4 Keys to Keeping your Youth Athlete Healthy

Motivation

1. Goal setting is an essential first step in any training program.  Set goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely).  Create your goal, commit to it, and put it away.  Perhaps write it down and put it somewhere.  Or tell a friend or family member.  Commit to the goal and move forward. 
2. Discover what motivates you.  Is it fear?  Winning?  The person behind you, or in front of you?  What motivates you to keep going?
3. During a race, stay focused on your goal, not on others.  Don’t worry about that cyclist passing you, or the swimmer who got out of the water 10 minutes faster than you.  Focus on yourself and the goal you have set for yourself. 

Confidence

1. During your training, do a few confidence building workouts.  These workouts should be a little scary – they should intimidate you a bit.  Once you have completed the workout, you’ll be more confident and ready for the next test!  Perhaps try a faster pace than you think you are capable of.  Try a longer distance than you have been going (increasing only within safe increments).  Try an intensity that intimidates you. 
2. Practice scary situations in advance so you will be ready to handle them confidently and with ease when they occur.  For example, if your race involves a mass swim start, practice swimming in large groups.  Practice riding in strong winds and on hills.  Practice running and riding in the rain.  Practice changing your flat tire.  If your race is in the open water, practice swimming in the water in all conditions.  You won’t know what the conditions will be like until race morning, so prepare yourself for whatever might come.   When race day arrives and it is rainy and windy with high waves, you’ll be confident that you know how to respond.   While the rest of the unprepared racers will panic, you can stay calm and confident. 

Concentration

1. Create a mantra – or three.  You will have tough times on the course – this is inevitable.  Your mind will try to convince you to stop, or to slow down.  You will question why you are doing this.  This is when you need to have a mantra ready to go.  This is unique to every person.   Find what motivates you to concentrate on the task at hand and keep moving forward toward your goal.   “One foot in front of the other”, “just keep moving”, “I am stronger than my mind” are a few I have heard.  Find what works for you.  Repeat this to yourself when the going gets tough. 
2. Break the race into more manageable chunks.  Reach the next buoy, or the next water stop, or the next mile.  Rather than focusing on the full distance ahead of you, focus on smaller, more easily attained distances/goals.
3. Change your focus when things get difficult.  Shift your mind from the pain in your hips to the goal of crossing the finish line.   When your mind begins to tell you that you can not go on, focus on your form, focus on your pedal stroke, focus on how the sun feels on your back, focus on catching the person in front of you, focus on whatever pulls your attention from your current pain so you can continue moving forward. 

Relaxation

1. Visualize your outcome.  You have a goal, now visualize yourself achieving this goal.  What does it look like?  Visualize yourself crossing the finish line – people cheering, family and friends watching.  If, for example, you are intimidated by the swim, visualize yourself swimming the entire route, from start to finish, strong stroke after stroke.  Visualize yourself getting out of the water confident and strong after completing the swim portion. 
2. Don’t fret over things you have no control over.  You have no control over the weather, other competitors, etc.  Instead focus on what you can control.  Focus on your pace, your water intake, your nutrition.  You have practiced the “scary situations” in advance, so roll with it and don’t expend any extra energy worrying about things you can’t control.
3. Organize your gear well in advance of race morning.  Don’t wait until you are leaving the house or hotel to head to the race to get your gear together.  Lay out everything you will need the week before and ensure you have not forgotten anything you will need to get before race day. 

Arrive to the start line confident that you are not only physically strong, but you are mentally strong as well.   You have put in the miles, as well as the mental training to allow you to cross the finish line confident and fresh.  Gain control over your motivation, your confidence, your concentration and your relaxation to reach your goals and reach your greatest potential.  And in the end, remember to see each race as a learning process.  Each race brings you more in tune with yourself, helping bring you closer to your goals and to the next race more confident and more mentally tough. 

4 Tips To Survive The Last 5 Weeks of Winter

The official start of spring is a mere five weeks away. But as we continue to endure a lack of sunshine, early night falls, minus 20 degree temperatures, and the white stuff, five weeks can feel like a lifetime! Here are a few ways to beat the winter blues – for the last five weeks of winter and every winter to come.

1. Embrace it

Bundle up, embrace it and get out there! It might be cold out there but we Canadians are tough! Before you know it, we’ll be enduring the heat and humidity so find a way to enjoy the rest of winter. See the beauty of the snow – it’s breathtaking to see the sunlight dance on freshly fallen snow as it crunches under your feet. Catch a snowflake on your tongue. Go tobogganing. Or use the last five weeks of winter to finally try a winter sport that’s always appealed to you, such as skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, or skating.

2. Get Active

Even if it really is too cold out to go for a short walk, or the weather prevents you from getting to the gym, there are no excuses for not being active at home. This is the era of fitness anywhere. Evolve Functional Fitness is a mobile app that walks you through exercise and power cardio sessions using only your own bodyweight for resistance. Goodbye excuses! For only $7.99 a month it’s an inexpensive way to keep active and beat those winter blues, with the added bonus of starting spring in better shape.

3. Get Social

Make plans with a friend, your partner, your kids or anyone you enjoy spending time with. Time with the people you enjoy helps to lift your spirits and keeps the blues away. For an added bonus – do something active together. Take a class, go for a walk, build a snowman, skate, or anything that gets your heart rate up, and a smile on your face!

4. Combat Cravings

During the winter our bodies crave comfort food but, trust me, most foods you crave will put you into an even worse winter slump. For your afternoon pick me up, try a smoothie. They can be made with your favorite fruits and vegetables so the possible tastes and textures are endless. Adding a scoop of Transform+ by Genuine provides you with key phytonutrients and antioxidants with the added benefits of muscle building protein. You’ll get out of your afternoon slump, feeling great without any indulgence guilt.

Winter will end; no doubt about it, but those last five weeks can seem endless. Give these strategies a try and see how much better you feel, and look! You might be surprised by the results you get. And spring will (hopefully) be here sooner than we think!