Hey, who are you calling an oxymoron? I admit, though - Shape Up With the Slow Fat Triathlete: 50 Ways to Kick Butt on the Field, in the Pool, or at the Gym, No Matter What Your Size or Shape is not your typical fitness book. In fact, it's kind of an anti-fitness-book fitness book. Just as Slow Fat Triathlete sprang from my sense that triathlon books were not addressed to real people with real love handles and real stretch marks, Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete is in part a product of my ongoing crankiness when faced with fitness books that are about what you will look like as a result of the fitness program, not what your body will be able to do.
I see fitness as the triumph of function, rather than form. Very few of us will ever hhave visible abdominal muscles, but we can all develop abdominal muscles that serve the very necessary functions of stabilizing our spines, helping us keep our balance, and enabling us to reach for the remote from the depth of the cushiest couch. Those invisible abs are cool. Very cool.
Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete is about moving your body, having fun while doing it, and ignoring the taunting voices of self-consciousness. Nothing great or fun ever happens when you're worrying about what other people might think of you. It's about taking care of yourself, trying new things, and being a proudly imperfect athlete in whatever sports you choose.
My friends and I have some good advice for you along the way: Take a Nap. Become an Activewear Activist. Dream Big. Embrace the Awesome Power of Fun. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate (But Not Too Much). And 45 other short essays that'll light a fire under whatever needs a fire.
Buy a book, or a case of books, today!
Photos by John Kaemmerling Photography