Recently, our home housed an Iron Man Competitor before she raced the following morning. She completed her first official Iron Man Triathlon earlier this year. For those of you that don’t know what that means, it means this: she competed in an event that started with her swimming 2.4 miles in a lake, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, followed by running a full marathon, which is 26.2 miles.
You finish that and you too can be called an official Iron Man. I personally only know a handful of individuals that can claim this status.
She shared experiences of her training and how she was so excited to attain this status, and that she wanted so much to accomplish this before she turned 30 years old. She commented that it’s been on her “bucket list,” that list of lifetime objectives to do before you “kick the bucket.” She shared about the rigors of training, about the hours in the pool, on the bike, and running on the streets. She shared about the trainers, the timers and the support system she developed to help her along the way.
As she sometimes humorously recounted her story, she flexed her muscles a few times, letting us see how strong she was. We were impressed. But the shocking twist to the story was what she shared next, what was next on her “bucket list.”
What was next on her list now that she has accomplished all this...was to be healthy.
Her words. I thought it was very introspective and very thoughtful for her to make such a statement. If you were to judge a book by its cover, you could look at a very fit young woman and hear of her accolades and make the assumption that she’s one of the “healthiest” people you know. But that’s not what she would say.
The steps to exceptional health still remain. You must live an active life. You must eat in a manner that fuels your body with good nutrition (which usually is an abundance of vegetables and fruits), and you must watch your posture and tend to your joints with regular chiropractic care.
If you do some of them, you will perchance look healthier. You do the entire “Triathlon” and you will have your best chance at truly being qualified at being called “healthy.”