Seasonal Stuffing and Travel Treachery
"When he laughed his belly shook like a bowl full of jelly", my nearest
recollection of an old Christmas song. The holidays are a tough time on
triathletes. Limited daylight hinders training time, weeks of parties
and huge meals disrupt diets, and travel dashes hopes for weekly
mileage. I have a few suggestions that may help to keep you on track,
because travel any time of the year can really alter training plans.
Finding a way to keep on target during these times takes only a bit of
initiative, will sustain fitness, and may also add great value to the
trip. Eating well on the road and eating wisely during the holidays is
a huge challenge. A poorly executed plan can result in discomfort after
meals, low quality workouts the next day, expanded waistlines, and
three weeks of workouts that are directed more towards weight loss than
technique or aerobic advancement. Here are some suggestions to avoid
the peril: Regarding Travel, Plan Ahead - For swimming: Check the web
for pools in the area of destination. If you're staying in a hotel,
start there - quiz the manager on the length of the pool and its
temperature. Most hotels don't have pools for lap swimming, so if they
are uncertain of the length it's probably a kidney shaped, kiddy pool
with a hot tub like temperature. It's pretty inexpensive to visit a
pool for lap swimming, and you might even get lucky with a masters
program to fit your needs. Before you travel, look to the web for
assistance: www.usms.org has a great list of pools, just click on
"places to swim" and "search" and you can direct it to the city and
state in your future. For Biking: Traveling with your bike is a bit of
a hassle. It can be expensive ($50 to $100 for the flight depending on
what agent you get, and a decent box can be pricey), a bit of set up
and breakdown, risk of damage, unknown routes, etc. etc. Before you go,
find a heath club or gym that has either a stationary bike - or better
yet, a spin class. TAKE YOUR CYCLING SHOES. I ride Time shoes and
pedals, and I travel with my own shoes, pedals and two wrenches for a
quick changeover just before class starts. If you are going to take a
spin class, don't waste it with running shoes and toe clips! Do all the
necessary legwork beforehand - location of club, spin class schedule,
guest fee cost and type of pedals on the bikes. For Running: There is
no better way to see a new place than on foot. Several good runs can
result in a new perspective and greater exposure to the area. Before I
go, I like to visit California Map and Travel Center (on the South side
of Pico, a couple blocks west of Centinela). A few minutes with a map
can result in some great discoveries (parks, nature conservancies,
water front routes, etc). When you reach the new area, a call to a
local running shoe store can really help to discover great areas and
maximize safety. Use running time to judge distance and reduce the pace
enough so that you can take in the surroundings - out and back runs are
usually the best bet in new areas. For The Basics: If a travel schedule
is such a nightmare that a swim/spin/run is out of the question - then
I suggest two things: 1) take 20 minutes on any floor to stretch really
well and do a little ab work and 2) make drastic changes in whatever is
stealing your life away. Regarding Diet - Realize the Truths - I just
use the term "diet," and that right there is a risk. Our nation is
obsessed with this term. It conjures up all sorts of horrific
reactions. If we can get beyond the fallacies of the "grapefruit diet,"
the 40-30-30 plan, the juice fasts, and (my personal favorite) Nikki
Haskel's Star Caps - then we can talk reality. The reality is simple -
if you eat more calories than you burn you will gain mass, if you burn
more calories than you eat then you lose mass. I like to eat and if I
really let it go (especially during the holidays), I can easily wolf
down 4000 to 5000 calories in a day. I would need to swim for an hour,
ride for about 3 hours and run for 2 hours to burn off the excess
calories. Yikes! So here are some suggestions for those of us out there
who want to keep a handle on Festive Feasting: Drink less - a gram of
alcohol has 7 calories, fat has 9 calories and protein and carbs both
have 4. If you're going to reduce some caloric intake, booze is a great
place to start. Warning: Eggnog contains everything you want to avoid
(yolks, sugar, fat, alcohol, cholesterol, calories, etc. - it's
basically death in a Christmas mug). Dedicate one day to go hog wild -
pick one day of the week where nothing matters. Avoid deserts, spreads
(butter, mayo, etc.), dressings, dairy, etc. for 6 days of the week and
then on whatever day you choose - splurge. Eat less bread - pretty much
every slice of bread has 100 calories (give or take a few). If you make
sandwiches open-faced and avoid bread before and during a meal then you
may save yourself 300+ calories at the end of the day. Keep just a
touch of fat involved-The body needs a bit of fat to feel satisfied. If
you avoid fat completely, you will need to eat more often so keep a bit
of fat in your diet. Up the quality and value of the calories you do
eat - pick the veggies off the party tray and pass on the mini quiches.
Pull the yolks out of deviled eggs and eat the whites. Try to decide
beforehand to what limits you will hold. Don't stuff yourself - eat
smaller meals more frequently and you will feel better and more than
likely consume fewer calories at the end of the day. There are always
leftovers to have later. Have a great holiday and I'll see you out
there.
