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Chris Sharma Sends the Corporate Ladder

cthompson — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Name: Chris Sharma
Job: Rock climber and climbing gym owner
Home Base: Barcelona, Spain
Age: 36

has been the face of American sport climbing since sending the hardest climb in the United States (a 5.14c) in 1997, at age 15. He’s since become the first person to climb a 5.15a and 5.15b and the second to top out a 5.15c.

Over the past decade, the climber has also branched into business—designing shoes for Evolv, opening three rock gyms ( in Los Angeles and Santa Ana, California; and in Barcelona, Spain), and recently signing on as a face of Ralph Lauren’s Red Extreme cologne.

Before Sharma helped figure out how to balance elite performance with making a living, “professional climber” was an oxymoron. Now the next generation of athletes has a guide to living the dream on their terms. We spoke with Sharma about his mental training, habits for success, and what’s next for the climber who, at 36, is still at the top of his game.

On His Most Important Habit for Success: “Sometimes climbing things that are well within my limits is fun…but I love struggling with the unknown. Trying things that are beyond my abilities forces me to be creative. I think harder, and if I succeed, it’s because I’ve changed. Being inquisitive is an attitude, but you can’t fake inspiration. When you’re truly motivated, breaking through to the next level doesn’t feel like work.”

On Deciding Whether to Make His Passion His Job: “My career began really suddenly: I won nationals at 14 and climbed the hardest route in America at 15. People started treating me differently, just because I had strong fingers or whatever. I started questioning whether being a professional climber had any value. Eventually, everyone is forced to review their life choices. Stepping back to think is a great way to find that sober dose of reality.”

On Playing the Game By His Rules: “At 20, I stepped away from climbing, began studying Buddhism, and found a life outside the sport. I came back to it after deciding I could inspire people through my videos. I never stopped loving climbing, but for me, that gave it meaning. Once I accepted my place in the game, I saw how I could add some value to it.”

On His Favorite Books: “I love by Gabriel García Márquez. I was just given a copy in Spanish, so I’m excited to reread it in the language in which it was written.”

On Finding Fulfillment in Climbing: “In general, I climb for the same reason I always have: It’s so much fun. But recently I’ve started to appreciate how much it grounds me as a person. Climbing is comforting to me. It’s my center. My roots. Life gets more complicated when you get older, so find something that grounds you. Be thankful for every day you can do the thing you love.”

On His Diet: “Honestly, I’m pretty easy. Something healthy and tasty. Salmon, veggies, and quinoa.”

On Building Relationships with Employees: “As a professional climber and rock gym owner, I work with people from so many walks of life. Some of them I grew up with, and others I’ve known for years and years. Because I have a shared history with them, I remember my career as a path we’ve traveled together. When your hobby becomes you profession, it’s easy to lose the passion you had for it. Because I’ve surrounded myself with friends I trust, climbing is still a very personal thing to me.”

On Running a Business: “When we were planning Sharma Climbing BCN, we found the right building and then figured out a lot of the other details as we went. Had we waited until everything was completely dialed, we’d probably still be in the planning stage. You can plan and plan, but at some point you have to just dive in and learn how to swim. Still, that doesn’t mean you should be reckless.”

On What People Don’t Realize About Professional Climbing: “Like any other industry, climbing is a business. You can climb at a high level but be unable to make a living at it. Brands have to believe you’ll boost their sales. For professional climbers, this career is like a balancing act: How do you stay passionate and keep your climbing pure but also make enough money to live on? My solution was to compartmentalize. When I’m at a trade show, it’s for work. When I’m out climbing, it’s for fun. Don’t go into your career trying to become someone, and don’t allow it to make you into someone.”

On His Favorite Piece of Technology: “My phone.”

On a New Habit That’s Improved His Life: “Not looking at my phone before going to bed. It’s improved my sleep a lot.”

On Boosting His Efficiency and Setting Boundaries: “To climb La Dura Dura (5.15c), I set aside six months. I thought having unlimited time would allow me to succeed faster. Instead, it made me lackadaisical. I didn’t send. Later, I limited myself to five-day windows. It made me try harder, and I finished the climb. Sometimes, setting boundaries is the best way to get things done. Otherwise you’ll get hung up on tiny, unnecessary details.”

On His Mental Training: “I try to improve my skills every day, regardless of whether it’s been a good one or a bad one. Staying in the moment has been one of my keys to progressing. On a climb, I don’t think about the anchors overhead. I think about the move in front of me. Some climbs have taken me years. When I send, the difference has usually been my mindset. Just immerse yourself in the moment and enjoy it.”

On Losing His Ego: “When I let go of wanting to reach the top, I relax and I get there quicker. For First Round, First Minute (5.15b), I fell off the same move month after month. Once I stopped thinking about it as a career goal, I sent. Sometimes success hinges on turning off your ego and desires.”

On Climbing For the Right Reasons: “Climbing is a personal activity. It’s about finding your way. So it’s important to pursue the climbs that fascinate you. Grades and fads don’t matter. In this sport, when inspiration hits you, listen. I think that’s how it is with most great things in life.”

On How He Relaxes: “These days, my time is at a premium. I do the two things I love most: spend time with my family and go climbing.”

On What’s Next: “I’m constantly working on projects in Catalonia. In fact, I’m going climbing this afternoon. The project might be 5.15d or so. Also, I have deep-water solo projects in Mallorca and other places. I just want to ride this wave as far as I can and share it with other people. Exploring these places keeps me inspired. I still want to climb. It’s what makes me happy.”

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The Dirtbag Climber Behind Hollywood’s Craziest Stunts

cthompson — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

During the first chase sequence of the 2015 apocalyptic action film , Charlize Theron’s character, Furiosa, runs under an accelerating 18-wheeler and begins to pull herself inside through a floor hatch. One member of the pursuing motorcycle gang tries to follow, sliding his bike underneath the semi and grabbing her legs—but Furiosa kicks him off, and he’s crushed by the back wheels.

The actor didn’t actually get flattened, of course. An elaborate system of ropes kept him safe, and the stunt rigger who designed the sequence, , later for it at the Taurus World Stunt Awards. “That shot was all done in a single take,” Beck says. “Once she kicked him off, we had to arrest his slide before he went under the semi’s wheels. There were four riggers operating from the top of the truck and me making the decisions.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=CRfAtCRXzps

What is a stunt rigger, exactly? They design and implement the ropes and pulleys that allow stunt doubles and actors to fly off cliffs or under speeding cars without actually falling or getting run over.

Beck’s career path to Hollywood stunt master began in 1990, when he accepted a scholarship to study at in Pennsylvania. He learned to rock climb in the nearby Pocono Mountains, and after graduating, Beck spent eight years “climbing trees every few months to earn money, then using that money to climb mountains in the United States, Europe, and the Himalaya.” In 1998, Beck parlayed his rope skills into rigging a few stunts on , a Vin Diesel movie. “After all that climbing and tree work, rigging felt natural,” Beck says. “Once I got onto that first set, I knew that I’d found my career. No second thoughts.”

Almost two decades later, Beck has on 54 films, including , , , and .

Age: 47
Job: Stunt rigger, director, and founder of and
Hometown: Perth, Australia
Home Base: Canungra, Australia
Favorite Gear: “My customized and my lanyard. Same models I’ve used since my tree-climbing days. They’re both part of my minimalist system. Safety is key in the film industry, but so is speed.”

On Skills a Rigger Must Possess: “Stunt riggers have a broad range of climbing skills—everything from trees to rock to buildings—and they have to be experienced with rope access, rescue, pulley systems, knots, and splicing. And you gotta understand the physics of moving people about in space, sometimes at high speeds.”

