My name is Sarah Roman. I am a humanitarian and founder of www.smackedbyreality.com At 26 years old and 5 feet tall, I have lost over 60 lbs naturally.

My weight loss photos have impacted hundreds of individuals who have come to me for insight and advice. This has allowed me the opportunity to not only explain how I lost the weight; it has also provided me with the outlets and opportunities to share my experiences. My intent is to motivate and positively influence others to make changes that will improve the quality of their lives.

My current hometown is Tampa, FL but things have not always been sunny. I was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. Growing up in Buffalo was tough. As a very young girl, I suffered from sexual abuse. As a pre-teen I found myself becoming involved with all kinds of inappropriate things including promiscuity, dealing and selling drugs, gangs, and violence. My parents did not catch on until it was too late. I had been leading a double life for many years before they realized the potential dangers and risks that may or may not have been present in my life. Once it became more clear and evident that I was deeply involved in the referenced risky behavior, my mother decided to move herself, my brother, and I to Tampa in August 2000. Once in Tampa, I immediately found myself in a state of shock but it didn’t take long before I was back to my old ways. My poor and inappropriate behavior really set a shaky foundation for the young adult years of my life. I obviously did not have much self-respect and this transcended into my dating and relationships. I was a mess to say the least and despite the fact that I knew how to keep money in my pocket, the quality of my life was poor. I was unhappy.

My personal failures lead to depression, which lead to weight gain. I weighed 160 lbs at 18 years old and increased it to 193 lbs at 20, finally peaking at 208lbs. To be over 200 lbs at 5 feet tall was devastating. I tried a few different things to help me lose the weight, such as: prescribed pills, weight loss programs, etc., they provided only temporary results. After a while, I grew sick of myself and started putting forth a true effort. The first step was to overcome the depression; that really got the ball rolling. I began to change my eating habits and became more active. Truth be told, with my self esteem and self respect still not in the right place, I found myself in this vicious cycle where I couldn’t keep the weight off, which in turn caused me to become even more unhappy.

While dating at the age of 24, I found myself in a very unfortunate circumstance where I was raped on what was meant to be a first date. After being raped, I found out that the “alleged” rapist was linked to a woman who is HIV positive. The weeks following this incident were the roughest. I can’t believe this kind of stuff is still happening to me! I was so ashamed to find myself in this predicament that I did not take the proper steps in obtaining a rape kit or reporting the incident to law enforcement, but once I learned of the HIV linked woman the game changed. I really thought I was going to die. I woke up feeling helpless; every morning not knowing what was in store for me and my future. I eventually reported the incident without any proof at this point. My assigned detective got in touch with the “alleged” rapist who eventually furnished test results showing he was HIV negative. This lifted a weight off of my shoulders and chest but the unfortunate result in turn was that my case against this guy was dropped and justice was not served. As the dust settled, I found myself wondering, “What if he does this to someone else?” I really wish I would not have allowed my shame to get in the way. If I would have done what I was supposed to do, this guy would probably be behind bars. He was already an ex convict!

That was the traumatizing incident that really made me pause and to ask God, “Why is it that I have been through so many unfortunate experiences? Why has my life been so tough? Why have so many things happened to me over the years?” As I grew closer in building my relationship with God, I realized that he knew I was able to handle these experiences. At this point it was my purpose to use my experiences to help others avoid making the same mistakes I have.

I spent much of my time re-conditioning my own beliefs and values. This involved heightening my own awareness and learning more about my health. I used to hate water and I grew to believe that I loved water. I hated exercise and I grew to believe that I loved it. Power walking became a routine, jumping rope was a frequent favorite. I incorporated healthy foods in my diets. As I continued to change my beliefs and values, my behavior changed. The once perceived challenges no longer existed and I noticed success, I was losing weight slowly but steadily. This time it did not seem like a chore and I was not struggling to keep the weight off. I began applying my mental reconditioning in other areas of my life and everything around me began to change. Once I found stability (mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually), I was able to close many chapters of my life. I made the decision not to be ashamed of my past and face the world.

