Hello to you all! Have the holiday season crazies hit where you are yet? Are the holidays stressful in terms of figuring out when you can fit your workouts in? Even though most of us are off work, the family guests and all the preparations can make it difficult to find time to get out the door to workout. Add to that that the inconvenience of the pools keeping strange hours, and that you might feel guilty trying to cram in a long workout when everyone else is at the house preparing food and spending quality family time, or perhaps you just want to chill and you are not in the mood for the workouts right now-it can be hard to make it all happen. It’s ok! I suggest that you focus on maintaining fitness (and sanity) during the holiday season and then you can work on getting fitter, faster, stronger when the craziness is over. Additionally, if you are using the off season as a good time to lose some weight, it’s best to focus on maintaining, and not gaining weight during the holidays. No point swimming up-stream and making yourself and everyone crazy and feeling deprived! Enjoy the food in moderation, have a little bit of all that you want in portion controlled servings and then you won’t feel as though you are missing out. Same with your workouts- get just enough done so that you hold on to your fitness, but not so much you are too pooped for the festivities or won’t have enough energy for that one family member who is SOOOO needy. 🙂
Triathletes can aim for 4-5 workouts/week (3 if you are really pushed) in any mix you like. And if you are a single sport athlete, then 3-4 workouts is plenty. January you can kick it all back into gear again, start gradually increasing your frequency of workouts, eat a little cleaner, and all with a clear conscience and a holiday season that went a little smoother.

Happy holidays to you all, stay sane, be smart, and have fun.

TCD.