What His Job Looks Like: “Most times, I’m hired to be on a production throughout the entire filming process. On Fury Road, I was there start to finish, from designing the rigging processes to coordinating their implementation. But it all depends—for Casino Royale, they only needed me . These days, I’m usually the second unit director—running a full film crew, doing all the action beats and pickup shots, or coordinating the sequence with a team of stunt performers and riggers. When I first see a storyboard, my first step is to visualize the sequence. Then I sit with the lads and go over what the scene is about, and from there we design the rig around the action. We work in reverse—how did that performer get there, what caused it to happen, and so on. After I’ve built the rig in my head, I mentally overlay that vision into the physical space where the rig will eventually be. Then it’s all about manifesting that vision into reality.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=MiHCJC9krrk%3Fstart%3D156

Diagramming a scene is an important part of planning a stunt. This one is of the cliff-jump scenes in 'Hacksaw Ridge,' shown at 2:36 in the clip above. (Courtesy Keir Beck)

Getting Your Foot in the Door: “There are some schools scattered around the world where you can train to be in this line of work. Or you could work as an apprentice, but you’ll need some experience to do that. In my case, I learned the fundamentals through rock climbing and working as an arborist. I know riggers who initially worked different crafts in Hollywood, built up connections, and then made the transition to rigging from there. Whatever the case, you need to be really enthusiastic about this craft. Prove to a rigging coordinator [the person who designs and oversees the film’s rigging crew] that you’re trustworthy and eager to learn, and maybe that person will take you on.”

Certifications Matter: “Nowadays, certifications are pretty much mandatory. You’ll need to get them—even if you’re a very experienced arborist or climber—because then the people in charge will be much more confident about hiring you. I have a diploma in arboriculture, a high-risk work license in advanced rigging, and a Certificate IV in occupational health and safety, plus instructor certifications for safety at heights, confined spaces, and vertical rescue. For me, pursuing those certifications was a chance to learn the various elements of this trade. Think of prepping for each certification as a learning opportunity.”

How Climbing Trees and Crags Informed His Rigging: “I developed a lot of the skills I use today during my climbing and arborist days. Moving huge tree branches over power lines and roofs were my physics lessons for moving mass around on ropes, and I learned about anchor points and rope systems from climbing. I always trusted my gut, but I kept my brain switched on, too.”

“Being able to think up some wild stunt and then turn into a reality—there’s a flow to it. That’s what keeps me here.”

High-Stakes Problem Solving: “Rigging can be a dangerous line of work if things go wrong on set. So, when I’m approached to take on a rigging job, I follow a few self-defined rules. First, I read the script, look at the storyboard, and decide whether it’s possible for me to pull off the scene. That step involves a lot of intuition. If I think I can do the job, I start thinking about the risks involved. In this industry, the better you are at managing risk, the more creative you can be. Once I’ve determined that the stunt can be done safely, I’ll go for it. By a country mile, the toughest rigging project I’ve done was on Mad Max: Fury Road. I doubt that I’ll ever work on a rigging assignment that’s more complex or dangerous than that. The stunt sequences’ intensity, scale, and environments were just so extreme.”

The Toughest Logistics: “Long periods of unemployment are always a possibility in this line of work. Plus, the film industry can be very time-consuming. It’ll take you away from your home and family. That’s been the biggest drawback for me, and I didn’t expect the extent of it. But on the other hand, rigging for films will take you all over the world—I think I’ve been to about 40 countries so far. And it’s put me in some strange situations. For instance, on one of my very first projects, I ended up rigging in croc-infested waters. Terrifying.”

Keir Beck rigging a 1,200-foot drop-off on the set of 'Mad Max: Fury Road.' (Courtesy of Keir Beck)

His Heroes: “In the climbing world, . I memorized every single climb he did. In the film world, , the director of Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Beating Burnout: “A few times each week, I’ll do the Elon Musk thing and work from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next morning. Some days, I’ll stop working at 2 p.m., take the dog for a run, and then go pick up my boys from school and spend the afternoon with them. On the weekends, I switch everything off. I don’t even think about work. Those rest days keep me focused on what I need to accomplish during the week. Over the years, I’ve learned to force myself to put my pen down and take a rest. To be successful, you need to be disciplined enough to get your work done, but also disciplined enough to cut yourself off.”

The Best Part: “Working on Hacksaw Ridge was great, and Casino Royale was also definitely one of the biggest highlights. For that one, they brought me on to help with the foot chase in the opening sequence: I rigged the bit where Bond is , fighting a guy. I just love that my job allows me to be creative. There aren’t any limitations in that way. Being able to think up some wild stunt and then turn into a reality—there’s a flow to it. That’s what keeps me here.”

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A Quest to Find the Formula for Perfect Health

jversteegh — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

In 2010, an economist and a psychologist teamed up to determine the salary that would bring maximum happiness. The much-touted number they came up with was : people’s contentment would rise along with their incomes but only up to that threshold, at which point it would plateau or drop.��

Our question: Is there a health equivalent to that perfect salary? Our fitness improves the more we exercise, but is there a point at which we start to get diminishing returns?

We spoke with nearly a dozen experts to find an answer. Turns out there is such a thing as the “perfect” number of workouts, and such a thing as “too fit.”

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It’s a safe bet that if you add muscle mass, you will be healthier. Take one 2016 in the American Journal of Cardiology that found that subjects with higher muscle masses had lower risks of mortality, regardless of their body fat percentages.

, the clinical director at Therapeutic Associates Physical Therapy in Corvallis, Oregon, agrees that a targeted strength regimen to build and maintain muscle mass is needed for full-body fitness. But “it’s entirely possible to damage your organs, muscles, and joints, through excessive ,” he says. “Quite a bit of my patients come to see me because of over-use injuries.”

When it comes to weight training, the calculus on how much you should be doing and when is pretty straightforward, regardless of , according to the from the American College of Sports Medicine. You should lift at least two days per week and rest each muscle group for before training it again. Use free-weights or do body-weight routines, as both will engage your stabilizing muscles. Limit your workout to 10 exercises of between eight and 15 reps each, depending on your age—if you’re younger than 45, aim for 8-12, older than 45, aim for 10-15.��

Don’t worry if you’re not losing weight or reducing body fat: numerous studies have linked volunteers’ muscle strength—not just size—to lower risks of , , , . Simply lifting is .��

“There’s no ‘ideal’ amount of muscle mass,” says , the supervisor of Penn State’s Center for Fitness and Wellness. “But essentially, getting stronger equals getting healthier.”

Cardio

As long-distance runners and cyclists know, muscle mass is just one-half of proper fitness. “Endurance is that second part of the equation,” says Christopher Lang Sr., an exercise physiologist at the . “ is probably the best predictor of aerobic fitness and .”

The healthiest way to strengthen your heart and shed some weight in the process is through moderate-intensity cardio, not extreme dieting, says Paulette Lambert, director of Nutrition at California Health and Longevity Institute. That “moderate-intensity” bit is crucial: you want to aim for 85 percent of your max heart rate—the where you see the most health benefits.

Again, as with weight lifting, the guidelines here are simple: 30 minutes of exercise a day, for five days every week. A 2011 ACSM notes that all-cause mortality starts to drop significantly if you follow this cardio regimen, while a 2001 in Medicine & Science, Sports & Exercise, pegged the risk reduction at 20 to 30 percent compared to not exercising at all.��

Of course, that’s the bare minimum. You must hit 300 minutes per week to, for example, of getting colon or breast cancer. That’s why we recommend power-walking or jogging for anywhere between 150 to 420 minutes (2.5 to seven hours) per week to get the maximum aerobic benefits.

Go past that seven-hour limit and you risk burnout and injury. Or at the very least, wasted time. A notes that “further exertion” beyond one hour of vigorous cardio per day “produces diminishing [health] returns.” In 2011, papers in and the also noted that trend, as did a 2009 in the International Journal of Sports Medicine.