While losing weight I began sharing weight loss tips and insight; listening and working with people one on one. I began my website www.smackedbyreality.com in August 2011 and began posting YouTube videos. I grew to realize how powerful my message was and discovered the secret to it all. I developed a strong desire to write a book that teaches people how to recondition their mindsets, the way I did, so that they too can improve the quality of their lives. I knew I had to make a name for myself so I embraced the thought of continuing to support, inspire, and motivate others. Since I focus on mental reconditioning, I found that many of my “clients” struggled with similar experiences to my own that have lead to their weight gain, low self-esteem, and discouragement. At this point my book has grown to be somewhat of an afterthought as helping people NOW became a priority.

I currently am still working on losing a little more weight and intend to proceed in body sculpting. The demand for my work has grown and I am now working on becoming a professional public speaker in addition to the services I am currently providing. (One on one coaching, motivational text messages, and weight loss/exercise challenges with incentives involved.) I am still posting YouTube videos on my site and working on writing my book. Overall this has been a humbling experience and I am now leading a fulfilled life. It is such a blessing for me to help others as it leaves me feeling so blessed to have gone through every dark hour. Yes, I have lost over 60 lbs. Many people have found my personal results to be impressive and I welcome every single kind word. At this point however, it is no longer about me, but the lives that I want to change. Losing weight was just the seed and has attracted the right individuals to me at the right time.

I have learned that we can take control of our lives and create our own destiny. Many things that impact our lives are conditional. If we change our minds, we can change our lives. I came close to losing my life. I am glad to report that I am in perfect health free and clear. You may not relate to my story but we do have one thing in common and that is the one thing that is we all want happy lives. My mission is to now teach as many people to live happy. Are you happy? Take the necessary steps to improve the quality of your life. Losing weight and finding better health really helped enhance the quality of my life in so many ways. For myself it was a really good place to start.
For more information on me and my movement please visit www.smackedbyreality.com. In the meantime, be inspired.

By Sarah Roman
Website: www.smackedbyreality.com

Lights… Camera… ______ You know what comes next! Now, in this lifestyle, you are defined by them, or lack of it. Today after my time in the gym, someone asked “How you feeling?”, my reply… “If I encounter any locked doors, I’m knocking ‘em down!” I move in a solid direction, that’s FORWARD & UPWARD and you better believe I’m all about action! Now, when you apply “Action”, you need to commit. Lately I’ve seen several who start with good intentions, and then somehow get derailed a long way before reaching the goal. Then there’s also the few who seem to get stuck in phase 1. There’s always the next level to achieve! (And if you’re top dog at your sport, let’s see how long you can hold the title, with the hungry ones gunning for your spot!) I’ve been listening to the Art of War as of late and every time I do, I always hear something new and powerful! So, this lesson’s inspired by my lesson, and what I see as a common trait among winners! So, Let’s begin!

1: Sun Tzu says “Know the other and know yourself, 100 challenges without danger. Know not the other, and yet know yourself, one triumph for one defeat. Know not the other, and know not yourself, every challenge is certain peril.” Wow… I love this! You gotta take a close look at both yourself and the challenge with great detail, “If” you “Plan” on not only winning, but being dominate as well! Why take on a challenge, “you” believe you can’t win? Don’t commit to a workout schedule that looks good on paper, that will overwhelm you in real life. Choose short term goals amid your big goals, celebrate, and keep it moving forward. Got a sweet tooth? Find healthy alternatives, don’t create voids, fill your plan with positive options so there will be little, to no room for anything that can sabotage your efforts. Learn how your body works, and I mean “your” body! Just because a friend chooses a plan, that doesn’t mean it’s time to jump on their bandwagon. You gotta do “your BEAST”! Then…learn the rules of weight loss, muscle gain or whatever the challenge my be. Hey… when you wanted to pass your driving test to get your license, you got a booklet of the rules, and… if you wanted the upper hand there’s drivers education out there for you. Plus advice from others who took & passed the test. If you needed more work on parallel parking, you better practice! Got it?! OK, let’s move on.

2: Sun Tzu also says “You cannot cross a river, by continuously returning to the shore to rest” Another powerful point!!! Once you put your plan into action, follow through! You won’t believe how many times i see someone hit the “reset” button and never get to the end! If you trip and fall, GET UP, and continue to move forward & upward! Oh, by the way if you’re planning on waiting for just the right time to move forward… you “will” get left behind! The time’s always the same according to my watch, the time is NOW! Know that I’m not talking about where you will be compared to another person, but where you need to, and should be, in your journey to a better version of yourself. Stop being the train that says “I think I can” and become the best, better yet The BEAST because you “know” you can! when a train get’s “off track” it’s a challenge all in itself to get back on target. Believe in yourself, and commit to greatness!

