Welcome back to Thomas Müller’s Monthly Musings! In the July 2023 edition of his newsletter, the Bayern Munich player details what’s been going on during the offseason.
No rest for the weary
Four weeks of my vacation have now passed. Like the summer holidays in school days, the vacation goes by very quickly. I especially enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also often go golfing, play tennis and, of course, travel with my wife Lisa and our horses. But, as you can imagine, the competitive athlete in me never really sleeps. Home training is in full swing again.
Specifically, I have to complete a running program for basic endurance. We run with a heart rate monitor and have different units on the program. Sometimes longer with a moderate heart rate, sometimes shorter and with intervals in the upper heart rate range.
As a result, I’m already on first name terms with the regional forest paths
I’ve never really loved running, but it’s just part of the job. And my good fitness has helped me a lot throughout my career.
“Coolers” you like!
For many years I have been deeply involved in all facets of health, including healthy eating and fitness. As you know, I am sharing this journey with you and I hope that one or the other inspiration will come along.
In the Müller Mail I simply call this section health delicacies. In my Bavarian homeland, a delicacy is understood to mean “something particularly good” or a “treat.” You guessed it, I’m a big fan of delicacies
So much for the introduction. Now to the point.
Summer is here, the weather is hot. You can imagine that heat and especially body temperature is a big factor in competitive sports. In order to continue to be efficient, “staying cool” is an important motto.
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Why?
The body is programmed to keep its temperature around 37 degrees. If it gets hotter, the primary response is to sweat to cool back down. For this, the body requires considerable energy and resources.
In short, you need a higher heart rate for the same performance because the body is otherwise busy. In this way, we reach our individual limits more quickly. That can make a huge difference in a 90-minute football game.
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A short anecdote from the past:
In preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, we knew it was going to get really hot there. In order to relieve the body as much as possible during the half-time break, we had cooling gloves with us. These were ready in the cabin.
Visually, that was strange. Then at halftime we looked a bit like a group of young vets before an exam
Today, on hot matchdays, I work with cold towels that are cooled in the cold pool and I can throw them on at half-time.
Applied to everyday life, it has often been heard that in summer one should not drink cold drinks, but warm ones.
This is common practice, especially in southern countries with warm temperatures.
In fact, people there often drink warm drinks such as tea. In this way, they not only keep themselves hydrated, but also stimulate the body to cool down through sweating.
The moral of the story : If you want to get through the hot months well, it helps to keep your body cool.
Here are a few tips and tricks:
Drink a lot
Stay in the shade as much as possible
Wear loose, light-colored clothing
Do sports and other physical activities more early in the morning or in the evening
With this in mind, have a nice summer, keep your ears stiff & stay alert,
your Thomas
