There are too many reasons to exercise to discuss in this blog. But, a recent consultation with a patient reminded me of my own reasons, and reasons that many other will relate to. This patient was a middle aged gentleman who knows he needs to lose weight, and recently learned that he needs to lower his cholesterol; Two related and excellent reasons to exercise. Increased energy, improved mood, and a trimmer physique are other benefits to exercising. Despite this knowledge, this patient was finding it difficult to stay motivated to exercise. This reminded me of myself. In the past, I found it difficult to exercise for exercise sake. I was not overweight and unaware of a cholesterol problem. My motivation was lacking. Fast forward to my learning of having high cholesterol. Cue the motivation, right? Wrong. I attempted to control the cholesterol with diet modification alone. Guess what? It works. I was thrilled a year later when my cholesterol count was lower. I didn't diet, per se, rather I simply cut out certain indulgent foods. But, diet modification isn't enough. Exercise is needed to keep driving those scary numbers lower. So, my motivation to exercise became stronger. However, I was still finding it difficult to go through the motions of exercise without something more exciting to strive for. Cholesterol, physique, mood are all great reasons to exercise, but, like me, and my patient, you might need another reason. As I discussed with my patient, I found motivation in competition. As a sports fan (player and viewer), turning exercise into competition was my key. Instead of exercising for x minutes a day and 3x minutes a week with the motivation being a blood test in a year, I have found drive by preparing to compete in triathlons. The blood test will still happen, but it is the last thing I think about when I'm exercising. I don't even call it 'exercise'; I call it 'training'. My patient really related to this concept. I hope he succeeds in finding his motivation. And, I hope you have found yours.
Helping to fuel my triathlon training motivation is my father. My last blog discussed my weekend bike ride and run with my father. This was the first time we had run or road-cycled together. It was a great weekend from a training perspective, and an even better weekend from a father/son perspective. My father used to compete in marathons and triathlons. I was too young to participate with him during his glory days, but he isn't too old to participate with me as I train for my first triathlons.
If you're interested in triathlons, check out the link below for the Subaru Triathlon Series. I'll be competing in the Try-A-Tri (400m Swim, 10Km Bike, 2.5Km Run). Once I am comfortable with this length, I will proceed to the Sprint length triathlon (800m Swim, 20Km Bike, 5Km Run). Feel free to join me. Familiar faces out on the course would be fun !
Subaru Triathlon Series
