I have been doing triathlons as an amateur beginner on and off for the past 10 years. I've probably completed about 5-8 sprint distance triathlons during that time, with relatively light training schedules. It kept me active and made me get more serious about my running, cycling and swimming so I felt like it was worth the entry fee for each race if it got me in the pool more often. Recently, I started to research more information on training, hoping to shave some time off of my "bottom 1/3" race places. I was also looking for some motivation to workout more. I often find if I want to improve an area of my life and I devote time to researching it, I will find a renewed interest and fervor in the activity, inspired by research on proven benefits or even anecdotes of success or transcendental experiences. So while I was reading the book, Triathlon for Beginners by Dan Golding, I was surprised to find a tip that is equally applicable to all people who exercise regardless of age, training intensity or ability level.
In his book, Dan Golding stated that in order to reach top training efficiency, one should train normally for 5-6 weeks, then take a "light" week. I tried this and immediately found so many results. Now I am by no stretch of the imagination an elite athlete. Most of my workouts involve yoga and walking, with some HIIT cycling and lap swimming mixed in, with the occasional resistance session or fitness class thrown in. However, after taking a light week where I took many more days off, went for leisurely walks in the park with my husband, and kept my yoga sessions gentle and short, I found a re-entry that was both energized and renewed in motivation. I couldn't believe it! And all of a sudden it was like everything made sense. There were many times in my 20s that I tried to get into a gym routine. I would hit the gym hard for about 4-5 weeks and then taper off to nothing, trying so hard to keep it up and eventually giving it up completely, only to relive the cycle again in a couple of weeks or months. I would feel guilty, like the gym rats knew something I didn't know. That they had this reservoir of self-control and motivation that was either unavailable, nonexistent, or untapped in my own lazy body. However, after I took the "light" week, this natural cycling of trying hard, tapering off and giving up made perfect sense! I wasn't unmotivated....my body and mind and schedule just needed a break from the grind - a time of rest and renewal to go back hard. And did I go back hard! (If you can count any of my workouts as hard - LOL). Re-entry was cleaner, brighter, more intense, with a renewed sense of commitment, re-energized and inspired! I couldn't believe it! I had finally found one of the training secrets to sustained training! My husband's running coach told him to take off completely 2 weeks per year, which works for him. It's a time of hibernation and restoration. This makes sense, but so does having a natural cycling of intensity to have (almost) monthly periods of rest and recovery. Of course, you should keep moving and training in some way to prevent becoming totally sedentary (we all know moving is good for humans!), but definitely take it easy! So some suggestions for staying positively engaged during a light week: 1. Take on a home project 2. Declutter 3. Write/Journal 4. Make more art/music 5. Take slow walks in nature 6. Take a day trip somewhere seasonal such as apple picking or checking out a museum 7. Binge watch a show (for you Netflix fans!) 8. Read your favorite books/blogs 9. Sleep in This also makes sense with regard to dieting. We all know that cheat meals work and the research on this is presented in the book, Thinner, Leaner, Stronger by Micheal Matthews. He presented military research of how starvation "victims" (volunteers for research) lost the most weight the day after a periodic "feast" in which the volunteers indulged way past their normal caloric intake. Apparently, the body, when faced with a caloric restriction, and its metabolism gets very "thrifty", making the most of each calorie, making it true that the more you diet the harder it is to lose weight. So his advice? One cheat meal per week to trick your metabolism back into its abundance mode. However, if you are interested in long-term weight loss I have another tip that has worked for me, but is not grounded in research, so just see if it works for you too. Every 3-4 weeks of calorie restriction, give yourself a break. I don't mean eat brownie sundaes for breakfast, but maybe stop counting calories and just eat light and what your body craves and try listening to your body instead of your health apps. I think this serves two purposes: it makes you tune into your body's natural cues and increases body awareness, and it gives your willpower muscle a break. In the book, Willpower, by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney, they chronicle the research-based similarities between your willpower and your muscles. They essentially prove that willpower is like a muscle that can be strengthened or atrophied. The point I would like to point out is that this muscle can also be fatigued as they proved in their bridal registry experiments. So if willpower can be fatigued, wouldn't it make sense to relax the diet a little every couple weeks, give yourself a break, so you can come back even stronger and eat cleaner than ever? It makes sense to me. Anyway, those are my tips and tricks for now! Try it and see if it works! Post your comments below! Taking it easy for now, Betty Lynn
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AuthorBetty Lynn is an writer, educator, artist, illustrator and yoga teacher living in the suburbs of New York City. Archives
October 2019
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