Gaia Adventures eNewsletter April 2007

Feeling bored with the Gym and indoor training?

Alternatives are everywhere

Every Wednesday night a perky 50 year old woman bounces along a trail on Jericho Beach, the sights of mountains and sea urging her on, her 60 year old client charging along at her side. As the sun rises, another group hikes Black Mountain, chanting as they go. It is considered to be the newest trend in personal training; it has always been part of GAIA Adventures.

Tired of the crowds, the pulsing music, and the beeping electronic gadgets in gyms, increasing numbers of trainers are organizing outdoor workouts. Fallen logs become platforms for push-ups; tree branches double as chin-up bars, boulders are for lunging on or leaping off.

At first glance, this may seem a little silly. But fitness experts and those who've tried outdoor workouts say that exercising in this manner offers benefits that can't be found indoors.

Why working out outside works

There are plenty of reasons to dislike fitness clubs. They can be stuffy, crowded, even smelly and not to mention noisy. Machines can seem intimidating and routines can quickly become boring. In the outdoors all that disappears. Fresh air, sunshine (hopefully), incredible vistas of sea and mountains and a myriad of training choices become possible.

Just ask Ann Brindle. This year the 50 year old Life Coach traded her gym membership for the great outdoors. "When you're on the Stairmaster or the treadmill, you're on autopilot," says Brindle. "There's no social interaction." She joined the growing number of exercisers who swear that the best gym is the one without walls. Now she runs, snowshoes and hikes on a regular basis and she is loving every minute of it.

So try a workout with a GAIA trainer: Walk or hike in Lynn Canyon. Bike around the Seawall or in Alice Lake Park. Run Jericho Beach. Try Boot Camp style training one-on-one… the rewards are bountiful, it just takes the courage to invest in oneself. Call Gaia and get started.

Get ready for the grand backpacking adventure of the year:
Grand Canyon, Rim to Rim - May 28 to June 5

Catherine D'Auost interviewed by the Media:

"I believe as women we tend to undervalue ourselves physically and mentally," said Catherine D'Aoust, who runs the women's adventure company GAIA Adventures out of Vancouver, BC.

In the Grand Canyon, the power and beauty of nature is astounding. This urban group of women, aged from 25 to 61, after several months of hard physical training, are ready for the adventure. Our five-day trip is to take us some 30 miles from North Rim to South Rim with a 10,000 feet elevation change, at an altitude beginning at 7,000 feet, in the hot desert sun.

"I think the canyon teaches you lessons of compassion, courage and trust, so you have to let go of that ego", said Catherine.

"It's about the ultimate physical challenge. In turn, we fully accept we are creating something here - this balance, when we are strong, when we are tired, looking after what we need, exploring our needs.

Many of us are seeing to connect with some sense of belonging, some unconscious tribal connection that doesn't require a membership, a statement of qualifications, or a to-do list."

This May/June a group of women explorers are heading off to the Grand Canyon to learn from the experts how to face the challenges of hiking in the hot desert canyon environ-ment. Our days begin at 4:00am, early, in order to beat the heat that can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the canyon.

Each of us carries a pack in excess of 50 pounds with gear (tent, sleeping bag, pad, eating utensils) and clothing as well as food. The women are warned about the difficulty of the first and last days.

The first day is a tough, winding, precipitous trail descending some 5,000 feet in elevation along bone jarring switchbacks some 8.5 miles to our campsite, Cottonwood camp. The last day requires us to climb up and out of the canyon.

Catherine of GAIA Adventures and local guide Elaine Furimsky are taking a group of local BC women to learn more about facing extreme physical adventure. Catherine says, "You can stay cool by soaking your hat and shirt at every water source that you walk past."

We also rest often, in the shade and prop our legs up, during a ten-minute break at least once every hour. Going slow and consuming water (up to .5 to 1 litre of water for every hour hiked) along with eating salty snacks and high-energy food will ensure that we hike safely and responsibly.

Crucial Preparation

According to women adventure experts, preparation and thorough training before you head out into the canyon are the key to safety. Proper physical conditioning that includes a regimen of core stability, balance and targeted strength training will guarantee good performance and low risk of injury to all.

Catherine is a certified and experienced personal trainer and an expert at adventure hiking; her clients include the successful 30, 59 and 61 year old women.

Zaidah Green, a 51-year-old hair stylist, first joined D'Aoust on a Mount Seymour Hike in North Vancouver three years ago. The camaraderie keeps her coming back.

"I have to take care of myself", she said. "I'm in the second half of my life. My client this morning was going to a funeral for a 51-year old who was in his running club. When you think about it, on the airplane they tell you to put your oxygen mask on before you take care of anyone else. And I thought about stuff like that. I have to take care of myself physically, emotionally and spiritually", says Green.

Visit GAIA's website for details like the day-by-day itinerary and more info about the Grand Canyon trip from May 28 to June 5, 2007. There is still time to sign up and join this great adventure. Call Gaia today for reservation.