Sonia O’Sullivan: Make your fitness regime a way of life

There is such a huge emphasis on health and fitness all over the world these days. When we look around, it appears so many are involved and doing something, although there is more we could be doing to get even more people active.

More needs to be done as we are constantly reminded of the dangerous levels of obesity in young children. There are so many activities for children these days, and yet, looking back, maybe it was better when things were simpler. You walked to school, and maybe stayed on after school to run around the fields in preparation for the weekend cross country races.

Cross Country was my first real introduction to athletics. What I remember most were the trips away on the weekend with my Ballymore Cobh team-mates. It was always an adventure in the minibus, mostly short trips to east Cork, always hoping to stop off somewhere to eat on the way home after burning up so much energy in the muddy fields. The running was a very small part of the weekly adventure, but it was the important thing that brought us together throughout the week, running laps and laps of the school field.

The sooner we can educate our children on the importance of energy input and energy expenditure the easier it will be to manage the obesity crisis. I don’t think this message is made clear enough, because once you get it then it becomes a way of life. We are never too young to learn and understand the most important life lessons, as much as we are never too old to make a change.

Balance right

As an athlete throughout my life I am very aware of the links between diet and physical activity. It’s not something that you can just change overnight but once you take the decision to do something about it then you need to persist with it. It’s about getting the balance right, and because everyone is different, you need to figure out what works for you.

We all have bad habits, things we need to change to help us lead a healthier lifestyle. But, because these habits become a part of who we are, they are very difficult to change. Just like it is difficult to change your routine, do something different, like taking up a new sport or activity. But you will always feel satisfaction when you have mastered something new.

I used to train twice a day, every day, adding up to 100 miles of running every week. That’s a lot of running but it was a part of me and a habit I found hard to break. There is also a lot of wear and tear on the body with running, so over time I realised that I needed to maintain some routine, while also make some changes. The body can’t take running 100 miles a week for your entire life.

Running is the simplest of activities: lace up your shoes, out the door and away you go. Even in winter running is the best form of exercise. It doesn’t take long to warm up, and even in the rain you can get some satisfaction when you take on the elements and come back feeling full of energy, glad you didn’t listen to that negative voice in your head.

Running isn’t for everyone, but it’s not the only option. In 1999, while I was pregnant with Ciara, I had no idea how much I could keep training. I always feared one day I would have to stop and swim. The only problem was I couldn’t swim very well at all. I could play around in the sea, and jump off the wall in Cuskinny in Cobh at high tide, but that wasn’t real swimming.

I went along to a swimming pool in Melbourne, signed up for a series of stroke improvement lessons. I don’t think I even had a stroke to improve but I persisted and I learnt to swim, and what I got from those lessons has given me so much over the past 16 years.

Real swimming is a life skill. Last weekend I signed up for a swim in St Kilda, an iconic swimming venue, an event organised by Michael Klim, who won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. The swim was 3.8km, an Ironman swim, something I’ve been curious about for awhile. The past four weeks I have diligently gone to the swimming pool and swum for an hour, twice a week. I wasn’t convinced it was enough but it was all I was willing to commit to. I didn’t want to race around St Kilda: I just wanted to get it done, not worry about the time. The cut-off time was two hours and I estimated at best I could do it in 80 minutes, so even if it was beyond me I had time to spare.

New challenge

It’s quite daunting to swim in the sea and very different to the pool. I always find the first ocean swim of the year there is a moment of panic when the cold, salty water hits your face. As soon as the gun was fired there was a mad dash to enter the sea. I didn’t run too fast, as I know it’s difficult to relax and get into a nice rhythm when your heart is racing from the initial rush of adrenalin. The swim was two laps of a big rectangular area, marked off by red and yellow buoys. It really tests you mentally as you pass the finish line with one more lap to go.

I found myself swimming alone for a while, then I could see a few pink caps ahead. The chase was on. It would be nice to match strokes with another swimmer and help each other along to the finish.

I surprised myself at how much I enjoyed the swim. This was a new challenge, a step into the unknown, doing something I had never done before. Now I feel I am working my way through a deconstructed Ironman triathlon: the marathon was ticked off in Dublin; the swim in St Kilda; next up is 180km on the bike. Then the pressure will be on to join them all together one day.