Prep for Movement, Don’t Warm Up

I don’t like the term warm up. It implies that the purpose is to get warm. I much prefer the term movement prep, a phrase that I think is pretty common now, but I only picked up recently in my classes with Beth Lewis.

You may get physically warm or even sweaty during a warm up, but that’s not exactly the point. The point is to get prepared for the exercises and workout you are about to do. So, if you were about to swing some kettlebells for instance, a good warm up is a handful of exercises or moves that engage your core, your hip hinge, and target mobility. Not running for 10 minutes on the treadmill.

It’s just another reason why I think most people don’t stick to their workouts long term. They don’t have a good movement prep, and therefore they either skip it, or aren’t properly prepared to workout. And over the long run being unprepared leads to shitty workouts and pain. Movement prep, getting your body and mind primed correctly, is essential to the long term success of any workout program.

Workout Journal: An Approach to Injuries

The best injury advice I’ve heard is to back off to the point of no pain. If weighted lunges hurt, reduce the weight. If they still hurt, drop the weights and just do bodyweight. If they still hurt, reduce the range of motion (ROM). Still in pain? Reduce the ROM even more. The point is to continue doing the exercises that cause pain, but regressing it to the point where it doesn’t hurt. You don’t want to eliminate the movement, you want to build up your strength and ROM until the pain stops and you’re able to progress pain free.

I used this technique recently and found it to be very effective. My right shoulder has been bothering me when I put it into certain positions, and when I load it with excessive weight. Even though it’s weight I’m able to press, because of the injury, which is likely due to overuse, it causes pain. So I’ve mostly been avoiding strength training, but recently I’ve been jonesing to move some weights, so I did a workout the other day and used this approach to get through it.

Flat bench dumbbell press felt ok as long as I kept my elbows tucked in. A form and ROM modification. When I flared them out, just to feel the difference, even slightly, I felt pain immediately. So I kept them tucked, which put more emphasis on my triceps and front deltoids, and eliminated any pain.

Incline dumbbell flys were in my workout as well, and at first I planned on subbing them out for a gentler and more stable movement. But I decided instead to use the injury advice above. I reduced the weight by 10 - 15 lbs per dumbbell, and I greatly reduced the ROM. To the point where, especially on the first few reps of the first set, it barely looked like I was moving. But by the last few reps of the last set however my ROM had increased almost to normal. And I felt very little pain. Just slight discomfort.

It was my first time really putting this advice into practice and I was really impressed with how well it worked. While it made sense to me when I first read it, there’s nothing like experiencing it for yourself.

In a way I’ve been doing the same thing with my running. Running long and fast (attempting to anyway) causes me great pain because of a chronic injury I sustained a few years ago. But I badly wanted to get back to running regularly. So, I’ve embraced this idea and embarked on a new easier program. I’m running a 5k five times per week on relatively flat ground, with no emphasis on the speed at which I run. I’m just trying to push it right now to the point before pain. 5k seems to be that number and so far it’s working.

A body in motion stays in motion. When you start to avoid certain activities is when your body starts to break down. Avoiding certain exercises starts to atrophy muscle endurance, strength, and mobility. That’s why I agree that it’s important to proceed with the movement that’s bothering you, albeit in a cautious manner. Rest is for broken bones, torn ligaments, and open wounds from surgery and the like, that can only heal with rest over time. For everything else, figure out the limit of the movement and work on getting stronger and more mobile. 

Workout Journal: Running Far and Fast

I’ve been wanting to get back into endurance shape, mainly running, but I have not been willing to put the work in. I’ve been telling myself a number of excuses that have kept me from doing it. All of them sounding legit and very believable.

My main excuse was that I didn’t want to give up strength training. My first true love. Even as I write this, all I can think about is that there is no comparison to the feeling of lifting weights. Something about it feels almost primal to me. But it’s that love and unwillingness to give it up that was also keeping me from getting back into running.

At the time I really started thinking about getting back into endurance training, I was lifting a minimum of 3, but more typically 4 days per week. Hard sessions too. So it left no time or energy to also build my running endurance. Whenever I went for a run I was too sore and my leg muscles were too fatigued to be able to make any progress.

The second excuse I told myself had to do with the injury I sustained a few years ago and never fully recovered from. It was an injury to the achilles tendon on my left foot, that became a chronic hip flexor, glute medius, lower back, and psoas injury on my right side. The pain I often experienced after running was always enough to make me think twice before my next run.

