I’ve become more aware of my energy levels upon discovering research that cerebral palsy can lead to more fatigue, particularly toward the end of the day.
This has explained a lot in my youth – I’ve gained more knowledge in this area as I aged and now have a lot of lived experience with how my body reacts to certain activities.
This could help clarify why I prefer training in the morning to the evenings. The bursts of power needed (aided by coffee and my favourite pre-workouts!) sustain the challenges of my programmes. That said, I am very careful with my equipment selection & nutrition timing to support this.
I’ve also put sleep at a higher position of priorities as I’ve got older – long gone are the days of lots of very late evenings as this interferes with how much I can put into my training.
I understand further still that my disability uses more energy to generate movement, so my selection throughout the day is key. If more is needed later in the day, I can plan for this earlier in the week. Becoming more aware of the energy expenditure during the competition prep too helps me plan how many weeks I’ll need to get to where I want to be physique wise.
It’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided on a longer prep this year, to allow smaller changes, more often, that can aid my strength and shape into the show.
As I write this, I’m a few days away from my opening event of the season and as such the timing of my training & nutrition can really help determine my stamina. I want to ensure I can perform, but to a level where I can push, accounting for my structure with my CP and give my best as a Dad, colleague & athlete – it’s a great balance and challenge but the goal is worth it! 😀💚👍
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