Your Pack - one day trip

The three month training for Mt. Whitney successfully ended last week as 8 of 9 summited the 14,500 peak on September 4th. It was a fun trip for everyone and with lasting memories.

It is now that time to unpack gear and put things away. The pack is your life line to make the journey safe, fun, and tasty!! After wearing it for so many hikes, I knew exactly where each nibble, lube, band-aid would be. That is a good sign of a loyal pack.

Here are some items I carried in my pack and on my own body for the 16-hour (22 mile) hike from Whitney Portal to Whitney Summit. My pack weighed in at 16 lbs. Other packs varied from 10-30 lbs!!!

1. Daystar Camelback 70 oz pack - link to item

2. 1.5 liters of water (in bladder)

3. bike bottle for electrolytes

4. walkie-talkie

5. food (the most important item): fresh fruit (grapes, apples, blueberries), powerbar energy blasts, half-submarine sandwich for the peak (super tasty), pita chips, chocolate covered pretzels, prosciutto, Joe-Joe's cookies from Trader Joes, power bar, MoJo bar

6. first aid kit/soft splint (i was a bit paranoid)/hand sanitizer/emergency blanket

7. hat/gloves

8. sunscreen SPF 100

9. windbreaker

10. blister defense (never had to use it thankfully)

11. bug repellent

12. headlamp (with extra batteries)

13. pen/paper

14. map

15. camera/cell phone

16. water purifier - should have used it more often. one can expect to drink 3-5 liters of water when climbing mt. whitney in a day. i was think i can get away with 2 liters but i always run out.

17. how can i forget.... 2 WAG bags! oh the shame!

18. TP & baby wipes

19. permit

on my body (besides clothes)

1. lipbalm with SPF

2. ipod shuffle

3. HR monitor (had during hikes - average heart rate was 100-120 bpm)

Train hard! Train Smart!

nutrition project - Isagenix (Final - week 3)

The final week on Isagenix was by far the easiest. I got used to drinking a lot more water, gravitated toward fruits and vegetables, craved the green 'yucky' juice, and my mind was very clear. Though I was not looking to lose weight, I lost two pounds and my muscles got more defined. There was a day during a training hike (in preparation for Mt. Whitney) that I got a terrible headache from the very start that ended with me running out of the car to puke. Not sure what happened - I can only conclude that I wasn't getting enough calories and my body just shut down.

Though I'm now not officially on The Cleanse, I still do the morning shake (it tastes good and gives me a ton a protein and two servings of fruit) and the greens. I am drinking more water these days and drinking less alcohol simply by choice. Actually dumped the rest of my wine tonight...just didn't taste the same.

I wanted to see how it would affect my performance and minus the stint on the hike, my performance is solid. My running is faster and the classes I teach are more intense.

Next steps.. research a maintenance phase to continue to add B12, protein, and all the super greens. They have an athletes pack that has many of these items.

All in all, I am pleased with how I feel and my mind feels very calm and clear.

Steady mind, strong body! Train smart

Cynthia

nutrition project - Isagenix (week 2)

I'm wrapping up my second week. After two weeks of a multitude of different nutrients, i must say that I feel wonderful! Here is what the 30-day plan consist of: twice a day protein shake, shot of 'superfood' in the morning/night, Isoflush at night (you can only imagine), and lots of water. The plan is to eat one 'sensible' meal a day but because of my concern to maintain weight, I eat two meals a day in addition to the shakes (and I really like the shakes). The last day of each week is a Cleanse Day where you drink 'Cleanse For Life' concoction four times a day and drink lots of water. Here are some highlights of the last two weeks:

Moods - stable and I feel grateful and peaceful.

Cravings - for awhile I wasn't craving coffee but I can't resist the morning cup of joe. But I don't drink the same amount and I can't do a double espresso anymore. I have so much energy that having too much coffee makes me act like a crazy chipmunk! I do have my beer/wine at night; but like the coffee, don't go for the second one.

Energy - wonderful!

two crazy/weird side affects that i wasn't expecting -

1. complexion - my skin totally broke out after a week like i was a high-school kid. It was so embarrassing. But I held tight and after two weeks, it is totally clearing up.

2. 'that time of the month' - about a week before my period, I get shortness of breath which is an indication of my iron levels dropping. Didn't even phase me this time. I had super mild cramping but that was the extent of my 'PMS'.

More on Cleanse Day next time. It is an interesting experience. So far, I'm very pleased with how I feel.

Drink Water!

Cynthia