Welcome Hardiness Class of 2012!
We are all officially engaged in a journey that will take us through a number of learning opportunities that will contribute to intellectual, physical, and spiritual growth. The course also introduces a framework, philosophy on life, and/or way of living that will require us to be more consciously aware of how each decision and our way of life defines who we are and what we represent. We are starting this course by exploring the foundational roots of hardiness and how our study of existence contributes to the inherent meaning and essence of our own lives. In essence, the premise of this course lies in the perspective that we must do the difficult work on defining the meaning of our own existence before we emerge as leaders in our own families, communities, and organizations. This contrarian course engages the whole person and requires that we commit to lifestyle changes and/or adaptations with foresight towards the challenge of climbing and experiencing intellectual, physical, & spiritual wilderness. Many before you will attest that the journey is just as, if not more important than the climb; although the goal of climbing Mt. Adams holds us accountable to the decisions we make in the upcoming weeks.
Please take a moment to reflect on the choices, adaptations, and changes you are making in your own life to prepare and commit to the expectations of this course and the culminating experience of climbing Mt. Adams. Please respond to this post and provide social support and validation to others in the course.
16 comments:
Lets try this one more time, this is my second attempt at leaving a comment. I am obviously not blogger material. My transition for this class actually began the moment I decided to sign up for it. Since that time I have been able to lose 17 pounds of the 29 pound goal I set for myself before the day of the climb. I have always been an active athletic guy but had let myself slip a bit lately and this class was just the motivation I needed to give myself a kick start. Look forward to meeting everyone on the mountain!
Brad
I have began to make the lifestyle changes in my exercise routine however my diet is still a bit of a struggle. I have started running as well as going to the gym and using the machines at their steepest incline on high resistance in preparation for the climb. I have also started incorporating a hike at least once if not twice a week. My plan for this next week is to add a pack with 20lbs of weight to start. If anyone has some suggestions on a good diet plan for preparing to climb please share!
Jessica G.
In signing up for this course, I knew it was going to be a commitment to physical change; however, I am very excited by the elements which allows for the engagement of the whole person. I understood the necessary physical changes, which I have been working towards since signing up for this class – down 17lbs which leaves me 13lbs away from my goal. The element of the physical change is great; however, I have recommitted to my centering/self-reflection practices to strengthen my soul for the challenge of making it to the summit. While I would like to say I am always on target for these goals that would not be the truth – I remind myself that life is a marathon and not a sprint. I have enjoyed reading Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, this is my third read of his work (one read with my BA in Biology and another read with my BS in Leadership Studies) and each time after reading his work, I am left wanting to seek greater insight into what defines the meaning of my life. I firmly believe that as we move through life, we are evolving into the best version of ourselves and the point when we lose the desire to grow intellectually, physically and spiritually we must push through as these are the moments which define and test our strength of character.
The biggest change for me to make in the upcoming weeks is the connection between mind and body. As in, not letting my brain or internal dialogue get in the way. I meant to start training as soon as I signed up, but the past patterns of postponing it snuck in. Now I am training at least 5 days a week. Slow at first, as I need to plan for success and diving in "over my head" so to speak would become overwhelming. Our team completed our first hike last weekend and we plan to train together on weekends, getting progressively more difficult each week. I would be lying if I said the physical climb doesn't scare the everloving crud out of me, it does! Good reason to keep pushing!
For me, this course predicates a return to a lifestyle that I once embraced, but have neglected over the past several years. I used to be fit-very fit-but have neglected this critical component of life. As a result, I have less energy and am not functioning at the peak of my abilities. Climbing Adams is to me a lighthouse in the distance, guiding me back to a place where I can more fully inhabit the life I want.
For me, the biggest challenges are not necessarily the fitness or nutrition changes - it's the mental component. I already have an excellent diet (no processed foods - lots of fruits and veggies, etc) and a semi-regular exercise routine (will need to greatly increase though). The real work for me is truly about mental hardiness and paying attention to the way I talk to myself. I'm trying hard to quiet that voice in my head that tells me that I can't do this, or that it's too hard or I'm going to fail or make a fool out of myself. That voice is the biggest challenge for me. Reading Man's Search for Meaning has helped. When I'm on the treadmill and my lungs are burning I picture Viktor Frankl. Boy does that put things into perspective. Compared to what he went through, climbing a measly mountain is nothing!
The challenge for me has been and will continue to be the deep reflection that this course requires. It represents something tangible for me to hold onto in difficult times and reaffirms the importance of commitment, control, and challenge. As far as a lifestyle change, this challenge represents a change in attitude and mindset more than the physical challenges that I will experience and I look forward to each enlightening moment.
Eric P.
I began training as soon as I signed up for the course, I got back in the habit of getting up earlier so I could have time to exercise. Two weeks into it, I pulled my calf and was concerned that I may not be able to train effectively.
I let the healing begin, until I could at least stand on it, and found that I could you the tread climber that my wife had. I was surprised at the level of workout that was available on this thing.
I am back to running in the AM and continue to us the tread climber.
I began training as soon as I signed up for the course, I got back in the habit of getting up earlier so I could have time to exercise. Two weeks into it, I pulled my calf and was concerned that I may not be able to train effectively.
