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Training hard and feeling tired? Boost Your energy levels with our guide to rejuvenating your diet and training

WORDS: CHRISTINA MACDONALD

When was the last time you woke up feeling great? How have your legs been feeling lately? If your body feels stiff and your energy levels aren’t what they used to be, then it’s time to take a careful look at your training and your diet.

DON’T LET THE PLAN TAKE CONTROL OF YOU

When training hard, many of us stick rigidly to a strict training schedule. But it’s not such a bad thing to be flexible. Training plans are there to give you structure and a guideline, but ease back if your body needs a rest. “I’ve definitely become much better at listening to my body,” says Olympic athlete Jo Pavey.

“In the past, I’d look at sessions I had to do in the last two weeks before a race and think I had to do them, but sometimes I’d be exhausted. Now I’m more flexible. If I’m too tired and my legs feel really bad, there’s no point in doing that final key session if all it’s doing is making my legs worse for race day.”

DON’T PILE ON THE PRESSURE

Never follow a hard session with another hard session the very next day. Always allow a few days’ recovery in between tougher workouts. “Having at least one rest day a week is important and if you feel tired, unwell or generally under the weather, don’t be afraid to take some time off,” says Professor John Brewer, Head of School of Sport, Health and Applied Science (SHAS) at St Mary’s University (stmarys.ac.uk), Twickenham.