Beat The Cold Weather and the winter Blues - Training and Nutrition

Beat The Cold Weather and the winter Blues - Training and Nutrition

 

 

Training Blues - Staying Motivated In Winter

 

"It's too cold. It's too wet. It's dark. I'll go tomorrow. Maybe I'll go to the gym tonight after work. I just can't be bothered."

If you're anything like me, this is the conversation that you have with yourself every morning when the colder weather sets in. Every morning when the alarm goes off, I lay for a few moments in the dark and try to work up the motivation to get my body out of bed and out the door to train. Summer is ok, as it's light, warm and the birds are singing. In the colder months, it's usually pitch bIack, freezing and lonely. I often hear of people who "bounce out of bed" in the morning with a smile on their face, excited to be up at some ungodly hour to put themselves through more punishment. In winter, I am not one of these people.

These are some of the tricks that I use to ensure that I get my training done on those cold, dark mornings:

• Get enough sleep. If you are getting up at 5 or 6am, make sure you are in bed early enough that you feel rested in the morning when your alarm goes off.
• Never, EVER, EVER, EVER hit snooze. If you don't get up straight away, it won't happen.
• Prepare the night before. I have my clothes, shoes and any other gear I'll need laid out ready to go. I roll out of bed and get dressed before I can talk myself out of it.
• Have a hot coffee as soon as you wake up. The warmth and the caffeine will make your life a little bit better.
• Arrange to train with a friend. It's a lot harder to make excuses when you've got someone else waiting for you.
• Set weekly goals. Giving yourself a weekly mileage target to hit is a really powerful way to motivate yourself.

There's no doubt that training in cold weather is nowhere near as fun as the summer months, but you can use this time to build a great summer body, improve your base fitness and set yourself up for a fantastic racing season. One real positive is the uncrowded running trails and bike paths that would normally be clogged with joggers and people dawdling along. If you run or ride to work, you will find your commute times come down as you don't have to slow down for as many people on the way to work.

Remember, you've worked hard over the summer to get your fitness to its current level.

 

 5 Great Nutritious Winter Foods

Winter's tough and not just for those that have to hibernate. In fact, from November until nearly March - when the clocks go back; there really can be an air of the downbeat about the world. Aside from causing colds and illnesses, winter can often make you want to comfort eat. The longer evenings, the colder and wetter weather and the lack of any solar powered vitamin D make heavier, starchy foods more desirable.

However, it doesn't have to be like this. There is plenty of amazing in-season foods that can offer you tasty alternatives as well as the opportunity for exploration in the kitchen.

Red Cabbage

Many of us have terrible memories of cabbage. Most of us recall over-boiled green mulch we got at school. However, cabbage is an amazingly tasty vegetable if cooked correctly provides a significant amount of nutrition and is also very versatile. We are especially fond of red cabbage - it an be truly yummy.

Red cabbage is full of antioxidants, rich in minerals, vitamins and anthocyanins - this gives it the red tone. Cabbage is beautiful braised with apples and even added to salad. It's also ideal for stir fries and coleslaws and is a tremendously healthy and versatile vegetable and we love it.

Leeks

We often find people make leek into soup. However, leeks can be added to omelettes, salads and even stir fries and are super tasty. They are high in fibre and also packed with numerous essential nutrients. Their delicate flavour makes for adaptability and they come with a range of health benefits.

Brussel Sprouts

Another often maligned food, Brussels sprouts are a fantastic food and rich in a wide range of all things good. They're packed with anti-oxidants, have a high fibre count and are even claimed to have cancer prevention qualities thanks to a high level of glucosinolate.

Kiwi

This winter fruit contains around 100mg of Vitamin C and an array of antioxidants. They're essentially a common super food and can be eaten alone or added to salads. As a matter of fact, we find that they go very well with spinach -succulent, juicy and tasty.

Kale

Winter vegetable kale is a low calorie, high fibre alternative to other greens and is known as 'the new beef' because of its nutritional benefits. It's full of everything from iron, to vitamin K and even has omega 3 fatty acids. Per calories it has a higher calcium count than milk and is also an antioxidant. Kale is wonderful in salads, stir fries and in a wide range of winter dishes and is a bit of a change from the usual. Give it a try if you haven't had it before.

These five winter foods offer you a healthy alternative and also help you ward off colds, illnesses and those winter blues, while providing the pick me up you need to enjoy this winter wonderland

 

Reference

 

Gene Crowe

Victoria C S Wills