“You’re just not gaining many more health benefits beyond that point,” says , an associate professor of kinesiology at the College of William & Mary. “The injury rate continues to rise the longer you work-out, so the logic is, ‘Why exercise more when the risks begin to outweigh the rewards?’”

Of note, the Mayo Clinic determined that chronic training beyond that hour-per-day threshold may “cause adverse cardiovascular effects in some individuals,” such as a , and a 2012 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that long-term endurance training can cause heart damage.

But really, the biggest danger of overtraining is missing out on other activities.

“Being truly healthy means having a life outside the gym,” says to Lisa Hayden, a psychologist at the California Health & Longevity Institute. “There are lots of ways to estimate ‘ideal fitness,’ but having a positive life-balance is one of the most important. Keep that in mind, because it’s easy to overlook.”

Diet

Going Paleo may sound cool, but the most authoritative studies on the subject all vouch for the Mediterranean diet’s efficacy. It could add years to your life.

A in The BMJ found that those who followed the diet had a nine percent lower risk of all-cause mortality. Other recent studies have found that devotees are less likely to develop breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, anxiety and depression. Plus, it also lowers blood pressure and inflammation.

“The diet varies slightly from region to region,” says Lambert, “but it’s uniformly plant based, and much healthier than the [Western diet] most Americans follow.”

The staples of the Mediterranean diet are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, herbs, olive oil, and red wine, though eating poultry and dairy now and then is fine. Whenever possible, buy whole foods.��(You’ll digesting them, and the processed variety causes ��Ի��.)��

Each day, try to eat at least six to seven servings of fruit and vegetables, one serving of legumes, five to six servings of whole grains, and one handful of nuts. Oh, and drink one glass of red wine. Limit yourself to one to two servings of fish per week, and less than one serving of any other meat. (Before you set a calorie goal, visit a nutritionist.)

Nature Time

Imagine walking one mile on a rugged trail, then another mile on a sidewalk. On average, you’d burn during that hiking bit. And, depending on the dose, getting out in nature will boost your mental stability and cognitive fitness, too.

Recent studies published in Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine and Environmental Studies & Technology suggest that taking a in nature will boost your mood and self-esteem, and that after another 10 minutes, your blood pressure, pulse and cortisol levels will start to drop. At s, your working memory will have improved. A will help prevent depression. On the far end of the spectrum, spending immersed in nature—without any technological distractions—can temporarily boost your convergent creativity by 50 percent.

“Most of the studies in this field seem to suggest a correlation,” says Peter James, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Population Medicine. “Causality hasn’t been proven, but I suspect that in the future, urban greenspaces will be a necessity, not a perk.”

For our recommendations, we defer to Florence Williams, author of . She suggests incorporating the shorter doses into your day but notes that it’s imperative to get out in nature for at least five hours every month.

“Being in the moment—hearing, seeing, smelling, and touching your surroundings—that’s key,” Williams says. “You won’t get the same benefits if you’re listening to your iPod, talking on the phone, or are otherwise distracted.”

Find a park near your office where you can take walking breaks during the day and also eat lunch. Five times per week, jog or walk briskly outside, off city streets, for about an hour. Spend a few days camping, even just from your car, every few weekends.

Social Time

A 2015 study in identified loneliness, social isolation, and living alone as factors that raise our chances of dying early by 26 percent, 29 percent, and 32 percent, respectively.

According to a 2008 study in , that’s because your fight or flight response kicks in when you feel lonely, upping inflammation and reducing antibody production. In the long run, chronic loneliness can cause neuroendocrine disorders, heart disease, stroke, and dementia.

“There is no [optimum] dose of social contact, in the same way that there is no perfect dose of medication that suits everyone,” says Susan Pinker, author of . “[Yet] the need for in-person social interaction is universal, even if the amount is individually set.”

There is, however, a limit to how many friends you should have. The theorized “”—which is really a series of numbers—suggests that our brains can only maintain 150 or so interpersonal relationships at any given time in our lives, give or take a few dozen.

But even if you thrive on meeting new faces, make time for the people who truly comfort you, and vice versa. A 2016 —not social circle size, closeness with friends, or frequency of contact—is the strongest predictor of health.

“Not all relationships are equal,” says Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University. “The quality of your social interactions are what really matter. If you want to be healthy, that’s one of the first things to focus on.”

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Aidan Haley on How to Become an ��ԹϺ�� Filmmaker

eberger — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Aidan Haley still remembers the night in May 2001 when he realized he wasn’t destined to be a professional alpinist like his cousin Colin Haley.

“The two of us were bivied in a tent under the northwest face of Mount Stuart in the Cascade Range at about 8,000 feet,” he says. “It’s one of the most exposed pieces of granite in the lower 48. We were going to climb the Mount Stuart Couloir the next morning, and I was pretty anxious.” Aidan shook Colin awake and confessed he wanted to bail. “Then I asked whether he ever got scared before a climb,” says Haley. “There was this long silence, and finally he was like, ‘No, dude. Never.’ It was just this complete lack of comprehension.”

On the couloir the next day, Aidan took a few photos of Colin. “I thought, ‘Oh, wow, this is pretty cool, too. Maybe I could do this as my career.’” Fifteen years later, have been chosen as finalists at Banff Mountain Film Festival, Telluride Mountainfilm, and 5Point Film Festival, and his clients include The North Face, Patagonia, National Geographic, Outdoor Research, the National Park Service, and REI. Most recently, he worked on Krystle Wright’s .

Age: 30
Job: Filmmaker
Hometown: Tacoma, Washington
Home Base: Boulder, Colorado
Morning Ritual: “Every morning, I take a moment to enjoy the beginning of the day before I jump into work. Usually with coffee.”
His Favorite Gear: “I edit on my MacBook Pro using Adobe Premier. Fancy technology will make your job possible, but it won’t make you a better editor. You have to be able to make do with whatever tool you’re given.”
Who He Looks Up To: Ben Knight, Krystle Wright, and Ben Sturgulewski
Career Highlight: “Growing up, I’d come home from school and watch Matchstick Productions’ ski films; I idolized them. This past summer, I spent two months in Alaska editing a film for them.”

Aidan Haley films Josh Huckaby in the Sierra Nevada for Patagonia. (Chad Copeland)

How He Made It: “I started out as a photographer. I only took one relevant class during undergrad, but I got my first internship right out of college at an agency in Paris—I knocked on their door. Everybody says that nothing will be handed to you in life, and that’s true—especially professionally. If you want the job, go introduce yourself.

“I started diversifying my skill set around 2008, because tons of accessible digital cameras started coming out and threw photojournalism into a monumental shift toward video. I moved to Los Angeles and learned a ton as a commercial director’s assistant, but eventually I joined an outdoor media company in Seattle, because I wanted to combine adventure sports and filmmaking. I built up my contacts for a few years, and then set out on my own. At every juncture, I put myself in positions where I’d learn a lot; in this industry, it’s so important to have a broad range of skills.”

On Making It Without Credentials: “I never went to film school, but I only taught myself maybe half of my skills—I surrounded myself with people who knew a ton about filmmaking, listened to what they told me, and worked my butt off. If you want to make movies, I don’t think film school is the ideal route. You gotta be out in the field to get true experience; it’s the difference between talking about making shit and actually making shit. When you start out, your work probably won’t be any good, but over time it’ll get better and better.”

