My “aha moment”
Then, a few years ago, I discovered a book called Eat to Live by nutrition expert Joel Fuhrman, MD. It’s become my bible, pushing me to completely reorient my thinking about what to put into my body. It’s like I’ve become a scientist. I never would’ve been able to complete a marathon without this newfound awareness.
Now I concentrate on eating high-nutrient foods like fruit, nuts, collards, kale, and spinach. I’m obsessed with them. I even put spinach in my smoothies!—and arugula, too. For lunch, say, I’ll put it in a whole-grain wrap with cucumbers, green peppers, hummus, tomatoes, and some lemon juice, cayenne, and hot sauce. I eat a lot of flaxseed oil to keep my omega-3s up, and I put cruciferous veggies like broccoli in soups—they’re so good for you. I rarely eat dairy. I’ll never forget my friend Woody Harrelson telling me I needed to get rid of the dairy in my fridge to clear up my skin. He was right. My skin looks great now.
Don’t get me wrong. I still indulge in a glass of wine or chocolate—treats are mandatory. Without deviating from the day-to-day healthy diet once in awhile, it wouldn’t be sustainable for me, and that’s what I wanted: an approach to eating to last my entire life. So it’s not about never eating pizza. It’s about replacing things. Maybe you make your own pizza with soy cheese and organic tomatoes.
And these changes are not that hard after a few weeks, because your taste buds really do change over time. I don’t want the things I used to crave. I love snacking on popcorn with balsamic vinegar, vegan butter, and all kinds of spices.
The new me
Now when I think about weight loss, it definitely conjures up bad memories. But I’m older now, and I won’t starve myself. Eating the right way has become a sort of spiritual practice for me. And sticking to a healthy diet definitely gave me the strength I needed to do the rigorous training required for a marathon—as well as the excruciating final stretch.
Even though I had a few cramps and it got really tough around mile 20, I pushed through the profound pain in my hip flexors and quadriceps and hit my time goal of 4 hours and 15 minutes. (Listening to “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child about 150 times helped a lot!)
I hope my effort shows any woman battling an eating disorder or poor body image that she’s not alone—support is out there—and inspires her to discover her inner athlete. It doesn’t matter what your fitness-skill level is. It’s all about finding the activity you enjoy most and sticking with it.
I’m really clear about what my life mission is now. There’s no more depression or lethargy, and I feel like I’ve returned to the athlete I once was. Growing up, I was a real jock, but that all drifted away once I took the artist route. It was like, “Rock ‘n’ roll chicks don’t play badminton!” Now I’m integrating all the parts of me—jock, musician, writer, poet, philosopher—and becoming stronger as a result.
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