My first mountain climbing expedition was a success. What a challenge! This kind of thing is right down my alley. And I could certainly get used to the beautiful Colorado scenery.

Last week I joined Larry Howald and a few other guys as they attempted reach seven 14,000ft summits in seven days to raise money for Parkinson’s research. I only had two days so I was able to reach four of the summits.

It was as demanding an experience as I expected. My physical and mental endurance was seriously tested. It was a great way of testing my fitness, and I enjoyed doing something completely new. (we didn’t do much mountain climbing growing up in Crawfordsville)

On the Day 1 we tackled three of the summits: Democrat, Lincoln, and Bross. It took over seven hours for the trip up and back. Going up is definitely an intense workout. What is surprising is how strenuous the descent is. Coming down is hard. Unlike biking, there’s no coasting. Mentally, you have to stay focused on where you are putting your feet each step. From a cardio standpoint it is easier than the ascent but controlling your momentum really works the muscles, and it is especially hard on the feet (my toes are still recovering).

Day 2 we climbed to the Quandry peak. This climb took 5 1/2 hours by itself. Since this was primarily a lower body workout, I added some upper body work. On the way up I did 160 push-ups, and another 40 on the way down.

The views were awesome, a great reward for the hard work. You had to earn them. I’ll post some pictures and videos later this week.

Time I spent hiking local trails to get ready was helpful. Next time I’ll plan on spending more time on my feet to better prepare for that aspect. What I can tell you for certain is that boot camp prepared me very well to take on this challenge. I wouldn’t change anything about that part of my preparation.

Thanks to Larry for inviting me to be part of his team. I’m looking forward to my next chance to climb. And It’s not too late if you want to contribute to a good cause and help fight Parkinsons.

To experience the greatest level of fitness you have to combine an effective exercise plan and good nutrition. It takes a focus on diet AND exercise to achieve your fitness goals. At Fitness By Design we stress the importance of both components.

One of the ladies from my boot camp class has seen improvement since she upped her commitment to nutrition.

“I’m sleeping and eating better since doing the fitness boot camp. Boot camp alone did not work well till I started being accountable for my nutrition as well. Now I’ve lost weight, and the results are being noticed by family and friends.”

Kathryn has experienced great results since she started working with Andrew, one of our personal trainers, and attended the Slim Down nutrition class. Here’s what she wrote on her blog:

“I’ve been able to shed the same amount of weight in 10 weeks that took me 6 months to do before! I am really seeing results at FBD, especially since I’ve combined better nutrition with all the exercise.”

Why not get serious about both your fitness this summer? If you’ve been in the fitness boot camp class then try a Slim Down class. If you’ve done the nutrition class but not boot camp then sign-up for it. Eat right and exercise to see some real results. Let me know how I can help you meet your goals.