Talk to anyone who has done a triathalon and the word lifestyle is often brought up. Successful triathlon training is a lot more than working out.

There are many people who have done very little exercise in, say, the past year or two, who have successfully began triathalon training and go from couch potato to "triathlete" fairly quickly.

First off, to properly define a triathalon for those who choose to transition into the sport is simple: swim, bike and run are the three events in a triathalon.

For proper triathalon training, one would think that he or she would have to start running, biking and swimming a lot, every single day.

But like anything else physical, getting to this is a process, and jumping in head first and training incorrectly for the three events is likely a recipe for disaster. Not getting the desired result, getting injuries and having health problems ( ie., immunity problems, colds and worse).

Most people who who choose to begin triathlon training is that they focus on one event first.

Depending on your mind set, you may choose to tackle your least favorite event first, sharpening and getting better at it.

Or, if you are particularly good at one of the events you may want to build confidence by training with that one first.

Your transition to a triathalon training regimen will likely be slow and making a lot of different lifestyle choices when it comes to diet will likely be the first uphill battle for you.

The "keyword" is "slow".

Start with small steps, depending on the shape you are in and your background with exercise and sports, such as running a few miles a week, at least the first week, and increasing the amount of running every week.

Don't start your triathalon training regimen by running 20 miles a day.

It often helps to have a support system in place, especially for those days when you dont want to get out of bed or do your exercise.

Join clubs. You'll not only get some great friends, but you will get some great workouts.

Triathalon training is as much mental as it is physical.

But we only seem to focus on the physical part of triathalon training when we talk about it.

You can even go as far as to hire a coach for triathalon training. Many who are beginners to the sport take this route.