First step

So where do I want to be in a little less than a year?  I want to be in the best possible shape for my hunt when I arrive in Colorado.  I want the endurance and stamina to hunt hard all day, every day during my trip.  What does that mean for me?  I need to lose weight.  Every pound you lose is a pound you do not have to drag up the mountain.  I will need to work on my functional fitness, working on exercises and movements that will help me to excel in the high country.  Lastly, I will need to work on my lung capacity and endurance.  Not an easy task at 20 feet above sea level.

I have broken my plan into three phases.  The first phase will be six months long and the goals are getting in better shape and losing weight.  I joined a crossfit type workout class that runs four nights a week.  Goal is 5 workouts a week with the fifth one being a low impact cardio workout (Stairclimber, treadmill, a hike).  Cleaning up my diet will be a major part of the plan.  Discipline is the key to a clean diet.  Most of us know what to eat and what not to eat, we just need to do the right thing.  I find that writing down everything (EVERYTHING!) that goes in my pie hole is a great way to hold yourself accountable.  I use Myfitnesspal.com.  Its free, easy to use and has an endless database of food items to log.  I will blog food hints in the future.  Food and beer can be my weakness but I have developed strategies to keep it clean.

The second phase will be four months long and will add functional fitness and endurance exercise while losing the last bit of weight.

The third phase will be two months long and will focus on stamina, long capacity, and functional movements that will be needed in the high country.

Here we go!