3: This final point comes from yours truly, (Everybody’s favorite BEAST). My favorite form of action… Initiative! When opportunity presents itself, ACT! Participate in your own rescue! If you have an instructor on board helping you, you must move in the direction of your instructions. If there’s not a clear path, make one. Don’t complain, create solutions! Trust me, you don’t have problems, when you are a “solution maker”. While everyone talked about the problem of gravity, two brothers understood it( which takes this back to point #1) and showed the entire planet that yes, flight is possible. So, are you ready to fly? Are you ready to commit? Are you ready to WIN?! Then, it’s time, time for some…
ACTION!

When you’re ready to evolve, contact me and join my 90 day challenge and I will teach you EVOLUTION!

By Nitro, your favorite BEAST & Editor-In-Chief of www.NoJokeLifestyle.com
Trainer at: www.BodiesByNitro.com

TRAINING INJURIES SUCK!!! There is something that happens to you mentally when you strive to push your body to its breaking point and you actually break it. I’ll NEVER forget my first and hopefully only major training injury. It was the day of CrossFit Totals which included max effort back squats, shoulder press, and deadlifts. That was my poison for the day and I went after it like any beast would with my game face on and iPod blasting. IT WAS ON!!! Every two minutes I was back under the bar for my squats. Just enough time to let the muscles recoup and it was on again. Apparently, I had pushed my body too far too fast. I went down with 335lbs and didn’t come back up. Something in my leg popped on the way up and I immediately lost all muscle tension in my right leg. A groin tear is a beast to get past. All the things we tend to take for granted like sitting, standing and walking were painful. And running was out of the question. My range of motion was horrible post injury and I was moving with the speed, intensity, and agility of a 97 year old chain smoker. This took me close to a year to rehab physically. I started with just my body weight. Then I moved to an empty bar and worked my way back up. I still don’t know if I’ve completely gotten past it mentally. I still tend to get a little anxious when I get around that magic number 335, even though I squat more than that now. Now that I’ve got your attention, let us talk about how not to end up in a painful situation like I did.

We know that we go into the gym to break the body down in order to rebuild it stronger, faster, better than the day before. There’s something to be said about priming the pump before going hard and heavy. Muscles shorten during contraction and if your mobility/flexibility is already an issue before you begin lifting, it will be even more of an issue when you’re done. That is, if you make it through your workout. Even immediately after my injury, the resounding thought in my head was “Damn! Now I can’t finish my workout”. Never mind that I had just put myself out of commission for several months. Had I taken the time to “supple up”, as K-Star always says, would I have ended up flopping around on the floor like a fish? Suffices to say my squat form is almost impeccable now because I don’t want to relive that ordeal ever again.

I now take the time to perform mobility exercises pre-workout along with my warm-up. And if I’m not sweating by the end of my warm-up, then I’m not warm enough. Knowing now that the fibers that I tore will never be the same again has made me meticulous with my pre-workout ritual. I’ll get synovial fluid moving in the joints, loosen up the shoulders, knees, hip flexors, neck, traps, lats, etc. I’ll even get on the foam roller to create some change in my posterior chain. If one can go into an intense workout loose and limber, the chance of injury is significantly decreased. Try to spend at least a couple of minutes in each position that you choose based on your workout for the day. It may also be good practice to have an arsenal of “go to” mobility movements that you do before every workout. Better muscle fiber recruitment through improved range of motion is a by-product of this practice. What could it hurt by doing this? I’ll tell you what it could hurt by not doing it…YOUR FITNESS CAREER. I said it once and I’ll say it again. The one who trains most wins. You want to be able to train, heal and train again as quickly as possible. This is a bit difficult to do if you’re nursing an injury. A supple muscle contracts readily. Tight muscles going into a workout is like going in “pre-fatigued”. I usually perform mobility movements before my warm-up and use the warm-up to bring my body back to “working muscle tension”. We as practitioners of strength and conditioning should all know how to perform preventative maintenance on ourselves to prevent down time in the gym from injuries that could have been avoided.

