Raechelle Chase Back On Track: Your Best Year Yet
How can you get on track and stay on track with your training and make this your best year yet? Raechelle Chase tells us how…
I love the New Year… it’s the holiday season and the season of new beginnings.
There is much to love. The long summer days hanging out with family and friends, the barbecues, the beach fun. But what I love most about this time of year, in terms of my training and life in general, is using the New Year as an opportunity to refocus. That is the beauty of a new year ahead – no matter what happened last year, the slate is wiped clean and 2012 marks a new year, a new raft of possibility.
However, the holiday season can also be a challenging time for training. The temptation is always there when we take a break – the temptation to over-indulge, as well as lose focus. So how can we stay on track to make sure we start the New Year off well?
Staying motivated
One of the biggest challenges for me, at this time of year, is staying motivated between events as the pro figure calendar usually runs between March and November. When you’re right in the midst of achieving a goal, it’s easier to keep up the drive, keep the focus and work as hard as you possibly can. The end point is continually in sight, the steps are in place and you keep working towards it.
But when the event is over, it can be hard to keep that momentum and keep on track until the next event. And, as I’m sure we’d all agree, you don’t want to have to go back to the start once the pressure really does come back on.
My advice is to have Mini Goals – these are smaller goals that I set myself along the way. They help to keep me motivated but also keep it fun and fresh. After competing at The Olympia Pro Figure 2011 in Las Vegas last September, I now have a break until my next event in March. So to keep that focus and ensure I maintain intensity in my training, I set mini goals for myself, such as a few photo shoots over the summer months to inspire me to stay in top form.
With January to March being the prime time for weddings too, a great mini goal could be a friend’s upcoming wedding (even more so if you’re in the wedding party!), signing yourself up for a run, bike or tri series, or maybe taking up a new hobby. All these sorts of mini ‘events’ help to keep us inspired and focused, but by doing something a little bit different, changing it up just a tad, it also ensures it’s all fun. Remember, being fit and healthy is a lifestyle – getting in shape should be fun not a chore.
My second piece of advice is to surround yourself with people who are doing similar training or are just generally motivated people. You’ll feed off their energy and they’ll feed off yours. And that little piece of advice works in reverse as well – if you’re surrounded by a lack of motivation or, worse, lethargy, you’ll feel that lack of energy too. So if you have someone who can help you reach your goals and stay focused, you’ll reap the benefits. If necessary, hire it - a personal trainer will certainly keep you on track. Without a doubt, my biggest challenge is diet. So I have a nutritionist on my team to make sure I have someone to answer to when the going gets tough.
Tiptoeing Around Temptation
Speaking of diet, the summer season certainly has its share of temptation when it comes to that element of training. Trust me, I may be a pro figure professional but chocolate and I go way back. But, just like working out, you also do need to keep focused on your diet to ensure all the good work you have done to date doesn’t go out the window.
One of the best things you can do is plan. If you’re meeting friends out for dinner, plan to choose a healthy option from the menu and make sure you skip dessert. But also, don’t be afraid to ask the wait staff to alter it to suit your needs – ‘no rice/bread/frying for me thanks’, or ‘please leave off the sauce/jus’. Restaurant staff are usually quite accommodating when you ask for variations of the menu, or even order something not on the menu at all!
Now back to that eating plan – as they say, ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail’. So, to plan for those moments when you’re likely to be hungry and head for the fridge, have a whole day’s worth of food ready to go. I find that when I’m hungry, I can barely wait to eat so if the food is there at my reach, I’ll grab that. Things like nuts or ready-cut veggies are terrific to snack on, or a low-fat yoghurt. Keep plenty of healthy alternatives on-hand in your house – and minimise those that aren’t on your diet plan.
Having said all that, make a plan for the New Year to work hard but also allow yourself a treat once a week. Tell yourself, if I can eat healthy and keep to my game plan for five days of the week, I can have a treat day. It’s good for you mentally – after all, we all need a treat now and again – but, believe it or not, it can also have its physical benefits.
Scientific studies show that when you cut back on carbohydrates, your metabolism starts to slow down. And it can be good for your body to shock it once a week by giving yourself more calories than it is used to. The theory is that this can kick start your metabolism into overdrive, which in turn helps you during the following week as your metabolism reaches higher speeds for fat burning once again.
Family Challenges
I’ve often said that when it comes to competing in pro figure competitions, there should be a whole different category for competitors with children at home! Though we love them dearly, kids do take so much from you in terms of time and energy. So finding time for training and keeping to your diet can be all the more challenging with a tot or two hanging off your leg.
Once again, you need to plan. In terms of your diet, keep your food separate and make sure you have snack items to munch on when you need them. One of my worst habits has been finishing off the children’s food. Make a plan to ensure that when you’re feeding the kids, you do it when you’re not hungry. That will make it easier to avoid the temptation of nibbling a bit here and scoffing a bit there. As far as children’s snacks go, the same theory applies. But you can also limit temptation further by choosing items for the pantry that the kids will enjoy but that don’t tempt you quite so much – plainer kids biscuits rather than chocolate-coated ones, or kids muesli bars that don’t appeal so much to adults.
During the summer season, the kids are likely to be home on holiday, so there will inevitably be more demands on your time there too. Rather than sticking to your usual training programme, try throwing in some outdoor activities that allow you to gain some training time but also give you time with the kids. Use the monkey bars at the local playground (trust me, every adult finds those a challenge!) or set the kids some relay challenges at the local park. It’s good for you but it’s also good for them – who wants kids to sit inside all day on the PS3? Pack a picnic while you’re at it – remembering to keep your food separate so you’re not tempted to nibble on their snacks and treats.
Butt out the booze
The holiday season is synonymous with overindulgence, both in food but also in alcohol. Without preaching from the sobriety pulpit here, it has to be said that alcohol does not mix well with a training programme. Not only does too much booze set you back in your training – after all, who can train well when they are hideously hung-over? – but the truth is, there are a tonne of calories in almost all alcoholic beverages. According to the NZ Nutrition Foundation, alcoholic drinks contain 29kJ (7 cal) per gram, which is almost as much as fat at 37kJ (9 cal) per gram. At the same time, alcohol also stimulates your appetite, so the upshot is you’re very likely to eat more if you’re drinking alcohol than you would with a glass of water by your side. The key, like everything, is moderation. It’s not that you shouldn’t enjoy yourself – just be smart about it.
A quick recap
One of my favourite sayings is that ‘It doesn’t matter how slow you go, you’re still running rings around everyone sitting on the couch’. Just getting started means you’re a step ahead. So use the holiday period and the New Year as an opportunity to refocus and reenergise.
Make 2012 your year to better yourself, to make a plan, keep to it and make this your best year yet!
Raechelle Chase is an international fitness model, IFBB Pro Figure competitor and TV presenter. She also has a new fitness training DVD and download available, as well as other branded merchandise, at www.raechellechase.com.
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