Off season

I've read several articles by pro triathletes who all say that you need to really rest up during the off season and do minimal hard workouts. I get it: you want to feel refreshed, both physically and mentally, to take on a new season of training and racing. But, most of these athletes who recommend getting a lot of rest and doing few hard w/o during the winter months are younger.  I have only moderately decreased my workout load over the winter months for last decade because I feel like, at my age, I can't afford to lose conditioning because its too hard to regain it!  So, again this year I'm faced with the dilemma: take more time off or try and retain a higher degree of fitness through the winter months. Then there is also the matter of mentally, how do I back off?  I NEED to workout for multiple reasons, one of which is my sanity!  What to do?