The third excuse was part of my ego. Before I ever got injured I could run fast. Sub 7 minute miles over a long distance was the norm for me. But now I’m lucky if I can run sub 9 minute miles for 3 miles. My run gait is too labored to get up to those old speeds.

But despite these excuses I wanted to so badly be able to walk out my door and go for a run. I wanted so badly to get back into a consistent pattern of running. While weight training is my first true love, running, especially over long distances at high speeds, is a very, very, very, close second. The high you experience after a good run is everything. And I desperately wanted to get back there. So, a few weeks ago I finally said fuck it, and started back on the road to running.

A few things did help me finally pull the trigger though. One, all that regular heavy lifting over the prior 2+ years finally got me burnt out. All of a sudden I found myself unable to imagine lifting weights. Just the thought of it made me tired and made my body ache. I needed a break. Plus, winter in Colorado rolled around and my garage gym became almost unbearable to hangout in and do a workout. It turned into a very different atmosphere than the one I had gotten used to over the warm spring, summer, and fall months, working out with the garage door open, the sun shining through.

Second, my injuries started to feel better, thanks in large part to a kettlebell class I started taking with the world renowned trainer Beth Lewis. The predominant exercises in the class are kettlebell swings and Turkish get ups. By learning the techniques and good form needed for these exercises, my mobility and range of motion began to improve, and a lot of my pain started to alleviate in the process. I discovered that one of my main issues was that I could not properly hip hinge, which meant that I was loading wrong, and by loading my weight incorrectly, I was causing issues throughout my body. These class began to correct that.

Lastly, I stopped worrying about being fast. I stopped worrying about running far. I remembered a saying I heard years ago. In order to run fast, first  you have to be able to run far. So, I went back to an old challenge my buddies and I did a few years ago. 30 days of 5k. Every day for 30 straight days you run at least a 5k. I modeled my new program around that. Not looking at the time, and not worrying about the distance. As long as it takes to run 5k, and stopping right there.

It’s been a few weeks now, and I’ve been consistently running 5 - 6 days per week, and I fucking love it. In total I’m hitting about 16 - 20 miles per week, averaging maybe 9:30 min/mile, and I feel good. I run even when it’s 0 degrees outside or when it’s snowing. Since I know it’s just ~30 minutes I’ll be outside it’s easy to convince myself to get out and do it. 

I’m still not lifting weights the way I was. Instead I’m working my kettlebells technique twice per week to supplement my running. Skiing or hiking when I get the chance. I’m thoroughly enjoying it, and I’m hoping that by the time the summer rolls around, I’ll have built up enough endurance to run far, and eventually run fast.

The Behavior of Change

Thoughts and download from the week.

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Fearfulness is the most common state in a life that asks for no real change.

I’m going to try something new, and see if it works.

I’ve been thinking about something I heard on the podcast episode I shared last week. That is the idea that you can be happy, love yourself, and also be ruthlessly ambitious enough to accomplish your goals.

Elizabeth Gilbert tells a quick story about a guy who didn’t want to try her letters of love exercise because he thought it would make him weak. He thought that by showing himself love and compassion he would lose his drive, that chip on his shoulder, that he believed was the driving force behind his success.

I’ve feel that way too. Not necessarily in loving myself, although I could definitely benefit from more of that. But in my inability to take my foot off the gas. I hold this belief that if I slow down in any part of my life, that it’s going to create a ripple effect throughout every part of my life and ultimately lead to my demise. 

If I watch too much TV, or eat something I shouldn’t, skip a day of exercise, or don’t have a book I’m actively reading, that it’s going to be the beginning of the end of my dreams. That I’m going to slowly descend into some useless human being, incapable of anything.

But in reality the opposite is actually true. It’s the times when I’ve taken my foot off the gas that I’ve felt the best. It’s when my mind is clearest and my body feels most aligned, fit, and capable. And by contrast, when I’ve continued to push it, despite all of the signs from my mind, brain fog and agitation, and body, fatigue and pain, is when I accomplish the least, regardless of the fact that I’m doing the most.

So, to hear her tell this story really resonated with me, and I think it also ties well into a recent insight I had while my buddy was visiting me.

