Fitness And Fun after 50 (Partha63): Trek@50

Showing posts with label Trek@50. Show all posts

Sunday, May 16, 2021

FIRST TIME TREKKERS : COMMON HEALTH RELATED QUESTIONS ASKED - "FIT TO TREK@50" SERIES.

FIRST TIME TREKKERS : COMMON HEALTH RELATED QUESTIONS ASKED - "FIT TO TREK@50" SERIES.

Today, in continuation to my new series "FIT TO TREK@50", I will try to answer few of the most common health related questions asked by many of the first time trekkers who are in their 50's and above. Myself had tried to the best of my ability to give the answers after consulting & going through the write-ups of few experts & prolific trekkers who had been to some of the most difficult Himalayan terrane , and also few health experts, over and above myself had put in what ever experience I have in regards to trekking fitness requirements that is required for those who want to venture MOUNTAIN TREKKING for the first time.

Q1: I am 53 , not in any form of fitness routine so far, can I go for a mountain trek ?

Ans. : Why not ? You just have to work on few of the basics needed for mountain trekking - strength, endurance / stamina , body balance , mobility and mind set. You have to do regularly few very simple exercises , most of which you can do at your home only and do not require any equipment. Please remember that, when talking about MOUNTAIN TREKKING, we mean at an altitude which will vary from about 3000 meters to maximum 5000 meters above sea level, that to at locations with much easier trails, to start with.

Q2 : I have high BP issue, my age is 62 yrs., can I go for mountain trekking ?

Ans. : Yes, trekking to high altitude can be a fascinating experience. Unfortunately, people with pre-existing medical conditions find it difficult to travel to higher altitudes, especially if they have high blood pressure and are using medication for it. This is because higher altitudes causes your blood pressure to increase, leading to negative consequences.

However with the right precautions, even hypertensive patients can travel at higher altitudes safely. Here are some of the preventive measures that you can take :

a) The most basic thing you should know is how much ascend per day. Generally, it is considered wise to stop under 8000 feet or about 2400 meters and stay there for at least one night during the first leg of the trip. After that, ascend no more than 2000 feet at a time, with overnight stay between each ascent.

b) Talk to your doctor before making any plans to go trekking in order to adjust your medication (if necessary).

c) Stay hydrated as much as possible, as you are likely to experience dehydration while ascending which can cause an increase in blood pressure.

d) Reduce salt in your diet to help maintain blood pressure at a safe level.

e) Travel with a partner, or in a group just in case you (or someone else) requires help.

(Source : SWACON International Hospital)

Q3. : I am 55 yrs, old & have LOW BP, can I venture to mountain trekking ?

Ans. : Blood pressure changes are minimal the higher up you get. Doesn't mater if you have low BP. As long as the BP is regularly monitored, there is NO NEED NOT TO GO to altitude.

The only problem of course is the monitoring of it due to tiredness and usual HA problems.

(Source : ukclimbing.com)

Q4. : I am 61 yrs old,with cardiac related issues, can I afford to risk mountain trekking ?

Ans. : Pacemakers and defibrillators already allow some people with serious heart diseases to climb mountains and run marathons. (Source : WebMD)

Physical demands on the human body increase from altitudes of around 2,500 meters on wards. The higher we ascend in the mountains , the lower the partial pressure of oxygen at a given altitude. This decrease in available oxygen stimulates a higher respiratory rate, increased cardiac output, resulting greater stress on the cardiovascular system. It is especially important that people who suffer from particular cardiovascular heart diseases, or have recently suffered heart attack , should take great care when high up in the mountains.

"But these patients don't have to rule out a trek in the mountains completely, except in the case of very serious heart diseases", as per Dr. Hermann Brugger, emergency physician at the Eurac Research Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine and President of the International Society for Mountain Medicine.

(Source : sciencedaily.com)

Q5. : Can a diabetic do mountain trekking ?

Ans. : Trekking with diabetes is not as difficult as it sounds. As per Indiahikes, many trekkers with diabetes completing a lot of their difficult treks smoothly without any difficulties. If you are trekking with diabetes, especially doing a high altitude trek for the first time, start with an easy-moderate trek.

As per Diabetes.co.uk , those with type 2 diabetes who are treated by diet, exercise and oral medication, metformin, are very unlikely to suffer a hypo while hiking or trekking.

Q6. : My age is 54, but bit overweight , can I venture into mountain trekking ?

Ans. : Hiking and trekking are sports for all body shapes and sizes. With the right training , absolutely everyone should be happy to step onto any trail desire.

But lets face it, if you are carrying a few extra kilos, hiking or trekking can really grind you up. If you are trying to follow a traditional trek training program, you are just asking for trouble. One of the biggest issues with traditional trek training is the idea that you have to spend all your training either walking or hiking. This can work for some, if you are overweight it is not a good idea !

Instead you need to be smart about your training, and structure it to minimise any chance of discomfort or injury . "Off feet conditioning" is a valuable tool to use as part of anyone's trekking program. But if you are over weight, it goes from being valuable to absolute essential.

