Musician Pal Steelo tells Patricia Westonthat he feels blessed to have two passions in life - sport and music
What's your workout?
I train for triathlon so my training alternates between the three disciplines - swimming, cycling and running. Some days I do core training too to keep my back strong.
I also do the odd aqua jogging session where I run out of my depth for about 40 minutes because it's a brilliant recovery session after hard racing.
So you must be fit?
Yes, I would consider myself fit due to the amount of training I engage in weekly. I try to train at least five-six times per week.
Have you suffered from any serious illnesses or injuries?
I get some knee trouble from time to time and I am trying out new orthotics so I'm hoping I'll be running well soon. They look just like an insole and prevent my foot from over-pronating because my foot rolls too much internally so an arch support helps to reduce this.
Do you worry about your appearance?
No. I train a lot and eat well which means I don't have many insecurities about my appearance. The things I would change about my appearance are small and I don't focus on them. I try to concentrate on personality rather than appearance.
Do you eat a balanced diet?
Yes, but there's always plenty of room for improvement. I try to eat lots of fish, vegetables, porridge and fruit. I do tend to drink too much coffee and eat too much chocolate though.
What stresses you?
The feeling that I may not be progressing with my music stresses me out sometimes. Being a musician can mean financial remuneration is erratic which can lead to lean weeks and this can be quite stress-inducing.
What's your attitude towards exercise?
If you can exercise, you should. Sport brings me into contact with people I can relate to. I have met many people over the years that say things like, "You must be crazy to train so much." My answer is always the same, "Give it one month." I am blessed to have two passions - sport and music. I could never exercise just to look good. I have been competing in sport since I was 15 years old. As soon as I start to feel fit, I look up the racing calendar and plan my next triathlon.
Patricia Weston recommends:
•Triathlons are a three-disciplined event, combining swimming, cycling and running over three main distances. If you fancy yourself as a triathlete like Pal, then here are some tips to get you started:
•Make your training very specific to the event.
•Figure out your weakness, in most cases people are weakest in either one of the three, usually swimming. Once you figure out where your weakness lies, you can put more effort into improving on it.
•Progress your training gradually so you do not hit a plateau. You need to keep pushing your body so you continually make improvements.
•Don't overload your body too much. Get plenty of rest between training sessions to give your body time to recover and repair.
•Commit to your training regime regularly and don't stop for a week or weeks at a time or you'll quickly be back to square one.
•A basic six-week triathlon training regime would involve alternating between the three disciplines over six days a week, allowing one day for rest and giving yourself two days off on week six just before the race.
Patricia Weston is an NCEHS fitness instructor, personal trainer and Pilates teacher.
Consult a physician or qualified healthcare provider before embarking on any exercise regime.