Almost a year ago my buddy got laid off. It was completely unexpected. When he called me to tell me I was in shock, and at a loss for words. He had worked for this company for at least as long as I’ve know him, going on six years, and he’s one of the smartest, most ambitious, experienced, and well educated friends I have. He is also, not surprisingly, Type A.

So in the year since his layoff he’s been busy trying to find a new job. But, through no fault of his own, he’s been unable to land one. So during his visit I asked him, “in retrospect, knowing now that you’d be 12 months out of having a job, and still looking, would you have spent the last 12 months doing anything differently? Would you have given yourself a break, eased off the pressure you’ve been putting on yourself, and enjoyed your time more, rather than staying busy?”

I asked him this question because it’s a question that I have wrestled with many times since leaving my well paying and rewarding, albeit stressful, job 6 years ago. And I still wrestle with it today. But hearing about his situation made me once again reassess my own. 

I could tell he didn’t like the question, and it made him uncomfortable because it forced him to question how he has been spending my time. Something I always question when it comes to my own life. But it’s an important question because it highlights the stress we put on ourselves as humans to be successful, even when nothing is wrong. It very much echoes the message that Robert M. Sapolsky tries to convey in Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, and the message Boyd Varty shares in The Lion Trackers Guide to Life when he says, “no wild animal has ever taken part in a should.”

My friend and I are in the same situation in some respects, at least a it relates to the quality of our lives. Other than not having a job, and a steady income, not much has changed. We still eat the food we want to eat, live where we want, travel, have a roof over our head, a car to drive. For all intents and purposes, life is good. Yet we’re applying this relentless pressure to figure it out, not now, but yesterday.

The question of fulfillment and purpose always seems to come up, and with good reason. Figuring out how to spend your days when you have no “work” to go to can be difficult. It took me about two years to feel comfortable with it. But I’ve learned how to enjoy my days without work. I’ve settled into a good rhythm of activities that include exercise, reading, writing, volunteering, cooking, and now gardening, that I enjoy and keep me happy. I love my days.

But, despite that, the pressure is still on. I continue to pressure myself every day to figure it out, and work really hard to do so. That’s been my mentality for 6 years, and still, I haven’t figured it out. So maybe it’s time for a new approach. Back to Elizabeth Gilbert’s story.

What if instead of forcing myself to work and figure it out, I took the opposite approach. What if I fucked off when I wanted to fuck off. Watched TV during the day. Smoked weed when I wanted to smoke. Skipped workouts, and indulged in desserts when they called to me. What if I stayed up late, and slept in past the sunrise. Perhaps that’s been the problem. Perhaps that’s the love she speaks about that I’ve been denying myself, and it’s the reason I haven’t figured it out yet. Perhaps allowing myself that love, or level of comfort, rather than hindering my performance, like I believe it would, could be the catalyst to drive success.

In Tools of Titans Tim Ferriss talks about trying something new for 48 hours. He says, try it, and if it doesn’t work, you can always go back to your old ways. That same principle is something I’d been using even before reading his book. But hearing it from him has reinforced its practicality. So, that’s what I’m going to do.

Beth Lewis said in our class recently, “you can’t crush the gym, and life.” It’s true, and I’ve been trying to crush everything in my path. For once I’m going to take the opposite approach, and see where it takes me. Here’s to a new more lethargic way of being.

Informative podcast on chronic health in America, and the issues we face to fix it.

Joe Rogan #2210 - with Calley Means and Casey Means, MD - I don’t like listening to Calley Means. He’s a former political strategist and lobbyist for companies such as coco-cola. So I’ve ignored listening to anything he’s a part of, and it’s the reason I haven’t reads the book he co-wrote with his sister, Casey Means, MD, despite being very interested in what she has to say. I like Casey. She is one of the founders of Levels, the company I purchased my glucose monitor from earlier this year to experiment with. She’s a physician, a head and neck surgeon that left conventional healthcare to start her company and address the growing issue of metabolic health in this country, the root cause of most chronic disease. Metabolic disease is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, and it’s believed that ultra-processed food, pesticides, plastics, and other toxins in our environment, in addition to the sedentary lifestyle most people live, is the cause of it. Levels, her company, is trying to change that. And after spending time on the dark side her brother is too.

Recently Casey and Calley were part of a panel of experts that included people like Jillian Michaels (her testimony is much see stuff), Max Lugavere, and Brigham Buehler, who testified in front of congress to sound the alarm about the growing health epidemic in this country and, more importantly, the cause of it.