Jumping Hurdles: “When I started freelancing, I was terrified about not having a steady paycheck or structured schedule. You have to push through and embrace those insecure aspects. Think of it like this: A lack of structure is actually freedom—it means you can work on different types of projects. I do general commercial work, not just adventure films, and I’m wrapping my first feature film. If you stay nine-to-five, you’ll only have a few hours each day to work on passion projects; that’s hard to manage. Don’t get me wrong, freelancing is tough, especially at first. Building connections, a portfolio, a name—those take time.”

Workspace Setup: “I work from home, but this coming year I’ll probably be working in a shared creative space with some other people. Being stagnant is a crutch, and hearing others perspectives will open your eyes.”

How to Schedule Playtime: “My advice is to do whatever it takes to finish an assignment well and on time, and also schedule big chunks of vacation between projects. For instance, I’m going on a surf trip to Indonesia pretty soon, but I won’t be talking to anybody about work while I’m there. You have to take gaps to feed your soul. I enjoy editing and creating, but no matter how much you like your job, you gotta recharge. When I’m not on vacation, I still take breaks to go trail running and climbing.”

What People Don’t Realize: “My peers with nine-to-five jobs often think I don’t work very much or very hard, which is completely wrong. Often, my job is nine-to-nine. If you want to be a freelance filmmaker, think about the last time you worked 24 hours straight, then imagine doing that for an entire month. Growing up, I took a lot of shortcuts on my homework—you can’t do that and be any good at filmmaking. Editing is a meticulous job, so if you screw up one tiny step at the end of a five-hour process, you gotta go back and repeat the whole thing again.”

Not Letting Your Career Become Your Identity: “I let my work dictate my life when I was younger, and now I try to consciously separate myself from my job. Don’t get me wrong—I love being a filmmaker, and I don’t see this ride ending anytime soon—but there are hurdles in every career, and you have to keep your eyes open. I may get burned out, or eventually I may not be able to find consistent work. The only consistent thing in life is change, and you have to be ready to reinvent yourself in case things don’t work out. That’s tough to do if your career is your sole identity.”

Owning Your Work: “I shoot occasionally, but I’m mainly an editor—that means I have to work on other people’s projects. But there’s a difference between someone seeking you out because they want you, specifically, to edit for them, compared to having to search for work yourself. In the latter case, you’re working for someone, not with them. Editing is a huge time suck, you know? It’s important to feel a sense of ownership—you are your hours. This past weekend, I literally spent three days straight in front of my computer; it was draining, but I was inspired because I felt in control. When you collaborate with a great team, work feels less like a job and more like a craft. Of course, it’s nice to choose your own off-hours: Right now, I’m sitting on a beach with my surfboard, getting ready to go paddle out and spend the day in the ocean.”

Staying Creative: “It’s all about diversity. If you work on different types of projects, your mind will stay flexible and sharp. When you’re first starting out, that’s easy to do: You have to keep learning different techniques and fresh ways to tell various types of stories. Farther along, I think working with creative people is what’s most helpful for coming up with new, interesting ideas. The outdoor industry isn’t really into team sports, but that’s what filmmaking is like—it works best when it’s collaborative.”

What’s Next: “I recently shot my first feature film, and now I’m editing it. It’s called . Michael Polish directed it, and Kate Bosworth produced and stars in it. It’s been a blessing to be a part of. This fall, I’ll be working on a branded video for The North Face about trail running. To be honest, I’m always excited about my next project, but I try not to get caught up in what might happen way down the road. Deal with what’s in front of you, and the rest will take care of itself.”

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The Art of Balancing Two High-Adrenaline Jobs

oharlow — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Most elite alpinists grow up in tiny mountain towns.��, on the other hand, was raised in rural northeast Ohio. “I didn’t do anything outdoorsy until I was 20 or so,” she says. “That’s when I moved to Colorado to finish my nursing degree at the University of Colorado Denver.” Soon after, a few of Pfaff’s classmates invited her to climb with them at , near Moab, Utah, for the weekend. “When I came back from that trip, I did whatever it took to go climbing and be around climbers.”

After graduating in 2003, Pfaff relocated to Boulder and met plenty of locals eager to teach her the systems and intricacies of technical rock climbing. Soon, she was spending most of her free time on either the multi-pitch routes in , a few miles outside of Boulder, or the splitter cracks in Indian Creek. In 2004, Pfaff drove out to Yosemite alone, and was “absorbed by the Camp 4 climbing community,” she says. “They took me under their wing—that’s when it all really started for me.”

(Clayton Boyd / The North Face)

Thirteen years later, Pfaff has in India, Bolivia, Nepal, and Columbia, and established new routes in Pakistan and Chile—all while working as a registered nurse in the Bay Area. She signed with the North Face last fall and will join some of her new teammates on an expedition in India this August. “My life isn’t normal in any way,” Pfaff says. “Juggling expedition climbing and nursing requires total commitment. I have two lifestyles—not two careers—but I’m happy with the path I chose. Isn’t that the point?”

Age: 35
Job: Trauma nurse; sponsored alpinist with the North Face, La Sportiva, Blue Water, DeLorme, CAMP, Jubo, and Gnarly
Hometown: Medina, Ohio
Home Base: Oakland, California
Morning Ritual: “Drinking a lot of coffee and making a list for the day.”
Her Perfect Route: “I love mixed climbing, so probably a thin crack up to a nice pillar of WI5 ice.”
2017 International Agenda: Newfoundland in January, Iceland in March, Peru in June, and India in August.
Favorite Piece of Gear: “A yellow . Because if I’m using one, it means I’m climbing a hand crack.”
Nursing Certifications: Registered Nurse, Certified Emergency Nurse, , Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Basic Life Support
Climbing Certifications: “The only class I’ve taken was on basic anchor building, back when I first started climbing. I just kind of learned through mentors and getting out there!”

How to decide if a dual career is right for you: “Having a dual career is my way of focusing on my ultimate goals in life: going on expeditions and helping people. If your dream is juggling nursing and alpinism, it’s best to start both early. Both fields require a lot of experience. Don’t be scared to jump in and figure out your path along the way—I didn’t know I would be an expeditionary alpinist when I started climbing. But here’s the key: you have to be incredibly disciplined to be a trauma nurse or a professional alpinist. For example, I often pass up vacationing with my friends because I need to train for upcoming expeditions.”

Juggling two jobs: “I can walk into the emergency room after being in the mountains for six weeks and handle some crazy trauma like a gunshot wound, but it took me 14 years of training and hard work to get to that point. I just get into a flow and everything else fades into the background until I finish the day’s work. But of course there are certain things in my life that are still a hot mess.��Sometimes I’ll freak out and think that I’ve been at the hospital way too long and I need to skip and go climbing. But then when I’ve spent six or seven weeks climbing, I’ll feel this urge to go be a nurse again. It’s always been one extreme or the other with me.”

(Tim Kemple / The North Face)

Day to day: “My contract with the hospital requires me to work at least four shifts per month, but sometimes I work more than that. As a trauma nurse, I deal with anything from gunshot wounds to car accidents. My shifts are 12 hours each, but my schedule is pretty flexible: if I need six months off to climb, I'll do 10 shifts in a row. I live with some emergency room co-workers when I’m in Oakland; kind of like a nursing commune.��If I’m not on an expedition but have a good chunk of time to climb, I follow the good weather in my van and sleep in that. Some people probably see living in a van as a sacrifice, but I think of it as freedom.”

How she recharges: “Sleep.��Really, that’s the only downtime I have. When I’m not on an expedition, I rotate between sleeping, working at the hospital, and training. I only have a limited amount of money, so I put it almost entirely into keeping my van running and going climbing. I don’t go to bars or anything like that.”

