Well, it’s been a rather cold month here in Sydney. We are thankfully past the shortest day of the year and homeward bound towards summer! It has been tough to keep the motivation up during these colder months but I want to share some tips that has really helped me not only train effectively, but get through winter in the healthiest way that my body has ever been in. I have incredible amounts of energy this winter and so far have not been sick since beginning my LCHF lifestyle back in September 2015. So what has changed this winter???
A couple things seem to point out. I am right in the middle of a big aerobic base developing phase in my triathlon training. I personally have found following Dr Phil Maffetone’s training principles in his book “The Big Book on Strength and Endurance Training” to be valuable. Eliminating hard interval sessions from my winter program has kept my training “light” and fun. I have enjoyed pretty well every session I’ve done (week in and week out) due to training no higher than my Maximum Aerobic Functional (MAF) heart rate (which is 180 – Age bpm).
Now some of you are perhaps thinking out loud, “that is ridiculously low for a heart rate”, “how can I get fit training at such a low heart rate”. Well, let me just say this. Until you give things a solid go, you will never know. And by solid, I mean you commit for at least 30 days. In fact, I am a bit stubborn when it comes to change so I typically set out to make any significant changes over a 90 day (3 month) time period.
The consistency in my LCHF program has really made a difference, for the better! I have really honed my diet on high amounts of healthy fats (75-80% of total daily intake), kept my protein within target of my 1.5g/kg of lean body mass – 2.0g/kg of lean body mass per day and carbohydrate quantities at around 10-12 serves of vegetables and fruit per day. Some of you may think this is a lot but my daily amount of carbohydrates is at between 45g to 60g per day. I achieve this by eating vegetables (and small amounts of fruit) as opposed to processed or refined carbohydrates.
The results have been nothing short of incredible. My energy is stable and motivation levels are high. Sleep quality is amazing and I no longer need an alarm to wake up. For the first time ever, I have NOT been sick through winter. I haven’t had ANY injuries or even slight niggles with respect to my training. My pace at training at the same heart rate has improved. How I know is by performing a MAF test every 6 weeks. What this all means is that I am healthier now than perhaps ever. Oh, and my weight has been stable. I even decided to go and get a DEXA scan done a couple weeks ago by an exercise physiologist and discovered some very helpful knowledge about my own body composition. I recommend you look into this. I carry almost 900g of fat in my head! The important part was finding out I have a minimal amount of fat around my organs (in men this is the fat around our belly or mid section). But it also separates the amount of lean body mass (muscle and bone) from body fat. Useful information when determining how much protein you should eat on a daily basis.
I hope your winter is going along as smoothly but if not, give me a shout and let’s chat about it. What I have figured out is that LCHF is about learning how to lead a healthier lifestyle. It is a holistic philosophy that relies on taking care of a number of parts. As many well regarded authors have come to agree upon however, 80% of your body composition (and therefore health) is due to your diet.
Happy Days!