This is your alarm clock, the off-season is ending!  

From Thanksgiving through the New Year, many of us are in the “off-season” and with that comes a license to eat, drink and not train as much.  While I am a BIG fan of the off-season, I do know many athletes who overdo it and are now facing the beginning of their season feeling very far from race fitness and their ideal race weight.  Sound familiar?  Here is the good news, you are not alone.   

As you transition your routines and body back into training it’s important to be reminded about what not to do:

• Go from dinners of chicken wings and 5 beers to the Whole 30 Diet.  Think moderation, not extremes. If you give up 99% of what you eat, it simply will not last.  
• Go from walking to the fridge and doing 12oz curls to a 15 hour training week.  Think moderation, transition your schedule to accommodate your improving fitness.   
• Try to lose all the holiday weight in 7 days.  Again, think moderation. Your off-season has been 3-4 months and you are likely to need at least 2 to get your game back.  And know this, a juice cleanse is not the answer!

You get the point.   Remember it is January and you likely have months until your first race and even longer until your A race.  So think about the little, yet productive, things you can do that will help you advance toward your big goal at the end of the summer.  

Here is what I recommend to reboot and get a fresh start:

• Clean up your diet. Cut out processed food as much as possible.  Less packages, more whole food.  
• If you enjoy a glass (or two of wine), cut your consumption for 21 days and then assess how you are feeling. 
• Get on the scale, freak out, then plan to weigh in once a week.  Cutting the alcohol and processed food plus increasing your training should get the holiday weight off.  If you are still struggling, get on MyFitnessPal for 30 days.  I guarantee that logging your food will help you take off the holiday pounds, because who wants to type in “whole Chocolove bar’, not that I have done that (okay maybe a few times).  
• Share your plan on social media, with your coach, partner, and friends. It helps to remain accountable and your friends are less likely to invite you for burgers and brats but likely for a run and a smoothie. 
• Get your plank on and join the D3 Plank Challenge.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/D3PlankChallenge/?ref=bookmarks While this one is nearly over, know we will keep the core work going all year!  

I leave you with. Yes, you overdid it!  No, the world is not ending.

• Get back on track with moderation 
• Set short term, mid-term and long-term attainable goals and go get them!

Happy 2019!