I’m glad I put my dislike for Calley aside and listened to this one, because I learned a lot, and, the reality is, good on him for trying change the system.

I found this quote from Casey Means to be the most notable:

“Ultra-processed food is dead food” - Casey Means

Ultra-processed food, food that is stripped of all it’s nutrients and filled with harmful ingredients, now make up 70 percent of the calories consumed in this country. Casey nailed it with that quote. Far too many people are eating nutrition less food, and it’s a big part of the problem.

Book I’m Reading - Wildlife Wars

I picked this book up from one of the “free libraries” you see on the street. That was probably over a year ago but I just started reading it recently. I’m more than a third of the way through now, but these lines from the introduction had me reeled in from the jump. I would listen to anyone’s story who has the type of mind that sees the world in this way. It’s a great book, and Richard Leakey provides a great example of what being a leader should look like. One in which integrity and morals are not compromised. 

From the introduction: 

“Conservation of biodiversity may be a global imperative, but eating one cooked meal a day and drinking clean water are more basic to the survival of most of the world's population. Protecting elephants and conserving natural ecosystems remain my personal priorities. But I am not so sure this would be so were I ill, hungry, and living in despair. I enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and crisp starlit nights. I do so, however, knowing full well that when I need it I can find shelter. We must somehow find a way to provide for our own species if we are also to preserve others.”

“Clean air, clean water, plentiful forests, and a human population that is well fed, educated, and reasonably affluent is our goal in Kenya. Saving the elephants is symbolic—a means to achieve these greater objectives.”

This Weeks Harvest

Growing season is coming to an end but that doesn’t mean there isn’t abundance in our garden. In fact, a lot of our vegetable plants, especially our tomatoes, are thriving right now in the cooler Colorado temperatures. This week I spent a couple of days harvesting some vegetables, cleaning, and cooking them. Here are a few pictures of the haul.

Quarter Share Cow

Shout out to Lazy Acres Ranch and Butcher. This past week I picked up my quarter share of cow from them, and I got to it right away cooking up some of the goodness they supplied me with. The ribeye pictured below was particularly tasty, but the beef short ribs were out of this world. They were so good my girlfriend who is a reformed vegan that still struggles with eating meat ate two with her dinner. Here’s the recipe I used. Super basic and super tasty. I didn’t have fresh rosemary so I used some other dried herbs in my cabinet, and I used chopped white onion in place of onion powder. The ribs were melt in your mouth delicious.

$1,250 for 100 lbs of pastured raised beef that comes from a ranch 2 hours away. I bought a freezer for just this purpose, and now I get to walk into my garage and pick out whatever cuts I want. It’s a beautiful thing.

Trail Run

Parmalee, Devil's Elbow and Castle Trail

Miles - 5.2

Elevation gain - 889 ft

This was my favorite trail run since moving to Colorado. Mostly single track, with plenty of tree coverage, and challenging elevation at points. The parking was easy and the trail wasn’t overly crowded at 10 am on a Wednesday. I also enjoyed not seeing one cyclist. Of all the trails I’ve run so far, this is one that I could see myself repeating again and again.

30 Day Challenge - Wake Up Push Up - Takeaways and What I Learned

On August 8th I began a self-imposed challenge, to record myself doing many push ups as possible - 1, immediately upon waking up for 30 straight days. To clarify, after peeing and brushing my teeth.

The reason for the challenge was multi-faceted, but the main two points were.

1. I wanted to use the challenge as a way to engage people. Everyone loves a challenge and I thought this would be an easy way to get people involved and moving.

2. I needed a way to force myself to be on camera. If I was going to start a YouTube channel, and take it seriously, then I needed to get over my fear of being on camera, and I needed a way to make myself commit to it.

Looking back on the 30 days and I’ve realized that a lot more happened than I could’ve ever predicted. While the first reason, to engage people and bring them to my channel, didn’t really pan out (all 30 videos received a total of 151 views, average 5 per video), the 30 day commitment raised some other unintended benefits.

1. I accomplished my goal of recording + posting for 30 straight days. Doing something that made me uncomfortable.

2. I got more comfortable being on camera.

3. I got better and faster at editing videos.

4. I equipped my gym better for working out and recording.

5. I did 1,426 push ups. Additional rep, on top of my normal workout routine, that resulted in increased strength, endurance, and shoulder stability.