"Off feet conditioning" is simply doing exercises to develop your aerobic capacity & muscular endurance, without putting any stress through your feet and knees.

(Source : summitstrength.com.au)

Q7.: I have asthma, will it be possible for me to go for high altitude trekking ?

Ans. : You can still trek with asthma, but with the right precautions. You need to get a certificate of clearance from your doctor, to ensure that your symptoms are under control with medication. You will also need to follow a good fitness regime to be well prepared for the trek.

Try few smaller treks at first, when you see yourself doing well on these short treks, try something longer. I would advice not to trek if you have severe uncontrolled asthma.

(Source : indiahikes.com)

Q8. : We are an elderly couple in our early 60's, interested in trekking with some like minded people in a group, can you advice ?

Ans. : It is always advisable for elderly persons to trek in a group, especially if you are a first timer. There are many very reputed trekking tour operators with experienced guides, who can help you in this regard. But always do research on such trek operators before you proceed further.

We as fitnessfun50 are in the process to setup a FOUNDATION, to help and assist those in their 50's & above, to cherish their dream of nature trekking at various exciting locations in the laps of THE GREAT HIMALAYAS. We intent to have a team of young volunteers and experienced trekking guides who would be assisting you during your trekking experience.

This FOUNDATION will be operating on actual cost basis for those who can afford, but we also intend to make such treks COMPLETELY FREE OF COST for those who are not in a position to afford such a trek financially. As these treks in higher altitudes need some basic training, we intend in providing these training totally FREE for all.

Our main objective is to make all our senior citizens FIT & JOYFUL at least in their later part of LIFE, especially during these hard times. You should make your life after 50 "THE BEST", with lots of excitement & adventure.

IT'S NOT ABOUT HOW LONG YOU LIVE, IT'S HOW MUCH YOU LIVE.

For any physical ailments &/or diseases that you may be having, it is always advisable to speak to your doctor and get their agreement before making any changes to your medication dose and/or before going for a mountain trek.

Your valued comments, questions & suggestions in the comment section below, about this blog will be highly appreciated.

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Wednesday, May 12, 2021

9 BASICS FOR MOUNTAIN TREK TRAINING - "FIT TO TREK@50" SERIES .

9 BASICS FOR MOUNTAIN TREK TRAINING - "FIT TO TREK@50" SERIES .

Hello Friends !

LIFE should not get slow after 50, rather should accelerate on TOP gear.

From today I am adding a new subject to my blog page, in response to the demand by my numerous friends from India & abroad, who either follow my blogs, facebook page, Twitter, my facebook friends , or are my YouTube channel subscribers & viewers.

My intention in starting this blog series "FIT TO TREK@50" is not only to educate you all who are in your 50's & above to make you TREK-FIT , but also to motivate & encourage you for treks in and around INDIA at various exciting locations in the laps of the THE GREAT HIMALAYAS.

A trek can boost your metabolism for up to 12 hours after the trek ! Paring a healthy balanced diet with a daily walk and trek at least once a year can help you lose some amount of weight without even doing much exercise. Additional benefits of walking and trekking include strengthening your bones & improving your attention & memory. Specifically when trekking in nature, research has shown 20% increase in attention & memory. Sunshine provides VITAMIN D, breathing PURE AIR calms nervous system, the different COLOURS OF NATURE - GREEN walking or FOREST bathing (Nature Walking) is phenomenally good for our overall physical & mental health. It should be made a routine to at least go for a MODERATE / MID /HIGH ALTITUDE TREKKING for minimum 10-15 days in a year, considering the missing nature in most of our city life.

The need to walk or trek is baked into our DNA. We are meant to eat & then move & not eat & just sit on our butts. We are built to WALK. Walking or trekking has no age limit, rather you should walk or trek more as you age.

Walking & trekking are easy exercise that requires little effort, & benefits not only physical but also your mental well-being. If you are looking for a simple yet very effective way of losing weight & improving your overall health, walking and nature trekking is something just for you.

People who are physically active throughout their life are much less prone to disease than those who have more volume in their hippocampus - the part of the brain responsible for verbal memory and learning. A daily 30-45 minutes walk & occasional trekking helps avoid serious problems, like coronary heart disease to name one, by lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol levels thus improving blood circulation. Because of better quality and deeper breathing , some symptoms associated with lung diseases can show significant improvement, thanks to walking. Muscle tone and weight loss is also totally achievable through simple walking & trekking, especially when you trek in varied landscape.

Compared to normal daily walking, trekking needs some basic physical training and mental preparations that you can even do at your home, before planning for a trek, especially at mountains with varying altitude, living conditions, weather conditions with temperature change, and change in atmospheric oxygen level.

Trekking in mountains has no age restrictions, may it be moderate / mid / high altitude treks. What it basically requires is your mental preparedness, some very basic and simple strength, endurance, body flexibility, and mobility training. Which I will be guiding in my upcoming blogs under the series - "FIT TO TREK@50".

