Crooked Thumb

Photo: A purposeful life backpacking in the Escalante Wilderness. Credit: Paul Gardner, 2019.

The names on the map tell stories: Scorpion Gulch, Deadman Ridge, Carcass Canyon, Fifty Mile Cliffs, Rattlesnake Bench and Little Death Hollow. This is the Escalante, three million acres of National Monument and National Recreation Area in Southern Utah; among the most remote and rugged wilderness in the contiguous United States.

Over the course of eight days in 2019, Paul Gardner and I hiked, climbed and forded over 80 miles of trail less and trackless high desert canyon country: beautiful, dangerous and unforgiving. We were totally alone, finding only an occasional foot print in the sand or cairn marking the route through a cliff band.

This edition of What I Learned This Week is titled A Purposeful Life: Training for Sport, Adventure and Life. Training for sport, adventure or life gives you purpose. The competition may take days, an adventure a week or more. Staying healthy and fit is a year-round endeavor. In his book The Blue Zones: Nine Lessons for Living Longer, Dan Buettner writes about the importance of having a sense of purpose. Training for sport, adventure and life gives you a reason to get up in the morning. Early spring is the perfect time to train for spring and summer activities. In this article, I cover four areas that are critical for keeping you competitive, injury free and functionally independent

Aerobic Capacity

Scientists and athletes use VO2 Max as a measure of aerobic capacity. A high VO2 Max is the best indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance. As we age we lose aerobic capacity. The average 60 year-old male has half the VO2 Max as a 20 year-old. Aerobic interval training improves cardiovascular fitness more than moderate intensity continuous exercise.

I incorporate interval training into programing for my clients ranging in age from early fifties to mid-eighties; and ability from elite athletes to those who have not had a regular exercise program for years. Read my article Interval Training: Live Longer, Live Healthier for more about interval training

You can adapt these principles to any sport: running, pickle ball, tennis, triathlons, skiing, hiking and mountain climbing. The goal is training to get you ready for your sport, adventure, or to improve your overall fitness. Read my article Into the Cold: Training for Backcountry Skiing for an example of a progressive training program.   

Strength Training

The loss of fitness with aging relates directly to muscle strength; true for sport specifics muscles and overall strength. Strength training does not mean developing big, bulging muscles. With my clients, we work on building strong, aerobically active muscles. Muscle groups that are in natural balance keep you injury and pain free.

We lose bone mass and density as we age. Especially for men after age fifty and women after menopause. In addition, bones become more brittle. Evidence exists that the risk of lower than normal bone density or osteopenia is greater for those who don’t exercise and for cyclists that ride exclusively. Studies show older cyclists are at greater risk of bone damage than younger cyclists.

Strength and resistance training is improves performance, prevents injury, and gives you a better quality of life. Make sure you allow for adequate recovery between workouts. See my article Recovery: The 50+ Athletes Secret Weapon

Flexibility, Mobility, and Balance

As we age, our joints become stiffer and less flexible. Muscles also become rigid with age. Risk of injury increases due to loss of strength, instability, restricted mobility and flexibility.

I stress exercises that improve your mobility by working your muscles over their full range of motion. It is possible to maintain range of motion and improve it, even into your 70s and 80s. Balance is another skill that deteriorates with age. With that deterioration comes the risk of injury. I work with my clients using a wide variety of exercises designed to improve balance and mobility.

Spring Nutrition: Emerging from Hibernation

If you gained a few pounds this winter, no worries. If you gained more than ten pounds, you have an issue. Read my article Get Lean and Stay Lean: 7 Strategies for Losing Weight

One thing I learned over the years is you can’t exercise your way to lower weight. You have to be disciplined with your nutrition. Start with purging processed food and “comfort food” from your diet. Add more protein and healthy fat; cut your carb intake. Be careful when you eat.

I teach my clients how to use low to moderate intensity aerobic intervals to improve their body’s ability to burn fat. See my article Fat for Fuel on how this works.

A Purposeful Life

My Family gives me purpose. My job as a personal trainer gives me purpose. Writing gives me purpose.

In the Escalante wilderness, we crossed miles of sand dunes under a fierce desert sun. We faced canyon walls of red sandstone. Where the climbing was steep and exposed, we hauled or lowered our packs; then ascended or descended unroped using the friction of our climbing shoes and holds called Moqui steps cut by Indians hundreds of years ago. We drank from creeks, springs and potholes.

At the end of each long day, we camped under Cottonwood trees in canyon bottoms or high above the canyons on slick-rock benches, watching the land and sky change colors. The weather varied from hot windless days to violent thunderstorms, cold steady rain, and strong winds. On our last night we both fought to keep our tents from blowing away. The next morning we struggled to ford the rain-swollen mud-brown waters of the Escalante River. I have a passion for adventure. Training gives me a reason to wake up in the morning.

Photo: Escalante wilderness 2019