But perhaps the coolest, at least to me, is that it made me think of a new way to get people moving, but starting with just 1 set of 1 exercise per day.

Building a Sustainable Workout Routine One Day at a Time - 30 Day Challenge

In my life I’ve always pursued goals with some desired outcome in mind. For this one, to grow and engage an audience. Not once did I think about any of the other achievements that would happen as a result.

We hear the advice often to just do it, just get started. People who have already achieved success will often say this, because they understand what it means. You don’t know where you’re going to end up, what your idea is going to look like, or what’s going to work or not, until you start. And that’s been the biggest lesson I’ve learned from this 30 day challenge.

We want to know what the end result is going to look like. When we get that idea in our head to do something, it’s seems so clear. But we really can’t know, because so much can happen on the journey.

After completing the 30 days of push ups I picked up campfire squats to add to my morning routine. The reason I chose campfire squats was because I couldn’t perform 1 clean rep. It seemed like a good challenge, but physically and mentally. I’m 25 days in, and like the push up challenge, I’ve already seen benefits I never anticipated. In a few more days I’ll share those as well.

Defining Success after 30 Days of Push Ups

30 Day Challenge Playlist

Building a Sustainable Workout Routine - 30 Day Challenge

On August 8, 2024 I kicked off a self-imposed challenge, to wake up and perform as many push ups as I could - 1, for 30 straight days. I had a few reasons for doing this.

1. Not long before this day I started to get serious about trying to grow my YouTube page, and I wanted something I could share daily.

2. I wanted an easy way to show people, specifically anyone who is just starting out or struggling to get motivated, the dramatic progress you can realize with just a small amount of consistent exercise.

3. Piggybacking on #2, I wanted a way to engage people in the process, and I thought what better way than to challenge them to a challenge.

4. I hate talking into the camera. I feel like I always fumble and mumble my words, lose my train of thought, and freeze. I knew the only way to get better at it and become comfortable doing it was if, like exercise, I did it every day. The challenge gave me something to talk about, and a commitment I couldn’t back out of.

Fast forward to 47 days later and I’m still waking up and doing my push ups, and I’ve started a new 30 day challenge. The Campfire Squat Test.

I realized after I finished my first 30 days of push ups that this might actually be, working in 30 days intervals, a brilliant way for someone who’s never exercised before in their life, to build a workout routine that works for them. As I’ve thought more and more about this, I’ve begun to play with the parameters of what this might look like, played out over a 6-month period.

The structure presented below, is a preliminary thought on how this could work, and is subject to change. As the months lead on, as I close out the Campfire Squat Test in 13 days, this could change, but for now I believe this structure will make it possible for anyone to start from nothing and build something real for themselves.

Month 1: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. I chose push ups for my first exercise because I thought push ups were pretty universal, most people could join in with me, and because you don’t need much space or any equipment to perform them. Everyday for the first 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day.

Month 2: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. I chose squats because I wanted to have a lower body exercise for my next 30 days. I specifically chose campfire squats because I knew I couldn’t perform even one correctly, and I wanted to see how much progress my form could make over 30 days. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your first exercise. By way of example, over the last 7 days of my push ups, I average 52 per day. Therefore, I’ve been doing 26 push ups every morning after my campfire squats.

Month 3: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Cut your first month number in half again. For me that would be 13 push ups. This is the final number for your first exercise. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your second exercise. For me, I’d calculate the average of my last 7 days of campfire squats.

Month 4: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Perform the final number of your first exercise. For me, 13 push ups. Plus;

Cut your second month number in half again. This is the final number of your second exercise. For me, campfire squats. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your third exercise.

Month 5: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Perform the final number of your first exercise. For me, 13 push ups. Plus;

Perform the final number of your second exercise. For me, campfire squats. Plus;

Cut your third month number in half again. This is the final number of your third exercise. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your fourth exercise.

Month 6: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Perform the final number of your first exercise. For me, 13 push ups. Plus;

Perform the final number of your second exercise. For me, campfire squats. Plus;

Perform the final number of your third exercise. Plus;

Cut your fourth month number in half again. This is the final number of your fourth exercise. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your fifth exercise.

Months 7 and beyond: Calculate the 7 day trailing average of your sixth exercise (month six). Multiply it by 25%, and add it to your circuit. Cut your fifth exercise in half again, and add it to your circuit.

So, what could this actually look like?

