You are here: Home / Archives for kilimanjaro

Sleep: Key #10 to Summiting Kilimanjaro

By Leave a Comment

KilimanjaroI am a big fan of sleeping, and have what have been called mad sleeping skills.

I almost always sleep on planes, and can nap on a moment’s notice. I’m definitely more on the 8-9 per night end of things, and I am outright cranky when I don’t get enough sleep.

Last week I even napped on an office floor because I was so tired. No, not recommended, but it worked in a pinch.

So, the idea of eight nights in a tent in freezing conditions didn’t thrill me. We weren’t allowed to use sleeping pills on the trail so it wouldn’t mask the signs of altitude sickness, and I’m a chronic night owl. So, knowing how wonderfully (NOT!) I perform sleep deprived, I was a bit anxious with long days in unknown conditions ahead of me.

Lack of sleep can be more dangerous than drunk driving

Lack of sleep is indicted in an awful lot of things. For my Kilimanjaro trek, there were only a few things I cared about:  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lifestyle

Food: Key #9 to Summiting Kilimanjaro

By Leave a Comment

KilimanjaroI have the misfortune of being extremely food-friendly.

I love to eat just about anything. I can’t eat gluten, and soy and I don’t do well either, but I assure you if I could eat them, I would.

4,000-9,000 calories per day

Turns out, my love of food suited me quite well on Kilimanjaro. I have no idea how many calories I did burn per day, but estimates range from 4,000-9,000 per day burned on the climb. All I know was that it was pretty awesome, being able to eat as much food as I wanted and not have to worry about it. That will never, ever happen again in my life!

Food intolerances

I was pretty worried about the food before I got there. Being gluten-free can be a huge pain in the butt in the States sometimes, and I knew they like to serve plenty of carbs on Kilimanjaro for energy. I had visions of these plates of pasta being served to the rest of my group, and me trying to subsist on my Perfect Foods Bars. Those bars are like crack to me, but trying to subsist on them could prove to be a different story.

Fortunately, Tusker Trails was amazing. They ensured that everything I ate was gluten-free.

I had brought all sorts of digestive aids and supplements just in case, but by the fourth day I said to myself, “OK, they aren’t going to poison me” and stopped taking them.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lifestyle

Strength: Key #8 to Summiting Kilimanjaro

By 1 Comment

KilimanjaroHow strong do you need to be to climb Kilimanjaro?

Strong enough.

Before I climbed Kilimanjaro I would have said that strength really isn’t a factor. Even now, my personal experience says that strength isn’t a factor, but watching my climbing companions I know that simply isn’t true.

They frequently struggled, particularly on the steep ascents and descents. They would often say to me that I would arrive in to camp at the end of the day the way they felt at the beginning of it.

I’m lucky. I’m one of those people that rapidly builds strength, and in just a couple of training sessions I can return back to whatever my previous maximum had been in a lift. Since I get a lot of “I hate you” looks from people when I say that, apparently isn’t true for everyone. But, I’m going to take my one physical genetic gift and run with it. Apparently being strong is my thing!

But, back to Kilimanjaro…  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lifestyle

Vision: Key #7 to Summiting Kilimanjaro

By 2 Comments

Computer Eyes“The eyes are the windows to the soul.”

Most windows are two ways, and the eyes are also the body’s primary input for how it gets information about what is going on around us.

Two Eyes, One Brain (aka, how our eyes work)

A real quick anatomy lesson to explain why proper eye function was important on Kilimanjaro. I promise — this will be painless.

We have two eyes, right? But, we only see one set of information (right now, that information is what is on this screen).

When we are look around, the brain takes in the information from both eyes and matches up the information from each eye to create a single image. But, if your eyes aren’t working together your eyes will send mismatched information, much like when you take a photo with the camera shaking. When that happens the brain throws out one set of information to avoid giving us a giant headache.

So, now we are working with one data point, and not two. Just like you need three data points to triangulate on a location for something (I think I’ve been watching too many crime shows on Hulu), the eyes need information from both eyes to have depth perception.

OK, anatomy lesson over. Phew!

