Maximising Potential

Athlete Guide to Christmas!

Sun, 22 Dec 2019 17:09:06 GMT

Top tips to keep you on track over the party season!

The Christmas season is well and truly upon us - and here's the good news; being an athlete does not mean you miss out!

You’ve worked hard all year, so you deserve to join in the festive party season without feeling guilty - but it’s so easy to undo a lot of good work by losing your discipline. So here are 5 quick tips to keep you on track:

# 1. Plan ahead

Don’t let the Christmas and New Year period become an all you can eat food-fest. Have some key dates when you know you will indulge in eating and drinking that is outside your normal routines. If you know you’re out for dinner then go easy on other meals. Yes, you are also going to be surrounded by lots of treats, of course they taste good but this is momentary and will not serve you well longer term, so try to keep this under control. Visualise these for what they really are, reconstructed lumps of refined sugar and limit temptation by not having the house filled with boxes of sweets! If you are looking for snacks, stock up on healthy options like nuts, fruit and maybe some dark chocolate.

# 2. Be mindful

Everything is fine in moderation, the danger is that moderation is difficult to define and even more difficult to manage. The good thing is that turkey is protein rich and there is going to be an abundance of this before the bird is finally finished off. This should mean you will feel fuller for longer and be less likely to binge between meals. Remember on average it takes 15 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that it has been satisfied, so take your time over your meals, relax, savour your food, put your knife and fork on the table between bites and engage with your company - all of this will help avoid overeating

# 3. Eat plenty of veg

The great thing about this time of year is the availability of a wide variety of delicious winter vegetables. These are not only low in calories but are packed full of vitamins and minerals that will support your health and immunity. So fill your plate with all the great coloured vegetables and salads - and try to limit fried foods, bread or pastry

# 4. Alcohol

Ok - it's hard to imagine a social occasion or celebration that does not include alcohol, but this is high in calories and very low in nutritional value. The more alcohol you consume the weaker your resolve will be in maintaining discipline around this and other choices including eating habits and turning up for that early morning bike or run. But that doesn’t mean you must abstain completely, just be careful, moderate your intake and try to consume twice as much water to stay hydrated. It is also a good idea to avoid high sugar soft drinks and mixers.

# 5. Training

Unless you are preparing for a big race immediately in the new year then this is a time for a more relaxed training routine. There is still a big benefit in getting some exercise done as it will minimise any fitness losses and help create a balance in the 'calories in -v- calories out' equation. There are going to be dates over the holiday period when your normal training facilities will be closed, but the good news is that the great outdoors is always available and it's free!. Keep it relaxed and look out for some festive events that will encourage you to get out for some fresh air and keep moving. It is also important to have a date in your diary for proper training to restart, don't let your holiday routine become a new normal

Enjoy a fabulous Christmas!

Time To Recover

Sun, 29 Sep 2019 15:57:58 GMT

What you do in the 'off season' will have a huge impact on how you perform next season

For those involved in triathlon the end of the competitive season has arrived or is looming large. For many this comes after a long, tiring campaign which will have included early morning workouts, squeezing training sessions into an already packed schedule, managing conflicting demands to achieve a semblance or work - life balance, grinding out high volume endurance work, high intensity speed work, strength sessions and trying to recover as well as possible in order to do it all again. In addition to this factor in a busy race schedule which has hopefully culminated with an optimal performance at that big category 'A' race. It is therefore unsurprising that this level of commitment, focus, training and racing brings with it stresses on a number of levels:

Physical stress on the body and immune system of consistently sustaining this level of intensity
Mental stress of maintaining the commitment, determination and motivation for all of this
Emotional stress, including relationships with family and friends who support your sporting aspirations

Training = Exercise + Recovery!

The end of the competitive season presents a golden opportunity to rest, recharge and recover from this sustained period of hard training. Also to reconnect with the world and give something back to the important support systems that athletes are fortunate to have around them. The time frame for this will vary according to the athlete, their events and level of fatigue but it should be measured in weeks rather than days. Some things to consider:

Reduce training stress and allow your body the time to fully and properly recover
Remove pressure, be kind to yourself, chill out and think about other things for a change
Reconnect with family and friends who may not have seen much of you
Get any lingering injuries properly assessed now with a plan for rehabilitation
Attend to those jobs around home you've been putting off
Payback time for work colleagues who may have covered for your absence
A complete period of no planned training - be spontaneous! - keep it easy & fun!
Follow this with a structured period of easy, recovery level training - work on technique
Ensure you have an incremental and structured plan for reintroducing frequency, volume and intensity of training when the time is right

Many athletes ignore this advice and keep the training stress high during the off season or transition into another sport that is in full race mode. Why do they spurn the opportunity and neglect the need to rest and recover? For some, it may be a worry about dropping their level in fitness, "I've had a great season, and achieved a high level of fitness so don't want to let it slip away." Yet this really is a good thing, a continual upward trajectory of fitness is likely to result in injury or illness caused by overtraining. Easing back now, accepting a small drop off in fitness will reduce the risk of injury or illness, enable a strong, fresh start to the next training block with a renewed appetite and make consistent training much more likely.

Those athletes who find the right balance between training and recovery are most likely to achieve consistency in their training, progression in their performances and longevity in their sport

My First Blog Post

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 18:27:43 GMT

It’s official, I have a blog and I'm learning how to use it!

I have finally decided to take the plunge and add a blog page to this site. This is a great way to share information with visitors and I’m super excited to start this journey. So if you're interested in great coaching tips and advice keep coming back to check for the latest updates right here on the blog.