It was late 2009 and I was having my first session with my newest client, Jacob.

He had just returned from a trip to Nepal where he had been doing research for his Ph.D. thesis.

At least, that had been his intent…

Our culture likes to promote the idea that “health is the greatest wealth” with all kinds of folksy sayings like, “If you have your health, then you have everything.”

But do we really mean it?

Do YOU value your own health? Really?

Can you perform just as well when it’s 30 below zero, you’re cold, wet, and hungry, and you’re physically and emotionally exhausted as you do in a climate-controlled gym, you’re well-fed and well-rested?

If you’re anything like most people, the answer is a resounding “no.”

Virtually all backcountry sports and adventures are endurance-centric.

Unless you’re getting heli-dropped straight to your final destination - and then camping in-place right there - odds are good that you’re looking at hours-to-days worth of relatively continuous physical activity.

Okay, so you’ve put in the requisite work towards achieving movement competency in the necessary movement patterns and you’re ready to shift your focus to building STRENGTH in those movement patterns.

The principles that guide the building of strength are relatively simple, in theory: lift more today than you did last time you performed the same exercise. This is the principle of progressive overload.

The idea of movement competency is relatively simple: can you reliably and consistently access a wide range of physical movement patterns without pain or any form of compensation?

If the answer is “no”, then the reality is you are running the risk of injuring yourself in the backcountry (or just going about your everyday life.)

The biggest obstacle I hear from the people I coach is that they “just don’t have time.” People are SO busy today with work, families, managing a house, and the million other things that come up.

So it’s too often that they find themselves grabbing food for convenience – food that not only doesn’t serve their bodies but that also ends up negatively impacting the family and their waistlines. This leads to further guilt and a vicious cycle begins.

What would it look like for you to change just 1% of your daily habits, behaviors or thoughts?

What's the impact of 1% change?