Last winter I spent preparing for an Ironman race which was successfully completed in April. It was an immense undertaking requiring dedicated and consistent workouts over six months. And even running through the snow in London and going for a run on Christmas day. But it was all worth it as - even though running in 35c heat was not exactly fun - the whole process was a great learning experience.
Since the triathlon season closed down, I have been spending most of my training on learning yoga and after three months of fairly consistent effort- about three times a week - I am finally starting to feel like I am making progress. Stretching is one part of most athletes regime that gets relegated to a few stretches here and there. I have found that my hamstrings and legs are so stiff that touching my toes has been a real mission. Still like every sport there are levels that you go through. I am finally emerging from rank novice and can now focus on pushing my postures a bit more and working on improving my flexibility.
With our desk-bound jobs putting more and more restrictions on our flexibility, go and check out a yoga class at your local gym or studio. Expect the first three months to be a struggle if you have never worked on your flexibility before. Regardless, you will have at least one posture that you find really easy and do better than most others. Like Andy Warhol said, ” we should all have at least one muscle we can show off in public”.
About three years ago, a trainer friend of mine passed away from a heart attack. He was over-weight, lived off fried food and did not do any exercise. He was multi-lingual, a warm friendly funny man in his 40s. I miss his sense of humour and diverse talents. Recently another trainer friend of mine suffered from Bells Palsy which causes a partial paralysis of the facial muscles. He is in good shape, doesn’t drink or smoke and works out and plays basketball. He is also multi-lingual, a warm friendly funny man in his 30s. He has been on a punishing travel schedule traveling two or three cities a week, training up to 20 days a month. I look forward to enjoying his diverse sense of humour and talents for many years to come.
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