Cheers everyone

Hi everyone, Well this is just a quick note to thank all the guys at work (H.T.C.) for their support, just to put all of your names in lights, and no particular order, cheers Pete, Andy, Mick, Mike, Paul, Johnny, Jimmy, Craig, Dicky, Bobby, Russ, Ross, Carl, Tom, Slash, Matt Dave, Lee, Mel, Nige, Adie and anyone else who is going to laugh at me pulling tyres around the yard.

fitness

Here's a good little article that I found on the Internet, that may help anyone thinking of doing a similar trip to mine.

This is such a large subject area that we are only detailing the most important points. It has such a huge influence on the body not just when completing an off-piste tour but in every day living. If as an individual you can maintain high levels of fitness and a well balanced diet, your general well being and performances will be unrecognisable compared to someone with potentially the same ability but who has not prepared themselves through the correct training and diet.
Your body
Like any other piece of equipment it needs to be maintained to ensure it will function to the best of its ability. There are four major aspects to fitness that will ensure that you will be able to compete and enjoy the task ahead:Endurance. (aerobic capacity): Most individuals will already have a high level of fitness due to the nature of skiing and general high altitude sports. However before any trip you should ensure that your fitness levels will not limit your capabilities and performance. You should be doing 2-3 aerobic activities per week 2-3 months in advance at 50-70% of your maximum heart rate (see here for details). Flexibility: To ensure quality range of movement. This will allow for greater reach and control, in extreme positions. Stretching should ideally take place at the end of the day (muscles are more pliable). This will also lead to a reduction in injuries and greater efficiency of any articulating joint. Strength. At certain times a great deal of strength may be required whether it be assisting in an emergency or moving in heavy snow. There are certain body weight exercises that will prime the body for the task ahead and give you the confidence necessary to be able to react to almost any situation. These need to be done at least once per week. Co-ordination: More than most sports, it requires co-ordination and balance. This can be improved at any age and has a great effect on performance and confidence of ability.Essential foods and fluids
Proteins, fats and carbohydrates all provide energy for the body. Protein’s main functions are growth, maintenance and repair of body tissues. Using protein as a main energy source is inefficient and may lead to kidney and liver problems in later life. Carbohydrates and fats should be the energy sources to fuel the human body in all types of activity. Carbohydrate rich foods are the best source of fuel for athletes. Complex carbohydrates such as starches (Breads, cereals, pastas, potatoes, dried beans as well as fruits.) should make up the majority of carbohydrate fuel.
Pre- trip foods
It is important that pre- event, even a day trip, that the individual prepares themselves adequately for the task ahead. Ensure that fluid levels are high (see recommended fluid intake), not just through fluid intake but high water based foods (fruits, vegetables) and also carbohydrate stores are high within the diet (carbohydrate loading need only take place 3 days before the event. You should consume 525-555 grams of carbohydrates which should amount to about 65% of total calories. This final push will enhance glycogen storage within the body, increasing energy reserves. Anything above 600 grams will not contribute significantly to performance. 2 meals a day need to be carbohydrate rich to ensure that these levels can be reached. Anyone on the Dr Atkins diet should attempt this trip at their own peril!! (Low carbohydrate levels within the body will mean fat stores being utilised and if already low, protein utilisation which will result in muscle depletion, therefore you will experience less strength etc.)
Carbohydrate Goals (@65% of calories)
Average female intake
At an intake of 1500 cal per day, you should be consuming 240g of carbohydrate. At 2000 cal: 320g of cabohydrate.Average male intake:
3000 cal : 490g 3500 cal : 570g 4000 cal : 650gApproximate carbohydrate levels:
Bread/ Cereal (1 slice bread,3/4 cup of cereal) 15 grams Starchy Vegetable ( 1/2 cup of rice, pasta) 15 grams Fruit serving (1x piece of fruit) 10-15 grams Vegetable serving (1/2 cup of vegetables) 5 grams Milk serving (1 cup) 12 grams Sports drink (8oz) 10-15 gramsDuring
Again water intake is imperative to ensure safety and the ability to finish the task without causing harm physiologically to the body. Food wise, introduce snacks during the day:
Dried fruit and nuts Granary bars Chocolate (do not rely on chocolate alone as this has a high glyceamic level and will only result in a quick release of energy, not a longer term of sugar being released into the blood stream.)If the trip is an overnight, again it is imperative to consume a high carbohydrate meal during the evening, to restore levels in the body. The amount of energy available from glycogen (carbohydrate) storage is 1800-2000 calories. When stores run low, athletes will become fatigued and their performance will suffer. Post trip