*Not real figures, for example only

By the end of the 6 months, I would have developed the following morning routine:

• 13 push ups

• 5 campfire squats

• 8 sit ups

• 5 pull ups

• 8 lunges

• 5 hanging knee raises

A very sustainable morning routine, born out of 6 months of commitment. A morning routine that if you did nothing else the rest of the day, would at least get you off on the right foot. As I said, I’m only into day 47, of building this out, and so I expect more changes as time goes on. But, I think this is a very easy and doable way to get started.

I’m here to help if you have any questions about the structure, which exercises to choose, or anything else.

Here is a sample excel workbook you can copy and use to record your daily exercises.

Mt. Neva Loop Via 4th of July Trail

I finally got out for a nice hike the other day. Mt. Neva Loop via 4th of July Trail.

It had been over a year, probably since Switzerland in September 2023, since I’d really hiked. Last winter I skied, and this summer all I did was trail run. We moved into our house June 1, and with so much work to do, I didn’t feel like I had the time to spend out on long hikes. Trail running by contrast was a way to get outdoors and get a workout.

But last week my girlfriend gave me the all clear that it’s time to get out and explore.

Saturday she spent the night camped out in her truck at a dirk bike park 90 minutes from our house. She was volunteering to help man a checkpoint for a race on Sunday, and all 40+ volunteers got together the night before, to get to know each other over a pasta dinner and a fire. She left work early Saturday and spent all day Sunday working at the park. Seeing her do that was the sign I needed to make some time for myself in the mountains.

This trail was recommended to me by my physical therapist. He used this trail to get to Lake Caribou, where he spent a couple of nights camped out with friends.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to camp, or even make it up to Mt. Neva and finish the loop. By the time I got to the scramble to Mt. Neva, the weather had taken a turn. Huge gusts of wind and sleet started falling, so I made the decision to turn back. I didn’t have the gear or food to take a chance on a route I was unfamiliar with. And I was worried that if I got lost (like I already had 2x before that day), I’d run out of daylight. So, I did the smart thing and turned back.

I told my girlfriend I stopped and asked myself, “did I get what I needed out this hike?” The answer was yes, and so I turned around to head home.

But I enjoyed every minute of the 4+ hours I spent out here. Everywhere I turned were beautiful views. Mountains, forests, valleys, and peaks were all around. And the leaves had already started to turn. On the way back I ran into a group of four moose. It was raining heavy by this point and we stood and stared at each other for a while. The trail felt magical, and I can’t wait to be out there again.

Here are some pictures (in chronological order) so you can see what to expect.

Hiking and Climbing Tip and Tricks

These are the real basic things to know to keep your experience enjoyable. Like my diet tips and tricks, this is also a living document that will be updated from time to time.

My first ever real backpacking type trip was in Patagonia. A 7-day trek around Torres del Paine National Park. We had two amazing guides, as well as a handful of porters (yes this was a very bougie experience) who taught us so much. I’m remain so grateful to this day that we ended up in their care.

That one trip set me on a path to exploring the outdoors, and since 2019 I’ve been to over 20 national parks in the U.S., as well as a number of other parks and mountains around the world. Every time I’ve gone out into the wilderness I’ve learned something new. That is particularly true of experiences with guides. They are guides for a reason and they know how to make your time outside as enjoyable as possible.

These are the tips and tricks that I’ve picked up, and have stuck with me. Many time I run through this checklist in my head before, and during any hikes, trail runs, climbs, or camping trips. For sure there are more complicated things to know depending on what you’re doing. But these basic guidelines to follow will help make your time a little bit better.

1. When you begin your hike, always start out a little cold. Once you start moving you’ll be surprised how fast you warm up. Especially if you’re starting with elevation gain. Start cool. Put your hands in your pockets. You can stop do add a layer if you need it. 

2. When you get to the summit, a peak, or a nice place for a snack, zipper up and/or layer up before doing anything else. Peeing, eating, drinking, should all come second. You’ll be surprised how fast your body cools. 

3. Don’t fall. The first thing we learned during our crampon training before climbing Mt. Rainier was “don’t fall.” So simple and stupid but so effective. During the whole descent of that mountain (which was around 6-7 hours if I recall), when my legs were jello and my feet were throbbing with blisters, all I repeated over and over to myself was “don’t fall.” And somehow that little phrase carried me all the way down that mountain. And I shit you not, on the few instances when I lost focus of my phrase, and engaged in conversation, or allowed my gaze to wander, were all the times I almost fell. Don’t. Fall. 

