People sometimes ask me, "What do you do?" As in, what's your exercise routine? My reply: "A little bit of everything."
I ran the Chicago Marathon a few years ago to challenge myself, to see if I could get through the training and the actual race. But I got sort of bored, frankly, just running all the time. So when the race ended, I incorporated cycling, various cardio machines at the gym, boot camp training, and weights into my weekly regimen.
I got stronger all over, and I was never bored. Triathletes know the allure of mixing it up -- of working the muscles in the pool and on land and on wheels.
And have you ever seen a competitive triathlete's bod? Amazing! They have the shoulders and back of a swimmer, the strong quads and calves of a cyclist, the lean physique of a runner. Very Badass.
Quick Tri
- Bicycle: Get on your own and head outside, cycling for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on your fitness level.
- Run: Hit the pavement or the treadmill for 10 to 20 minutes, at an effort level of 6 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10.
- Swim: Go to the pool and do laps for 10 to 15 minutes, or use the rowing machine at the gym to mimic the movement.
Weeklong Tri
Bicycle: Take a 45-minute Spinning class twice, once at the start of the week and once at the end. Or take your wheels outside.
Run: Log in anywhere from 2 to 6 miles, depending on your fitness level, midweek. Do a second run, giving yourself a rest day in between, if you're up for it.
Swim: Hit the pool (or the row machine if, like me, swimming is just not in your DNA) for 20 minutes to half an hour.
Note: This routine gives you 4 to 5 days of exercise. The rest days are valuable. I recommend lots of stretching or even a yoga class on one of those rest days.
Coming up: Just chill out!