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Life’s an Adventure: Where’s your Summit?

Dave Turpin


One of our newest clients is preparing for a real-life adventure.  He’s training to complete a 3 day ascent up 14,000 feet of glacier capped, volcanic mountainside:  Mount Rainier in Washington State.  Assuming he makes it up the mountain carrying a 40 pound pack, then he’ll need to concern him self with safely getting back down the mountain. 

 

As if it’s not interesting enough, he may need to expedite his descent to avoid incoming weather that can add another layer of hazards to the day.

Before he even starts out on his trip he has some advantages working for him:

·         He’s relatively young (early thirty’s).

·         He’s actively athletic… plays competitive hockey 2-3 times a week.

·         He’s going with at least one friend/associate who has attempted to climb the mountain but didn’t quite make it…  Hopefully he will not underestimate the task at hand.

·         He recognizes that in order to succeed he’ll need to be in the best functional condition of his life… and that getting there will require a professionally designed road map.

And then there are a few disadvantages working against him that he simply can not overcome:

·         He’s inexperienced at mountaineering.  He has a friend who’s been there, but there’s no replacement for first-hand tried it, been there, done it, got the tee shirt.

·         Training in Charlotte, NC does not afford him to prepare for the challenges of low oxygen density found at high altitude.  We’re all familiar with the challenges of professional athletes playing at “mile high stadium”.  Try sucking wind at two-miles-high.

·         He’ll have to face down his own fears and resolve his internal conflicts.  He probably doesn’t even know what they are yet… so preparing for them is somewhat futile.

Preparing for his climb requires commitment and unwavering resolve.  The goal is well defined:  Getting to the top and back safe and secure.  The pre-event activities need to be laser-focused and congruent to the task at hand.

Most clients at Desk Jockey Fitness are not preparing for action adventures.  Instead they are trying to improve their flexibility, balance, strength and power to allow them to overcome more practical challenges than climbing a volcanic summit…  Like placing an infant in the car seat without throwing out their back…  Or taking a bag of grass seed out of the trunk…  Or pushing on a commercial grade door to get into one of Charlotte’s beautiful uptown skyscrapers… Or maintaining a rock solid posture while swinging a golf club at near maximum speed and power.

You may not be planning an ascent up a mountain, but I’ll bet that if you gave it some thought you have your own functional challenges ahead that could benefit from a bit of encouragement, guidance and accountability.  Are you ready to assess and address your own personal summits?


Dave Turpin a certified personal trainer and is the owner of Desk Jockey Fitness, a functional fitness studio in Pineville, NC.  He can be reached for comment or consultation at dave@deskjockeyfitness.com.

 

 

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Mission Statement Desk Jockey Fitness is a wellness facilitation center, teaching our clients how to feel good—both in body and in mind. Our clients’ successes are based on their strong desire to restore their self-confidence, to improve their body image, and to live productive, pain-free lives. Our clients provide the determination; Desk Jockey Fitness provides the tools in a private, non-judgmental setting. We accomplish measurable results through a holistic mix of functional exercise instruction, nutritional counseling, and lifestyle coaching, a dash of motivation and copious doses of accountability. Looking for a “new you?” It’s time to discover the Desk Jockey difference.

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Desk Jockey Fitness

10700 Kettering Drive

Charlotte, North Carolina 28226

704-541-0041