4. You can radically change temperature by zipping up or down your clothes. Before taking a layer off, or putting a layer on, adjust the zipper on your jacket or quarter zip. Open or close the zippers in rain jacket arm pits. Take your hat off. Sometimes a simple change like that is all you need, and you’ll save yourself from having to make another stop. 

5. Carry nutrient dense food, and food you like. Sweet and savory trail mix is a favorite for obvious reasons. For one two night trip we packed pizza for the first night. It was fantastic. The longer the trip, the more variation you’re going to want. Try to balance flavor and texture, with being practical (you can’t pack the whole kitchen).

6. There is no such thing as bad weather. Only wrong gear. 

7. Which leads to 7. Have the right gear. My standard hiking gear is as follows:

   1. Sturdy footwear

   2. Quick dry socks

   3. Quick dry t-shirt

   4. Quick dry baselayer

   5. A hat (baseball or winter hat)

   6. Down vest (depending on temperature I’ll either start with this on, or stuff it in my pack)

   7. Down jacket (in my pack weather permitting)

   8. Rain jacket (in my pack weather permitting)

   9. Gloves (light or heavy depending on weather, in my back)

Warming up can be anything

I know how important a good warm up is, but the problem is that warming up invokes a feeling of boredom, and, when I’m crunched for time, and just trying to squeeze in a workout between everything else going on in my day, I end up skipping it, and jumping right into my workout.

I can get away with it for a few days, but I ultimately pay the price in the form of decreased range of motion and sometimes pain from a gunked up fascia. But, I still skip it more than I should. I have however found work around that enables me to get some chores done, and get my body warm for a workout.

If you’re working out at home, a warm up can be anything. Sweep out the garage for 5 minutes. Go walk around and water the plants. Organize that room, closet, or patio space you’ve been ignoring. Vacuum the house. Do a big load of dishes. I don’t know if many prominent fitness people would agree with me or not, but I think that if the choice is nothing, or 10 - 20 minutes of house chores, that’s better than nothing.

A few recent examples:

Swept and swifered the mat in my garage. Plus a little more. Total time: 12 minutes.

Mowed and edged the lawn. Total time: 30 - 40 minutes.

Dug three holes to plant a shrub, a rose bush, and a plant. Total time: 20 - 30 minutes.

Not conventional, but better than nothing.

Workout Journal

I’m away at a conference for two days. I’m actually only 20 miles from where I live. But since Jen and I haven’t gotten away recently, and we needed to have a dog sitter anyway, we decided to use it as an excuse to get away. So, we’re spending two nights in a cozy hotel, in a cute little town.

All I brought with me to exercise is two resistance bands. A 15 - 35 lb, and a 25 - 65 lb.

Today was day 1 of the conference, and I thought if I got up at 6 am it would leave me enough time to get through my morning routine (including my daily Campfire Squat Test), as well as my workout. Turns out, not so much. I barely had time to drink a coffee (the result of a broken machine in the lobby).

All I had it turns out was 12 minutes extra before we had to go. I know this because that is how long I exercised for this morning. I got through 3 rounds of my first superset, and that was it. We were out the door.

In a past life that would have frustrated me the whole day. I would’ve been pissed that “I didn’t get my workout in.” But at present I just accepted it, and decided when I got back to the hotel after the conference I would finish my workout. And that’s what I did.

Most of us have this idea in our head that our workouts have to be long, hard, and continuous. And that message couldn’t be further from the truth. The only thing that matters in the long run is consistency. Something I’m trying to show to people through my 30 days challenges. First, the push up challenge in which I went from 31 push ups on day 1, to averaging over 50 in the last 7 days. And the second one where I’m working on nailing at least one Campfire Squat (feet and knees together, ass to the ground). I’m currently able to do 0, and it’s been 5 days (but I’m getting closer).

The point is, feel free to break out of whatever mold you’ve been led to believe is true when it comes to exercise. If you can only fit 1 push up in the morning into your routine. Do 1 push up. If you only have 12 minutes. Do 12 minutes. If you find time later in the day, pick up the rest.

It feels good to be on the other side of a manic mentality when it comes to fitness. There’s so much more to fitness than killing yourself with a workout and torturing yourself with a diet. Take whatever size steps you can towards a healthier you.