|
Triathlon tip from Sheila Taormina on body maintenence
By Sheila Taormina // October 7, 2002
 Sheila Taormina (pronounced Tar-meena), 33, hails today as one of America's top triathletes. The 5-foot-3-inch University of Georgia graduate is known for her fast starts, which is no surprise. A lifelong swimmer, Taormina earned an Olympic gold medal as a member of the United States women's 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In 1998, she began to race in triathlons and just two years later she made a second Olympic appearance, this time as a triathlete. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Taormina finished sixth overall after coming out with a 50-meter lead following the swim. She is one of a strong contingent of American women triathletes that are expected to be medal contenders at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Taormina lives and trains in Livonia, Mich., a suburb of Detroit where he grew up.
How to sustain body maintenance
Keeping a healthy body isn't just about running, cycling and swimming for triathletes. Body maintenance is a whole workout itself, requiring one or two hours a day of extra effort. Sometimes, it is really difficult to find the energy to keep your body fine tuned, but as you get older, you need to make it your priority, more so than getting an extra hour of running or cycling in a day.
Tip #1 - Maximize mobility
Mobility basically refers to the flexibility of your joints and muscles. One of the best ways to maximize mobility is via yoga. I go to yoga classes three times a week. I take Hatha yoga, which is often referred to as a healthy back class, and Vinyasa yoga, which incorporates strength, flexibility, muscle control, and balance. Yoga helps keep your finer, stabilizer muscles strong and in balance.
Tip #2 - Be well adjusted
I go to a chiropractor two or three times a week to get adjusted. The visits are not only to adjust the spine joints, but also to get Active Release Technique (ART), a hands-on therapy treatment that corrects muscular and soft tissue problems.
Tip #3 - Address your ailments
Every athlete has some sort of ailment. For me, I get such bad lower back problems that I get physical therapy for my hip capsule and sacrum area to address it. But, if you are going to overcome it, you must make it a daily routine and stick to your exercises.
Tip #4 - Snack often and right
A lot of athletes flat out do not get enough calories. You can take up your entire day working and then training. A lot of times an athlete will miss a meal or go five or six hours without any calories. When I finish a workout, I feel my muscles are depleted, especially if I don't put energy back into them. I make a protein shake each day that helps my muscles repair and recover a little bit better. I also snack on such foods as cottage cheese with peaches and pasta salad throughout the day (she hired her mother to be her personal chef).
|
