With paddling season around the corner it’s a great time to put a game plan in place to prepare for the upcoming season. The key is to approach the new year with the mindset of sustaining the momentum throughout the year with a program that is progressive, fun, and prepares you mentally as well as physically for training and competition.
As an Outrigger Canoe World Sprint Champion and Vitality Coach, I have spent the last 30 years preparing myself to be in the position to help people find their champion within. Through improving their vitality and well-being, I support people by coaching the whole person, as well as continue to implement these practices myself and compete at a high level (and parenting too). This last year working at The Taylor Group I have added vitality to up-level my game as a coach and athlete. I am part of a team that supports all the aspects that make up the whole person, customizing our coaching to meet the unique needs of our clients for the growth and development of their business and themselves.
To begin mapping out your vitality journey in the coming year, let’s first provide some clarity on the difference between fitness and conditioning. They often get collapsed together, but are actually two different things.
Fitness is a measure of physical qualities that create the potential for performance. Some of these physical qualities include resting heart rate, joint mobility, aerobic capacity, heart rate variability, etc.
Conditioning is the physical and mental ability to utilize your fitness, and meet the demands of your environment. Someone can have a high fitness level (high potential for performance), and still have poor conditioning.
Why is conditioning important for everyone, not just competitive athletes? Conditioning is the key to improving your ability to navigate and cope with the many stressors you encounter in daily life, as well as any sports and activities. Conditioning helps you more effectively utilize your background fitness level to meet and overcome real-world scenarios, and achieve long-term goals. Adding conditioning into your life can help you feel, look, and perform your best while decreasing your risk for injuries and chronic health issues. Conditioning supports CEOs who need to train like Quarterbacks to stay on top of their business. It helps competitors of all ages to stay on top of their A-game when they perform, and helps people in everyday life to have the energy to endure all that comes their way.
As paddlers (who also have jobs, families, etc.), there is a great opportunity to use the love of the paddling sport of choice to provide a way to train conditioning levels and increase fitness levels to support sport performance as well as everyday life. Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating a conditioning program:
● Have a vision in mind of where you want to go
● Develop a quality aerobic fitness base to support your ability to perform as well as recover optimally
● Implement practices to support adapting to stressors of the environment you will be performing in
● Develop quality of movement for it is crucial to conditioning because it drives energy production and usage
● Create a practice mindset program that is consistent to support your ability to create the skills you need to optimize your performance
Having a map that progresses and supports you on the journey of where you want to go helps create a successful and enjoyable program that can carry you into 2019 with sustained momentum! All the best in 2019 and happy paddling!!!
You can contact Lori for more information at http://www.taylorgroup.com/team/lori-jorgenson/
-Lori Jorgenson
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