Tip Number One - When was the last time you did something for the first time?

The first step in finding a training program that works for you is to answer this question: When was the last time you did something for the first time? Imposing. Important. The road to good health is the pathway of wellness which begins by taking new challenges like doing a triathlon. When you cross that finish line; when you take home the finisher medal you feel that feeling of accomplishment that keeps you leading a health lifestyle.

Tip Number Two - The woman who has the most fun, wins

This tip is key -- having fun keeps us on a training program. The best way to have fun is to join a training group, get a training partner, sign up for one of one of the Official Heart Zones Training Programs (www.heartzones.com) and start living the new life. Use motivational posters to keep you inspired. Because, if you are the one that has the most fun, then you win the race.

Tip Number Three - The woman who starts is not the same as the woman who finishes

Training is about change. Change is about transitions. Transitions are one of the four parts of a triathlon along with the swim, bike, and run. Training for a triathlon gets you fitter. It helps you lose weight, have more personal energy, enjoy more of every day with zest. The sequence of training- changing-transitioning is a process. As you get fitter and stronger you feel more in touch with your emotions, with your physical person, and with your metabolic health.

Tip Number Four - There is an athlete inside every woman.

Each of us is born an athlete--someone who is strong and flexible and enjoys the sensation of physical movement. If you have misplaced the joy of moving, training, or working out, you can recapture it easily. Move your body every single day: work on flexibility (stretch, do yoga or Pilates), cardiovascular fitness (increase your heart rate, strength training (try resistance bands), or balance (dance, take up inline skating). Be the athlete that you are and if you do, the prize is AOA -- Adult Onset of Athleticism. You discover that you are not the same as when you started. You are a triathlete.

Tip Number Five - Focus on fitness not on fatness

Many women train for the triathlon in hopes of losing weight, making that their training focus. Rather, when you focus on fitness, finishing, and on training with your friends, then the weight takes care of itself. The triathlon is about accomplishing a fitness goal not a weight loss program. It's probably one of the best weight loss programs ever designed because when you focus on fitness, when you train and nourish yourself as an athlete, you lighten your load and weight dissipates.

Sally Edwards is the CEO and founder of Heart Zones USA, an international education, coaching, and training company based on her principles of Heart Zones Training. She is a 16- time finisher of the Ironman Triathlon and former master's world record holder, as well as a world record holder in the Iditashoe 100-Mile Snowshoe Race. Sally has proudly served as the Danskin Women's Triathlon Series National Spokesperson since its inception in 1990. Between building a half-dozen businesses over the last 30 years, Sally has authored more than twenty books and 300 articles on fitness. Not least, with Master's degrees in Exercise Physiology and Business Administration, Sally is also a noted keynote speaker on the topics of achieving success in business and health. She can be reached at staff@heartzones.com or 916.481.7283.