Tips for the Slow Fat Triathlete
- Abandon Self-Consciousness: I think that self-consciousness is the primary deterrent to getting fit. People are so worried about what they'll look like while exercising in their imperfect bodies that it paralyzes them into inaction. So:
>> Embrace the fact that you are physically and mentally imperfect.
>> Accept that no matter how hard you work out, you are never going to have a "perfect" body.
>> Celebrate the fact that being imperfect does not matter.
- Be Slow: We are not a society that values slow. We are into fast food (notoriously), interstate highways, Internet banking, and speed dating. If you're under thirty, email is too slow; you have to text. We go straight to the top; we pass GO as fast as we can. Some incipient triathletes write to me about their fears and insecurities. The number one fear is probably swimming in open water, and the number two fear is probably finishing last. If you finish last, you finish! You get to wear the race T-shirt, and nowhere on the shirt does it say "Last place! Slowest athlete of the day!"
- Have Fun: A lot of people don't exercise because they think it's not going to be fun. And maybe it never has been fun for them. Let's get serious about fun. Find a way to exercise that really is fun for you, whether it's learning to surf, dance, climb rocks, kick-box, or just riding your bike with your spouse or best friend. Or find a way to make your exercising fun: memorizing local landmarks; stopping to smell roses, literally; or making up silly poetry about your marathon training.
- Eat Some Chocolate: Eating chocolate judiciously will help keep you from obsessing over eating "virtuously" as you engage in your athletic endeavors. Great chocolate is its own justification. Period. Taking a few moments to savor the nearly infinite depth and richness of great chocolate enhances your appreciation of life.
- Take a Nap: Taking naps are good for you! We, as a culture, are underslept. If you add exercise into an already overscheduled life, the temptation is to cut out sleep in order to fit the exercise in. I beseech you, don't do this. Skimp on housework, laundry, TV, cooking - whatever it takes to get your nighttime sleep in. And - notice this is "and," not "or" - take naps. Sleep is the way our bodies recover, repair, and get stronger from the exercise and movement that we are learning to enjoy. Try not to do it at your desk; jobs are harder to come by these days. But do take a nap, and not just because it's good for you. Do it because it's fun.
Jayne Williams grew up in the halcyon suburbs of Northern California, began her impractical education in Russian literature at Harvard, and got an M.A. in Slavic Literature from UC Berkeley. She has organized whitewater rafting expeditions in Siberia and around the world and enjoyed years of frantic poverty as a freelance writer, interpreter and editor. She has dabbled in public service and the Internet boom/bust, and now spends her days writing grant proposals for a number of very cool organizations. She lives in Sacramento, California with her husband Tim Anderson, who illustrates the Slow Fat Triathlete books, and their psycho-cat surrogate child.
Jayne Williams is hosting a 90-minute workshop called "Triathlon for the Slow, Klutzy, or Nervous"
Wednesday, February 4, 6:30 p.m.
2560 Ninth Street, Suite 211
Berkeley, CA
FREE!
Website: www.slowfattriathlete.com
>> Buy her book on Amazon
