20 Great Reasons to do a Triathlon

There are all kinds of reasons people will try to complete a triathlon. To loose weight, boost self-confidence, and to find more meaning to exercise are just of the main reasons. Men’s Health had a great article recently entitled “20 Great Reasons to do a Triathlon.”

Below are some outtakes from the article.

You Will Lose Weight
The first thing you'll probably notice as a Triathlete-in-Training is that your clothes will become too big. That's because training for such a three-sport event will make you as fit and healthy as you have ever been in your life. When you engage in a well-balanced program of swimming, cycling and running you will burn an enormous amount of caloric fat from every area of your body. Better yet, the weight will come off as a natural consequence of your passion-driven quest to complete a triathlon, rather than from a guilt-induced diet, a boring exercise plan or a bizarre fitness implement.

You Will Look and Feel Years Younger
Training for a triathlon will reconnect you with your body and make you feel like you haven't felt in years: young, energetic and powerful. And you'll not only feel years younger but you'll look better than ever, too. Triathletes are legendary for having some of the best physiques in the fitness world. That is because cross-training shapes the body in complementary ways: running develops long, lean muscles; cycling builds strength and tones your lower body; and swimming increases your flexibility and sculpts your upper body. Take a look at any triathlete over age 55 and you'll see what I mean. These people have the look -- and swagger -- of 20- and 30-somethings.

You Will Have More Energy
Energy forms the basis of our existence, yet it seems that we all have less and less of it as our schedules has grown increasingly hectic. Unfortunately, for some people, exercise can exacerbate this problem by draining their energy rather than replenishing it. In an effort to get results or lose weight fast, they may wind up overtraining and exhausting themselves. That is why it is important not to over train and maintain a balanced approach to your fitness with cross training the three disciplines.

You Will Get More Out of Your Workouts
Exercise more efficiently by using a few simple strategies, such as monitoring your heart rate and breathing properly..

You Will Injury-Proof Your Body
When you stick with one sport like running, for example, you continually stress the same parts of your body -- and that can result in overuse injuries such as shinsplints, stress fractures, knee problems and tendinitis. Training for a triathlon, however, incorporates three very different sports. This cross-training, as it is called, isn't as hard on the body, because it distributes the stress more evenly to your bones and muscles and develops more balanced fitness. That means less pain, fewer injuries, and a stronger body.

You Will Improve Your Health
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, regular exercise can lower your blood pressure, prevent diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, and reduce your risk of osteoporosis and depression -- just to name a few.

You Will Live Longer
By preventing disease and fortifying your body, regular exercise can help you live a longer, more productive life. Training for something as complete as a triathlon lays a foundation of fitness that will ensure that your later years are more pain-free and fun filled -- so you'll not only add years to your life but you'll also add life to your years.

You Will Be More Productive
Training for a triathlon will clear your mind and sharpen your focus.

You Will Learn to Handle Stress More Effectively
You will learn the profound skill of developing grace under pressure -- that is, increasing your composure as the pressure around you heightens -- as well as how to apply that skill to any stressful situation. If you can learn to "relax into" more intense physical efforts during a 45-minute run, for example, you will be more able to maintain mental equanimity during your morning commute.

You Will Build Rock-Solid Self-Confidence
To develop a strong, "in-your-bones" confidence, you must achieve something that deeply challenges you. Training for and finishing a triathlon is certainly a remarkable achievement and a powerful way to build self-confidence that will last a lifetime.

Your Mood Will Improve
Research shows that exercise improves your mood and lifts your spirits. When you put your body in motion, you can't help but feel alive and invigorated. They don't call it "runner's high" for nothing. Plus, training for a triathlon gets you outdoors, and spending time in the beauty of nature is bound to boost your mood!

Your Motivation to Exercise Will Soar
Studies on exercise adherence show that many people quit their exercise routines because they become bored or burned out. This can happen when you do the same thing day in and day out. Incorporating three different sports into your weekly exercise plan helps you to avoid burnout.

You Will Learn to Strengthen Your Weaknesses
As we age, we begin erecting physical and psychological walls, brick by brick, made of our fears, doubts and excuses, and we do it without realizing it. This wall begins to widen the distance between our human potential and ourselves. Training for and finishing a triathlon forces you to smash through that wall and deal with your weaknesses (for example, chronic knee pain, poor self-image, fear of failure). When you strengthen your weaknesses, you become more capable of setting aside your fears and doubts to achieve other extraordinary things in your life.
You Get to Rub Shoulders with the Best Athletes in the World
In a triathlon everyone completes the same course: mother of three, 56-year-old age-group competitor, world-champion professional. That's one of the truly unique things about this sport.

You Will Join the Fitness Elite
If you complete just one triathlon, you will become one of the fitness elite no matter what your finishing time. You will have accomplished something that only one percent of the population even dare try.

You Will Have an Increased Sense of Purpose in Your Life
Focusing your attention on an exciting, positive and challenging goal such as a triathlon can breathe renewed purpose into your life and channel away some of that restlessness. The triathlon is a noble pursuit and an outside-the-box undertaking, and because of that people tend to wake up each morning feeling that they are on a mission.

You Will Become the Best You That You Can Be
Are you tired of others telling you (or implying!) that you shouldn't, you can't or you won't? Daily life rarely, if ever, provides us with the opportunity to be truly courageous, to show the world what we're really made of -- and to be recognized for our own greatness. Completing a triathlon will provide you, and those around you, with physical proof that you are capable of more than anyone realizes.

You Will Be a Hero to Your Kids
If your children watch you finish a triathlon, they may never look at you the same way.

You Will Motivate and Inspire Those around You
The courage and determination you show in pursuing a triathlon may inspire those around you to elevate their fitness and their lives--or at the very least, your quest will spark in others the possibility that they can do more. ("Hey, if this bozo can do it, surely I can!") Bringing people to that realization is a wonderful gift. Knowing that you have set an example for someone to go after their dreams or to make a positive change in their life is a reward that simply cannot be matched.

You Will Set Other Positive Things in Motion -- Things You Never Imagined
Once you decide to train for a triathlon it will be a big step. It takes courage to register for the race, but taking that one simple step set dozens of other unforeseen, positive steps into motion. You began eating better, you have more energy and you grow more sensitized to the joys of everyday life.