The saying goes, “Learn from your mistakes”. Here’s your opportunity to learn from mine because mistakes cost time, money, lost effort, and mental strain. The best way to navigate a minefield is to walk in the footsteps of someone that’s been through it before you. Follow me then. Find your pre-workout ritual and get supple before you get beastly.

“Train like a common man and expect common results. Train like a warrior and become one.”

Coach J

I’m Coach J and I approved this message. Be on the lookout for body transformation Training Sessions at CrossFit Iconz in the Snellville, GA area, and of course, more articles.

By Jerome Edwards

Phone: 404-867-4619
E-mail: jedwards.crossfit@gmail.com
Website: www.coachjerome.blogspot.com

HOW TO TRAIN IN THE “OFF” SEASON VS PRE-CONTEST
PART I

Let’s cut to the chase; there is no such thing as an “off” season in physique competitions for those of us who chose to operate in absolute excellence and WIN!

This sport is an incessant, never ending cycle of beastliness, for those of us who are professional competitors or with professional aspirations. Whether you’re training for body building, physique, fitness, figure or bikini and even if this your first show, the term “off” season should not exist in your training or vocabulary.

Wait! Hold your horses and allow me to explain. This is not to say that you don’t train differently depending on where you are in the competitive season, we’ll get back to that momentarily, but it is safe to say that you don’t ever allow yourself to pack on unnecessary fat for the sake of gaining mass. I’ll use myself as an example: at nearly 7 months pregnant (as I write this article), I could easily employ the adage of old that allows and encourages women to essentially “let themselves go” and eat whatever they want during this “nesting time”, however, that is not an option. I am still a beast in the gym! Before you get your “panties in a bunch”, I have conferred with my OBGYN about everything pertaining to my fitness regimen and have been given the green light to train at my current level of intensity. As a professional athlete and a person who chooses to operate in excellence in every situation, I refuse to allow myself to operate in mediocrity regardless of my circumstances. While I have and should gain weight during pregnancy, even some fat weight, I will not use that as an excuse to gain excessive fat or overhaul my healthy and fit lifestyle, in exchange for the stereotypical pregnant woman’s lifestyle.

Now, let’s get back to the point. When training in the off-season, in physique athletics (body building, physique fitness, figure and bikini), you must first evaluate your physique and ask yourself the following questions:

What areas of my body lack development?
What physique modifications are necessary for me to develop perfect symmetry?
What was the judges’ feedback at my previous competition(s)?
What are my personal goals for my physique?

Once you have concise answers to these questions, and I advise that you confer with fitness coach for a professional analysis, it’s time for an action plan. Generally speaking, most people have developmental goals during the off-season. If you’re a body builder, you may observe that your upper pectorals are shallow and desire to build them up. Perhaps you need more detail or separation in your quadriceps, larger deltoids in relationship to your back and chest, or simply to build up your lower extremities in general. As a figure or fitness competitor, your fitness coach might point out a need for higher, tighter glutes or perhaps you need to “cap” your shoulders. As a judge, I see a lot of women who lack development in their back, legs, glutes especially, and who need better overall conditioning. Regardless of your goals, the off-season is the time to capitalize on these areas. Getting lean should not be the goal during this critical training time; packing on lean muscle and/or developing and fixing problem areas should be primary. Based on your goals, you and your coach should develop a specific plan that will allow you to accomplish these goals. Things such as: your workout split, diet, frequency, and intensity of training, an objective for every single workout, pounds gained or sustained spread out throughout the season, rest days, etc. For most competitors, maximizing muscle gain is the principal intention and weight should be heavy and reps should be moderate. A moderate rep count is between 8-12 repetitions. Personally, I try to go as heavy as possible for a minimum of 10 to 15 reps. This allows me to not only build muscle, but to simultaneously shape the muscle that I build, so that I don’t incur a “blocky” shape. It also keeps muscle endurance intact and allows me to indirectly burn more calories because I’m working harder, hence, preventing myself from gaining unnecessary body fat during the “off” season.

Stay tuned for Part II of this article, which addresses pre-contest/competition-readiness training and pre and post contest nutrition. Physique altering information is on the horizon!

CHOOSE TO BE “THE BEST”! CHOOSE TO BE “THE BEAST” BY HIRING A BEAST! ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU HOW; AS I MAY BE A BEAUTY, BUT I AM UNDOUBTEDLY A BEAST!

