Top Tips

Smoking is a mild laxative

To prevent things 'getting stuck' after quitting, make sure you eat plenty of bulky foods. A tried and tested idea is eating raw organic oats with water. These provide a great source of long-term energy, are low in calories, fill you up so that you don't feel hungry and, most importantly, keep you regular!

Eat only when you're hungry

Eat only when you're hungry. This may sound simple, but actually takes a lot of practice. Most of us are completely desensitised to our body's messages because of smoking, for example. Try tuning in to how your body feels - practice feeling hungry (not ravenous) and eating only at these times

Take regular rest days and recovery weeks

There should be at least one no-training day per week and one recovery training week (no high intensity work), after every two or three hard training weeks. This allows the body to adapt to the hard training that you have been subjecting to it.

Alternate between hard and easy training days.

It takes much longer to recover from high intensity sessions. By avoiding hard workouts on consecutive days you will help your body to recover much more quickly. This way you have a half decent chance of benefiting from your efforts.

Spend time working on your technique.

Good technique will enable the muscles and joints to work in the correct way. Time spent working on this in the winter will make you more efficient in races; subsequently your form is less likely to deteriorate when you get tired. When this happens, injuries are more likely.

Attend to muscle or joint pains as soon as possible.

Most chronic injuries start out as a minor ache and develop into something more painful. Attending to these little niggles can keep you out of trouble. One way to avoid this is to take a regular massage. Tight and knotted muscle fibres are a bit like tangled spaghetti. A good masseur will be able to identify any tight spots and start to unravel the 'spaghetti' immediately.

Don't rush your rehabilitation

If you do get injured then take your rehabilitation slowly. With your coach and physio, you should develop a plan of action with goals for each week and then stick to them. Remain positive and cheerful and try to think about other aspects of your life that you might have neglected. Trying to come back too fast will usually end up with a great deal more pain and frustration.

Proper warm-ups and cool-downs

An effective warm-up will ensure that you get the most out of each training session. You should always allow a minimum of 10 mins to perform a progressive warm-up. It is worth pointing out that the warm-up should be one that is appropriate to you, so don't be afraid to do your own thing or get there a bit earlier than everyone else. As important as the warm-up is the cool-down, at the end of the training session. Taking time to cool down at the end of the training session helps to clear out the toxins generated by hard training. Once again, 10 mins will suffice.

Always listen to your body

Your body says NO but your friends say GO. So what do you do? You GO. For whatever reason; peer pressure, ego, stubbornness, you choose to ignore the sensible course of action. The only real outcome is that you will feel worse in some way. If you really don't feel up to training then take the day off, or carry out a low intensity workout.

Don't get (too) obsessed

You WILL DO BETTER and feel more energised if you take regular breaks, have the odd glass of wine or lapse back into a couch-potatoe for a couple of days if you feel like it.

Eat well, take supplements when you train hard

See For Sale for the recommended Science in Sport sports supplements.

Make sure you learn from your mistakes

Time-after-time we hear athletes say things like "I always get injured around March or April." Or, "It usually feels sore after I have been to the track." For the same event to happen twice might be coincidence, three times is just plain stupid. Analyse when and why your injuries occur and then do something about it, so that it doesn't happen all over again.

Going out on your bike in all weathers can make your skin suffer - especially in strong, cold winds. Look after your extremities (hands, feet, head and face) by covering up. When its cold, always wear gloves, a thin hat under your helmet, neoprene 'socks' over your cycle shoes, sun glasses (or 'clear' versions) and heavy duty moisturiser, vaseline or sun-block on your face

Look after your hair

Wearing a swim hat will keep the hair out of your eyes and make you more streamlined but it doesn't always keep the chlorinated water away from your hair. If you have thick, curly hair, invest in a good, salon conditioner (the type that costs the earth but you only use a tiny blob each time, which means it lasts for months - Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat is fantastic). Wash and condition after each swim but don't be afraid to leave the conditioner in. This way, not only will your hair look permanently soft and shiny, it will also be protected during the next swim.

Other People's Stuff

Are You Feeling Stressed Out?

Picture yourself near a stream. Birds are softly chirping in the crisp cool mountain air. Nothing can bother you here. No one knows this secret place. You are in total seclusion from that place called "the world."

The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity. The water is clear.

You can easily make out the face of the person whose head you're holding under the water. Look. It's the person who caused you all this stress in the first place!

What a pleasant surprise. You let them up ... just for a quick breath ... then ploop! ... back under they go ... You allow yourself as many deep breaths as you want.

There now... feeling better?

By Kevin John Foster in his "tales from the quit" http://quit-smoking-support.woofmang.com/

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