines, star fruit are a few of my fav’s.
Love home made fruit smoothies too.
I have been buying fruit leather that is from NZ so see if can find and like that.
Fruit leather interests me. I found a recipe online the other day and I might try making my own soon. I’ll let you know how it goes. ;)
I do eat a lot of fruit! I find it to be a great snack, as long as I pair it with something else! (nuts, peanut butter, etc)
I love pairing it with nut butters or just plain nuts too! :)
I lurve fruit! So much so that my husband calls me a fruit Hoover LOL!
I love strawberries and need a serious intervention on fresh blueberries when they are in season for picking :D
Right now, I am all about pears.
I’ve been trying to eat more. My favorite is cantaloupe which is funny because it’s often such a pain to cut tat I don’t buy it like I should.
I love cantaloupe but I hate having to cut it! :)
Did you know: One cup of strawberries contains over 100 mg of vitamin C, almost as much as a cup of orange juice. Strawberries also contain a small amount of calcium, magnesium, folate and potassium.
One cup of blueberries offers a smaller amount of vitamin C, minerals and phytochemicals for only 83 calories. The same amount of cranberries is similar, but with only 44 calories, 1 cup of raspberries offers vitamin C and potassium for rough about 64 calories. Plus they’re yummy & don’t give you that guilty feeling after downing a big handful. Berries tend to be expensive fo me so I consider them a necessary splurge. Apples tend to be less expensive so I buy them frequently. An uncommon fact about apples is they contain a high amount of fiber, which contributes to a healthy digestive system and can help to relieve constipation ( in case your wondering).
Loved your posting!
I know now! Thanks for posting that comment! It made me want to go buy some strawberries since they are almost in season here (or maybe they are?). My goal this weekend is to find good strawberries now!
Yep they are in season :o)
Sweet! I hadn’t been paying attention to that but now I’m excited! I want to get some asap!
I admire the fact that you are trying to feed your body right while at the same time burning the calories. Last year I lost 60 pounds, but looking back I STARVED it off without realizing it and now its all back on me again. =(
I am going to eat some yummy fruit for my snacks today thanks to your posting this and the great motivation!
Mary, as soon as I saw your post title I thought “It was a run-by fruiting!” Remember that, from Mrs. Doubtfire? Oh, you’re probably too young. Anyway, I love fruit. Bananas and apples, berries, many things. Prefer the ones that don’t require a lot of prep.
I’m definitely not too young for that movie… we loved it as kids. I watched it so many times! Hahahaha. :)
Way to go fruity, girl! ;)
I love fruit! I was actually just talking about this with a student of mine less than 5 minutes ago. I always eat fruit based on the season, so right now I’m all about apples. My new faves are Honeycrisp. Delish!
Funny that you wrote this post because I just wrote a post about fruit earlier this month. I absolutely LOVE fruit. I have it everyday as a snack. I have an office job and we office people tend to nibble on lots of stuff. Lots of unhealthy stuff. But once I started brining in fruit, I see how it curves my appetite and keeps me from eating junk. And depending on what type of fruit you get, you can cure that sweet tooth as well. Kiwi is great for that.
Actuallly, if I don’t eat my fruit, I feel a bit off. I feel like something is missing. Today I have a persimmon for a snack. This morning, I made a smoothie with banana and blueberries. Tonight, maybe an applie. I also incorporated more fruit into my diet after reading Tosca Reno’s Eat-Clean Diet book. Do check that out.
As far as my favorite, hmmm, that’s a toughie. White nectarines, mangos, persimmons, strawberries, and blueberries come to mind.
I’ll have to try more kiwi. I avoid it because it’s fuzzy, lol.
Yes, it’s not a very ‘clean’ eating fruit. Especially when they are super soft. But it’s like a present. Once you get the wrapping off, it’s bliss. Great, now I want a kiwi. ha.
i definitely need more energy. Fruit looks like the way to go.
Kudos on the running. I suck at it.
Well technically I suck too but I’m not quitting!
I guess I kinda suck too. I’m not fast by any means. But I did read an article by John Bingham, that just as long as you keep running fun then that’s all that matters.
I will work on speed, but I do want to keep running fun.
Fruit is yummy! I probably get 2-3 servings a day. I love frozen mixed berries blended with a little milk to make “ice cream” or uber thick smoothie for an evening dessert. Otherwise, I mostly eat bananas, green apples and kiwifruit. It’s also strawberry season, so I’m eating a lot of them at the mo.
I eat quite a bit of fruit myself, but it’s hard to get anything too fancy up here that’s actually any good, so I usually stick to the basics – lots of apples and bananas, and occasionally I manage to get my hands on some good quality berries or rainier cherries.
I have my phases when I eat A LOT of fruit.. then for a while I might not eat any and then I go off with fruit overload again :D
I loooooove fruit. I kinda eat too much of it, actually. Most mornings I have at least four apples (and that’s just the morning…). I really need to focus more on the veggies. Ah well! Fruit is delicious.
I love me some fruit! It’s generally my pre-run snack because it gives a boost of natural, awesome sugar. I love plums, peaches, berries of all sorts, apples, oranges, and pears. I love melons and pinapples, but they are way way expensive or a pain to cut up. I have no love for bananas or kiwis, but I like just about anything else. Yum! :)
I love eating fruit!!