The Hibernation Sessions Have Begun
By: Billy Novitsky
Tags: Health, Fitness, Bill Novitsky, Nutrition

The Hibernation Sessions Have Begun

There was a time when I loved New York winters; spending raw, viciously cold afternoons romping throughout Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx like a plundering Viking. Snow, sleet, wind; the more extreme the better. I never really owned winter gear, so my attire was the same year round; flannel shirts, sweat pants, big black boots and a wide selection of bandannas. Now, just a couple of weeks after a brief burst of Indian summer, I’m rummaging through my dresser for hats, gloves and sweatshirts. All of a sudden, without warning I had become a hot weather guy. In a complete reversal of fortune, the dead of winter replaced the height of summer as designated weeks of personal hibernation.

Ever since I can remember, July and August were months for me to hide away in the shelter of dark air conditioned rooms, with daily brief escapes to my sweltering home gym. In the past those summer hibernation sessions were vicious high intensity muscle shredders. This winter’s sessions will take on more of a healing, rejuvenating, cerebral tone. The plan includes nursing some nagging injuries that arose during an extremely physical and active outdoor spring, summer and fall. Nothing serious, however I’m beat up; sprained ankle, bruised rotator cuff, sore knees and feet. I’m overtrained and under rested; averaging about six miles of running a day and intense resistance training just about every day for several months. My winter hibernation will conveniently coincide with our national covid quarantine, with both hopefully ending in early spring, unleashing greater levels of health, energy, joy and well being. Until then there’s work that needs to be done.

Muscles and the overall body need more time to heal than we typically give them. The combination of daily intense exercise, weekend warrior passion pursuits and long work hours tend to do more harm than good at times. My overall hibernation plans call for more deep rest, slower, less intense workouts, more quality calories, thorough stretching of muscles and a mindful, deliberate approach to daily life. As for my all important hibernation resistance training sessions; for about the next fourteen weeks I will stress a slower, stricter, close to perfecting form in order to feel the deepness of the muscles. Lighter weights and thorough stretching will aid healing muscles, ligaments and other worn out body parts. Ultimately a slower, more thoughtful approach to fitness connects the mind and body, creating greater levels of consciousness, energy and presence.

While December and January shouldn’t be spent healing an overtrained body in an ice cold garage, the global pandemic has canceled my yearly winter pilgrimage to the Caribbean. Therefore, my time will be spent wisely in the hope that safe travel is just a few months away. In the meantime my hibernation sessions of resistance training, outdoor running and deep meditation shall strengthen, heal and rejuvenate my passion for healthy adventure. I’ll turn 53 years old in April and I plan on improving what is currently the best shape of my life by then. And when I finally come out of hibernation next spring, I’m taking a well rested, thoroughly healed, optimally trained body and mind to newly elevated levels. Cold, dark days of discipline, dedication and meditation will slowly become warmer, brighter, dynamic stretches of time. Hard, focused, meaningful work always enacts powerful positive change. Sometimes hibernation is necessary for peace of mind and well being. Now it’s also imperative for the greater good; respect for life saving doctors and nurses, hope for a limitless future and empathy for those who have suffered deep loss. The hibernation sessions represent more than my winter training; they are moments of intense reflection on the power of human elevation. It’s time to enter the frozen bunker in anticipation for the warmth of a hopeful spring.