TIPS AND TRICKS: FOOT CARE FOR ADVENTURERS

Photo Courtesy: takealonghike.com

Take Care of Your Feet

There is no tool or equipment more essential to an adventurer than their feet. If your feet are not healthy, it rips the fun out of any adventure.

No matter the sport, if you hike, ski, swim, bike, surf, or anything else, your feet are essential to achieving your goals. 

When I was going through Army basic training at Ft. Benning GA and the first 20 mile road march was coming up, the Drill Sergeants gave us all plenty of good advice about preventing and managing blisters. They suggested keeping our feet clean and dry, wearing two pairs of socks, using mole skin on the hot spots, changing socks during the march, and finally (believe it or not) wear pantie hose. Yes, pantie hose.

Naturally, a bunch of testosterone-filled, infantry trainees were going to have no part of wearing pantie hose... till the second road march came along. As it turned out, pantie hose help considerably in preventing blisters and also improve circulation to the legs.

These days however, technology has much improved socks, boots, and other things that will help prevent blisters on your feet, but certain needs still must be addressed... like proper fitting footwear and keeping your feet clean and dry.

BMC out of the UK has a great article on their website about help with foot care on the trail. 

Their article explains some of the painful details about friction blisters, risk factors, prevention, treatment, complications, and more...

Check it out at the link HERE... Warning: Graphic pics ahead

Take care of your feet adventurers... they are an essential resource!

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Nutrition For Adventurers... Pt. 2 - Fruit for the Trail

Photo courtesy of KitchenStewardship.com

As we mentioned in the last article, Nutrition for Adventurers... Pt. 1, fruits and vegetables are a very important source of energy-giving carbohydrates that are much needed when on the trail. Problem is, fruits don't keep well in the heat, they take up space, they weigh a lot when in abundance, are messy, and attract ants, bugs, and even bears.
The best way to take fruits and some vegetables with you is to dehydrate them before you go. Dehydrating your fruits has many benefits when you get down to it. They weigh less and take up less space because they are no longer water-filled. They will keep longer for the same reasons. They retain their nutritional value. And finally, they will give you the much needed energy boost that you will need when the day gets long and you are tired. The only real drawback is that they no longer serve as a method of hydration.

So get yourself a dehydrator before your next adventure and get ON it... your body will thank you.

Next: Protein on the trail

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Nutrition For Adventurers… Pt. 1 – Pre-Adventure Nutrition…

Copyright 2012 - Human Spirit of Adventure

Proper nutrition is essential for any adventurer. Spending hours, days, or even weeks on the trail can take a major toll on the body. Hiking, backpacking, skiing, climbing, and many other adventure sports require the body to spend its reserves to keep pushing through the tough times.

In this series, we will be discussing various ways to keep the body nourished both prior to your adventure and during.

Proper nutrition and body preparation starts at home long before your adventure begins. We all know that exercise and keeping the body conditioned is essential, but most of us lack on the proper diet. Eating right, if not your everyday thing, should become a priority during the months leading up to your adventure.

To gear your body, you should take in the proper amounts of protein, carbs, and fats… yes, fats. Fat is what you want your body to feed from when it goes into the reserves. If your fat content is too low, the body will begin to burn its lean muscle (after all, muscle is nutritious).

One area where people have a common failing is getting the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables in their diets. The old adage of “5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day” is no longer adequate says the medical guru’s. According to the CDC, Adults need anywhere from 7-13 cups of produce daily to get all the health benefits of fruits and vegetables -- including possible protection against obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

I know what you’re saying… “How am I going to fit 7 to 13 cups of fruit or vegetables into my diet?”

The best way that I have found to do this is to drink my fruits and eat my vegetables. That’s right… I eat my vegetables like cucumbers, squash, carrots, etc. as their regular chunky and crunchy selves, but I drink my fruits. No, I’m not talking about buying expensive fruit juices, loaded with extra sugars either… I make non-dairy smoothies.

Smoothies are an easy way to get the servings down because it is far easier to drink than to eat. Now I’m not talking about buying those wallet-draining, calorie-loaded, sugar-filled, smoothies from Whole Foods or somewhere like that. I make mine right at home using whole fruits bought from the local market, tossing them into the blender, adding a little water, and viola… a perfect non-dairy smoothie.

Copyright 2012 - Human Spirit of Adventure

Here is one of my favorite recipes:

½ cup of blueberries

½ cup of raspberries

½ cup of blackberries

1 cup of grapes

1 large banana

1 large orange

3 cups water

Blend or puree to desired consistency. Leave in the pulp for needed fiber

It's important to eat a rainbow of colored fruits and vegetables every day. The pigments act as antioxidants -- helping to rid your body of "free radicals," that can damage cells.

This blended smoothie yields about eight servings of fruit… if you drink half today, along with the hard veggies at your regular meals, then you have it made and didn’t have to overstuff your gut to do it.

So in your preparations for your next adventure, remember to eat right, get all of your fruits and veggies, and get strong. So go make yourself a smoothie and enjoy!

Next: Fruit on the trail

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EXPEDITION: Big Bend - Pt. 2 - Trail Fitness

Photo Courtesy of National Park Service

Trail Fitness... Before taking on an expedition such as Big Bend National Park, it would seem that trail fitness is a must.
Big Bend has such a wide variety of landscapes, from the mountains, to the rugged deserts, to the river canyons, it is obvious that this land can break you if you aren't ready for it.

About 2 months ago, when I decided that I wanted to take on a hiking expedition, I knew that I needed to ready myself for it. Even though I did not yet know my destination or the timeframe, as an experienced hiker, I knew it was best to start preparing myself early.
I had put on a couple of pounds from sitting behind the desk too long, so I began my fitness routine by putting myself on a diet and cardio training. As I knew that hiking would be by adventure, instead of running or jogging, I decided to train for the actual event. I began a regimen of Power-walking. At first I was doing a 2 mile flatland hike at a power-walk pace, gradually increasing the time as well as distance. I am now completing a 3 mile flatland hike/power-walk in 38 minutes, so now it is time to add a weighted pack into the mix. Since I live in a relatively flat coastal area, I will add dune-climbing and stair climbing to the regimen also.
I also began a series of stretching exercises to increase my flexibility as well as strength training focusing mainly on lower body, core, shoulder, and back strength.

The diet has been... fun? No, seriously it has been interesting. I gave up all fast-food sources and junk food. I have also given up red meat and cut the starches to a minimum. It has been basically chicken, fish, turkey, and whole fresh vegetables. every once in a while there is some white or brown rice and even more rare is pasta.

The fitness routine is working... I've lost almost 20 pounds of fat, added 5 pounds of muscle, and feel better than I have in a long time. Fitness is crucial for a back country expedition... I plan to be ready for whatever Big Bend can throw at me.

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