Staying in Shape During the Christmas Break
With the holiday season approaching, it’s a great time for athletes to relax, recharge and spend time with family and friends. However, this time also brings a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability when it comes to training schedules. It’s important to be prepared for this to stay in good shape come the beginning of training in 2025.
Here are a few tips to maintain your athletic performance while also enjoying your break.
Plan Ahead and Set Goals
Holidays can be a hectic time, it’s important to plan ahead. Set goals for the break then use this to structure how your schedule is going to look. This might mean adjusting the length of your sessions or even the location.
As long as you know the aim of each session, you or your coach should be able to adjust accordingly based on your schedule.
We recommend setting a small target of total sessions I.E 2 runs per week + 1-2 Gym sessions/Circuits.
Make Time of Shorter Workouts
Whether these workouts are on court, on field or strength based, you will find your schedule will be busy but you will always be able to make time for a shorter workout.
Write yourself a session which is 20-30 minutes in length and use it if you’re having a super busy day but still want to get a workout in.
Our free Holiday Circuit Programs are a great option for athletes with minimal equipment available looking to stay active.
Don’t Skip Recovery
During the break it’s easy to get caught up in always being on the go with family and friends then squeezing in workouts. However, you can’t skip recovery.
Prioritise good hydration, diet and good sleep, this will allow your body to be adequately fuelled for your workouts and allow for enough downtime for your muscles to repair and your Central Nervous System to recover. (1)
Notice Your Diet
It’s very easy to go crazy and eat as much Christmas pudding as you want. However, it’s all about moderation. Have a few beers at lunch and enjoy the pavlova. Just don’t go too crazy, aim to be 80% clean and the other 20% can be the pavlova and dessert platter. (1)
Routine
There is no such thing as a routine through the Christmas break. Instead aim to set session goals over a week period. For example, 3 strength sessions, 2 runs and 2 skills sessions.
Some days you’ll be able to do 2 workouts, other days you won’t be able to do any and that’s okay. As long as you get all your sessions in for the week then you’ve stuck to your routine.
If you need help planning your Holiday Calendar, book a meeting in via info@srasportstherapy.com.au.
References:
- Kerksick CM, Wilborn CD, Roberts MD, Smith-Ryan A, Kleiner SM, Jäger R, et al. ISSN exercise & sports nutrition review update: research & recommendations. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2018 Aug 1;15(1).