Lacking Depth Perception = Bad

If both eyes aren’t working together you don’t have depth perception. Not having depth perception when you are spending days on end climbing up and down rocks is ROUGH. Your body doesn’t reliably know how far up, or down, that next step is. So, you are foot strikes are more abrupt than they should be, you are missing steps, unsteady when your foot sets down, etc. Those little mis-steps accumulate, and when you are taking well over ten thousands steps per day — which we were — it can become a real problem.

In addition to growing up not breathing right, my eyes have also become wonky (that’s a technical term) from years and years at a computer. Fortunately, most eye function is controlled by muscles, and muscles can be retrained.

Vision training is a ginormous field of study that goes well beyond a visit to the optometrist. And, with that, there are countless ways to correct vision that don’t involve getting glasses, contacts, or surgery. We’re going to start here really small. If you want to know more, shoot me a note in the comments below.

Vision Training Drills

Pencil Push-Ups

This is a great exercise for getting the eyes better coordinated and working better at close distances.

  • Hold a pencil directly out in front of your face, tip up.
  • Slowly bring the pencil in towards the tip of your nose, keeping your focus on the pencil tip.
  • When the pencil tip doubles, then bring the pencil back away from your face.
  • Repeat 4-5 times

If your eyes are working well, then you should be able to get the pencil tip virtually to the end of your nose.


Eye Tracking

This exercise is great for getting your eyes muscles to work through all of the movements they are capable of.

  • Hold your finger out in front of you.
  • Take your finger and draw a large circle, tracking your finger with both eyes.
  • Continue to make a circle (you can change hands) or create other shapes with your finger for about a minute


While simple, they are really effective exercises designed to get both eyes working together and more accustomed to working in places and distances we don’t normally look.

Filed Under: Lifestyle

Balance: Key #6 to Summiting Kilimanjaro

By 1 Comment

Barranco WallOn day 5 we started our morning with a climb up a 500-foot lava rock wall.

It wasn’t a technical climb (meaning no ropes, carabiners, etc), but there were times it was close.

I remember two very distinct moments when I said to myself, “If I miss a step here I’m dead.”

Obviously, since I lived to tell about it, I managed that step just fine.

It’s tough when you can’t trust your body

It can be scary, though, if you don’t feel you can trust that you are going to step where you need to and can maintain your balance while pulling your body weight across a 4 foot cravass (don’t tell my brother).

Navigating a cravass is an extreme example – and doing that is not just balance, but also strength, and overcoming the fear of falling. But, there were balance challenges every single day. Some days were hours on end of scrambling up and down rocks. For me, the more technical the hiking, the more fun I had. For others in my group, it was sheer torture.

I do a lot of balance training on my own and with clients. It’s simple and it reflects the balance skills you need in the real world. Here is a simplified version to get you started.

Basic Balance Training

  • Stand on one leg.
  • Quickly turn your head left (while still on on leg). Stay there for 10-15 seconds.
  • Put your leg down and head back to center to reset.
  • Get back on one leg and turn your head quickly to the right. Stay there for 10-15 seconds.
  • Put your leg down and head back to center to reset.
  • Repeat with the other leg

(You can also try other head positions and eventually graduate to eyes closed)

How did that go for you?

My guess is that simple did not equal easy in this case.

Yes, this training applies in real life

Sometimes I get asked, “but when would I do this in the real world.”  My answer is, “do you ever turn your head to talk to someone while walking?” About 80% of our gait cycle (walking) is on one leg or the other, so this most definitely reflects the real world. You can then expand this exercise to looking and down. And, for an added challenge, try doing it with your eyes closed. Why eyes closed? Ever blink, sneeze, or cough while walking?

These are the same drills I did to prepare for Kilimanjaro (in addition to actually climbing in similar conditions). I needed my body to be able to trust that it could safely be on one leg with my head in different positions, eyes open or eyes closed.

The drills, combined with my other training, worked great. I never questioned a foot position, wasn’t wobbly on one leg while going up or down, and was able to navigate the rocky conditions with ease.


Although some people would classify me as an adrenaline junkie — I’m so not. I’m very opposed to putting my life in danger, but I do like pushing myself. And, I believe there is a very distinct line between those two.

For more about balance training, check out the Z-Health Essentials of Elite Performance DVD.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Filed Under: Lifestyle
« Older Posts