Setting out on a different path

Here I sit, with lots of ideas and words and wishes to share about what is running through my head.

I am happy that I said yes.

I feel like I laid my heart open for this one. How can making a decision for yourself, about yourself, make you feel so vulnerable?

What is it?  A trip of a lifetime. I dive into a different world. I new mental challenge. A different type of physical challenge. Opening my eyes wider to the beauty that surrounds us. Trekking in the Himalayas for 23 days. Yes. I said yes. Oct 18th-Nov 11th…this year…like around the corner!

Who do I blame? Ha, gotta pass the torch to good friends Denise and Paul. Ever since I started chatting with Denise over workouts and hearing snip-its of the adventurous spirits that drive her and Paul, I kept letting my spirit jump with her stories and my imagination color the pictures.

“So, we are going to Nepal, we would love it if you came too”

Wow.

It is a possibility. It always is, but it practically just got placed in my lap.

Pondering the things that don’t matter: HOW many PTO days do I have saved? WILL work let me off?, HOW much money does this cost?, WHAT will my family think?, WHEN do I have to make this decision by? HOW am I going to make this decision?

Most big decisions in my life I’ve solved by going for a run. As you all know, this is not a successful option for me anymore. Ouch…we’ll just say for now.  So, I actually reached out to a few friends.

“You have to go” “This has your name all over it” “This is so you” “Is there even a question?”

One of my favorites: my private client hurries to get out of his chair, goes into his closet, reaches to the top into a wicker basket and pulls out a emergency warming blanket in a small ziplock. He hands it over to me and says, take it on your trip. I told him I hope when I’m 86 I can pass it on to someone who decides to take a trip of a lifetime. (see picture below)

Alright, alright. Thank goodness for friends who supported my excitement instead of letting me crutch on my sometimes too practical/rationale/conservative mind.

So I said yes.

Now what?

Continue what I started this summer: Hiking the 6 top SoCal Peaks. (see pictures below) Getting to some altitude regularly will remind me of snowboarding season…err will get my body ready for 10,000 feet (SoCal peaks)….hoping it will respond at 18,000ft. Time on my feet, breaking in my two pairs of shoes and practicing with my equipment. I have not hiked with trekking poles and I haven’t figured out my nutrition to minimize the insulin lows….so I’ve got a playground of mountains in the Eastern Sierras and even closer San Gabriels to trial and error before game time.

Clean eating: or not so much. So the diet on the trip consists of lots of pasta, white bread, and potatoes…the simple carbs with high glycemic indexes that I’ve worked to cut out over the past 2+ years. My stomach is iffy when in Mammoth…so I anticipate it being a little finicky at higher altitudes. Or maybe a lot. Preparing by getting my diet in line with the diet I’ll be eating on the trip and hoping to keep the added weight at bay. Coincidence in timing: at the gym the August challenge is to track your body fat percentage. On Aug 1st, I took a body composition assessment…started eating simple carbs same week. We’ll see what my August 31st reading is 🙂  Every one else is getting cleaner with their eating and sticking to strict diets….as I lax and let in the simple carbs. Not worried about it, grateful that food will be cooked and supplied for me on the Nepal trek…no complaints.  Body fat percentage: 21%….Goal: 17%….goal on hold…realistic goal with simple carbs: maintain 21%.

Dedicating more mindfulness to my workouts: We all know I workout a lot. It is how my body feels purposeful and alive. I am not doing any major changes to my workouts, just staying consistent and putting the mental game into it. When I want to back off, when I want to skip it or cut it short….mental game takes over and kicks back into gear. Stay strong, be strong, mental perseverance will keep the trek more enjoyable and satisfying. I may not have a race I am training for that keeps me on track, but this is a trip where the more conditioned your cardiovascular system the more enjoyable the trip should be. And I’m not quite at an altitude where genetics dominate. Motivation for sure!

Most importantly: jump on the bandwagon of excitement, enjoy shopping, researching, and buying hiking gear that will stand-up to 23 days, enjoy eating good food to fuel the journey, get a camera to document the journey, SHARE the excitement with friends, family, patients, acquaintances..open my heart to the experience, rebuild the fire, and let it go.  (oh man, Frozen just made it into my blog)

I hope you enjoy the words flowing fast and jump into the excitement with me. Although this trip will take me to a more solitude center, my yearning-to-relate spirit still wants to share it with whomever is interested.