Have you read the sports news lately? Have you noticed the recent warnings about training addiction and the social side effects of extreme sports? At last the bull’s getting officially grasped by the horns! This wild beast must be tamed. I couldn’t agree more! But one thing bothers me though. Far too often fingers are pointed at extreme sport itself, like it’s the root of all evil happening in people’s life. But is extreme sport as such really the one to be blamed?

There’s nothing wrong with a little self-actualization. But honestly, turning to extreme sport just because your neighbour does it says more about your potency than about your sport. No matter how much you “water” it with countless pounds and miles of training, it won’t grow. A small dick is a small dick whatever the price of your carbon bike! If you really must overcompensate, get your wife a new sex toy. She won’t get off on your extremely expensive gear! F*ck extreme!

Plastic is not fantastic! You don’t have to be a perfect fitness bitch to be respectable. Whatever your weight or the colour of your hair, you’ve got to start somewhere. No need to rush the ride. You must learn how to crawl before you can walk. One step at a time. You don’t have to go extreme from day one (or go extreme at all). F*ck extreme!

Again, you don’t need to run 1,000 marathons to prove your victory over a disease. I know it’s the kind of story that’ll help your chief editor afford a new yacht, but why not tell the story of regular people fighting to run a regular 5K as part of their recovery from cancer? I find that kind of effort much more inspiring and honourable – and easier to relate to at that! You don’t have to be Lance Armstrong to be a hero. F*ck extreme!

As I see it, it all comes down to one thing – a choice, YOUR choice. Extreme sport is only as destructive as you choose to make it. Maybe you didn’t realize the sacrifices it entails and the consequences it has on your life. Fair enough! But the day you wake up and your wife has left you, your children barely recognize you, your boss has fired you and your bank has kicked you out, please don’t hang the rap on extreme sport only. Maybe YOU did a few miscalculations and made the wrong priorities. After all it’s you who’ve chosen your sport and not the other way around…

Yes, extreme sport is fascinating, but it’s more than just another quick fix on a CV. We must remember we’re no professionals – only amateurs doing it for the fun of it. Life is too short and our families too precious to ruin them because of yet another hobby. Make your hobby fit into your life and not the opposite! Don’t try to make your life fit into your hobby.

However preachifying I might sound, I’m far from being a saint myself! Yes, I do practice extreme sport, but I can be an idiot as well. Been there, done that. Like forcing my lower back through excrutiating pain on long distance triathlons because I didn’t think I could settle for less. Wrong priority, wrong sacrifice. But then I reframed my choices by abandoning cycling, and my marriage and I have never been happier. I stopped blaming my sport and did a bit of communication with my life partner instead (you know – real time conversations, face to face, no smileys, no hash tags – like in the good old days before Smartphones and Facebook were invented).

And that’s my point. When things start to get over your head, take a step back and reflect on them. Revise your CHOICES and embrace your life as a whole. Stop the egotripping and make it a common journey with your family and friends. Spice it up and have fun!

For me extreme swimming is only one part of who I am today. I still find time to be with my family, travel with friends, go to the movies, do the laundry or walk my dogs without obsessing about my next workout. It’s a choice, a priority. Please do try it at home! 😉

Welcome to your life! F*ck extreme!

c