New Year New Path

This is the first in a series of short posts that will be about how to get the new year started off right.   

The holiday season is one that seems to rob all of us of our training mojo. There are parties to go to, commitments with family, small amounts of daylight etc.  The causes are many.  The cure to getting the training mojo back or developing some in the first place is to get started!   

The way I have always maintained mojo through this time of year is to lower training volume but keep the consistency of the workouts.  For me in the offseason, unless I am recovering from an injury, I set a goal of 30 min a day running as the daily minimum I will accept.  Also during this time, I will allow one day of the week to be something low key like a walk, hike, swim, bike ride whatever.  The key is to just do something.  

So what I am proposing is that if you are interested in starting the new year right, set a daily goal that is achievable while you are in the habit forming phase.  So as step one of my New Year New Path plan, get some exercise!  I would suggest a daily minimum goal of 20 minutes a day of any form of aerobic activity you like. It can be biking, walking, hiking, swimming, running, kayaking etc.  The activities can also be mixed in any fashion.  The only key is 20 minutes daily.  Also, this isn't weekend warrior intensity. Remember we are building fitness for a lifetime, not til St Patricks Day!   At this point there is no such thing as too easy, but there is a thing called too hard.  So err towards efforts that allow you to maintain conversations and where you are not terribly aware of your breathing.  

Remember 20 minutes on a day you are strapped for time can be something as simple as climbing stairs at work during your lunch break, going biking with your kids, or going for a walk with friends or your spouse on the weekend.  The ways to do this are only limited by your creativity.  

In the coming days, I will continue to post the rest of the elements that are important to integrate into life as you start a New Year New Path.  In the meantime go out there and do some moving! 

I do have a limited number of coaching spots available for this coming year.  If you already have a goal of some type that you would like to achieve from a 5k to an ultra marathon, send me an email!