My Mental Health For The Climb example essay topic

Personal Health Plan Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park is one of many fourteen thousand-foot peaks in Colorado. This mountain is world known for its alpine climbing and technical rock climbing. My goal is to some day climb what is referred to as the Diamond. This route is 1500 feet straight up, and can take two days to climb.

Physical conditioning as well as mental and spiritual condition is a big part of the climb. Physically I would need to hike to the base of the rock face, which is sixteen miles of up hill, and then proceed with the climb stopping at nightfall and sleeping on a ledge called Broadway. This is all done carrying a pack that weighs forty to fifty pounds. When the climb begins there is no protection except what my partner and I could carry in. Carefully placing each cam and proceeding to the top. This is an extreme mental game, because if my partner or I fall the only link between surviving and falling to the ground is a rope and the piece of protection placed.

Spiritually, I have to be in touch with myself and know that what ever happens, it happens for a reason. Luck does not play a big part of climbing, skill and psychological abilities are the biggest assets on the rock. To start a health plan I feel there needs to be a goal. I have established this and now a date to start. First I need to stop smoking and start an exercise program that fits into my busy life style.

In the following paragraphs I will attempt to show how I would train for the adventure I have chosen. January 1, 2002 is the date to stop smoking, no more cigarettes. A work out plan and diet will be implemented along with climbing indoors at a rock gym throughout the winter months, then rock climbing outdoors when the weather is better. These will all work my physical as well as my mental health for the climb about to be attempted. I will visit the fitness gym two times a week, and the rock gym once a week during the winter months. The fitness gym on Tuesday nights will include first walking or running on a treadmill for three to five miles, (depending on walking or running) this should take twenty minutes.

The body does not start to burn fat until twenty minutes of either running or walking. After my warm up a full body workout will be the rest of the night. This will include, working my chest, back, legs, biceps and triceps. On Thursday nights I will attend the rock gym. There I can work on balance, and climbing techniques as well as memory muscle that can not be worked in the fitness gym.

Sunday will start at 9: 00 am at the fitness gym with aerobics and then into a full work out, including chest, back, legs, biceps and triceps. The aerobics will help with cardiovascular and burning fat. The physical part of my goal cannot be achieved without the right nutrition. This will help not only with my body but also with my mental stability to achieve my goal. I now eat no breakfast, lunch generally when ever I can get it (usually fast food), and dinner when I feel the need to eat (could be nine or ten at night). The first item to good nutrition is setting myself on a time line for eating.

Breakfast will be a 6: 00 am, lunch will be between noon and 1: 00 PM and dinner will be before 6: 00 PM. This will give my food time to digest before going to bed. My meals will be well balanced. Breakfast will consist of fiber cereals or nutrition bars.

Lunch will be light, but will consist of some kind of fish (tuna, or salmon) or chicken. Dinner will be my main meal including red meat, fish or chicken, and salad. This kind of diet will not only feed my muscles but will also feed my brain. This will make me more alert and mentally stable. The mental part of working out and the motivation to become physically fit is to set goals and have a time table in which to reach the goals set. My goal is to climb the Diamond on Longs Peak, but I need to set when this climb will happen.

The month of August or September is the best time to climb this rock, because of the weather. There are generally no afternoon thunderstorms and no chance for snow. My timeline for reaching the goals will depend on my work schedule. I will lose twenty pounds between now and the date of the climb, and increase my muscles to body weight.

The climbing gym and climbing outside will help psychologically with reaching my mental goals. Spiritually is a tough goal to reach for me. I do not know what to believe when I am told there is a god, but I have never seen him or cannot understand why things happen. I do believe in fate and possibly there is many gods. There is a legend that gods live on top of the highest peaks and before reaching a summit a climber must ask for permission. This would be not to anger the gods, so no harm will come to the climber.

I feel that things happen for a reason and that there is no one super power controlling my life. I control my fate, with working and how I live with my family. When climbing if I am in shape and mentally prepared I should live through this climb and many to come. To many people rely upon somebody or something to satisfy their lifestyle instead making there own fate. I believe in taking control of my life and working for what I want.