Holiday training strategies

Just 5 days to the Winter Solstice. After that it may get colder for a couple of months but we'll have more light for training. It's good to look at the upside!

With most of the training schedules for the 2008 events starting the first week of January, we have a couple of weeks left to our own devices with little training structure. For some this is a welcome respite and for others, like me, it can mean a slippery slide into overeating, over drinking, excessive couch time - in short - general debauchery.

Rest is good but I'm not convinced rest should be a synonym for comatose. In truth, I enjoy the holiday eating much more if I have a good appetite and that usually comes from being active. Also, when I return to training in January I like to feel that I'm still at a good place in terms of my fitness.

One of the things I like to do over the holidays is go out for short, but intense (read fast), walks. I find that even 30 minutes, with 10 minutes of easy walking to warm up and then 20 minutes of fast walking really improves my mood and my appetite.

Of course, if we continue to have snow storms like the one we experienced this past weekend, you won’t even need to walk fast to get a workout. Just bundle up and try slogging through 2 feet of snow for about one kilometer. It’s a great leg workout and cardio challenge! Or, forget the snow-blower and plowing service. Get out there with a shovel. And tackle your driveway or the sidewalk.