NicoleFor a lot of athletes, October or November is considered the start of the off-season. This is most likely a time for lowered training volume and less structure in what you do. It is the time to physically and mentally recharge.
With less time spent training, why not try some new things in the kitchen. Cooking with family is a great way to bond and regain some of the lost time while you were out training! Perhaps you are already in the kitchen making holiday meals or baking. If you have time off of work for the holidays, it just might be that little extra time you need to develop some new habits or figure out a few new time-saving recipes.
Here are some ideas you might try while you are in the kitchen in the off-season:
1. Test recipes for homemade energy bars.
2. Make some new crockpot meals and get a few stored in the freezer.
3. Revamp your shopping list to include more vegetables and other whole foods. [Most of us could stand to put more vegetables in our diet!]
4. Find all the sports bars and gels that you don’t need with a reduced training load and store them for future use.
5. Plan some healthy snacks for the holiday time so that you snack on too many cookies. (It’s OK to eat the cookie; just remember everything in moderation!)
6. Review your “year in nutrition” and think about when you might have tended to go too far off course. Then think of things that might help you go less off course this next season.
Enjoy the off season and holiday time, and take advantage of extra time in the kitchen to set yourself up for a stellar 2017.
How will you take advantage of extra kitchen time in the off-season?
Nicole