Finding jobs with meaning: “Both of my careers hinge on constant progression: I can always be better. I think the key is to find a field you enjoy that fits your personality. I work in trauma now, but I’ve also done oncology and the intensive care unit. I like dealing with unexpected scenarios all the time, and I thrive on organized chaos. I’ve always had two urges—to help people and be active outside—so I chose careers that fit the lifestyle I knew I wanted. The result has been that my identity hasn’t changed much throughout my careers. But, my careers have definitely reinforced my belief that you have to make the most of every moment. I’ve lost friends in the mountains—two died just last year—and as a trauma nurse, you see people die all the time.”

Staying in elite shape while holding down a hectic job: “There are only 24 hours in the day, so choose wisely what parts of your body you need to train and figure out the most efficient way to do it. I usually train at night, after work. I always have a specific exercise plan, like, ‘I’m going to go to the rock gym and climb ten pitches of 5.10 and 20 pitches of 5.11.’ And I always tailor my training towards upcoming trips. Right now, I’m working out six days a week because I’ll be climbing in Peru soon; after that, I have a trip to India. Alpinism requires pretty much every type of fitness—I run, climb, lift weights, and hangboard, plus do yoga, pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups…”

How to find happiness and stay inspired: “I think two of the most important rules in life are have fun and remember that life is short.��Everybody has a different idea of the perfect life,��so you have to figure out what keeps you happy and inspired. Sometimes you need to put your head down and sacrifice for your ultimate goal, but if you’re in the right career, there will still be inspiring moments during that slog. For me, those moments happen when I meet patients who are fighting back against their illnesses or injuries, or when I travel for an expedition and talk to someone who’s facing challenges I’ve never encountered.”

Career highlights: “The 2016 first ascent I did with my friend on in Bolivia comes to mind. I’ve enjoyed being able to push my body to the highest level and seeing how far I can take my climbing. But even more than standing on summits, I love learning about the various cultures, lifestyles, and beliefs that I run into overseas. As for my nursing career, there have been times when my patient seems to be doing fine, but my intuition kicks in and I dig a little deeper and catch something that wasn’t apparent. Also, if a patient comes out of surgery successfully, talking to them when they wake up is phenomenally rewarding.”

Future plans: “I just want to keep training, seeing the world, helping people, and staying alive. This career path works for me right now, and I’m confident that it’s how I want to spend my time. I don’t think it will last forever, but I’m going to continue to do it for as long as I can, and for as long as I love it.”

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Why You Should Curse and Scream

oharlow — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000

If you’ve ever been to a climbing gym, you’ve probably heard someone screeching like a pterodactyl as they pull through the toughest sequence of holds. It’s commonplace in the sport, and professional climbers and are perhaps as well known for their distinctive screams as for their accomplishments on the rock.

Screaming while climbing may sound silly or like just a way to get the entire gym’s attention, but recent studies suggest that climbers like Sharma and Ondra are actually on to something. Yelling, and even swearing, at the right moments might improve your athletic performance.

“It does help me,” says Ondra. “If it didn’t, I would not do it.”

It Makes You Stronger

In published in the International Journal of Exercise Science, researchers at Drexel University had 18 women and 12 men squeeze a device three times each while vocalizing, forcefully exhaling, and passively breathing and measured their grip strength each time. The results? When the participants grunted, their compression power increased by an astounding 25 percent compared to passively breathing, and 11 percent versus exhaling. The scientists suspected that grunting boosted power by “increasing sympathetic drive,” or a response of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s fight-or-flight response.

“Basically, grunting increases your adrenaline, which gives your muscles a momentary boost in power,” says , a physician at Blue Ridge Orthopaedic and Spine Center in Warrenton, Virginia. “Simply exhaling won’t give you the same jolt.”

That adrenaline-fueled power surge will help in “any sports situation where you need a momentary burst of strength, like lunging during a rock climb, dunking a basketball, or hitting a tennis ball,” says Heller, adding that it’s a good idea to stay quiet when you need precision motor skills—adrenaline can make you shaky.

“It is very important to yell in the right places,” says Ondra. “When I yell, I am giving it everything I have. In the easier sections, I must give only the minimum necessary.”

Yelling can also boost athletes’ performance in the lower body. In 2015, researchers from Drexel University in which they asked 15 women and 15 men to jump forward as far as possible while exhaling forcefully. Then they had the volunteers repeat the test while yelling. On average, participants of both genders leaped about five percent farther when they shouted. The researchers again credited the extra power to increased sympathetic drive.

, an associate professor of kinesiology at the College of William and Mary, suspects that the biomechanics, or the mechanical laws governing our body movements, of yelling also play a role in increasing our power. “When you grunt or yell, the muscles around your rib cage contract,” he says. “That contraction makes your core rigid—it stabilizes your trunk. And when your trunk is stable, your body can transfer more power to your limbs.” That surge from trunk stabilization would carry over to any sport where there’s a moment of maximum effort or torque—like a hard paddle while kayaking, a long reach to the next climbing hold, or a big pedal push when you’re mountain biking.

Swearing, it turns out, can have similar benefits. In that’s currently under peer review, researchers at Keele University in Staffordshire, England, had volunteers cycle on stationary bikes for two 30-second periods—once while cussing and once while chanting a neutral word. When allowed to curse, the participants pedaled 4 percent harder for the first five seconds and 2 percent harder throughout the whole half-minute. They also tested 52 peoples’ grip strengths using the same parameters. When swearing, the volunteers squeezed eight percent harder, on average.

Unlike neutral words, curses are processed our amygdala, which controls the body’s fight-or-flight response. Similar to screaming, cussing triggers a jolt of strength-boosting adrenaline. “Swearing is usually tied to emotional situations,” says Dangaia Sims, a data scientist with a PhD in sports psychology. “While swearing doesn’t necessarily equate to fear, cussing may almost trick the brain into thinking a threat is imminent.”

It Helps You Block Pain

In December 2016, ultrarunner was leading the 50-mile North Face Endurance Challenge Championship in Marin, California, with three miles to go. Another runner, Hayden Hawks, was close behind him and narrowing the gap. Miller—having just run 47 miles and refusing to relinquish the lead—grunted, screamed, and moaned as he sprinted the last 5K at five-minute-per-mile pace and won. Whether Miller realized it or not, research shows that his yelling and grunting worked to not only boost his strength but also ease his agony.

In 2015, two researchers at the National University of Singapore published in the Journal of Pain noting that their volunteers—29 women and 26 men—were able to keep their hands submerged in a tub of icy water for seven seconds longer when allowed to yell during the ordeal versus staying silent. The authors suspect that shouting helps ease discomfort by preventing pain signals from reaching one’s brain. In fact, they suggest that “vocalizing responses” should be a “first line of defense when individuals get hurt.”

And if you’re okay with possibly offending bystanders, swearing is even more effective than screaming for reducing pain. As detailed in in Neuroreport, a team of three scientists from Keele University had 64 volunteers immerse their hands twice in icy water. The participants swore during round one and yelled a neutral word throughout round two. On average, the men and women reported less pain when swearing and kept their hands submerged for 40 seconds longer.

It Might Increase Your Confidence and Focus

While there hasn’t been much scientific research into whether shouting boosts confidence and focus—at least compared to the volume of peer-reviewed studies on its physical benefits—many professional athletes swear by it.

Take tennis players, for example. Elites like Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal often grunt or . “The timing of when they actually grunt helps them with the rhythm of how they’re hitting and how they’re pacing things,” said Louise Deeley, a sports psychologist at Roehampton University, . “It’s going to give you confidence and a sense of being in control of your game.”

, a certified sports performance consultant in Portland, Oregon, who has a degree in sport and exercise psychology, has seen this firsthand. “During individual sessions, some of my clients have reported a link between vocalization and self-confidence,” Waksman says. “Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks, for example, seems to do this. It helps him maintain his mindset.

