Bri posted this in June, I love it!
TASTE THE DIFFERENCE
Exercise makes everything better---including the flavor of life.
By Joe Kita
A cup of dirty ice
A handful of melted Gummi Bears
A ham-and-cheese sandwich in a microwavable bag
A glass of warm Coke
A badly bruised banana
A packet of vanilla GU
These are some of the best things I've ever eaten. In fact, if I close my eyes and think about each one, I can still remember exactly where I was and how delicious it tasted. That cup of ice, for instance, was handed to me at an aid station 4 miles from the finish of an Olympic-distance triathlon on a 90-degree July day. Up until that point, I'd only had warm water and Gatorade, but this—my gosh—was treasure.
I spotted that ham-and-cheese sandwich in a rest-stop vending machine off a highway near Westport, Ireland. My 9-year-old son and I had been pedaling our tandem all day in the rain. We were cold and hungry. We listened as our last coins clattered into the cashbox, watched as that sandwich fell from its A3 perch, waited as the microwave worked its 60-second magic, then split it exactly even and let the cheese seep into our mouths.
So it is with everything else on my list. Ordinary stuff that's either gulped down or refused entirely under normal conditions becomes an unforgettable gourmet treat when seasoned with physical exercise.
Everyone knows that exercise strengthens the heart and lungs and muscles, but did you also realize that it conditions your taste buds and, more broadly (and importantly), your appetite for life?
There's an interesting physiological reason for this. Ninety percent of what we think is taste is actually smell. Try holding your nose the next time you take a bite of anything, and you'll experience this firsthand. As your body heats up during exercise, your sense of smell becomes more acute. Increased air-and blood-flow through the nose, combined with the release of endorphins and the uptick in your arousal system, all serve to further enhance your sense of smell. So when you eat or drink something during or immediately after strenuous exercise, it tastes better.
That's the physical part. But after many years of workouts, I've come to believe there's a similar psychological effect. It's not just food and drink you come to savor, but also conversation, people, and the surrounding environment. I'm the 47-year-old son of a stalwart Marine, yet I cried running up Fifth Avenue during the New York City Marathon, and I've told things to buddies on bike rides that I'd never think of broaching with my wife. It's as if molecules in your brain and your heart, along with those in your nose, dilate and become more sensitive, too. You feel more intensely, you appreciate more deeply, you listen more closely, you taste life in the pure, organic way it was meant to be served.
This is why I exercise. This is why I'm in the pool at 7a.m. or at the gym on weekend mornings while almost everyone else is sleeping. This is why I prefer to take my family on bike tours rather than to Disney World. This is why my wife and I go for a walk when we have something important to discuss. Activity brings awareness. Start moving the body, and the soul will follow.
You've probably heard the term "target heart rate." If you're serious about exercise and want to train most effectively, this is the heart rate you should aim for. It's your engine's optimal rpm. But what if we redefined the concept? Instead of aiming for our physical target hear-rate zones and counting off beats per minute, what if we focused instead on our emotional target heart-rate zones and tracked our connections per minute-the number of times we really notice or experience what's around us?
After all, it's not just getting back in shape that we need, it's getting back in touch.
