The off-season is a very important time for athletes who train and race consistently throughout the year. Never giving your body and mind an intentional break from training stress will increase the risk of burnout, overuse injuries, fatigue, early season fitness plateau and sickness. A planned break provides the ideal stimulus to rejuvinate and repair the body and brain.
Another way to view the off-season is to think of it as a reset.
For several months, you've placed a lot of stress on your body. Your immune system was compromised, your muscles, tendons and joints were stressed, you were regularly sleep deprived (or never fully rested), you never let your body fully recover, you were constantly rushed, often your body was underfueled or dehydrated, and your diet was not well-balanced. While it may sound like you took horrible care of your body for several months, you are right.....kinda.
It doesn't matter how proficient you are at taking care of your body while training for an athletic event, training is a stressor. You are constantly intentionally over-stressing and over-reaching your body and mind in order to improve performance. And no matter how much you love to train or how important exercise is in your daily routine, training can be emotionally, physically and mentally draining.
Although you may recognize that a mental and physical break is needed, it can be difficult to actually take a proper break. It's understandable that you may worry about a loss of fitness or your body composition changing.
When you are in your off-season, this doesn't mean that you become unhealthy. You are simply giving yourself a break from the structure, the intentional stress and the energy of showing up to a workout.
During this off-season break, you should be intentionally trying to reset your system. Sleep, nutrition, lifestyle.
You can finally feel what it's like to get enough restful sleep by not setting an early morning alarm.
You finally have much more time to prepare nutritious meals and to try out new recipes.
You get to explore different modes of exercise that are refreshing for the mind, body and soul.
You are able to reconnect with your body and feel what it's like to not be carrying around deep muscle soreness or tightness.
For the first time in a long time, you get to give your mind and body a full reset.
It's only through this proper reset that you can begin your upcoming phase of training with a fresh and healthy body and mind. And with this reset, you should hopefully enjoy the feeling of being fully rested, nourished and healed, that it makes you want to maintain those healthy habits as you ease your way back into structured training.
The off-season is not a time to increase alcohol consumption, forgo restful sleep, live a sedentary lifestyle, skip meals, diet, overwork yourself and not take care of yourself mentally. Building fitness over many months places a lot of psychological and physiological stress on your body. Treat your body with respect in the off-season as you gift yourself a mental and physical reset.