It is so close we can see it. Life is starting to spring out of the ground right before our eyes and the grey and whites of winter are being edged out by the yellows, pinks and reds of spring. We’ve survived it! All those dark, damp runs, freezing cold surf sessions and the cold dash from the sea to our towel. The weather is about to turn and we can start transitioning out of our winter suits. Hooray!
This time of year is a really good time to think about having a little fitness detox. We know, why would you ease off now? You just spent 3 months wrestling with yourself to get out of bed and motivated? We aren’t suggesting you ditch the fit, we are saying think about preparation to get your body relaxed and refocused for the great weather ahead.
Low impact sport is your friend
Stripping back your high impact exercise for a few weeks can be a great idea to take the pressure off your stressed muscles. Start by booking yourself a course of sports massage sessions to iron out the creases and help push out any built-up areas of tension.
Colder training conditions will make any old injuries worse and if you are going to up your game now it is warmer, it pays to be ready for the workout. Try one session a week for a month. The first two weeks look at a low impact exercise to replace your usual exercise, the second alongside your favoured routines.
Replace your run with yoga
Ditch the morning run for a couple of weeks and replace it with a balancing exercise such as yoga. We all know how important yoga is for surfing, but yoga will complement any massage work you have had done and help your muscles recover better and stronger. It is also a great way of increasing the natural flow of energy through your body, strengthening your core and increasing your flexibility which can help reduce injury.
After a couple of weeks you will be craving your morning runs again and that positive attitude will have you smashing your personal bests. Promise!
Time to detox
Consider taking a quick detox. You don’t have to go full-on juice diet here. But spending a few weeks resetting your tastebuds and your digestive system will help improve your fitness levels and energy.
Start by switching up your breakfasts. Remove grain and processed foods and think clean. Even a quick dip into the world of Paleo will give you benefits with fast results. Increase the vegetables, go easy on the sugary fruits, switch up high protein meats for chicken and add a good dose of oily fish to improve your omega 3 intakes.
You don’t have to make a huge change to your lifestyle here, just a temporary change to encourage a slower version of the fashionable detox diets. You’ll be bouncing out the door in no time.
Dedicate time to rest
Finally, rebuild the relationship with your bed. You’ve been flying out of it in the mornings without even a fond farewell, so get your head down a little earlier at night and enjoy an extra 30 minutes of sleep a day. You won’t believe the benefits after just a few weeks.