Monday, December 19, 2011

The Party Does Not Have To End

Rock 'n' Roll makes people feel great. That's been Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos' thinking since 1971 with a plan to bring good music, good food, and good people while having a blast doing it! Today, the party need never end, and no one has to go home. The famous rock-and-roll themed restaurant moved from creating dates to accommodate. It combined wine-and-dine with laying supine in a comfortable room after celebration.

Yes, it is the off-season for sports in the tropics, so the idea is to while away the time doing nothing – since we slogged for the entire year at work and in sports – so let’s vegetate and let the hard-earned fitness go to waste. We can always recover our fitness, since we have muscle memory.

Since making a plan makes the invisible – visible (according to motivational guru Anthony Robbins), then it stands to reason that we can formulate a strategy for next year that capitalizes on our abilities and capabilities. Physical fitness is an asset that although intangible, can spell the difference between make it or break it. Applied energy in professions includes passion, enthusiasm, curiosity, courage and purposefulness.

I have always stressed leveraging on a post-race peak – an elusive and thus seldom-noticed condition, of peak performance that occurs about 7-10 days after a major endurance event. Recent finishers of the Ironman Western Australia shared that they feel much stronger and fitter now although it has been almost a fortnight after they raced a 226K triathlon. That is one of the best things that occur after a race, as part of your rest, recuperation and recovery. Your body appreciates sleep, rest, active and passive recovery and replies by becoming adaptive, flexible and responsive – traits that augur well for leaders to develop.

So, what do you do if you are still experiencing post-marathon or racing blues? Continue exercising, although not in high volumes and intensity. Go back to the FITT formula: Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. This is an opportunity to heal completely from your injuries, smartly select key races to train for, and optimize your presence as a time-crunched athlete. Ironman champion, Rachel Joyce’s won at ITU in Las Vegas; she uses the Compu-Trainer.

If you are facing issues with ITB (iliotibial band) syndrome, then here is Master Bike Fitter/Customised Bike Designer, David Greenfield’s explanation of a common condition among runners and cyclists. The strength and balance of your large gluteal muscles can spell comfort or discomfort, strength or weakness, for your ride or run. Form follows function. Poor technique and form leads to improper adaptation. Perfect practice makes perfect. Poor practice spells permanence.

Just because the train and rain is down, it doesn’t mean you cannot walk to the party. Fast foot forward!

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