Active, perhaps to a psychotic or at least problematic extent, I consume a lot of calories. In addition to my physiological needs, my penchant for munching is exacerbated by a gourmand streak that runs like thick gravy through my bloodline, if not bloodstream. Dietary requirements and predilections aside, there is also the matter of my mood and mind – food and exercise are my chief emotional regulators.
Although I am generally pretty good at planning meals and eating at regular intervals, my peripatetic and packed lifestyle sometimes conspires against my best gustatory intentions. To attempt to combat an unexpected lack of nourishment, I have snacks stashed in coat pockets, my backpack, in several places in my car, in my office, basically anywhere I am likely to be.
Still – there are times that I am so locked in on work or so amped on a ski day that I go too long without shoveling something tasty into my maw. No matter how level I may feel coasting a while on fumes, foolishly forestalling a repast, there is inevitably a precipitous drop in blood sugar that portends the arrival of the Mr. Hyde side of the dichotomy.
Quickly, a cloud descends over my internal view, my thoughts become disjointed, an unwelcome irritability begins creeping upward from my stomach into my shoulders and head, my back starts to ache, and my patience, never particularly stellar, plummets rapidly. It feels almost akin to inebriation, but without any of the pleasant effects – disorientation without elation.
Unfortified, I am exposed, a more base version of myself, causing wonder as to whether food is the only bulwark between reason and insanity. Troubling, but also solvable – I just need to find something to eat. Once masticating some morsels, the mania subsides, the skies clear, leaving bewilderment and bemusement and not a little sheepishness as the remnants.
Although hangry is in common parlance, the phenomenon rather widespread, the ill consequences of an empty stomach are not confined to anger. A certain crankiness is typical, sure, but once the body is in deficit, all emotions are heightened. Each sound is amplified, each input has outsized effect.
Brain fuzzy due to lack of proper nutrition, it is easy to misapprehend a situation or statement, let insecurities flow to the fore, allow the sadness that had been corralled to run wild and free, take matters personally that are not intended as such. Without the grounding of sufficient nutrients, one becomes unmoored.
Although more rare, at least for me, there is a giddy side to hunger, a false euphoria that is the counterpoint to the despondence. Inhibitions lowered, one may have a bit of fun, but also may make choices that would not pass muster upon reinspection.
It is well understood that food is fuel for our physical pursuits, that what goes into the body has direct effects on performance. It is equally well acknowledged that one’s mental state has outsized importance for athletic results. But the intersection of these two principles receives less focus.
When toiling mightily on the bike or in the skin track, it is only with mental fortitude that one can keep up the pace. This requires not only the right macros, but also to have one’s mindset bolstered by a savvy sustenance plan. If the mood starts to falter, doubt creeps in, the legs slow, the pain becomes more real, and the wheels literally or figuratively fall off.
Gels and bars and drink mixes are important components of a fueling strategy, but especially if one is out for many hours, there needs to be some joy in consumption. Enter the humble and holy peanut butter and jelly sandwich, that sweet and salty savior of many a long day out. It wards off the demons of h-emotional behavior while also bringing levity and nostalgia and bliss to the endeavor.
While we cannot control many of the circumstances that befall us, the unexpected turmoils with which we must contend, many of us have the great luxury of deciding how to feed ourselves and when, resulting in a direct means of monitoring our attitudes. This is a boon that a billion or more on this Earth do not have. Let us not waste this gift.