By Tamekia White, Professional Bodybuilder, Fitness Coach, Nutritionist, Judge and Gym Owner
Website: www.totalfitnesscontrol.com

You’ve heard of them. These crazy races involving crawling through mud, climbing rope walls, and jumping over fire all while swimming or running to the next crazy obstacle. Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, just the name alone stirs up something primordial in you. Your inner beast starts scratching to get out just at the thought of them. Are you brave enough to step outside the gym and let your beast within attempt to conquer some unknown obstacles, while facing and embracing the elements of your natural environment? Are you BEAST enough?

These type of races have grown in popularity largely in part due to the variety of exercises they involve and the fact that the focus is not centered on one aspect or mode of fitness and of course because they are FUN! You are able to showcase your strengths in many areas. This also levels the playing field, so for example, even though you may not be a super fast runner, but you have beastly strength, so you may be able to make up ground on the obstacles. They are also full of many unpredictable factors to keep you on your toes during the race.

So how does a beast like me train for one of these races? I’m glad you asked! Well, you have to be ready for anything, so isolation and skill training will not help you here. You need to hit all 10 capacities of fitness: cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, accuracy, agility, balance, and co-ordination. While you can train for the running and swimming portions, some of the obstacles may be almost impossible to train for. This forces you to have a general physical preparedness so that you will be able to tackle any obstacle. Hmmm….sounds like another new sport I know of, CrossFit!

Due to the variety of training you will have to do, you are bound to see changes in your physique. Although a hot, sexy body may result from your training and preparation for one of these races, the appearance of your physique makes no difference in your placement on the award podium. Nutrition is only critical on how it affects your training and performance. No need to go super strict diet and count all your macros. Just make sure you are fueling your body properly so that you can be in full BEAST mode.

Alright, settle down you uncaged beast! You need to be aware that just like any other events involving speed and intensity, your risk for injury increases, so train and compete smart! You have to be smart and know when to push past your beastly limits and when to tuck your tail and pull back some.

How do I sign up? Check out the links below for some of the popular races and check your area for others. Some of them even allow you to sign up as a team, so grab some of your beast buddies and take your training outside. Your body and mind will thank you.

Resourcses:
www.warriordash.com
www.urbandare.com
www.spartanrace.com
http://miamisportsmagazine.com/tarzan

Now that you have tried your beastliness at one of these races, you can always take it to the next level by exploring CrossFit. I’m sure you’re familiar with the power-lifting portion, (back squats, deadlifts, bench press), but what about Olympic lifting, (snatches, push jerks, and cleans)? How about gymnastics? When’s the last time you tried handstand push-ups or muscle ups? This sport will truly test all your levels of beastliness. If you are interested in a new challenge, check out your local CrossFit or if you are familiar with CrossFit already, then you should sign up for the CrossFit Open. If you really are the Beast you think you are, you just might make it to the CrossFit Games and have a chance at being crowned the Fittest Man or Woman on earth.

http://crossfit.com
http://games.crossfit.com

Whichever path you decide to take, make sure you go all out in total BEAST Mode! Gggrrrr!!!

By Megan May

E-mail: megan@meganmay.net
Website: www.meganmay.net

Understanding Your Addiction to Find Your Cure

We have been told the smoking addiction is so strong, that many people find it impossible to escape. We all know people who have bought into this, even you may have. To me this is nothing more than enabling drivel, pandered by big industry which stands to gain financially from, both, your failure and from prolonging your fruitless efforts to quit. Most obviously, there is the tobacco industry which loses money if you quit, then there is the endless barrage of treatments, remedies, and aids provided by the pharmaceutical companies, which stand to gain by dragging out your eventual failures. Telling you how hard it is, and that it is not your fault you are addicted, because they are keenly aware that the dog has been replaced by the scapegoat in the role of man’s best friend (no one forgets to feed and stroke the scapegoat because it makes them feel better). Under the guise of helping you, they encourage you to keep sifting through their placebos for a cure; spending your hard-earned money on each failed attempt. During this process you are often introducing your body to entirely new unhealthy chemicals, while you keep smoking anyway; moving on to the next latest-greatest, unhealthy placebo which serves up bitter disappointment rather than solution.

I smoked for just under 20 years of my life, but when I awoke, and let it go, I did so with ease. Believe it or not, it is possible to go through your life blindly, yet religiously (even hourly), doing something without an inkling of understanding what drives your own actions. It is not what I would call a sane approach to living, but it is a reality for many nonetheless. It was once a reality of mine.