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Real Talk on What It Takes to Become a Mountain Guide

oharlow — Wed, 31 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

In August 1982, and seven other Prescott College freshmen began compulsory wilderness orientation. Raised in West Virginia, Hawse figured the class would be a preview of Arizona’s mountains. Instead, she discovered a calling that’s taken her to peaks around the world.

“Our instructor seemed happier than anyone I’d ever met,” says Hawse. “His goal was to turn everybody on to the outdoors. I wanted to be that happy.”

After graduating in 1986, Hawse signed on as an outdoor education instructor at Prescott. She spent five of the next six years coaching students to ski mountain faces, kayak whitewater rapids, and climb technical cliffs. “Those trips are where everything started,” Hawse says.

Twenty-five years later, Hawse has led clients in the , , , and , as well as the , Canadian Rockies, and Antarctica. In 2010, she became the sixth American woman to be certified by the , the highest level a mountain guide can achieve. She .

“Guiding made me who I am,” Hawse says. “It gave me confidence and taught me to think on my feet. I really can’t imagine having a different job.”

Age: 54
Job: ; instructor; avalanche forecaster for ; sponsored alpinist with , ,��, , and ; co-owner of , which offers climbing and skiing trips for women.
Hometown: Elkins, West Virginia
Home Base: Ridgway, Colorado
Education: Bachelor of arts degrees in natural history and outdoor education, plus a master of arts in international mountain conservation, from Prescott College.
Motto: “Alex Lowe said that the best climber is the one having the most fun. I try to apply that maxim to every part of my life. Don’t forget to breathe, balance, and believe.”

Figuring Out Her Style: “I had second thoughts about guiding in the early 1990s. I just burned out. I worked as a carpenter for a year, but being away from guiding made me realize how much I loved teaching clients. I started getting into technical mountaineering trips. Since then, I’ve never looked back.”

Hard Truths About Guiding: “You shouldn’t become a guide if you’re just looking for a career that allows you to ski and climb full-time. Guiding means providing a safe, rewarding experience for your clients, so you’ve gotta enjoy interacting with new people. Really, I’m a teacher.”

How to Gain Experience: “Most guides I know work for companies so they don’t have to worry about attracting clients or getting public land permits and insurance. In the United States, independent guides have a tough time with those three things, especially in the beginning. Start at a company and gain skills, connections, and a reputation that will allow you to branch out. At that point, if you want to go solo, you can secure permits and insurance through the certified guide cooperative and market yourself online. Even IFMGA guides work for other companies or go abroad to Europe or Canada, where there are fewer restrictions on land permits.”

A selfie from one of Hawse's guiding trips. (Courtesy of Angela Hawse)

Being (and Staying) the Best: “You’ll need a solid background in the type of guiding you’re pursuing, and the consequences are huge if you don’t stay up to date. Technology is starting to change quickly in this field, so you’ve got to embrace the new tools in GPS navigation and emergency response. If you want to guide on snow, stay on top of your weather forecasting skills—being an AMGA instructor keeps me sharp, but I also go to clinics and workshops, plus read lots of scientific reports.”

Turning Hurdles into Learning Opportunities: “Guiding isn’t constant bliss. Don’t look at hurdles as setbacks—think of them as opportunities to grow your skill set. For example, when I decided I wanted to be an avalanche forecaster, I had to take a course and train. My only true hurdle has been physical—as a small woman, I have to work doubly hard to stay super strong.”

No Boring Days: “Guiding will never be nine to five and Monday through Friday, but that’s why it’s exciting. I guide five or so days each week in the winter, plus get up at 4:30 a.m. to forecast avalanche conditions at . When the snow melts, I start getting ready for rock climbing season.”

Daily Ritual: “Morning espresso, checking the weather, and 20 minutes of calisthenics before I meet up with my clients. Get up early. You’ll always need to tinker with your pack before heading out in the morning.”

Workspace Setup: “I have a super-organized gear shed. That’s pretty mandatory. I also have a home gym for high-impact workouts and trip prep.”

Favorite Mountain Gear: “That’s a hard call for a guide! I’ve gotta say footwear—it’s so important to have the right boots for the job. I have shoes for trail running, rock climbing, ski mountaineering, alpine climbing, trekking. You can’t imagine how many pairs I own.”

Work-Life Balance: “Get in the ‘I’m going to work for two weeks, and then have me-time for two weeks’ mind frame. Family life is key, so find a partner who supports your rocky lifestyle.”

Finding Time for Exploration: “I plan my schedule way in advance. This September, I’m taking clients to Chile for heli-skiing. After I finish guiding them, I’ll stay and do the climbs that interest me. There are lots of little opportunities like that.”

The Future of Guiding: “I think the field will continue to grow. Ten or so years ago, people started realizing how important professional leadership is in the mountains. When I started, guides worked seasonally. Now there are lots of year-round positions. Plus, clients are willing to pay more, so it’s possible for guides to live comfortably. But I think most guides will continue to work for companies. It won’t be like Europe, where clients often hire certified freelance mountaineers.”

Credentials Matter: “Certification should be required to work as a mountain guide—you’re responsible for your clients’ lives. Canada and the European countries require guides to have credentials, and I bet the United States will too, eventually. A trustworthy alpine guide will have AMGA, wilderness first responder, and CPR certifications, plus . It takes a long, long time to become an IFMGA guide, but that’s the gold standard.”

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Choosing an Office Chair That Won’t Kill You

cthompson — Mon, 22 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Sitting kills. That’s the headline you’ve seen on , , and even over the past few years. With the —and even treadmill and —people are treating sitting as “the new smoking.” In 2010, that found sitting for just an hour increased one’s risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality, and other studies have linked prolonged sitting to , , , muscle degeneration, soft bones, high blood pressure, , , , and . And a daily hour-long workout probably won’t save you, according to a .

We reviewed the scientific literature, spoke with experts, and assembled the definitive guide to choosing a chair that will keep you healthy, listed from worst to best. Plus, we outlined the ultimate daily office routine.

#5: The Stability Ball

When the stability ball became trendy in the mid-2000s, its supposed health benefits were based on two theories: Without a backrest, the user must sit upright with feet flat on the floor, ensuring proper posture and circulation. And second, because the ball is squishier than an office chair, you must engage your abdominal and back muscles to stay upright.

But the reality is that stability balls, when used in isolation, can do more harm than good. “I wouldn’t recommend sitting on a yoga ball for long,” says Jason Zhao, clinical director at in Corvallis, Oregon. “It’s easier to lose good posture on these, and the increased muscle activation puts more pressure on the spine.”

#4: The Kneeling Chair

The —a stool-like structure that provides support for your forward-facing knees—was “trendy in the 1980s and 1990s, but they’ve fallen out of favor,” says , a pain management physician at in Warrenton, Virginia. Claims that the downward-sloping seat and dropped-knee position rotate the pelvis forward and therefore align the spine in an ideal, natural S-shape . Like the stability ball, however, the kneeling chair will than a conventional chair and , even as it distributes your weight onto your knees and off the lumbar curve.

#3: The Standing Desk

: Ben Franklin, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, and Ernest Hemingway used them. But recently they’ve been to oversitting ills. Humans developed a lumbar curve because we’re bipedal, so working upright must be healthy, right? Well, it’s complicated.

Research shows that working upright , all without ruining your focus, as well as . But being on your feet for too long poses its own risks: it inhibits proper circulation and adds pressure to your hips, legs, and spine, which . And, unfortunately, research shows that .

#2: The Saddle Stool

You know this style of seat—your . All things considered, the saddle stool is pretty great. The backless design increases muscle activation—much like a stability ball or kneeling chair—and the saddle will rotate your pelvis forward, which maintains the spine’s natural lumbar curve. Wheeled saddle stools are also the only chairs that effectively prevent slouching: because the stool is designed to be raised higher than a conventional chair or stool top and because the wheels give it mobility, leaning forward would launch the chair out from under you. Research shows that the saddle stool is also great at . The only downside: eight hours on a stool is .

