So we are well in to January, the weather out in Dubai is all a bit weird and I’m sitting on my sofa wondering what I am actually hoping to achieve in the next few weeks. I have an Olympic Distance race this Friday in Ras al Khaimah, more to remind myself of how to rip a wetsuit off than anything else, and two 70.3s looming in February.
My training so far has been sporadic at best but I actually feel fitter than I have done in a while. I know I’m not going to hit any PBs this early season but as my ultimate goal this year doesn’t involve PBs, I don’t want to get too hung up on my 70.3 distance times. In the last week, since being back at school, the main thing to have struck me is how much better I am feeling, and therefore performing, with better sleep and better food. Now I know we all know this but here is what I have noticed:
Sleep:
I’ve always been an easy sleeper. I can hit the pillow, read my book for five minutes and be asleep in ten. I’ve always been super careful about screen time before bed, and I sleep with my phone on night mode so nothing disturbs me during the night. I do eat quite late, usually between eight and nine in the evening but this has never seemed to have an effect on my sleeping pattern. However, I am partial to a G&T. As a rule, I try to stick to only drinking on the weekend, but during the Christmas break I lapsed entirely and definitely had a beverage every evening. It was Christmas! But in all honesty, the sleep quality I have had in the last week, sans boozy bedtime tipple, has been so refreshing that I feel honestly guilty for having deprived my body for the last month. My new Garmin VivoSmart tracks my sleep, and tells me how many hours of light vs deep sleep. The pattern is obvious. Booze batters my sleep. Now, I am absolutely not going to say that I’m giving up gin, but this week really has made me think about how that one (ok, two) cheeky indulgence will, ultimately, affect my training and therefore performance come race day.
Diet:
Well, it’s January the 12thand I have already been overwhelmed by the use of words like ‘keto’, ‘paleo’, and ‘intermittent fasting’. Fair play, if that’s your thing then go for it, but something that really hits me at this time of year is how these buzz words take over our conversations. I am in no way a nutritionist, but I am absolutely a foodie and I also spend a lot of time training. My fuelling strategy is bound to be different from that of a more sedentary person or, from that of a body-builder. That doesn’t necessarily make it better or worse, and I absolutely hate conversations which compare diets. For me, diet is really personal and I don’t actually want to argue with people about it! I have my own opinions on ketosis and fasting but I try to keep them to myself, mainly because the amount of calories I have to take on during a long day on the bike would send a fasting person into spasms of calorie driven envy.
I love food and I love to cook, and I also love a cheeky Nando’s at the weekend. For me, balance is key. I eat a well rounded, homemade, fresh diet in the week, then go in for a couple of treats (and a gin!) at the weekend. The honest truth is that I could do with losing a few kilos for my races in February so; I cut out all midweek treats. I eat eggs, fruit, steaks, tuna, homemade curries, casseroles and soups. I think salads are boring, so I don’t eat them. I drink sparking water made with my brilliant Sodastream, coffee (lots of) and have just discovered green mint tea. And guess what? With plenty of hydration, loads of fruit and veg and a high protein intake, I am slowly losing my Christmas padding.
I know that it’s a new decade and everyone wants to better themselves, but there are so many , far easier ways of doing this than spending a fortune on ‘fast results’. I train for long distance triathlon – I need the carbs, so Atkins and Keto don’t work for me personally. For me, cutting out that after-work treat every day, or prepping all our food on the weekend to avoid the temptation of a midweek takeaway makes that huge difference.
As I said, each to their own, but personally, I’m not even vaguely interested in the weird metallic taste you get in your nose when you are truly in Ketosis. I get it after long, poorly fuelled training sessions and it’s vile. I know that we all want to make improvements and there are a million ways to do this, but we are all different in our bodies and our lifestyles and therefore what works for one person will not necessarily work for you. So, whether you’re an endurance athlete, a life-long Atkins-er or just trying to make some healthier choices.. make them for you. Not because someone told you pasta is evil.
By 
