As an athlete, as someone who values their health and is trying to improve on both those levels, it can be a really challenging time of year. On the one hand, there’s an urge and an encouraging force around you to sit down, rest, relax, eat the foods that aren’t necessarily conducive to the health and performance goals you want to achieve but taste GREAT. But on the other, there’s that competitive gremlin inside you that says you mustn’t stop, that you’ll relish the attention others pay in the office to your December Strava metrics and your seemingly super-human ability to resist the box of Heroes in the corner…
But now is the time to let go of that black and white, regimental mindset. It’s time to switch off as an athlete and remember WE’RE ALL HUMAN FIRST. So, instead of arriving at the office party full of anxiety at the buffet spread before you, not knowing how to tackle it and totally preoccupied with how many miles you’ll have to cycle tomorrow to work it off, let’s look at how we can learn to enjoy this time of year and relaaaaxxxxx…
1. Understanding Seasonal Shifts in Eating Habits
The biggest mistake most amateur athletes make is not recgonising that your nutritional needs change throughout the year. You will not eat the same in a race season as you do in a winter base phase; the demands on your body and mind are different so your nutritional intake should reflect that. But along with that, recognise this is a time to TAKE A BREAK. While it’s important to fuel your long rides, keep your energy balance maintained and support your winter training, it’s also a time when really, you can afford to cut yourself some slack. Gingerbread men in your top tube bag instead of the usual sports bars and perhaps a mocha at the coffee stop, isn’t the thing that’s going to be your downfall right now. So cut yourself some slack and have some fun with your food!
2. Food as Celebration, Not Just Fuel
It’s Christmas. It’s the best roast of the year for most of us. Enjoy it. Sure, that doesn’t mean you need to stuff yourself so full you fall into a three day food coma, but celebrate the time you have with your family and friends, rather than being preoccupied at every social occasion about how your food is going to impact your training. Suck it up. You’re a human. Sport is not your job, it’s your hobby. The people around you want to be a part of your life and they want to share memories with you that are positive and they want to see you have a good time! Embrace that.
3. Embrace the 70/30 Rule
If the 80/20 rule was for in-season balance, consider shifting to a 70/30 approach for the off-season. This means you’re still keeping a base of nutritious, whole foods, but allowing a bit more flexibility for indulgences. It can help to associate rough numbers with things if you’re right at the start of overcoming your food anxieties linked to clean eating, but have the confidence to embrace this small level of flex with it.
4. Cultivate Mindful Indulgence
Yes, you can indulge, but do it mindfully. Choose the treats that genuinely bring you joy and savor them. This isn’t about bingeing but about relishing. You will feel better about enjoying the treats you truly love this time of year if you’re totally present in the moment with them and it will really help to dull down those feelings of anxiety and overwhelm that come with a plate full of food you realise you ate too quickly and too much of…
5. Listen to Your Body, Not Just Your Training Plan
Without the strict regimen of training and performance eating, listen to what your body wants and needs. Sometimes, it might crave the comfort of hearty, less “clean” foods, and that’s okay. Your body composition might change over winter and that’s okay too. If you look at some of your favourite professional athletes, most of them aren’t maintaining the same lean level of body fat all year round, there’s fluctuations and for good reason – injury prevention, endurance capacity and simply giving your body and mind a breather are all pretty good ones.
6. Keep Moving, But Keep It Fun
Stay active, but switch up your routine. Try new, fun activities that aren’t part of your regular training. This change of pace is refreshing for both body and mind and while this isn’t about food specifically, it will really help to support the mindset you’re trying to build around switching off and simply having fun at this time of year.
8. The Power of Letting Go
It’s all about balance. If you’re always clutching on super tight to performance and training metrics, to nutritional tracking, to macros, to micros, to calories, to eating cleanly…you’re going to burn out. And it’s going to be a mess. And it’ll be at a time when you REAAALLLLY don’t want it to happen. Think of how rest and recovery are essential on a daily, weekly and cyclical basis. This is just that, zoomed out, and it applies to your nutrition too. Take a break now to bounce back stronger when the season really kicks off.
9. Reflection and Gratitude
You know what? Just have a word with yourself. If you’re struggling, stand outside, take a lung full of fresh air and remember how lucky you are to be able to stand on your own two feet and do that. You have all the food you could wish for at the click of a button. You have cupboards full of products and nutrients that others in the world can’t even imagine. And you have the luxury of choosing how to spend your free time and how to enjoy it. If you can’t use that motivation to just ENJOY yourself and really feel that privilege, then there is no hope for you.
