Another year has gone by and things have been very busy on the Tri-Planet front. I’ve been doing a lot of work with athletes on swim and run technique, keep an eye on the website and Facebook next year for useful pieces of information that will really help you. I’ve also had the privilege of helping with the TriNZ High Performance Junior South Island development weekend as well coaching and training the juniors for the Canterbury Triathlon Club. At the end of the year, for some strange reason, we set New Years resolutions and all sorts of goals for 2014, will you be giving up soft drinks, alcohol or chocolate for 2014?? I’ll be aiming to do my first standard distance triathlon in April in Auckland since tearing my medial meniscus ligament, thanks to our puppy, in November 2012 (yes its taken this long to come right after surgery in February and then inflammation in August!).
If one of your goals is losing weight for 2014, then I would prefer you to think of this as getting healthier for 2014. Lifestyle, diet and exercise all work together, if you get out of balance with one then this will affect the others. How many have been working long hours leading up to Christmas and have not been able to exercise, or perhaps eat well. I’m sure you will all be like me and over indulge on Christmas day. So below I’ve a few ideas to help get you through the day.
On Christmas morning do some exercise, it's a great time to bike as no one is on the road, Or take the dog for a fast walk - 20mins of exercise with an elevated HR (above 65% of your max) is enough to train the heart (do this 3 times a week and your on your way to good health)
Take the afternoon nap after dinner, if you have eaten too much and your belly is about to explode then do as the French and have a small liquor (Baileys, whiskey etc – note I said small!), this will aid your digestion!
After your nap go for a walk (I’m sure the dog won’t complain about another walk), the fresh air and exercise will do you wonders.
So what about the holidays when your at the camping ground or maybe in the luxury of a hotel? Look at what is around you, if you’re by any water then you can go swimming. Try running and diving into the waves and running out a few times and see how tiring that can be. Maybe some rock hopping at the river and running or walking up the sand dunes at the beach, remember you only need to do 20mins. If team sports are your thing then get the cricket set out or the volleyball net. Get teams of three or four together and go 3mins hard out see how many points you can get, then change teams around. Keep the intensity going and see how much you start puffing, competition is a great motivator!
And if you're the solo sort then try doing some of these sessions;
Session 1 - Set up a 6 cones (or other markers) in a rectangle that are about 20m apart, warm up well for 10mins (jogging , skipping, step ups etc) and then do the following set.
After each exercise run around the outside of all the cones then go to the next cone, continue for 5 – 8mins (depending on your fitness level)
- 10 start jumps at first cone,
- 20 lunges (in total) at second cone
- 10 burpees at third cone
- 10 press ups at fourth cone
- 10 squats at fifth cone
- 10 off set press ups at sixth cone (5 each side) – one hand lower than the other
Do this set a few times then warm down and stretch
Session 2 – Run for 35mins (or for a time that you can manage). During this run change your running speed (Fartlek training) – so do 10mins easy, 10mins moderate, 5mins hard, 10mins easy. This will really get the heart rate going!
Session 3 – Walk for 40mins (or for a time that you can manage). Break this walk up into the following – 15 mins walking steady – every 5mins do 50 steps quickly swimming your arms high as you walk, then do 15mins hill repeats (walk up hill for 3mins then walk down – keep repeating this). Finish with 10mins steady walking and stretch afterwards.
Nutrition is another article but for the moment avoid processed foods (you really don’t want to know what’s in a sausage roll!), soft drinks, foods high in sugar, and reduce your alcohol consumption. Eat lots of fresh vegetables, fruit and protein, drink plenty of water.
Happy holidays, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a superb New Year!
Coach Craig