This is the most important time for the body to restore lost nutrients and fluid levels. So before any alcohol is consumed, Barry!! Drink 1-2 pints of fluid and 2 x pieces of fruit if possible. Again, a high carbohydrate meal is important for fueling the repair of muscle tissue.
Fluid intake
Water intake will be the most important factor influencing your performance during a trip. A drop of 1-5% in hydration will cause thirst, vagueness, increased pulse and nausea. Severe dehydration, when more that ½ to 2 litres of fluid are lost, can be life threatening.
Recommended fluid intake during non-physical activity:
60kg person 3 pints per day 70kg person 3½ pints per day 80kg person 4 pints per day 90kg person 4½ pints per day 100kg person 5 pints per dayDuring vigorous exercise you should be drinking roughly every 20-30 minutes and an increase of 1-1½ pints a day should be taken on top of the RDA. In terms of carbohydrate drinks and isotonic drinks, I feel these are expensive and not necessary, as long as food is being eaten pre- event, throughout the day and post- event. If there are bouts of continuous exercise for more than 2-3hours (when carbohydrate stores are depleted in the muscle and the liver) then carbohydrate gels are very useful to ensure levels of carbohydrates and long term energy are maintained in the system (do not substitute water for gels, but introduce them with water, as water will allow faster chemical digestion of the gels into the system.)
Fitness: The test
There are a number of fitness tests that require space and equipment, the simplest is to test the resting heart rate. (The heart rate gives a true indication of the cardiovascular system, the lower the heart rate; the more blood pumped around the body per stroke and the faster the recovery to that individual.) There are a number of tests such as the beep test, the rowing ergo, the treadmill test and the bike test. I will assume however that there is no equipment available.
All that is required is enough space for you to lie down and be able to find your pulse (remember not to use your thumb, it has its own pulse and can confuse the issue). Lie still for at least 4-5 minutes, then take your pulse for 30 secs and compare it to the table below.
<25 beats Excellent 25-30 Good 30-35 Fair 35-40 PoorStrength: The test
This test gives a representation of a person’s upper body strength. The test for men is the full press up and for women the press up on knees. In both cases the nose must touch the ground on each repetition and be in line with the front of the fingers.
Men 30-39yrs : Women 30-39yrs : Men 40-49yrs : Women 40-49yrs: Men 50-59yrs : Women 50-59yrs
45-50 30-35 35-40 25-30 30+ 20-25 Excellent
35-40 25-30 30-35 20-25 25+ 15-20 Good
30-35 20-25 25-30 15-20 20+ 10-15 Fair
25-30 10-15 20-25 10-15 15+ 5-10 Poor
Balance: The test
Being one of the most important factors to any alpinist, balance like any other aspect of fitness can be improved with practice. Most mountaineers will already have a good sense of balance; however this can become affected with age and also joint and soft tissue injuries as the pro-preaception of the muscle degenerates.
A simple test to gauge your balance is as follows: standing on one leg (barefoot) slightly flexed, raise the other knee until parallel and hold that position for as long as possible with eyes closed.
>30 secs Excellent 20-30 secs Good 10-20 secs Fair <10 class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">PoorFlexibility: the test
Sit with back and buttocks flat against a wall and legs out straight. Slowly reach forward with arms outstretched, and ensure that your legs remain in the locked position. Measure the point at which the finger tips will reach.
Fingertips to above knee cap - Poor Fingertips to below knee cap - Fair Fingertips to ½ way down shin - Good Fingertips to ankle/toes - ExcellentConclusion
All the factors attributed to health and fitness mentioned will have an effect on your performance. Like your equipment, where preparation and planning is key, so is your health! If you find that one of your disciplines afore mentioned in the tests are low, introduce the required work early into your programme. It may (sorry, it will) mean hard work and planning in terms of time and effort. The results will be greater quality and quantity of work being carried out without fatigue setting in and the risk of injury or failure.

Sponsorship

Hi there,
spoke to my boss at work this week, he has said he will see what he can do towards sponsorship as long as I put it into a letter for him, so have spent the morning putting a letter together!!!! it's harder than I thought it would be, but when I've polished it a bit more, I'll post it on here.

training

Hi there,
well, just made the decision to do a crossing of the Greenland ice-cap in April-May next year, (2008).
Have decided to start of fairly slowely, just going to tick over from now until christmas, as why be super-fit when i'm not going anywhere?
Just doing a little bit more than usuall, instead of cycling to work everyday, I am walking three days, running the last two miles home at night, will step this up gradually, but nothing too severe for now.