Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 101, December 2017 | Page 32

COACHING TRAINING 1. Make it count: Where time is an issue and your training session has to be short, get the most bang for your buck by keeping the intensity up. Just because it’s a shorter session doesn’t mean you can’t get a lot out of it. 2. Be disciplined in your binges: No need to suffer a case of FOMO because you can’t eat biscuits, chocolates or your Gran’s shortbread… Allow yourself some treats, but that doesn’t mean eat everything! 3. Eat less, enjoy more: We tend to go overboard when it comes to the amount of food prepared over the Festive season, but instead of eating until you pop, dish up smaller amounts. You still get to try everything, and you will enjoy it far more than if you’re so full you feel sick for hours afterwards. Use these handy tips and workouts to keep your legs ticking over this December, because going on holiday doesn’t mean you have to stop training or lose your fitness. – BY RAY ORCHISON, REGISTERED COACH H olidays are a great time to rest, relax and recover from the year’s work and stress, but they’re unfortunately also a great time to get unfit! That’s because we end up consuming copious amounts of food, unhealthy snacks and far too many drinks, while not running as often, but the solution is simple: Keep an element of training in your holiday. Also, for those planning a marathon or ultra early in the year, the holiday period is a crucial part of your training, and having a few extra hours in your day is great for getting some solid training done. Personally, I find it motivating getting up early on my holiday to get my training done in new surroundings, before the rest of the family wakes up, and I can then devote the rest of the day to them. Surviving the holidays Getting through the holidays without losing all that hard-earned fitness and keeping the bathroom scale from groaning is not as hard as it sounds: 4. Allow yourself time to de-stress: This is probably the most important aspect of a holiday, so take time out, allow the cortisol levels in your body to return to normal, and give yourself the chance to dream about the exciting year ahead. Maintaining fitness There’s nothing worse than trying to get back into your training when it feels like everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve has disappeared, so you ideally want to start the new year having maintained a decent level of fitness, and training on just three to four days per week during your holiday should be more than sufficient to keep things ticking over. About the Author Ray Orchison is a USATF and NAASFP certified coach. Find him at www.runetics.com or [email protected]. NUTRITION Time for Drinks Many of us drink alcohol to have fun, relax and be social, especially during the December holidays, but here’s how it affects your health and your waistline. – BY CHRISTINE PETERS, REGISTERED DIETICIAN U nder normal conditions, your body gets its energy from the calories in carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which are slowly digested and absorbed within the gastrointestinal system. However, this digestive process changes when you drink alcohol, because it is viewed by the body as a toxin and thus gets immediate attention. On an empty stomach, the alcohol molecules diffuse through the stomach wall quickly and can reach the brain and liver in minutes. This process is slower when you have food in your stomach, but as soon as that food enters the small intestine, the alcohol grabs first priority and is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. As the alcohol 32 ISSUE 101 DECEMBER 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za Holidays are for Running!