We’re getting to that time of year. The fat season. It’s when many people in this country and around the world gain weight. I don’t really know the statistic on this, but I’ve heard people say they don’t gain weight all year then gain three to five pounds between Halloween and New Year’s. The weight gain levels off around January, but they never lose it. You may remember my nephew wrote an article similar to this where he gained 50 pounds between high school graduation and his ten year reunion. He said it was crazy because he didn’t really see it coming. But after ten years, there it was. If you do the quick math, you will see that he easily gained five pounds a year, holding true to the three to five pound a year gain. I told you that to tell you this. One of my good friends and ace pupils when it comes to clients, Christina, just finished her year of triathlon events. As far as a competitive calendar goes, she does more than most, including tons of cycling events, several marathons and triathlons of all distances. I mentioned to Christina that it must feel good knowing that she can take the next six to eight weeks off without worrying about training. Christina said she wasn’t going to take any time off. She hates the feeling of getting back into shape, moreover having to do all of the base training again to build up stamina. I mentioned to her that she would be doing her body no good by continuing at the pace of training she has done over the last ten months. Not to mention her psyche. Her question was, “What am I supposed to do? Just get out of shape?” I said no, just do something different. She said as a triathlete, she does something different every day. I reminded her as a triathlete she only does three different sports every day and that she would benefit from changing it up. My recommendation: Do anything different. Hitting the gym would not be a bad idea. Doing some weight work would add some lean muscle mass that was lost during the season. If you live near snow, there’s cross country skiing, snow shoeing, downhill skiing and snow boarding. These kinds of winter sports can add core strength along with anaerobic fitness and aerobic fitness. Not to mention, they’re lots of fun. If you aren’t lucky enough to live in southern California and the weather is too crappy to go outside, there are no shortages of basketball leagues, racketball, handball, squash or volleyball leagues, both privately and publicly. The list of activities are endless. If you’re not sure where to start, simply do a Google search in your area. Just keep in mind that cross training is not just a term that Nike coined to sell a shoe. There’s a lot of merit in it and it can be a lot of fun.
