Looking forward to getting acquainted

[Pallas Athena]

I started life in the midwest, where I remember spending time at my grandparents' 40-acre farm. They raised a few dairy cows (so I learned how to milk), pigs (saw one butchered), chickens (eggs for a cash crop), and raised corn (climbed through the fence to get ears for dinner) and my grandmother's garden (strawberries!) and cooking and canning (amazing food!).

While still small, I moved to the west (Nevada) where I remember being sprayed with DDT (town had a fogging truck which went around spraying to kill mosquitoes in the evening), and where we lived mostly on CAFO feedlot beef (which we had to smell when the wind was right), canned vegetables, and processed foods.

As a young adult I moved to Alaska where the meat improved (moose and fresh seafood) but the vegetables were still canned and we ate a lot of processed food and smoked and drank a lot of alcohol.

Twelve years later I moved back to the Lower 48 to try corporate life. Lots of eating out, rich foods, and sedentary lifestyle. A lot less alcohol consumed. The weight began piling on. Yoyo dieting. Had a child. More weight gain, but stopped smoking.

Quit corporate life and went back to school. Started working in community mental health--high stress, long hours being on call for emergencies, more weight gain, more yoyo dieting.

Moved family to Pacific Northwest. Entered politics full-time. Very high stress. Very sedentary lifestyle. Began gardening, though, and quality of food improved--lots of fresh fruits and vegetables available.

By now I was in my fifties and starting to experience health problems--always tired, depressed, psoriasis, painful gall bladder attacks, chronic back pain, stiff joints, etc. I've never believed that these things are due solely to aging (if I'm not willing to accept them as normal at 20 why should I accept them at 60?), so I started intensively researching what was going on.

Long story short--I've learned a lot about food quality, the effects of stress (cortisol) on weight, nutrition, digestion, and so on. I've also been trying various exercise and fitness programs, looking for a program I could do and sustain. Based on everything I've learned so far, the NerdFitness program seems to be based on solid principles, common sense, and has enough flexibility built in for me to maintain interest. For food, I now eat almost exclusively locally grown (or home grown) organic food and grassfed meat. Paleo appeals to me a lot, but I haven't decided yet whether to try it full on. I don't rule out food groups lightly without a lot of research. Finally, I've been actively eliminating negative stress as much as possible. I don't want to just deal with it (except for short periods of time when necessary). I want to eliminate it. It doesn't enhance my life. It only shortens it.

When I turned 60, I decided to set a goal which would require me to get healthy and fit. (I always do better when I have a deadline.) I spent a lot of time considering what kind of goal would be appropriate. I'm not much into competitive sports, so running a marathon didn't appeal, for example. I thought back about the kinds of things I liked to do in my twenties, and remembered I loved to backpack and camp in the mountains. For many years I have always thought it would be a wonderful experience to hike the Pacific Crest Trail through some of the most beautiful high country in the world. Early this year I decided my goal would be to hike the WA state part of the trail (about 500 miles) starting about August, 2014. That gives me two years to lose 100 lbs., save money to purchase equipment and supplies, and do a lot of training to get ready. I'm excited!

I've decided that the most appropriate class for me is Ranger. Scout looked appealing, but I think I'll need the Ranger strength, too, for the backpacking. And my race goal is Goddess. I will need the certainty of mind of a Goddess to meet the psychological challenges of the trail, and a Goddess' ability to manifest what I want and need for the trip to be successful. Hence my chosen hero name - Pallas Athena.

Success to us all!

[BopGun]

Welcome! Pallas Athena is a not-half-bad David Bowie record, too. (From the Black Tie, White Noise album, I think?)

I'm new also, and I can relate to high-stress surroundings...mine is television news. Frankly, I love the deadline pressure -- it kinda crystallizes my focus and I can't imagine having to do work that doesn't have a 100% rigid deadline attached to it. I'd get bored.

It lends itself to much the same as what you've described outside of work, though, and my inability to deal with those side effects is one of the main reasons I just came here. Plenty of friendly, knowledgeable and INSPIRING people here.

[Pallas Athena]

Thanks, BopGunner78. I looked up "Pallas Athena" by David Bowie on YouTube, and enjoyed the music. I don't get how the name relates to the music, though...? Maybe there's a story behind it. Anyway, I enjoyed the listen.

I see we've got journalism in common, though I don't consider myself a pro--no formal training. I write a weekly column for the local daily on eating only locally grown foods. TV news seems like it would be stressful twice over--once for the deadlines and again for the content! I admire your stamina. I have to take news in small doses these days.

Hope to "see" you around NerdFitness from time to time!

[Pallas Athena]

Thanks, Athena! I don't really eat many grains and legumes, except bread. However, I've discovered that a lot of problematic foods are not problematic when you eliminate additives and pharmaceuticals. For example, I don't like store-bought breads--neither the flavor nor how I feel after I eat them--but I don't have that problem when I eat bread my daughter bakes with organic flour. I'm thinking about eliminating the bread for awhile anyway, though, because I've been reading about how grain hulls have developed natural chemicals to make eating them digestively undesirable. I'm planning to work with my naturopath to do an elimination diet to see if I'm sensitive to any of these things or not.

Mostly, though, I eat pretty Paleo except for the bread, and an occasional batch of chili with beans.

Hiking the 500 miles usually takes about a month, so that averages out to 16 to 17 miles a day. I used to be able to do 7-8 miles a day, no problem, right after a relatively inactive winter. I also can take longer than a month, if I need to, so I've got more flexibility than people who try to do the entire trail from Mexico to Canada. Their timing has to be pretty tight to avoid desert heat and mountain snow.

Anyway, it's a goal that's got me excited again, which is the whole point. It's actually been a lifelong dream that I had set aside for awhile.

Heh, I was planning on joining the Ranger guild (both endurance and strength), but when I found out the Adventurers have a backpacker crest, I may just stay there!