Long before the 'gluten-free' craze, I changed my eating dramatically after an unexpected root canal at the dentist. I was a healthy, non-candy-eating athlete, but in reality the carbohydrates I ate to fuel my sport - breads, pasta, smoothies and sport bars - all break down into sugar, which ultimately causes cavities.
What started with a root canal ended with a replacement of processed foods with un-processed foods and choosing foods with less than 5 grams of sugar. White foods were eliminated and replaced with brown rice bread, brown rice pasta, brown rice, millet rice cereal and lots of fruits and veggies. As time went on, despite training 3-8 hours each day, I found myself eating most of my carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables, and a typical pre-race meal was no longer pasta but rather salmon, salad, broccoli and fruit. My energy changed dramatically. My lean muscles increased, and my racing and training improved.
A few years later I connected with the Zone. I had had a chronic Achilles' injury and had just rehabilitated it, but it was always going to be my weak link. And the prescription anti-inflammatories I had been taking for years had just masked the pain and had been making the tendon weaker. When I got back to running, I swore I would never take another anti-inflammatory.
Thankfully, my new routine included OmegaRx Fish Oil, which is a natural anti-inflammatory. I took between 4 and 8 capsules each day along with SeaHealth Plus. That combination of Zone products has meant that I have not taken prescription anti-inflammatories, Tylenol or Advil since 2007. I truly believe that Zone products and the Zone lifestyle have helped keep me healthy enough to continue to train and race even now after retiring from professional sports.
I recently finished the Boston Marathon running my best time ever - 2:47:47 at 45 years of age. I was the fifth woman over 40, 1st woman 45-49 and 41st woman overall out of 14,356 women. And I plan to keep running and getting faster and defying all age barriers thanks to the Zone!