With 1.5 kilometres of swimming, 40 kilometres of biking and 10 kilometres of running, completing a triathlon is not an easy task, but one that has a lot of health benefits. Here are the top health benefits of triathlons.
Triathlons will strengthen all muscle groups in your body. Swimming strengthens your upper body while cycling and running help you build lower body strength.
Swimming, cycling and running are known as cross training which will make you fitter than you’ve ever been in your life. Training for this three-sport event will push you to eat a well-balanced diet, as well as fuel your body with things that will give you energy to reach that next milestone.
A regular combination of swimming, cycling and running can help you lower your blood pressure, prevent diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and even lower the risk of osteoporosis or depression. Triathletes have larger hearts and a heart rate that is 17 per cent below the average heart rate. Consequently, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard as the heart of a non-trained individual.
A dramatic increase in your exercise and the change in your diet will help to heighten your energy levels and improve productivity. Although some training sessions will be grueling to get through and you will be tired afterwards, your overall energy levels will be much higher.
Swimming creates definition in your upper body and improves flexibility, while running develops long and lean muscles, leaving cycling to tone the lower body while building strength.
When you stick to just one sport such as running, you continue to stress the same body parts, resulting in common injuries like shin splints. With triathlon training, you are pushing yourself in three different sports, which focus on different parts of your body, taking the constant stress off one particular area.
When you begin to improve your health, you also start to improve your perspective on what you can achieve and how far you can push yourself.
The Pharmasave Christina Lake Triathlon is six weeks away. There is still plenty of time to train and be ready for your first Triathlon. This event, the 13th annual, will take place on Sunday, June 25 at the Christina Lake public beach.
Kids can register as individuals or get their friends together to complete the kidsprint event as a team. Deadline to register is June 21.
For more information on our please contact GFREC at 250-442-2202 or send us an email to gfplay@rdkb.com.