#1: The Ergonomic Office Chair

When you read something about how , most of those articles reference the plain old office chair, which indeed is not great. Most scientific studies that praise the competition—stability ball, kneeling chair, saddle stool—compare it to standard office chairs as well. However, —which may look like a normal office chair but are customizable in various ways and are designed to support your lower back and promote good posture—are perhaps the healthiest way to spend the workday, especially when paired with short bouts of standing and walking.

Most office workers do not properly adjust their chair to fit their body, and a on office chairs discovered that after volunteers were given an ergonomic model and instructions on correct posture and usage, like relaxing their shoulders and adjusting the seat according to their height, most of their previous musculoskeletal symptoms resolved.

Two trustworthy associations certify chairs as authentically ergonomic: the and the . Both calculate suitable shape via slightly different methods, so on their varying guidelines. Before purchasing a chair, make sure it’s HFES 100 or BIFMA G1 certified.

The Perfect Day

Despite the ergonomic chair’s many benefits, it’s not perfect, and spending too much time in one can, indeed, be as bad as smoking. That said, here’s what the ideal nine-to-five grind should look like.

Sit, Stand, Walk

Everything in moderation. Because the standing desk and chairs each have benefits and drawbacks, the key, experts say, is to alternate between standing and sitting. A or is the perfect solution.

Research is ongoing as to how long you should sit or stand at work, but a recent says to stand for a total of two hours a day and slowly ramp up to four. The key is to accumulate those four hours in chunks. , a professor of ergonomics at Cornell, the proper sit, stand, walk ratio for each half-hour of work is 20:8:2—sit for 20 minutes, stand for eight, and finish with a two-minute walk around the office. That rotation gives you the positive posture benefits of both sitting and standing without the painful consequences of doing either for a long time.

How to Sit

Buy a customizable, ergonomic office chair that has rests for your head and arms, plus plenty of lumbar support. Stay an arm’s length away from your computer monitor. The screen should be centered, just below eye level, and tilted . This will keep your head and neck in position and reduce eye strain. Alternate between sitting at 90 degrees (upright) and . “People don’t realize that leaning back in a chair is healthy. It take pressure off your spine,” says Zhao.

Keep your spine against the backrest, shoulders relaxed, and arms on the armrests. In addition to promoting good posture and decreasing musculoskeletal strain, this position will keep your chest open, which and therefore ensures good memory and circulation. Keep your feet flat on the floor with your thighs parallel to the ground. Don’t cross your legs—you won’t be in proper spinal alignment, and doing so also .

How to Stand

When standing at your desk, raise the table or viewing stand so your screen is just below eye level. Stand erect with your legs, torso, and head in line; relax your shoulders; and keep your upper arms close to body.

How to Walk

During your two-minute walking breaks, head to the kitchen: with your co-workers will boost natural levels of oxytocin—which keeps you —and reduce cortisol, a stress hormone. If you don’t like walking, force yourself: send your documents to a printer at the far side of the office. At noon, find a healthy lunch spot near a park: through someplace green will buoy your mood.

Drink Lots of Water

Drinking four to six cups of water usually ensures hydration, which in turn regulates proper blood pressure and and . It will also make you pee—another opportunity to walk.

Fidget

Contrary to what your teacher told you, fidgeting—like toe tapping and heel bouncing—is helpful. Jiggling will help each day, by engaging your muscles, and improve lower-limb circulation. To stay focused, enhance creativity, and ease stress, try clicking your pen or tinkering with a slinky, a stress ball, or two .

The Takeaway

“There’s a lot of good research about sitting and standing at work,” says , an associate professor of kinesiology at the College of William and Mary. “There are a lot of gimmicks out there, but it comes down to movement and fit: get an ergonomic chair that fits you and get up out of it often. That’s really it.”

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Meet the Man Responsible for America’s Climbing Gym Craze

oharlow — Mon, 08 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

In 1987, Gary Rall loaded up his climbing pack and hopped a flight from Oregon to England. Four years out of college and stuck in a dead-end sales job, he arrived in Sheffield hoping for a cathartic vacation. Instead, the two-week trip changed his life.

One afternoon at the , Rall asked a local climber how he stayed fit in such a rainy area. The man replied that he top-roped on an indoor practice route at the nearby community center in Sheffield. Rall visited and saw how the local climbers had glued a swath of stones onto a brick wall. “A lightbulb went off,” he says. “Portland was just as rainy. I realized that a climbing wall might be a hit back home.”

Rall returned to Portland, drafted a survey to gauge local climbers’ interest in an indoor wall; the responses suggested that a rock gym would be popular. When a bank nixed Rall’s request for a loan, he raised the money through a grassroots donation campaign. “I quit my job to start the gym,” he says. “It was really just a dream and a prayer.”

When opened in 1988, it was one of the few modular climbing gyms in the world and the second in the United States. PRG became a hub for Oregon’s climbing community and an innovator in climbing training. Soon, Lynn Hill, Alan Watts, and other pros began stopping by whenever they visited the iconic Smith Rock State Park. “I remember thinking I’d be happy if we lasted two years,” says Rall. “Twenty-nine years later, here we are.”

Age: 57
Job: Owner of Portland Rock Gym, the second-oldest climbing gym in the United States.
Hometown: “My family moved to Portland, Oregon, when I was 14. Before that, Columbus, Ohio, by way of Montana and Georgia. I was born in England. My dad was a North Dakota farm boy who joined the Air Force—he met my city-slicker mom when he was stationed in England.”
Home Base: Portland, Oregon
Education: BA in English literature from Portland State University
Gym Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Daily Ritual: “Doing the darn accounting books each morning.”
Obsession: “Besides climbing? I raced my old Porsche 911 at Portland International Raceway from 2001 to 2009. I stopped when the economy tanked, but I want to start back up. It’s exciting, like climbing runout 5.12 trad.”
His Favorite Climbing Gear: “For shoes, I’ve been a guy for years. I have a huge foot locker at home with 15 blown-out pairs in it. I also kept my full rack of first-generation ‘Friends’ cams and some ancient Chouinard hexes.”
The Climber He Admires Most: “ Unfortunately, he passed away in 2012, but Edlinger was such an inspirational, visionary climber. He had such beautiful technique.”
Favorite Crags: “Near Portland, . ��ԹϺ�� of Oregon, Joshua Tree and are favorites, and Eldorado Canyon and Zion are just so beautiful. I’d love to climb in the or go back to some of the .”
Strangest Place He’s Climbed: “Back in the day, my friends and I bolted several 160-foot routes on some sea cliffs along the Oregon coast. Definitely chossy, but the views and feel of the sea spray near the base were just unreal.”

Finding His Passion: “I’ve always loved the outdoors, but I grew up in Ohio. Not many mountains there. A year after my family moved from Columbus to Portland, I took a two-part mountaineering course. I was 16 or so. The first class was rock climbing, and I loved it so much that I never went back for the alpine class. In college, I spent summers in Yosemite and met and some other pioneers. There wasn’t a large climbing community in the 1970s, so you had to get good fast—that way you could climb with the veterans, who were the only reliable partners around. It’s a much safer sport now. Risk was just kind of shrugged off back then.”

Building a Gym Before Blueprints: “There were no in the 1980s, so we just built the walls with plywood. Metolius Climbing was just getting started—they had created a carved, hexagonal-style rock tile, and we glued those onto the plywood as holds. When it came time to innovate, our decisions were just based on logic: ‘Well, overhung walls don’t really exist indoors, so let’s build one.’ For training simulators, we fitted a PVC tube around a pull-up bar to gain grip strength and built a crack trainer out of wood because adjustable walls hadn’t been invented. In the early days, it was just kind of like being cowboys and going for it.”

