The LAST thing you want to hear while on an expedition…

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…

He had planned to climb to one of the highest temples in Nepal to conduct interviews with the monks who lived there.

He had booked his trip well in advance.

He had a good idea of where he was going.

He even did his diligence and hired a Sherpa to help show him the way.

The thing he didn’t plan for:

The physical fitness required to actually climb the mountain.

He had assumed that because it was a “well-used” trail, complete with stairs in many sections, it would simply be a matter of continuing to put one foot in front of the other.

As he tells it, he got a little more than halfway up when he REALLY began to struggle.

At one point, his sherpa turned to him and asked: “how much do you weigh?”

While desperately trying to catch his breath, Jacob answered the question.

“Okay, I’ll carry you” the sherpa responded.

To say that Jacob was mortified would be an understatement.

This was a trip he had been planning for a very long time, yet the thought had never occurred to him that - once there, in Nepal, on the footsteps to the temple - he’d be unable to reach the entrance.

So, upon returning to Toronto he immediately enlisted my services to help him begin preparing for his next trip.

After going through that experience, he was bitterly determined to succeed next time.

And with several months of structured training geared specifically towards that endeavor, he returned to Nepal and succeeded in his mission.

Unfortunately, I hear about scenarios just like this one far too often.

People set these grand goals, consider most of the logistics, and then just assume that their base fitness and mental grit will get them through it.

Oftentimes even the people who do complete their adventure successfully would be hard-pressed to tell you any details about it, simply because they spent the entire time in the pain-cave, using all of their energy just to put one foot in front of the other, rather than actually enjoying their experience.

If they had made the decision early to train appropriately FOR THEIR ADVENTURE, they would be returning with amazing stories to share with their loved ones.

Instead, they return with tails of suffering and defeat.

So, if you’re planning a big adventure this year, consider this your word of caution:

Do yourself a favor and dedicate the time and energy needed to a PROPER TRAINING PLAN (one that's designed specifically to meet the demands of your adventure) so that you can come back from your trip as a success story, not just a statistic.

If you think you’d benefit from some guidance in this area, I’m here to help.

Just hit the “GET STARTED” button and we can set up a time to chat about all the details.