25^th Aug 2014_1

I’ve been away for three days at the Triathlon Club Championships. That’s enough for the diary entry. This means that this is the first of three entries today.

Exercise – the very word can get people excercised. Even for me, the very word makes me feel negative. I know I should be doing some, but can I be bothered. I’m told that I’ll feel great for it, but I never see a happy runner. Nor do I ever see anyone happy in a gym. I prefer to use the word training, but that seems even more extreme. Even worse, people expect that once you have started training you always be training, or will start training again soon. You almost give them the feeling that you are doing enough for the both of you. And they have expectations for you. Maybe, the best thing to do is publish a training plan, so thy know when you’ve given up.

Being a triathlete who was slightly above average once, I have to keep on going. This way I have an early warning system for when I’ve let myself go. And this weekend was a shock for me. Admittedly, I did race twice in one day, but I did have my heart attack moment without the heart attack. I must stay off the beer, and eat more salad again. Many other people don’t get the early warning sign. They slip deeper and deeper in to trouble staying in their comfort zone.

So, I’ve re-branded exercise in to “conditioning”, or “preparation” that seems much easier, especially at my age. And if I get good at it, I can start exercising, and maybe start training again. Of course, I’ve been here before, and I’m happy to say I can fast track this cycle. All I have to do is find the time and the energy to do it.

This brings me to the point about time. Modern life squeezes spare time. And yet, we are told by the fitness industry that we always have time. They may have, but we don’t.

Energy, we are told is improved by exercising. This can be true, but then I have to sit in an office all day. I don’t know what happens to all my new energy, but I have a feeling it gets internalized and turned in to stress. This is worse than doing nothing. Even more so, when the office is 300 miles from home.