Yer Gear’s In Shape - Are You?

Spring along the Wasatch is a beautiful time of year! The higher peaks are still in snow pack, the foothills are covered with new growth blossoms and early wildflowers. Timpanogos is incredible all year round but in the spring - wow! It takes a hurculean effort to stay focused on work! And happily, the lure is strong enough at times that work is left behind and the adventures begin.

Each year, before I head into the mountains or canyons or desert I take time to check my camping equipment - I mean really check it out. Any new rips or tears in the tent that need stiching? What about the jets on that propane stove - do they let propane through? Is my GPS working? Flashlights got strong batteries? Dutch Ovens clean and ready to go? You know the drill… But the effort is worth it. Getting to your destination just to discover something isn’t working or is broke or leaking is a bummer at the least. For more extreme outings, poor or malfunctioning equipment can be life threatening. The last thing you want to be doing on your adventure is wondering where the nearest K-Mart or emergency room is located. Taking time up front isn’t a waste of time. Rather, it improves the quality of the time you spend hiking, camping, fishing, birding, climbing or just lazing around camp.

Now that your gear is ready, are you?

Are you as physically healthy as you need to be for the activity you are planning?

Two summers ago we participated in a search and rescue for a young boy scout lost in the Uintas. Our gear was in great shape but man, when we hit the steep mountain flanks I was hurting! Up and down and down and up. The trails were, for the most part, in great shape - but we couldn’t always stay on the trails to effect a thorough search. My body was taxed. After the search was completed I resolved to get in better shape: work out, diet, nutrition, exercise - the whole drill.

But where to start? Should I just dive in? I was kicking around the experience with a friend of mine who then introduced me to Health Assessments as a starting point for the regimen I would implement. Come to find out there are lots of HAs available - none of which fit what I wanted to know and I didn’t want to join some wellness plan or work through my employer - I just wanted to know how healthy I was. Then I came across a Health Assessment from Blood Education Center called the VitalTest . You gotta check this out. The price was great and the information these guys gave me was complete with a personalized reference manual and color coded blood test results page. At the back of the reference manaul were some general ideas about what I could do about my high cholesterol. Following those recommendations and doing a little additional research on the web I dropped my cholesterol level by 40 points during the winter.

I don’t know what might work best for you - but whatever it is, find something that will give you a good indication of how healthy you are (no, a mirror is not a complete indication and doesn’t qualify as a Health Assessment!