So, if you are in your 50's or 60's, do not get disappointed when I am mentioning the word ALTITUDE, myself is not telling you to climb Mount Everest.

You must have heard about TAMAE WATANBE of Japan, she was the oldest women to climb Mount Everest at the age of 73, in the year 2002. 👇

Also, YUICHI MIURA of Japan, oldest man who scaled Mount Everest at the age of 80, in the year 2013. 👇

Now talking of INDIANS, Ms. Premlata Agarwal scaled the summit of Mount Everest in the year 2011, at the age of 50. 👇

Also, Ms. Sangeeta S Bahl scaled Everest at the age of 53, in the year 2018. 👇

Not to forget about the Indian father & daughter duo who achieved the same laurel in the year 2018, father Mr. Ajeet Bajaj (53 yrs) & daughter Ms. Deeya Bajaj (27 yrs). 👇

All the above mentioned veterans scaled 8,848.86 meters. What I am trying to motivate you is to go for just anything between 3000 meters to maximum 5000 meters, depending on your preparedness and fitness level, that to at locations with much much more easier & comfortable trails than the Everest.

Now, just come out of your cocoon, keep your age, mind set and present fitness level aside, and Jump in for an exciting life which myself intent to take you to. Do not waste a single day of this short & uncertain life on this earth, LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH SOME MOTIVATION , ADVENTURE & LET'S TOGETHER SCALE NEW HEIGHTS, which you never thought of at your age. Generate the urge to live more joyfully with great health and with some excitement.

Let our MOTTO be :

"NOT TO DEPEND ON OTHERS, BUT TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATION".

This blog series is for you, if you are really interested in your own training. If you really want to learn and develop the knowledge and skills to be able to be consistent in your training and see improvement over training, and have more energy to feel better, to be stronger and perform better in the mountains, even after crossing the age of 50.

This is basically my manifesto, that is the 9 basic points, that you should focus during your training to prepare your MIND & BODY :

1. NUTRITION : the energy that you consume through your food is ultimately the energy that you put into your training, that is your output. I do not think here diets work.

2. MOBILITY : this is your ability to move body with the brain managing your body to be strong. This gives you injury prevention, as injuries are easier to prevent, than cure. As this will make you able to keep training and keep performing in the mountains without being injured, also your shoulders, fingers, elbows, legs has to be strong and mobile along with your joints, so that it ables you to stay at your best even after 50. Mobility training is very vital, as your hips, ankles and knees are normally prone to injuries in the mountains.

3. PERIODISATION : this is simply the process of dividing the weekly or monthly training plan into a series of manageable phases. Each phase can then target a specific or series of attributes to be developed within a designated period of time. Period of overload and recovery are designated within each phase.

You do not get stronger while you train, you only get stronger while you are resting. That is the period of time when your muscles are going through the phase of repairing that get torn during your training, that is when you are getting stronger. If you do not allow the rest or recovering time, then you will not get stronger. Also, need to get the body ask for more or push your body to a certain limit over time by extra killer reps or weights.

4. STRENGTH : if you do not have the strength to pull that one hard move, you have nothing to endure. You need to work on strength first, the endurance will come later. The major principles of strength that you should understand is something called "TIME UNDER TENSION".

5. FUNCTIONAL TRAINING : this is a huge element, I do not really see the point that just sitting on a machine in a gym doing isolation training particular muscle groups, rather you should put whole body to work for coordinating,stability, agility, body balance, with the brain engaged with the body.

6. KEEPING IT RELEVANT : do not want you to do 15 hours of swimming every week if your goal is to trekking in the mountains, as there are very few common movements between swimming and climbing and trekking in mountains. Swimming is a great exercise, but in reality there are not much cross over between swimming and mountain trekking. You really have to peak at what is relevant for your upcoming trek.

7. MAKING ROOM FOR PROGRESSION : all the exercises that you need to do should allow you to get better, if you simply are doing same exercises week in & week out , and there is no development and you are not asking your body to do more as mentioned earlier, means you are not trying optimally. You need to have plan for progression.

8. FUN & VARIETY : you should add fun and make your routine interesting, so that you do not get bored by doing same exercises. Keep your routine fluid and give as much variety.

9. CONSISTENCY : this is the most important of all. Consistency is the key. If you are doing some training program that is not really optimal for you, but you are consistent then you can be still better than others who are of your age, or even younger.

In my next blog under "FIT TO TREK@50" series , myself will try to answer few of your relevant questions about MOUNTAIN TREKKING at the age of 50 and above. Also will discuss about the various aspects of mountain trekking - it's affordability, precautions to be taken against risk involved like in any other activity at whatever age you may be, how to select the trek locations , how to get trek companions, and many more. Also, would learn about the first step towards MOUNTAIN TREK TRAINING.

The training program will be also released simultaneously in my YouTube channel fitnessfun50 .

NOTHING SHOULD STOP YOU AS YOU CROSS 50. NOW IS ACTUALLY THE TIME FOR THE FINAL SPRINT.