I think it is fair to say, “In order to fix anything you must first have a clear understanding of how it works; diagnose the problem in order to find the solution.” When it comes to your addiction to smoking, do you want to simply patch it (pun intended), or do you want a cure?

So, let me ask you . . . who is in charge of your own actions? Who is in complete control over what you put into your body?
Then, why are you doing this to yourself? No one is putting a gun to your head, but you!

List every excuse you have ever used after a failed attempt to quit smoking. Do any of these sound familiar?
• I am just too stressed out right now to quit – I’ll quit when things settle down
• I keep trying but nothing seems to work for me, or I’ve tried everything and I can’t
• I put on too much weight when I quit smoking
• I can’t do it cold turkey so I am cutting back slowly
• I guess I just don’t have the self control
• There is no substitute for smoking because it isn’t like anything else.

I have noticed that nobody seems to say, “I don’t know why I do it in the first place, and therefore I don’t really know how to quit.” There is, however, more truth in these words than there is in any of the excuses listed above or, on your own list for that matter. Now ask yourself, “What do I get out of smoking? Exactly what parts of this addiction please me as an individual?” List these items out, and begin thinking up healthy actions which could possibly compensate for each item on your list. No, it will not be the same, but a habit is merely something we do so often we grow accustomed to, and begin to derive pleasure from, it’s routine.
Look deep into what drives your desire to smoke, and then look deeper. What I am about to tell you, I doubt you will find on your list, but I bet you will recognize it immediately as a truth.

Let’s break it down: If you smoke a pack a day (20 cigarettes) – If you take 25 hits off of each one before putting it out, then 20 times a day IN SUCCESSION you are taking twenty-five, METHODIC, RHYTHMIC, LONG, DEEP, and SLOW BREATHS. That, my friend, is hypnotic deep-breathing! It is a meditation carried into a state of self-hypnosis, and you are doing this 20 TIMES A DAY! This is why it is so hard to quit when you are stressed! What is as calming and relaxing as meditation to a point of self-hypnosis? The only thing I can think of that compares, is meditation and deep breathing to a point of self-hypnosis, without taking hundreds of unknown poisons into your body at the same time. Of course, the only set back is you need a little privacy to do this without cigarettes.

Something I found instrumental when I stopped smoking was learning about the rate of recovery for your internal organs, from the moment you stop through the next 10-20 years of your life. I would take deep-breathing breaks throughout the day, and I would concentrate my focus on the current stage of recovery my body was undergoing. I found it inspiring and gratifying to visualize the healing process taking place within me.

So on your breaks, go to your car (or any quite place of your choice), and breathe away your stress while focusing on your healing body – In with the cleansing breath, out with the addiction.

The following two links take you to websites which chart the physical recovery rate:
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Benefits_Time_Table.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/257507-does-the-body-heal-itself-after-smoking

There is one thing I cannot stress enough, don’t taper off – just STOP smoking. Continuing to put the chemicals into your system only delays your recovery and facilitates failure!

Much love and success to you all.

By Georgia Moore

What Is A Triathlon?
So you’ve heard of something called “Ironman”, or maybe you’ve heard some of your friends talk about a triathlon. Maybe the curiosity has crossed your mind, but you aren’t sure where to begin. A triathlon is a multi-sport event, which includes three sequential endurance activities. These activities are held back to back and are non-stop, meaning, once you begin with the first activity, you are timed until you cross the finish line, and every second counts. The events are (in this order), a swim event, a bike event, and a run event.

How Far Do I Have To Go?
You’ll probably want to start with what is known as a “Sprint” distance triathlon. It is the shortest of the various distances available. Standardized by the International Triathlon Union (the organization who makes triathlon rules for the Olympics), and USA Triathlon, the main race distances are a Sprint distance (0.5 mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, 3.1 mile run), Olympic distance (0.93 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run), the Long Course (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run, also known as a Half Ironman), and Ultra Distance (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a full marathon: 26.2 mile run), commonly known as an “Ironman”.