His Life Advice: “There’s a saying in a race car driving: You have to finish the race to win the race. It’s really all about heart. Be humble, and don’t overestimate your abilities, but don’t pull yourself out of the game, either. Take advice from others, pay attention to what works for your competitors, learn from your mistakes, and never make the same error twice. And, of course, work hard: In the old days, I’d go cragging at 7 a.m., but I’d be back by 3:00 that afternoon and work until 11:30 p.m.”

A Typical Day: “It always depends, but I start every day with accounting. Then I meet with the general manager and the head route-setter individually, and we discuss the day’s issues and current trends we should consider. There’s a lot of staff rollover at certain times of the year, so you gotta train the new employees quickly. Right now, we’re prepping our summer guiding service and a summer camp program. There are always little building adjustments that you have to keep up with, too: paint touch-ups, electrical bugs, fixing the bike racks, all that stuff. And maybe most important, customer service is essential. Chat with the climbers and make sure they’re having fun.”

How to Start a Rock Gym (and Keep It Fresh): “First off, analyze the local market. I’d say begin in a small town (with less competition). That way, the gym doesn’t have to be perfect on day one. Some companies [such as , , and ] will build the entire gym for you, but you’ll need prior gym-management experience to attract investors. Design the amenities with both exercise-minded people and hardcore climbers in mind, and make the walls inspirational. As for keeping it fresh, pay attention to what customers want. At first, PRG was more of a training center than an artificial cliff. Now it’s a bit of both. My favorite routes mimic outdoor climbing, but World Cup setting—very gymnastic and dynamic movement—is popular at the moment. Go scout styles at other gyms and crags whenever possible.”

Getting Certified: “It’s crucial to have the best insurance through the . Your walls should be engineered to the CWA’s highest standard and up to city code. Build by the book, or you’re going to be found grossly negligent if somebody gets hurt. If you design the walls yourself, have structural engineers review your work. You can’t cowboy it anymore.”

Avoiding Small Business Burnout: “Owning a small business is tough. If you’re not growing and innovating, you’re shrinking. I worked a lot of six-day weeks in the beginning. The trick is that you can’t do everything yourself. Sometimes projects pop up that force you to stay at the office, but knock off and get out of there whenever you can swing it. Otherwise, you’ll burn out. I relax by spending time with family and skiing when the season allows it. I haven’t worked a weekend in ages, and I think that’s been vital to staying healthy and happy.”

Competing with Corporate Gyms: “We don’t have their money, but we stay true to what climbers want and tailor toward that standard. Our route grades are tougher, and our climbs are a bit more realistic, like climbing on real stone. It’s about perfection so that the climbers get the best possible results for their money and time. The goal is to make our facility better and better, rather than open new locations. Our community is smaller, so it’s tightly knit. I think PRG’s atmosphere has played a big part in its success.”

The Future of Indoor Climbing: “It’s so bright. People are realizing that you can get full-body fitness without doing CrossFit or lifting weights. A lot of the new people try it as an exercise routine—some transition outdoors, and some stay inside. It’s a great thing either way, you know? Our community just keeps on growing.”

Highlight as Owner: “PRG hosted a lead competition in 1994, and the best climbers came from all around the Northwest. Our local kid won it, went to nationals, and came in third after Chris Sharma and . He was 14 and had been climbing for less than two years—watching him prove himself like that was so cool.”

Most Rewarding Part of the Job: “Being your own boss means not having to ask permission—you can just do what inspires you. Owning a rock gym is a labor of love, but it keeps me engaged in the sport I’m passionate about. Plus, it’s cool to see new people do their first climbs and have a lot of fun. It’s even better when veteran climbers tell me that our routes inspired and challenged them.”

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Sunny Stroeer is the Fastest Woman You’ve Never Heard Of

gthomas — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

A few hours before sunrise on January 23, Sunny Stroeer left the Plaza-de-Mulas base camp on Aconcagua under a clear sky, hiking fast along the Normal Route toward the summit 8,501 feet above her. She topped out eight hours and 47 minutes later, breaking the base camp-to-summit female speed record on South America’s highest mountain by 29 minutes, in spite of having a respiratory infection.

The second tallest of the Seven Summits,��22,841-feet Aconcagua sits deep in the Andes on the western edge of Argentina, near the Chilean border.��The Normal Route snakes up the mountain’s Northwest Face through three camps and is a famous test-piece for serious mountaineers transitioning to high-altitude peaks.��In 2015, then-unknown Karl Egloff broke Killian Jornet’s roundtrip base camp-to-summit time by about an hour. Wanting to keep her legs fresh for a longer speed attempt later in the week, Stroeer decided to walk down from the summit, rather than challenge local guide Chabela Farias’ roundtrip record of 12 hours and 40 minutes.

Before quitting her job and embracing van life in late 2015, Stroeer was a weekend warrior. Despite little training, she finished several 100-mile and 100K trail races with solid times. In 2014, she climbed Aconcagua solo and unsupported. For this trip, she returned to the mountain leading an all-female expedition of four women that included Libby Sauter, a famed Yosemite climber.

If you haven’t heard of Stroeer, now’s a good time to get to know her: the Adidas athlete is just getting started.

Birthdate

June 7, 1985

Hometown

Obernburg, Germany

Education

MBA, Harvard Business School, 2011

First Trail Race

100K in Madagascar, 2011

Other Notable Achievements

Bandera USATF Trail Championships, 100K, 12:50, 2016
Gosaikunda-Kutumsang-Nagarkot journey run, Nepal, 3.5 days, 2016
Jomolhari-Laya-Gasa journey run, Bhutan, 8 days, 2015
Ghosts of Yellowstone, 100M, 38:55, 2014
Rocky Raccoon, 50M, 10:16, 2014
Western States, 100M, 29:42, 2013

How She Got the Nickname Sunny

“My given name is Suzanne, which abbreviates to the German nickname 'Sanni.' Sunny was just easier. Aside from the semantics I'm also an eternal optimist and like to wear yellow, too.”

On Quitting Her Job

She was working 80-hour weeks at a consulting firm in Houston and adventuring in her off-time, then realized she wasn’t happy. In late 2015, two weeks after paying her final student loan installment, Stroeer quit her cubicle and moved into her Chevy Astro van. She spent 2016 roaming the American Southwest and trekking in Thailand, Nepal, Tanzania, Germany, and the Dolomites.

“I have zero regrets. I would do it all over again,” she says.��“I always thought my consulting job was pushing me towards burnout. I’ve realized that I still carry the Type A, overachiever foundation around with me, even though I’m not a consultant anymore.”

How She Runs

“I wouldn’t describe myself as being in elite shape, but I have a solid foundation and a pretty strong mind. I mostly just put one foot in front of the other and try not to think about how much longer the route is since that tends to be discouraging.”

On Organizing an All-Female Team on Aconcagua

“I climbed Aconcagua solo and unsupported in 2014, and I was shocked how few women were there. The women who were around all seemed to either be with boyfriends or in guided parties—it didn't sit right with me. I decided then and there that I wanted to make a difference.”

On Running Sick

“I picked up a nasty chest infection in late December, which has stayed with me ever since. It came back with a vengeance right after I set the base camp record.”

The Best Part of Being a Dirtbag

“Coffee. As in, rolling out of bed in the morning, making a cup of Joe, and having all the time in the world to enjoy it.”

How to Live the Good Life

“One: Choose your company wisely. Having great teammates makes everything so much easier and more fun. Two: Don’t climb a mountain when you’re sick.”

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