XPLORE – Out & About

Exercise, you have to love it, otherwise you end up hating it. I make it part of my daily routine and it is a lifestyle choice for our family…

 I find it provides a great escape, a release valve to the daily grind and pressures we all face, and for me there is little better than cranking up the music in the shed and getting stuck into a workout session!

Most days I rise at 4.30am to row on my C2 rowing machine and I do some sort of resistance exercises using either body weight, or free weights later in the day. Usually I spend around two hours a day on exercise, depending on the program for any given week.

For strength I train as a power-lifter as I believe it strengthens not only the body, but also the mind.

My personal bests are listed here, and I am lifting not too far from those levels presently.

Squat – 175 kg (385 lbs.)

Bench Press – 152.5 kg (335 lbs.)

Dead-lift – 215 kg (475 lbs.)

But I might also grab a backpack, usually weighted at around 30 kilograms and go for a 10 kilometre walk up and down the hills near where I live. I have been increasing this in recent weeks to assist in the mountain climbing I will be doing over the next few months in New Zealand and later next year in Nepal.

In recent times I have been doing 50 & 100 kilometre walks, starting in the early hours of the morning and walking until I get to the finish, taking as little rest time as I can manage. Great for the mind, body, and soul…

And on the weekend I can usually be found kayaking on Narrabeen Lake located on Sydney’s northern beaches with my family.  It is a great place to paddle, and nothing beats watching the sunset over the lake after a lazy summers day on the water.

This all fits perfectly with my pursuit of long distance adventure racing, and mountaineering goals I have set myself.

Earlier this year I competed in the Coast-to-Coast race in New Zealand. A 243 kilometre traverse across New Zealand’s South Island, and Southern Alps, running, cycling, and kayaking. A tough, but rewarding race.

 On nutrition…

I think we over complicate it too much these days. For me it is meat and three vegies a couple of times a day, in addition to eggs, oats, and good quality milk.  It is a simple formula really, eat more than you burn and you put weight on, eat less and it comes off…just stick to a good quality diet, it usually works well…

 And the shed?

Well I gave away gyms many years ago, preferring to workout at home to my own music!

 TomO, our 12-year-old son, popped up with a camera this morning during my session, which I did to a great Australian rock band, The Angels, and he started shooting some pictures for something to do, so here they are!