Some Motivation

Sometimes it takes a little something to motivate those of us of a slightly sedentary prone nature to get out there and get in shape. For some it is seeing the Olympics and seeing athletes compete on the world stage; for others it may be seeing "Rocky". For me that was my inspiration. I don't know how many times my brother and I had seen that movie and finally it is what ultimately compelled me to get in shape. Maybe it was the music or the desire to get in shape and be able to box if the need ever arose but whatever the case, it was my inspiration. For others still it may be the desire to push oneself to the limit and complete something that may have once seemed out of reach. For many that has meant competing (or at least completing) a triathlon.

For those who don't know, a triathlon means a course of running, swimming and biking. Distances can vary depending on how long or tough the organizers want to make it but it can be quite an ordeal yet it has helped inspire people to get in shape. But that may change based on the information that doctors have been passing out these days. According to recent studies, triathletes are now determined to be more prone to sudden onset of heart attacks than those who simply run marathons. The logic behind this being that runners have more or less a constant strain on the heart while triathletes will often experience varied impacts on the heart. In particular they point to triathletes swimming in relatively cool (or cold) water which is enough of a shock to the system to cause the onset of a heart attack.

Now what the news item was caveated with was the fact that before starting any triathlete type training program, people should have a medical exam performed. Then again if you think about it, most any exercise should be undertaken with some sort of supervision, especially those that will put tremendous strain on the heart. I mean if someone 300+ pounds suddenly decides to start running, undoubtedly there will be tremendous strain on the heart and the inevitable could happen. But if a person of these dimensions decides to start off slowly then there is less chance of suffering dire consequences. To me, what that means is that it all boils down to common sense.

If anyone suddenly changes any aspect of their life in a dramatic and drastic fashion is likely to suffer some sort of consequence and those not likely to be good. Still, I think an unintended consequence of such news reports or studies would be to dissuade a person from taking inspiration and doing something good for themselves. One could say that for a 300+ pound person, a triathlon is probably always going to be out of their reach but still, won't it be a way of getting them started on the path to better health and physical fitness. If you scare people off completely then aren't you simply exacerbating the problem rathter than helping? That's my opinion anyways.