The Off-Season

I was reminded today from my coach about the importance of a good off-season.  It is not the physical rest that matters but more the mental rest that provides the most return.  So what exactly is mental rest?

To me, the ability to use sports as a diversion from the mental strains of the day, plays a big factor in a healthy lifestyle routine.  However, for the Type A athlete looking to log in workout after workout, this is not always the case. Yes, there is plenty of time during your training where you need to find the zone and be focused.  You recognize that moment when you clock off your interval and relish in the sound of your breathing, your pace and the tingle in your legs.

But there is also a time during the off-season, when you simply run, bike, swim, lift or whatever it is you want to do and let your mind rest.   This is often known as “mindless time,” even though you happen to be in motion.  For me, mindless time happens most often while I swim.  I love the sound of the water, as well as, the soundlessness of it – no iPod, no E-Mail, no Voicemail, no Text and no Garmins!   I swim and think about whatever I want!

As much as I enjoy the mindless time, when the season is in full swing, I have learned to turn my mind back on and make sure I know every little thing about my pace, breathing and stroke count to propel me forward.

Off-season rest, requires focus of a different kind. It calls for focus on the right nutrition.  One of the reasons we started Klean Athlete, was to provide the basics of good nutrition that you can use to maintain your health every day. Klean Athlete provides beneficial nutritional support regardless of your current training cycle.  Take for example our Klean Multi, Klean Probiotic and Klean Cognitive products.  All three of these were formulated to support proper nutrition any time of year and at any point in your training.   Good supplementation can help power your mental rest strategy and fuel your recovery and rest period.

For me, good supplementation starts with giving up on those extreme sport supplement products designed to “enhance” my performance. Most of the products I’m talking about are not meant to be taken daily and your off-season should be void of them.

If you are not refueling yourself with the right nutrition during this off-season, we invite you to try Klean products and let us know how much better you feel.  Most importantly, what you do now, can help you perform better in 2013.

Stay Klean!

Timothy J. Monk, Jr.