For every sport, the season has a start and an end.
Over the past two weeks, there has been a dramatic shift in my life from setting an early morning alarm, training regularly and living a life of structure and planning to a lifestyle of flexibility and freedom.
From a performance standpoint, the off-season is the foundation of athletic growth and development. To reduce the risk of injury, burn-out or a fitness plateau, the best approach to the off-season is somewhere between a time of leisure and relaxation and staying healthy and active. A good perspective on the off-season is to think of it as active rest while maintaining health-promoting lifestyle habits. As you enjoy some well-deserved physical and mental rest from sport specific structured training, seek out new or different exercises or activities for your body and mind. As a tip, look for exercises and activities that have little to do with your sport you train for you and certainly keep it light and enjoyable.
As you take advantage of your long awaited (or dreaded) off-season, give yourself a 2-3 week break from training and actively rest. With free reign over what you choose to do and when you choose to do it, physical activity is important but you also need to take care of your mental and emotional well-being. Find the sweet spot that works best for you.
When you spend at least 48-50 weeks out of the past 52 weeks preparing for competitions/events, you owe it to yourself to do something different for a short period of time. Remember, being an athlete is physically exhausting and mentally taxing. Although you love your sport, stepping away from it for a short period of time can be extremely beneficial to your health, happiness and athletic success.
As you take advantage of your long awaited (or dreaded) off-season, give yourself a 2-3 week break from training and actively rest. With free reign over what you choose to do and when you choose to do it, physical activity is important but you also need to take care of your mental and emotional well-being. Find the sweet spot that works best for you.
When you spend at least 48-50 weeks out of the past 52 weeks preparing for competitions/events, you owe it to yourself to do something different for a short period of time. Remember, being an athlete is physically exhausting and mentally taxing. Although you love your sport, stepping away from it for a short period of time can be extremely beneficial to your health, happiness and athletic success.