As promised in my previous post, here is an expansion of the first of the five factors I'm trying to optimise in 2015.
In keeping with the theme of optimizing the basics in light of lifestyle variables, one factor that I’ve really dialed in over the last year or two is maintaining a consistent circadian rhythm.
Years of pre-dawn training sessions might have been great for bragging rights and one-upmanship (read: “I already rode 3 hours by 7:30am, so I’m a better athlete.”) but at the end of the day, sacrificing adequate sleep for regular early morning exercise most likely catches up with one in the long term. Especially in the winter months.
While circadian rhythm specifically refers to a twenty four hour cycle, I believe this notion extends to a far bigger picture, including seasonal change. Autumn and winter are traditionally times where athletes take a break and hibernate after a summer of competition. That said, looking at the 2015 South African endurance sport calendar reveals scant regard for any semblance of an “off-season,” with many athletes competing in a variety of events year round. In fact, I conversed with an elite athlete towards the end of last year who proudly stated that he had competed in some form of competition every single weekend in 2014. Not that I’m intending to judge this fellow on his capacity for racing – he is actually quite intuitive and clearly loves the social element of competition. But it does beg the question of whether going full-tilt year round is practical, or even healthy.
Ever wondered why a large portion of European professional athletes choose off-season training bases in Mallorca or Lanzarote instead of South Africa or Australia? Whilst the weather is good, travelling time is short and there is little or no change in time-zone, the main reason is that the days are still short and the nights are still long, thus giving them the best of both worlds. Ask Cape Town’s own Richard Murray.
As far as my own circadian development and exploration is concerned, I started paying greater attention to sleep and active hibernation in 2012. Voluntarily retiring myself from weekday “dark cycling” in April of that year, I gradually shifted towards embracing seasonal change and a warm bed as critical to my personal health and fitness. Whilst I was certainly the butt of jokes to some of my more hardcore peers (read: “Are you on winter strike? What’s with this softness?”), I noticed a marked uplift in my general mood and energy levels. Instead of centering life and sleep around training, this gradual priority inversion gave way to a better attitude and zest for life, even allowing me to pursue further studies in sports massage.
Roughly speaking, my current circadian/training philosophy could be summarized as follows:
- Minimum of eight hours of sleep per night (summer months).
- Increased nightly sleep hours in autumn/winter (aiming for nine hours per night).
- Athletic training fits around this consistent sleep pattern (rarely exercise before 6:15am in summer/6:45am in winter, except if I want to compete in a race).
- Weekend training times are dependent on natural waking time and not an alarm clock.
- Quiet leisure reading at night leading into natural falling asleep.
The funny thing is that since implementing the philosophy described above, I tend to wake up early on the weekends anyway and don’t even need an alarm clock.
Sounds soft? Want some validation from a legitimate source? Check the closing quotation from a world-class female professional (identity withheld) when asked for her best possible training tip for aspiring amateurs.
“Just fucking sleep!”