detox

Exactly a week ago, I crashed in my last competition of the season, rupturing my eardrum. In the first check by the ear specialist on Monday, it was looking good and not infected. In order to keep it this way, I should avoid getting water and especially shampoo in it. Therefore I have not skied the past week, also I have been covering my ear with a drinking glass whilst shampooing my hair, which is quite interesting…

Some sightseeing in stead (Kijkduin, Zuid-Holland)

I wasn’t planning on stopping the season quite this early, but I’m more or less forced to. I want to be careful with my ear, since it is looking good at the moment and can heal in 3 weeks. If it does get infected, it will take longer to heal and it will interfere with my plans for skiing in Florida this winter. At some point, after a lot of intensive training and a long season with many ups and downs, it is good to have a break from skiing. This is important to regain strength both mentally and physically. However it is still frustrating to start ‘detoxing’ from water-ski when it is still beautiful weather outside for the time of year. Therefore I am trying to focus on some other things that will still help my next season and the winter training, but will still give me somewhat of a break from water-skiing. First of all, I have to earn some money to be able to prepare fully for a skiing season. I already had multiple addresses where I regularly babysit, but throughout the summer I wasn’t around much. When I got back, I was finally able to say yes to some appointments, so on many nights I have been babysitting. Because those appointments are fairly irregular, I decided it would be good to also have a more formal part-time job for a more steady income. On Tuesday I got a form to apply at the local supermarket and tomorrow is my first day at work already. One of my new colleagues said it took them 3 months to hire her, so I felt bad for getting hired so quickly, but due to my gap year and my age I am really useful to the supermarket. I am happy I was able to find two jobs and hopefully will find some sponsoring on top of that to support the next season.

On a physical level I have also begun preparing for a smashing new season. I have had a talk with a personal trainer, who will hopefully help me get into ideal shape to reach my next goals. Furthermore I have a nutritionist helping me with my food intake. It isn’t exactly a diet, and I am actually eating more than I was before, but there has been a change in my lifestyle, which will help me start the next season very healthy. I hope these 2 things will pay off soon, and especially, show in next season.