I've been keeping in touch with a former colleague who's been looking to "sort [himself] out" ... I always liked him and a few others I've had the pleasure to work with over the years.
Interestingly, I've been getting asked the same questions a lot ... about how I train, what I do to recover and perform better, how I got started climbing, what I eat and how much, about my lifestyle, and why.
It's really simple... unfortunately, it took me decades to figure out.
I want things and will not wait around for someone to just hand it to me. I make things happen for myself because I'm a mature, independant adult. I am no victim. I am in control of my destiny. When I can't perform, I have no one but myself to hold accountable. So when I do, it's my accomplishment. It's my success.
Being independant is important to me. Being self-sufficient is important to me. Being part of a lifelong partnership is important to me.
I value my dignity. I don't want to ever want to be dependant on tubes, wires, or other devices to keep me alive again. I want quality of life and will not be someone's science project.
I don't want to miss out on all the opportunities of life... and believe me, life is one big huge opportunity. Carpe frickin diem, right, November?!
I made a decision and I work as consistently as I can.
Every day is tough. I get sore, I get tired, I am bloody busy ... and I just don't feel like it sometimes.
But I made a choice to live... and live well
I love climbing big mountains. I love being in the wilderness. I love being able to visit parts of the world that few others will ever see. I love that I am strong, that I can endure, that I can recover ... I have longevity and it gives me peace.
Having said all that,
<LI>I follow crossfit endurance fitness programming, practise olympic lifting, practise ashtanga yoga, and find ways to do heavy manual labor
<LI>I practise climbing, wilderness, medical, and first responder skills on a regular basis
<LI>I enjoy a paleolithic diet and try to avoid dangerous foods as much as I can
<LI>We climb every year and do a few trips into the wilderness. It tests our physical, emotional, and mental fitness
Here's a few good links to start:
Getting Started with CrossFit (explains workout formats and what things mean)
http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/start-how.html ![]()
Video Demonstrations of all movements (super useful for understand how to move properly)
<A HREF="
http://www.crossfitendurance.com/blog/3 ">
http://www.crossfitendurance.com/blog/3 </A>
Paleolithic Diet
<LI>Robb Wolf: <A HREF="http://www.robbwolf.com" >
www.robbwolf.com</A>
<LI>The Paleo Diet <A HREF"
http://thepaleodiet.com/">
http://thepaleodiet.com/<A/>
<LI>Mark's Daily Apple <A HREF"
http://www.marksdailyapple.com">
http://www.marksdailyapple.com<A/>
If you're interested in mountaineering, alpine safety, or other wildnerness training, let me know in the comments and I'll post something in a future article.
... and yes, please feel free to reach out to me and keep those questions going. They help me too, you know.
