Now that we are into REAL winter, we knew you needed yet another list of New Year’s platitudes to catapult you into your winter training.  Of course, please put our laundry lists ahead of your other New Year’s lists since this pertains to future race results and juggling priorities.  Unlike all other such lists, we know you have never heard of any of these items before.  Except in prior articles.
 
Winter is generally a cold, sluggardly time.  Many of us hardly see our neighbors except to shovel the occasional snow or if we invite them over for an event involving calorie-rich food and beverage.  Winter is when we accumulate and pamper our usual winter weight.  No, this is not exclusively a holiday phenomena, the winter weight lasts till you get revved up in the spring.  So let’s see if we can help you enjoy your winter, not only with minimal damage but with momentum to carry you through till warmer weather.
 
Our list…
 
Section one:  Food-related endeavors
 
This is the hard part.  We all like to eat.
 

1. At BIG MEAL time, stop eating when you are just comfortably full—not gorged. Yes, we once heard the 105-year-old jogger in Golden Gate Park share his longevity secrets which included that he always stopped eating when he still felt slightly hungry.  Which of us can ever attain to that 1920 military standard of the czars?  At any meal when your engine is turned off and you are not racing to the next activity of your busy schedule, that is when real damage can be accomplished.  You planned to enjoy the 3 F’s: family, friends and FOOD.  You will feel more capable of a little evening workout if you were able to walk away from the table without the aid of a hydraulic crane. This leads to our next point…

 

2. Start with a smaller first portion.   You know you are going for 2 platefuls.  At least.  So either don’t heap up the initial serving, or invest in your official smaller winter plate to keep off some of that winter weight

 
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3. Keep healthy snacks available.  Like fruits and vegetables. These contain valuable phytonutrients (also referred to as phytochemicals).  These will strengthen your immune system to fight off annoying colds and flu’s that really take a bite out of good training time.  Over the long haul they also help prevent cancer!  A little salad dressing for the veggies is OK—it is actually a good source of poly/monounsaturated fats without much saturated fat.

 

4. Avoid frustration – be accountable.  Commission your training buddies and /or coach to gently ask (?!!!) you the next day how your eating extravaganza went. C’mon Pyle.  Move it, move it, move it!

 
 

5. Cut down on simple sugars/junk food.  Sugar spike, insulin spike, storage mode.  Enough said.

 
Section 2:  Exercise
 
This is the easy part.  We all like to exercise.  Don’t we!
 

6. Work out right before BIG MEAL time.  As we have mentioned in prior months, your endocrine system is geared to burning calories rather than storing them as fat for 1-2 hours after exercise.  Take advantage when it fits

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7. Cross train.  Use that leftover Christmas money to invest in a pair of snowshoes or cross-country skis.  Some are addicted to elliptical trainers.  No, these are not identical to pure triathlon modalities, but they may give you a much-needed emotional break from the usual while keeping your cardiovascular system up and going.  OK, you purist, then go buy a spin bike to put in front of a T.V.

 

8. Include family/friends.  Honey and the kids may more enthusiastically join the cause if they don’t feel like hermits but sometimes get to exercise with you.  Of course this is another constructive outlet for that Christmas money—you need at least two decent machines for the grown-ups, while the kids can probably get by on the Modell’s closeout sale version.  Their fun is they get to be cool like you!

 
 

9. Improve your swim strokes.  Not quite as much fun to bike or run on ice and snow in the dark, so use the heated, lighted pool to your advantage.  Not many of us were master swimmers when we got into this bag, so now’s your chance to move up a few places.  Bring your hair dryer or nice cozy hat.  A pneumonia is not compatible with exercise.

 

10. Keep investing money in the bank of base training.  While winter is not solely for base training, this should make up the majority of your training time.

 
 

11. Consider a periodic exercise test.  There are several different times during the annual cycle that lactate/ventilatory testing can be advantageous.  This is one of them, so that appropriate winter heart rates can be set.  Might as well know the long winter hours will be best spent at the right intensities.

 

12. Hit your weak spots.  In addition to base training,the winter months are ideal for gaining speed and power too.  If hills were your nemesis, don’t start another racing season with hills as your nemesis.  Train to attack them!

 
So here you have it.  Not comprehensive, but hopefully helpful in motivating you toward smaller place numbers next year.  Go prepare for another fun racing season.
 
Happy New Year to all!
 
 
Dr. Dan Moser, Ph D, is the director of research and clinical services at ELITE Health & Wellness (http://www.elitewellness.com).  Coming from a background in track and field, he has  more than 10 years of experience testing professional and recreational athletes, including triathletes, runners, cyclists, in-line skaters, and hockey players.
 
Jeff Devlin is an endurance coach and former professional triathlete, who offers practical insights into the application of the latest science. Jeff holds five national championship titles and two 3rd place finishes at the Hawaii Ironman. He runs his own international coaching business, Human Performance Engineering (http://www.jeffdevlin.com).