I let the healing begin, until I could at least stand on it, and found that I could you the tread climber that my wife had. I was surprised at the level of workout that was available on this thing.
I am back to running in the AM and continue to us the tread climber.
On campus today - wandering around waiting for class this evening - simply walking pulled my calf again.
What a bummer - I hope this thing heals well enough to confidently step forward at Mt. Adams.
Perhaps the most striking change for me has been the nutrition factor of preparing for this climb. Throughout my life I have stayed in relatively decent shape, but with this course and knowing that I have a tough climb near the end, I really wanted to give it everything I had. This includes eating correctly, not something that was ever of great concern. The combination of increased physical training along with the changes in diet, have really increased my endurance, helped me sleep better, and given me more energy throughout the day. It has been difficult and will only become harder as the climb nears, but it has been an awesome experience and I am looking forward to seeing what Mt. Adams has to offer.
I began to train for the climb before I even signed up. I changed my diet and cut way back on the beer. By the time I reached Mt. Adams I had lost 25 lbs and was in the best shape I've been in for years. This class has helped me to make a change to a healthier lifestyle and introduced me to a new hobby.
The preparations and changes to my life and lifestyle I made for this course have set me up for continued growth and transformation. As I have reflected on the climb over the last two weeks I have been struck by how fundamental to my experience on the mountain and in preparation for the summit attempt the social support of my team members was. If we had split up when one of our team members was injured it wouldn't have been the same experience for me. Continuing to engage social support will be one of my challenges going forward. Knowing this may make me more successful at sustaining it.
The effect on my "lifestyle" choices has been more profound after the climb than during the training. Having been prevented from completing the climb due to an unexpected conversation between my leg and a boulder, my view of success was quite different than most of class. Success was accepting the help of my team to get me back down to the campground. During that process I realized how much my current fitness level (or lack thereof) affects others. It was a mirror that I desperately needed. I am now antsy to begin daily physical training, not because there is a looming deadline, but because I have a goal for the direction of my life that started the moment Mt. Adams flicked me back down the hill.
Please take a moment to reflect on the choices, adaptations, and changes you are making in your own life to prepare and commit to the expectations of this course and the culminating experience of climbing Mt. Adams.
When preparing for Mt. Adams I was nervous. I was calling Adrian a lot at the beginning of the course as my greatest fear was that I would not be fit enough to summit. The workout schedule was for 12 weeks and we only had 9 until the hike. I started mentally preparing myself for the workouts however, I was never able to get myself to do them. Finally, about three weeks into class I realized that if I did not start immediately I would never make it.
I told my friends that for the next 6 weeks I was going to try and climb Mt. Si every weekend until the hike increasing the amount of weight I had on my pack. I informed them that they could come if they wanted, but that was what I needed to do to be successful.
Giving up my weekends with my friends was difficult. Work had been incredibly busy and my weekends were the only time I was able to see them. My time with my friends is a large stress reducer. I knew that I would be able to manage the increased stress of not seeing them, but I would not be able to manage my disappointment from not submitting if I did not dedicate all of my available time to being prepared.
My priorities started to shift Mon-F work. Sat-Sun Hiking. Any extra time dog and friends and homework not related to physical exercise.
In the end some of these sacrifices paid off. My priorities are a little different now that the hike is over. M-F work. Sat-Sun homework, Olympics and friends.
Maybe what’s most humorous to me is how I thought this climb was going to be about physical fitness and training. Had I actually posted back in May I would have shared my eagerness to start the fitness plan. I’d have added a few short critical quips about how I needed to lose some weight but share my excitement with the journey ahead. But now I’m almost happy I waited to share the real change that would take place because of the journey. Reflecting on the journey I am shocked that I miss how obvious it was that this feat was going to be more about one’s mental fortitude than one’s physical fitness. It’s not to say that I think training was a waste, not at all, but I could not train for the experience I had and that is likely the real ‘lifestyle’ change that I will be making. Understanding that the ability and strength is within, if we’ll just pause to hear it. I’ve talked at length about my struggle on the mountain, my lesson in fear and moving through it. There was a lesson that came right after I decided to press on in spite of my fear and that was how I would share my fear with my team. I was scared and looking for their support and had they been there I may have missed the opportunity to see a real flaw in my make-up. When scared or fearful my mind first goes to anger. I wanted to lash out at them and give them a piece of my mind “how dare they leave me.” That was the response that had become habit. And had I not been challenged by the elevation and required to slow my pace I would have missed the opportunity to think through and reason with myself about how I respond to fear or the feeling of abandonment.
Thank god for that moment. I wasn’t able to have a total transformation as I walked up to my team but I was able to recognize the error in the responses I had made habits over the years. I was able to hold my tongue just long enough to let the tears share the feelings I was struggling to authentically show. I still regret my words to my leader, Kyle, though he calls them courageous. I doubt I would see the real lifestyle changes I need to make had I not taken on Mt. Adams. I’m so glad I did. I know that if I keep taking on challenges and new peaks I will learn more about myself than I would if I allowed routine to take over. Here’s to the next peak and making my mountain top experiences part of my daily experience.
Post a Comment