- Now the word detox can be heard
quite regularly at this time of year,
it's become quite a fashionable term,
used for describing a sort of cleanse after a period
of rather unhealthy amount of food and alcohol.
- Yeah, so what better time to
address your health and lifestyle
and a have a bit of a refresh, then now in the new year.
We're actually going to be going beyond just a food detox,
and we're going to be addressing
all of the factors that could potentially hamper
a successful and healthy triathlon season.
- Now the start of the new year and the new season
is a great excuse to sort out your kit,
your calendar, your diet, your mental state,
and of course your physical state.
So we're going to be running through each of those,
and starting with the obvious, which is your diet.
- Yeah, it's likely that you've probably
overindulged slightly over your Christmas,
or at least not had as much nutrient-rich food
as you would do when you're training
and being healthy normally.
Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong
with have a few mince pies or, in my case,
probably quite a lot of mince pies, or chocolate,
but just as long as you actually
go back to your healthy diet
as you start to increase your training again.
- Yeah, and another thing I would suggest
is increase your fluid and water intake.
And by that I don't mean beer and wine, increase your water.
Being hydrated is really essential
to make sure that you're healthy
and you're able to go out there and train.
And actually being in quite warm environments
whilst drinking alcohol can be
a recipe for disaster in terms of dehydration.
So swap that beer out for some water.
And also, by you being hydrated
it actually stops you from overeating.
- Yeah, I'm going to try that theory,
I think I'll have some water in a moment.
But also, I mean I'm not claiming to be a nutritionist here,
but you do need to make sure
you get back in those green veg,
because that'll make sure you've got enough vitamins
to help you with your training, keeping you really healthy.
And also, try and swap out those sugary foods
that have got, you know, the quick release carbohydrates
but aren't going to keep you fueled
for those long winter rides.
So try and add in your sweet potato, your brown rice,
and swap that out for your Christmas cake.
- Another thing to add is that,
as a general rule of thumb, when it comes to detox,
is that the closer a food is that you're eating
to its natural form, it tends to be more nutrient dense.
And also, as Heather's mentioned,
by adding a little bit more colour to your plate
in the way of fruit and veg, is also really important.
And if you are someone that finds
that you get a little bit bloated,
then this is also a good opportunity
to cut certain foods out of your diet for a period of time
to hopefully reduce that bloated feeling.
- The last thing you've probably thought about
in between socialising, eating,
and just having general fun over Christmas,
is your kit and also your bike.
But now is a perfect time to give everything
a bit of a spring clean.
- Yeah, now is a perfect time to give your bike
a good, thorough once over.
And after all, this time of year,
your bike can take a bit of a hammering.
So it needs a bit of extra TLC
just due to the mucky roads, poor roads,
poor conditions, weather, et cetera.
So you really want to make sure
that you're staying on top of cleaning your bike
and lubricating the drive chain.
But if you're not doing that,
the new year is a really good opportunity
to really, really get on top of that.
So, you could thoroughly degrease the drive chain
and lubricate that.
Or of course you can go for a complete overhaul of the bike
and change out for a new chain,
new cassette, new brake pads, and literally make it feel
like a real new bike.
And that can all come in for about 100 pounds
or $100, give or take.
- Yeah, and also address your kit.
It might be a good time to check those shorts,
especially your cycling shorts,
make sure they've not gone threadbare
so you're saving your teammates on that one.
Also, just clear out your swim bag;
you often find that there might be
a pair of mouldy goggles you've forgotten about,
it's a good idea to throw those away.
And also have a look at your trainers,
because now is a perfect time
to make sure that they're not too worn
before you start upping the miles in the new year.
- Yeah, getting new kit can seem
like a bit of an investment,
and maybe a little bit too much money,
but it can really actually help your training.
And as Heather said, footwear can be really important here.
And now is actually a perfect time
to have a real look and research into the footwear.
Try out new shoes and different cushioning.
And find the ones that are right for you,
and then more importantly, also make sure
that you wear the new shoes in.
- We've already talked about diet,
but there's far more than just food
when it comes to your health.
And it's thought that to have a long and healthy lifestyle,
you need to have plenty of sleep.
You need to have low stress and also obviously a good diet,
all of which will help you to actually be
a better triathlete because you can cope with your training.
- Yeah, and you might have heard
that people talk about sleep health.
Now this isn't just necessarily about
the number of hours of sleep you get.
It's also about the quality of sleep.
But as a general rule of thumb,
the more sleep you get the better,
because it's a chance for your body to rebuild
and recover from your training
that day and a few days before.