What Gear Do I Need For A Triathlon?
Beginning with the swim event, you’ll need some sort of swim suit. Most guys will purchase “tri shorts” which look like bike shorts but have less padding in the butt area. For females, a swimsuit or “tri shorts” are the norm. For the bike event, you may use any type of bike available to you. Many people even borrow a friends bike or rent a bike from their local bike shop. Don’t forget your bike helmet (or you can’t race). Lastly, for the run event, you’ll need your running shoes.

What Type Of Training Is Involved?
The great news is that you may already be ready. If you exercise regularly, you simply need to make sure your cardio endurance is where it needs to be. For the swim event, the most efficient swim form is called Freestyle, but you can use any swim technique you like. For the bike event, take a spin class if it’s too cold outside during the winter months. Most triathlons will publish a course map on their website, so you can practice riding and running the course several weeks before your race.

So What Is Race Day Like?
For the swim event, you may be in a lake, the ocean, or in a pool. When you arrive, you will first “check-in” and pick up a race packet. This usually has coupons for local businesses, samples of energy gel, a t-shirt, and your race number (printed and on stickers). Your race number will be labeled and a sticker will go on your bike, with another sticker on your bike helmet. Your paper number can be pinned to your shirt or you can attach it to something called a race belt (which is elastic and has buttons to hold your race number on).

I Want To Just Go For It And Be An Ironman! What Do I Need To Do?
Completing Ironman is more than a swim, bike, and run. Someone who “is an Ironman” has endured at least a year in advance planning, physical training, mental training, and nutritional training. More on this will be in an upcoming article.

For now, remember to have fun training. After all, that’s why we start doing things like this.

By Jonathan Miller
E-mail: jmiller@ironinspire.com

Meet Kyle Maynard. Despite being born without arms or legs, Maynard has played football, wrestled, and he’s hoping to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.

Since I opened the doors to No Excuses CrossFit, a small gym in an Atlanta suburb three years ago, I’ve come to learn that fitness instructors are closer in their roles to being a life coach or psychologist than someone solely focused on a workout regimen. The best trainers understand there is a massive amount of motivation required to start, let alone stick to, any plan.

One of the reasons we require so much motivation to start on the path to improving our health is that we build up a huge lie in our minds of how improbable or even impossible reaching our goals will be. We think about how hard it’s going to be to resist dessert or how much time exercising is going to take away from our lives. Then to make matters worse, we say things like “I have to lose 10 pounds in the next month.”

Have you ever thought about the bind that puts your mind in? Let’s say you succeed in that goal and lose the weight, now what do you do? Stop working out and go back to your old habits, eventually putting the weight back on? What happens if you don’t succeed – do you call yourself a failure?

Your goals should serve you, not work against you. They should provide you with a general direction and not be your end all be all.

I’ve coached people who lost several pants sizes, but because they didn’t reach their weight goal by a few pounds, they became so discouraged they quit. And I know of several more who reached their goal, but since they didn’t know where to go after that, a few weeks later they were back where they started.

If I choose to enjoy the ride and concern myself less with a specific outcome or goal, then I cannot fail. If my goal is to enjoy the path I’m on, whether that’s in my health or really any area of my life, then all I have to do is show up.

Several years ago I became very interested in mountaineering and around six months ago I set the goal to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Climbing Kili is a challenging goal for most people, and being a quadruple amputee without anyone to consult on how to pull this off doesn’t make it much easier.

Dating back to 2006, my first pair of hiking shoes were made from a pair of hotel towels that I tied to my arms using a rope I cut off the back of my wheelchair. The towels enabled me to crawl on all four limbs without cutting my arms open on the rock. And after obliterating a pair of blue jeans, I made it up to a peak that was somewhere around 1,500 feet high.

Kilimanjaro’s summit is a little bit higher… right at 19,340 feet. I never said I wasn’t one of the people thinking some of my goals might be improbable or even impossible at times.

Throughout the whole process there have been close to a dozen different attempts at adapting equipment and many of those resulted in painful failures. Each time we failed trying something new, we moved on to try something else. We’ve made small, incremental improvements over time and the whole process has been a rewarding challenge. Now we’re about two months away from our time on the mountain and we’ve finally gotten to a point where the gear is beginning to work.

It’s always going to be the same in your life too. We’ll never be where we want to be until we learn to slow down and enjoy our individual journey. As long as you are doing something to move towards the direction you want to go in your life and your health, you cannot fail.

If you’d like to learn more about my trip, please visit www.missionkilimanjaro.com

By Kyle Maynard