Folks who read this weekly blog know that I am a big advocate of planning fitness trips. I do these at least twice per year and they involve hiking or snow skiing usually. Sometimes I will throw in surfing. The key is to plan for it and give it everything you have when your event happens. If you do this twice per year I can tell you from experience, as a 62 year old now, that you can achieve a total body reset to a point where you felt at years younger in age. If you always have something to train for, then your workouts will have more meaning and you will stay in better shape.

When your fitness event happens, and if you perform your event with vigor and passion, then you will experience many multiples worth of results as if it were a total reset for your body and mind!

What’s amazing to me, after six months of training hard at HOTWORX to prep for a climbing or skiing trip, I get to take my fitness to an even higher level when I layer that vacation event on top.

Here’s a recap of my latest trip, climbing the volcanoes of Mexico. We reached the summit of Malinche, the 6th tallest mountain in Mexico in the afternoon before we made our climb on Pico de Orizaba, Mexico’s highest peak. The strategy was to use the Malinche climb to acclimatize our bodies for the big climb the next night. It took about five hours to get to the top of Malinche with a calorie burn of 3500. The very next night we began our ascent from the base camp of Orizaba with helmets and headlamps on. We were packing ropes, harnesses and crampons in our backpacks for the technical climb at the top. Orizaba is an 18,500 foot monster. And, what a beast it was. We headed up right after midnight into six hours of very treacherous boulders on a steep incline and into the increasingly cold air as the oxygen began to decrease. We reached 17,000 ft. before having to make the painful decision to abort due to altitude sickness with my climbing partner Jeremy experiencing extreme headaches, and for me it was hallucinations with acute fatigue resulting from the very low oxygen levels at that height on Mexico’s tallest peak, which is the tallest volcano in North America. We didn’t summit Orizaba, but it was one great workout for sure! On those two mountains in two back to back days we had performed the equivalent of about 25 normal workout sessions based on our calorie burn. It was an ultimate success for our personal fitness levels…a total mind and body reset!

Here are some fun facts about those two mountains in case you want to try them out:

Climbing Malinche Volcano, located in central Mexico, can be a challenging yet rewarding experience for hikers. With an elevation of 4,461 meters (14,636 feet), the ascent tests physical endurance and mental toughness. The trail to the summit is steep and rugged, with varied terrain that includes loose rocks, dirt paths, and sections of dense forest. The altitude can cause difficulty for some climbers, leading to altitude sickness as the oxygen levels decrease. Weather conditions can also be unpredictable, with temperatures dropping significantly at higher elevations. Despite these challenges, the breathtaking views from the top, including panoramic vistas of the surrounding valleys and other volcanic peaks, make the climb worthwhile for those who are prepared and determined.

Altitude sickness, or acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a condition that occurs when people ascend to high altitudes too quickly, and it can affect climbers on mountains like Pico de Orizaba. As the body struggles to acclimatize to the lower levels of oxygen on ascent of that mountain, symptoms can range from headaches, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue to more severe issues like shortness of breath or fluid in the lungs. In some cases, hallucinations can occur due to the brain’s reaction to oxygen deprivation. On Pico de Orizaba, climbers pushing toward the summit at over 18,000 feet are particularly vulnerable to these effects. The thin air and challenging conditions, combined with exhaustion and dehydration, can lead to vivid hallucinations, where climbers may see things that aren’t there or experience distorted perceptions. These symptoms are often exacerbated by physical exertion and the stress of navigating the mountain’s icy, rocky terrain, making it crucial for climbers to ascend slowly and properly acclimate to avoid such dangers.

Ok, it doesn’t have to be an extreme hike, there are many, many types of fitness excursions that you can do. For example, why not plan for a yoga retreat somewhere. Costa Rica is really awesome for everything fitness like hiking, white water rafting, and some of the best yoga retreats in the world are there. Let your imagination be your guide when you plan your next fitness trip!

My advice as a trainer is to plan at least two vacations per year that involve a fitness excursion of your choosing, but make it a challenge for your fitness and something that you can be proud of doing. Step a little outside of your comfort zone, perhaps. This is YOU v. YOU. Keep yourself ready with the HOTWORX Training Method, and plan your next fitness adventure. It’s time to get out there and do more than just live, it’s time to REALLY LIVE!

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