Try a Tri!

by Bob Lachniet
President - Fitness 4 Home Superstore

Triathlon has been around for over 30 years, and many people look at it as a “gruelathon”. The premier triathlon is the Hawai’i Ironman Triathlon every October in Kona, HI – and this event is one of the more difficult triathlons out there, combining a 2 mile open water ocean swim, 112 miles on a bicycle over lava fields, and finally a full 26.2 mile marathon – all done in one day. But, that doesn’t mean that you have to try to compete at that level – in fact, training for a small, local triathlon is a great way to help you achieve your fitness goals! The only equipment you need to start – is running shoes, a swimsuit & goggles, and a bike & helmet!

Think about it – as kids, we all did triathlons daily. Our parents would take us to swim lessons in the morning, and we’d ride our bikes and run around the neighborhood with our friends – and we were all in pretty good shape, And, we never thought about the exercise we were getting – we were just having fun! That’s what training for a triathlon can do for you. It’s a great way to avoid boredom while you train! If you get tired of running – well, that little bit of cycling helps break the monotony, and you stay on your program!

Another advantage of training for triathlons is it’s a great way to avoid muscle imbalances and repetitive-use injuries. You strengthen the upper body with the swim, and the lower body with the bike and run. And, you mix weight-bearing exercise of high-impact running, with low-impact swimming. And, the strength you build on the bike will give you more for your running, and visa versa.

You also get to meet wonderful people – triathlon is as much a lifestyle as it is a sport. There are no shortcuts to getting fit for a triathlon – and there is a given, mutual respect that comes out of that training. Friendships built are solidified through group training sessions and competiting together! And, these friends become your support network to help you achieve your goals.
Finally, setting your training goals for your triathlon training makes you accountable to your fitness program, and the more you achieve, the more you get motivated to set new ones. Plus, there’s something about being able to tell people, “I’m a triathlete!”. It suggests a person has a certain character, focus and determination that translate to all areas of your life!

There are plenty of additional resources that can help get you started.

• A great way to start training is at home with a home treadmill and home exercise bicycle from Fitness 4 Home Superstore! Visit www.fitness4homesuperstore.com to see our current selection.

• Get recommendations for a coach at www.usatriathlon.org – and some coaches can work with you via email or phone!

• A couple of web sites that can help you with training and racing information www.triathanewbie.com
www.beginnertriathlete.com
www.trinewbies.com
www.active.com
www.trifind.com
www.triamerica.com

• Information about women-only events can be found at www.danskin.com/triathlon.html, or www.irongirl.com

Healthy Living – Mental Toughness

By Bob Lachniet
President – Fitness 4 Home Superstore

Funny thing about your exercise program – the hardest part of it will always end up being the part where you have to make good on it! Making progress in your fitness plan takes two things – a dedication to executing your plan on a regular basis, and pushing yourself to improve on what you’ve been doing. In other words, Mental Toughness – the drive to go beyond your limits, which often means the ultimate difference between success and failure for your program.
The problem is, although we understand that drives a triathlete has to survive the last mile of an Ironman competition, the question often is: How do I get that drive? Well, let’s define mental toughness first. It’s simple, really. Its keeping focused on achieving your goal, no matter how difficult. And, the ability to accomplish that differs from person to person, so if you find yourself having difficulty keeping yourself focused on your fitness goal, you’re not alone!

What it all comes down to is how you motivate yourself. There are those who need little encouragement to be a self-starter, while the rest of us (actually, the majority of us) that need a little pressure to force us to get motivated. That pressure can be either a desire for success, or a need to avoid failure. Another way of putting this is, you either believe you’ll succeed by busting your butt, or you’ll do it to avoid being humiliated.

Understanding which type of personality you have is the first step in coming up with the best way to build your motivation. Here’s how:

-If you’re the “success driven” kind of person, paint yourself a mental picture of what “success” looks like to you. Remind yourself of the great opportunities being fit will bring you, whether its clothes fitting better, more energy, or that flat stomach you’ve always wanted.

-If you’re the “avoid failure” kind of person, talk to yourself! (Actually, you probably shouldn’t do that out loud to avoid funny looks from people around you!) Be positive. Remind yourself that you can do this – that the only way you can fail is not to try. And, when you do have the occasional negative thought, push it aside and focus on the positive ones. And, one of the best ways to find that “positive” thought is to write down “why” you want to improve your fitness level, whether it’s to run a marathon, loose 10 pounds, or whatever your goal is. Then, repeat that goal to yourself as you train.

Lastly, get uncomfortable! That’s right, as funny as that may sound, getting yourself uncomfortable is important – it’s how you’ll improve! Think about all the times in your life where you were afraid to try something new, but once you did it, it became easier. Yet, had you not tried it, you never would have found that out! The same holds true for fitness. When you exercise, you need to push your body a little farther than the last time, otherwise your body won’t adjust and improve. Yes, this sounds corny, not to mention obvious. But if you keep in mind that the momentary discomfort you may feel, is worth it when you’ve accomplished your goal!