In any athletes training program it is important to include some fun in amongst the specific sessions that often hurt, can be tiring physically and mentally wear you down. Remember fun? Riding your BMX for hours on end around the neighbourhood until it's dark and your mum calls you in for dinner? Running around the neighbourhood until you lungs hurt just because your a cowboy and you need to catch the Indians? Seeing who can swim underwater the furthest in the pool?
Christmas is a great time to reconnect with your inner child and free your mind of too much structure. Backyard cricket and body-surfing play a big role in the Waters household Christmas day. We eat until our belly's bulge and then sleep in the afternoon shade.
Knowing that this has every chance of putting a few 'dings' into your vehicle of life (i.e. that well-defined machine called your body) it is useful to engage in some preventative 'panel-beating' yourself. I recently watched an interesting short-video by Ben Greenfield that focused on the week prior to racing an Ironman triathlon - an important period of time to keep your body nimble and ready for action. As I watched it though I thought "Ironman race week? This is great for any time of the year!".
All you need is a couple of tennis balls, some duct tape and a rolling pin. MacGyver would be so proud.
Enjoy - and Merry Christmas! Stay safe, smile a lot, give your family a hug and take plenty of moments to soak up life.
Scott