And essentially making you stronger
and better prepared for your next event.
- Yeah, but if you're anything like us
you probably don't have as much sleep as you'd like to.
But, don't fret; you might not be able
to get to bed earlier, or you might still
have to get up early for your training session that day.
But think about how you can make the most of it.
So like Mark touched on, your sleep hygiene
and also strategies that can help you
switch off quickly when you have finished.
- Yeah, and one of those is really good,
is getting yourself ready the night before.
That means getting your bags ready,
so you don't need to rush around in the morning, panicking.
And also get a list written out before you go to bed
so you know that you need to grab anything
or pack anything, whatever it is,
it's all there so you can go to bed and relax.
But if you're someone that struggles to go to sleep,
not me, I just pass straight out.
- [Heather] Not me! (laughs)
- You might want to use an eye mask, ear plugs,
or maybe even a bath just to help you relax.
And another, final thing to think about
is actually, do you need to maybe restructure your training.
Now I know if I do a track session late into the evening,
I am going to struggle to sleep.
- [Heather] Yeah, I'm buzzing too.
- And then that means that I'm going
to want to sleep in later and not swim in the morning.
So think about those things.
- Yeah, and finally, when we're looking at overall health,
if you've got any niggles, now is a great time
to get on top of them.
Because if it's just something tiny now
it could well escalate.
So booking a couple of appointments with a physio,
and more importantly, listening to what they say
and putting those exercises, probably going to need
to plan those exercises actually into your training diary,
and make sure you do them.
Because, a few minutes every evening now
could make a massive difference later on in the season.
- Well the holidays have likely been quite a sociable time,
catching up with friends, seeing family,
and maybe having some drinks into the evening.
So, now's a time to maybe get on top of that,
but you don't necessarily have to
cut it all out and be a social recluse.
You can just sort your diary out a little bit better,
make some priorities, and make them clear early on.
And hopefully that will have a positive effect
on your performance going into the season.
- Yeah I think planning's important with this,
because if you know you've got an easy week
with a few less sessions or less hours, less intensity,
then plan to visit your friends in that period.
And then when you know you've got a large volume
and you're going to be really tired
and probably a little bit grumpy,
then keep your diary more empty.
And also, the same goes if you haven't yet already done so,
booking your holidays for the year.
Lots of people have to do that in January,
so if you know when your competitions are,
if you've got to do a bit of travel
or you want to have an easy week building up to competition,
make sure you book that off.
Or maybe even your end of season break,
another important part.
- Now we've talked a lot about
the physical and tangible parts of this new year detox,
and I like to think of it as a whole decluttering
of all aspects of triathlon, and that includes
the health aspect that we've already mentioned.
But also this could stretch to our mental health.
And after all, there is no point
in having perfectly prepped kit, good sleep, good diet,
if actually our head's not really in the right place.
- Yeah, I mean it's commonly known
that stress can have a negative impact on our lives
and we'll have more stressful periods
than others throughout our lives,
and some of us will be better
at dealing with it than others.
But, I mean as triathletes we've got three sports to juggle.
We have jobs, we quite often have
family commitments as well.
So, life does get stressful but
there are ways in which we can deal with it
and learn to cope better with stress.
- Yeah, and you could consider some mindfulness training.
I mean, we spend hours making sure that
our bodies are prepped and we're in peak physical condition,
but what about our mental state?
And there are actually various apps out there
if it interests you, that will help
with you dealing with this mental stress,
it's almost a decluttering of the mind,
things that are occupying your mind for hours on end.
- Yeah, I mean now is a great chance
to really get into a good mindset
at the start of a new year, a new season.
I personally find that yoga's really helpful for me.
And then you also get the physical benefit from that.
Yes we did take detox to another level in this video.
But now it's just a great time to get yourself sorted,
clutter free ahead of that new season.
And if you have anything that you do
that's related to a detox as you're starting back into 2019,
do let us know in the comments section below.
- And as we go into the new year,
as we've mentioned about kit already,
why not head on over to the GTN Shop
and you can get some of the cycling kit
that we're always wearing in our videos.
Also these hoodies and jumpers.
So yeah you can do that by clicking on the shop icon now.
You can also like this video,
and click on the globe and subscribe to GTN.
- And if you want some tips or ideas
for spicing up your diet and just
getting some of your healthy things into it,
we've made a video on superfoods for triathletes, just here.
- And if you'd like to see how
to design and create a training plan,
then just click down here.