Sorting out the men....

It's weekends like this one that really sort out 'the men from the boys' on the rowing front (I've just realised there is no female equivalent to this saying that would really have the same meaning!).  In my case, we are an all female squad and did our best at training in pretty chilly conditions, especially as we start at 7.30am. The thing about rowing is that there are only so many layers you can put on, before you are unable to bend in the middle - pretty important!  The best bit of all though is coming off the water and into a warm club-house for a satisfying breakfast, when you know that most people have not yet even surfaced - job done.
Of course one of the things about doing exercise in the cold is that you use up even more nutrients and calories than normal, making it doubly important to have a good feed to keep up the strength and to support the immune system from all the circulating bugs at this time of year.
One of my favourite warming foods has to be risotto - not only because I love Italian food, but also because it is easy to throw together, can be flavoured with pretty much anything you have in the store cupboard, and even tastes great as left-overs!  And despite some of the recipe books you may have read, it does not have to be stirred continuously - I made all three of these risottos at the same time, and obviously only have two arms!