H is for habits

Website design By BotEap.comWhen you enter the world of triathlon training, you’ll discover that there are some important pieces of clothing that you need to form in order to be successful. These habits cover several different aspects of the sport, but nevertheless, if you want to be the best triathlete then form good habits in nutrition, training, research and rest.

Website design By BotEap.comNutrition:

Website design By BotEap.comMany people get into the sport of triathlon to try to lose weight or at least to get healthier. One of the first things you’ll discover is that you need to have proper nutrition for your workouts to produce what you want them to produce. You can’t go out and eat a double cheeseburger and drink a milkshake and expect to lose the weight you want to lose. You will want to develop some nutritional habits that will lead to ultimate success. You may want to get in the habit of keeping a food journal of what you eat so you can keep track of your calories. You can use an app called MyFitnessPal.com for this very purpose. You can use the app on your phone that syncs with an online app. This habit will help you determine if you are getting the right caloric intake, but also your fat, carbohydrate and protein numbers. The habit of keeping up with the journal may fade over time as good nutrition habits are formed, but start with the journal and watch your weight loss goals come to life.

Website design By BotEap.comYou’ll also want to form better nutrition habits in the foods you choose to fuel your workout. You can’t expect to do a long 10-mile run or 30-mile bike ride without having adequate fuel. Develop some good habits that will help you feed yourself with the proper nutritional components. I use bananas to start and then use Fizz and endurolytes, both made by Hammer Nutrition. I also use PowerGel Gels to give me calories and energy for training and racing.

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Website design By BotEap.comYou need to form a good habit of getting into your workouts. Many people never start an exercise regimen because they feel they don’t have enough time to exercise. You’re going to need to form some good habits in terms of scheduling your workouts so you don’t miss too many of them. You may need to have a different sleep schedule or a different work schedule, but you want to make missing a workout a big hassle. The reason you want this is because if you don’t have a healthy dissatisfaction about missing a workout, you’re going to miss more than your fair share and not be ready for race day. You may even have disappointing results to the point of wanting to quit.

Website design By BotEap.comDevelop some good training habits to help you maximize your workouts. For example, have a good way to warm up and cool down. You will need to take a recovery drink or supplement to minimize pain and prepare for the day ahead. I use Accelerade for this purpose and have found that it gives me the right amount of carbohydrate and protein to recover well for the next day and minimize pain. I can definitely tell when I’m not drinking it. These warm-up and recovery habits will help keep you injury-free during your workout.

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Website design By BotEap.comThis is a difficult one. There is a constant barrage of information about triathlon every day. Spending just a few minutes doing a little research could help you find the right nutrition plan, the right training plan, the right gear, or just give you an inspiring boost. Subscribe to blogs like this one or magazines that can help you understand this incredible sport of triathlon. However, keep up a fair amount of this research and don’t get too addicted, otherwise you’ll switch every few weeks to a new device or training plan and go broke.

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Website design By BotEap.comYou have to form a good habit of rest. Rest is as important as any training. You have to get the right amount of rest in order to perform at your highest level. Find ways to get more rest or sleep more. You cannot function for long in this sport without the proper amount of rest. Too many triathletes are out of the sport due to overuse injuries. It’s not a bad thing to miss a workout if you intentionally need to rest. If your body is overwhelmed, rest. Get into a good rest habit and you’ll see your training gains continue and continue to increase after each workout.

Website design By BotEap.comForming some of these good habits in triathlon training will ensure that you will compete long and well.

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