Halloween has come and gone. Daylight savings time has ended. Ugh, the dreaded winter months will soon be upon us. Keeping up the motivation to exercise on a cold winter day instead of curling up under a warm blanket on the sofa can be difficult, not to mention the allure of the holidays. All distractions pulling our energy and focus everywhere but the bike.
Yet, there are ways to make the transition through the Fall and Winter seasons work. Some use cyclocross to maintain or gain fitness; others use technology as a means to boost motivation. While others, think a little outside the box and choose to focus on support goals. You might be wondering what the heck is a support goal? Supportive goals are those activities that are indirectly related to your cycling yet can positively impact your performance. They are oftentimes activities that are neglected during the season. The Fall and Winter months are ideal to opt to focus on supportive goals. Here’s why.
Selecting a goal to focus outside of the scope of your general cycling regimen can be refreshing and help you feel like you are still on your game. These goals can be less time intensive allowing you to enjoy more family or social time. Check out these support goals for ideas. Consider selecting one to focus on for the month of November and add another one to focus on for the month of December. Before you know it, you’ll be moving into 2015 refreshed and energized with added gains.
Build up your core with core exercises. For some cyclists, strength training is a welcomed part of the training process; however, for others, it is a necessary evil. Yet, to avoid injury as well as get stronger on the bike, strength training is becoming a critical aspect of year round training. The best way to train all parts of the body is through working with a full range of motion while strength training. Dial in the best core exercises for you by reading Year-Round Strength Training for Cyclists.
Improve your flexibility. Consider doing yoga. In cycling, the quadriceps, hamstrings, and hips never rest. As a result, riders often have overdeveloped quadriceps and tight hamstrings, which can pull the hips out of alignment. Also, a cyclist’s spine is constantly flexed forward. If proper form isn’t maintained, it can result in muscle pain and strain in the back and shoulders. Yoga helps ease the tightness, creating core strength, and aligning the spine. Even if you aren’t into yoga, there are 3 poses you should practice.
Improve your body image. As athletes, many have negative self conversations that impact how they feel about themselves and ultimately, affect performance. Learn the Three Steps to Having a Healthy Body Image and move into 2015 feeling better about yourself. It’s important to be healthy, be fit, and be proud of who you are.
Ultimately, if all else fails, remember, the Holiday season is right around the corner! Nothing inspires cycling more than getting a new bike, purchasing some new cycling accessories or getting some new cycling apparel to wear. Better yet, why not add some support goals AND get some new bike parts?!
Posted by staffwriter8 
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