So, a little birdie told me that this time of year, you may be clawing for motivation. You may have 50 other things you would rather be doing than training and you may have lots of stuff to do so not a lot of time to train. The bird was right wasn't he?
Christmas is a time when people find it pretty difficult to eat healthily and stay active. My one tip with Christmas is that if one thing has to go, let it be the food. Train like a demon most days of Christmas and thoroughly enjoy good food and good wine with your friends and family. I don't like diets. Ever. And I certainly don't like a diet at Christmas. So keep it 'clean' - in every Christmas spread there is always lovely fresh fruit and veg. Fill up on those, pick your lean meat and then enjoy little serves of cakes and puddings. Eat slowly, sip your water, taste the food (seems simple doesn't it).
Now to train like a demon. If you have a lot of time to train and love it, then go right ahead. I love Christmas time, because the weather is great and it means you can go out on really long rides and runs and train for as long as you want. But I'm not normal - this has been substantiated years ago. If exercising is not yet a big love of yours, but you are working on it then 'Pyramid' training is a great way to stay interested and keep it fresh.
Pyramid training, like a pyramid, has gradual increases to reach the peak, then gradual decreases. Its a great way to train your mind and get that mental strength that willl make the foundation of a fit and healthy lifestyle. It can be used for just about any exercise, but I love using it for 20 minutes of running or riding when I'm time poor. So how does it go? Well to quote Run DMC "It goes a little somethin' like this..."
Walk 2 mins warmup
Jog 2 mins @ 5/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 6/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 7/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 8/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 7/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 6/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 5/10 pace
Jog 2 mins @ 4/10 pace
Walk 2 mins warmup
The pace measurement I have used here is RPE or 'Rate of Perceived Exertion' which basically means that you rate out of 10 how strenuous you find the pace. If you have a Garmin or the likes then feel free to insert exact paces. Pyramid training can be transferred to running or even walking at different paces. I love doing this workout walking on the treadmill and increasing the incline every 2 minutes. Ooooh I can feel the burn now...
So there you go - another tactic to keep you interested and help you win the daily battle against a sedentary lifestyle. Off you go. Time to train.
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