Triathlon: Vanity, Tough Love & Yellow Polka-Dot Bikinis

Shaun Reddy, MS

Personal trainer: www.getreddynow.com

Triathlon is the kind of sport that non-triathletes watch and think to themselves…”why do these people do this?...swimming in metropolitan waterways, followed by sitting on a piece of plastic the width of a ruler for hours while biking before slapping on running shoes for the mad dash to the finish line – it’s no wonder there are more spectators than participants. Seriously, how many times have you told a non-triathlete about one of your triathlons and the first response is: “Wow, I could never to do that.” Add to that mix summer humidity, aloof drivers/pedestrians, and the potential flat tire in mid-ride and suddenly the non-triathletes’ perspective gains a stronger foothold.

So why do we do it?  The answer is simple – we do it to look good.  There, I said it. In addition to being a bunch of type-A perfectionists, we’re vain. Okay, some of us are less vain than others but I guarantee you that everyone out there wants to look good. To the sport’s credit, its benefits transcend mere physical aesthetics to include promoting cardiovascular fitness and managing mental stress…all while minimizing the risk of overtraining when compared to single-mode endurance sports (e.g., marathons, centuries). But let’s be honest, most of us take things at face value and let’s face it, we value looking good.

As a personal trainer, I completely support triathlon being used as a tool to look good…when done safely, of course. Maybe for you that means tone arms & thighs. Maybe it means losing weight or simply managing it. Or maybe it relates to keeping your waist trim and showcasing your six-pack abs. In reality, it doesn’t matter – your particular desired outcome, that is, because when done right participation in triathlon can provide all of those things. Increased muscle tonicity, reduced body weight, and positive changes in lean body mass are all evidence-based outcomes of regular endurance training. I also believe there’s some degree of placebo effect associated with triathlon participation that contributes to one’s improved appearance – you know, that whole mind over matter thing. There’s no reason to discount that, right?

The thing is some of us are better than others at using triathlon as a tool to “look good”. An example of this relates to those that maintain their swim workouts over the winter season versus those that don’t.  After reading that you may be thinking…”But, wait. Swimming is non-weight bearing and is the least intense of all three modes of activity in triathlon. It therefore burns the least amount of calories when compared to sessions of equal duration on a bike or the treadmill.” True, but put rationale aside for a minute and consider swimming at face value. It’s probably the closest you ever are to being fully naked in public. After all, it’s just you and the world separated by an unabashed Lycra barrier.

Yoplait capitalizes off this very notion year after year with that cliché yellow polka-dot bikini commercial. It’s the fear of social opprobrium associated with bearing one’s physical self in public that’s the key ingredient. I really see it as a form of self-inflicted tough-love. The fear of social derision associated with marching out on the pool deck in your bathing suit, even if below the level of one’s conscious awareness, facilitates those key behaviors that go a long way toward “looking good”…moderate consumption of alcohol, passing on dessert, foregoing the tortilla chips, queso & guacamole at your favorite Mexican restaurant, etc.

Now, don’t get me wrong - I’m all about body acceptance and have tremendous respect for those that are truly satisfied with their physical selves. I just think they’re few-and-far-between in light of a. the tremendous social pressure to look one’s best and b. the fact that we live in a society that widely promotes sedentariness and excessive consumption of processed and fattening foods. As I see it, participation in triathlon is a great way to control for and overcome those obstacles in the immediate environment that derail one’s sincere intentions to improve one’s self…even if that simply relates to looking good in a bathing suit come the summer holidays. So don’t wait until it’s too late. Register for the local triathlons here in DC (DC Tri, The National Harbor 70.3, & the Nation’s Tri). Hang your bathing suit up in your bathroom next to the scale, stock your fridge with low-fat yogurt, fresh fruits and vegetables, and most important, be consistent with those swim workouts over the winter. After all, bathing suit season is year round for triathletes.