Five Steps to Keep Your Cycling Fitness This Winter
With the days getting shorter and the weather sometimes making cycling quite treacherous it is only natural that the amount of time we get to spend on the bike tends to reduce. However Winter is a perfect time to build on the gains that you have accomplished during the brighter seasons so that you come back stronger, faster and fitter in Spring.
Step One – Eat Well
With less time on the bike it is important to eat accordingly and possibly reduce your calorie intake if you don’t have the same expenditure. Take stock of what you are eating. Plan to eat healthy with each meal and only allow yourself one treat meal a week so that your waist line doesn’t blow out during winter. If you want a healthy eating plan then Bike Blitz has a 4 week nutrition plan which will take the guess work out of what you should be eating to stay healthy. Adding cinnamon to your breakfast or snacks will help to regulate blood sugars and make you less likely to crave the bad stuff!!
Step Two – Make a Plan
Decide what you want to set out to achieve during the winter months and then plan accordingly. Set aside time in which you can train and have a contingency plan for rainy days. Winter is a great time to improve your strength and flexibility. Get your legs, core and upper body stronger by incorporating gym workouts into your routine. If you are not sure what to do in the gym then Bike Blitz would be perfect for you. It’s a 4 week exercise plan that can be done at home or in the gym and is specifically designed for cyclists. With videos of each exercise you will be performing each exercise with the correct form and technique.
Ab Exercise – Medicine ball twist
Step Three – Track your improvements
It’s a great idea to record your best ride time at the beginning of winter and then track the progressions that you make along the way. You may also like to take photos of how you look at the beginning of Winter and use this time to improve your physique for Summer rather than collecting a Winter Tyre around the middle! Tick off how many sessions you do during a week, gym or bike. Writing a food diary will also help to keep you honest, you will be less likely to eat the wrong foods if you have to write it down.
Step Four – Announce your goals
If you keep your goals to yourself then it’s very easy to let them fall by the wayside, however if you have written your goals on facebook, or told your friends etc. then you have people to be accountable to and friends to support you.
Step Five – Have a sleep goal
It’s getting darker earlier, so make the most of this and get to bed early. Getting a good 8 hours of sleep a night will help your muscles to recover from your workouts. A good nights sleep will also help with your motivation to exercise and your willpower to not eat sugar. When we are tired we tend to reach for caffeine or sugar to keep us going throughout the day. This leads us into a slippery slope of sugar spikes and lows and constant cravings. Aim for 8 hours of sleep a night and set an alarm one hour before you plan on getting to bed so that you can start to wind up your day and be ready for bed on time.
Keep your cycling fitness Winter and see the gains next Spring. Give Bike Blitz gym programme a go, you won’t be sorry!
Have a read and listen to the Testimonials and get yourself in the best Winter shape ever!!
Good Luck
