Category: health & fitness

Mt. Rainier adventures …

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, hiking, travelLeave a comment

My first trip to the biggest volcano in the continental USA.

… Although Mount Rainier is an active volcano, as of 2010 there was no evidence of an imminent eruption. However, an eruption could be devastating for all areas surrounding the volcano …

… a mudflow might also reach down the Duwamish estuary and destroy parts of downtown Seattle, and cause tsunamis in Puget Sound and Lake Washington. According to USGS, about 150,000 people live on top of old lahar deposits of Rainier …

Three trip reports are posted:

• my climb to Camp Muir

• my day hike climb of Burroughs Mountain

• Dave & Jeni’s 94 mile/47,000 feet elevation Wonderland Trail speed hike

cycling the Hiawatha Trail, Idaho

On By Rick McIn best bike rides, cycling, health & fitness, travelLeave a comment

… The “crown jewel” of rail-to-trail mountain bicycle trails is operated by Lookout Pass Ski Area which is located adjacent to I-90 at the Idaho/Montana state line, 12 miles east of historic Wallace, Idaho. The Hiawatha Trail is generally open late May through early October. …

Winding through 10 tunnels and 7 high trestles, this 15-mile route crosses the rugged Bitterroot Mountains between Idaho and Montana. The Route of the Hiawatha is best known for the long, dark St. Paul Pass, or Taft Tunnel, which burrows for 1.66 miles …

details

more photos tagged “Hiawatha Trail”

Rick on the Hiawatha Trail, Idaho

It made Allie Comeau’s list – 10 Great American Bike Trails

death at Idaho Triathlon

On By Rick McIn bad news, health & fitnessLeave a comment

I was a last minute volunteer at the Hayden View Triathlon. We arrived before dawn.

Adlard's 2010 - Triathlon at dawn

Jeni and I manned a “rescue kayak”.

One of the last swimmers to finish the half mile lake course looked to all the rescue boats to be disoriented. He waved off help, then tried to swim directly into another of the kayaks offering to assist.

60-year-old Leslie Chariton died in front of our eyes, it seems. He had a history of heart attacks. This was to be his last.

I was impressed with the medical. If I’m ever to have a heart attack, I hope it’s at the transition in a Triathlon. A dozen first responders were there instantly, including Jeni. The ambulance was standing by.

Adlard's 2010 - Triathlon

Jeni and I had talked about the surprisingly high number of Triathlon deaths in advance of the race. Read a NY Times article on the topic from 2008 – Deaths Draw Attention to Triathlon Swim

Rest in peace Leslie Chariton.

Man suffers heart attack during Hayden Triathlon

man’s biggest killer – malaria

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, travel3 Comments

“The malaria parasite has been responsible for half of all human deaths since the Stone Age” is the quote that jumped off the page in a recent article by Sonia Shah in the Wall Street Journal.

Sonia Shah is author of The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years.

I saw this linked from LongNow.org blog dedicated to important news. They don’t cover Justin Beiber.

The same day I read a related article on BBC:

Scientists in the US have succeeded in genetically engineering a malaria-resistant mosquito.

The researchers, from the University of Arizona, introduced a gene that affected the insect’s gut, meaning the malaria parasite could not develop.

They report the advance, which also reduced the insects’ lifespan, in the journal PLoS Pathogens.

They say that the ultimate goal is to introduce malaria-resistant mosquitoes into the environment. …

Malaria-proof mosquito engineered

I know what you’re thinking … Man playing God. … It will inevitably end like a Michael Crichton novel.

first look at St. John’s harbour

On By Rick McIn gymnastics, health & fitness, travel3 Comments

My first afternoon in St. John’s, Newfoundland, I did a 2.5hr jog along superb city trails up to Gibbet Hill, seen here in winter:

Gibbet is one of the viewpoints in the fabulously popular Signal Hill National Historic Site.

Was Gibbet Hill named after Sir Humphrey Gilbert Edgar Rennie Bowring Alexander Bannerman Gibbet, first Chief Bobby of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary?

No.

I’m here for 9 nights leading two gymnastics camps.

Why am I running 2.5hrs? … Supposedly I’m training for a 90mi (145km) run starting July 26th.

things getting worse → Canadians

On By Rick McIn food, health & fitness, things getting worse2 Comments

Statscan found that 18 per cent of adult Canadians, about 4.4 million people, were classified as obese in 2009, up from 15 per cent in 2003.

We’re still getting fatter.

With less leisure time to exercise.

* One in five Canadian adult feels “caught in a time crunch,” experiencing high levels of time pressure
* That number is on the rise: the proportion of those who said they were in a time crunch grew to 19.6 per cent in 2005 from 16.4 per cent in 1992
* The average proportion of our waking lives devoted to social and leisure activities dropped by 20 per cent between 1998 and 2005
* A much higher proportion of females than males reported time pressure in 2005 — 22.7 for women, 16 per cent for men
* More than one in four employed Canadians were responsible for the care of an elderly dependent, and one in five (16.8 per cent) had responsibility for both child care and elder care in 2009
* The proportion of Canadians worked non-standard hours (weekends, evenings, nights, rotating shifts jumped from 23 per cent in 1992 to 29 per cent in 2009 …

… for the first time in 2 centuries, Canadians can expect to die earlier (younger) than their parents. …


Update – This article, linked by Chopbox, seems to contradict the one above: Life expectancy in Canada nears 81

youngest ever to climb Everest

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, hikingLeave a comment

It’s easy to criticize the parents for letting their “child” do something so dangerous.

But this kid is no rookie. He’s already completed 6 of the 7 summits. In December he’s scheduled to attempt Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

A 13-Year-Old Kid Has Summited Everest

KFC – Quadruple Down sandwich

On By Rick McIn barbecue, food, health & fitness, humour, uncategorized1 Comment

I couldn’t resist.

… two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel’s Sauce. …

It’s as disgustingly delicious as it looks!

… the sodium content is high — a whopping 1,380 milligrams — more than a half-teaspoon’s worth of salt. For comparison’s sake, the American Heart Association recommends people eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium in an entire day.

Considering the rising consciousness on healthy eating — from rules that will require calorie counts on menus nationwide to Jamie Oliver teaching kids in West Virginia to make better food choices — it was pretty gutsy of KFC to market a product that sandwiches bacon and mayo-based sauce between two pieces of fried chicken.

Still, KFC’s new creation might surprise you a little on the nutritional front. At 540 calories, the Double Down, though not exactly a dieting food, is 90 calories lighter than McDonald’s Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich. …

NPR – The Nutritional Lowdown On KFC’s Double Down


UPDATE – Is it really 540 calories? Or more like 1190 calories?

This crime against humanity will not be sold in Canada. America’s rank as the most obese major nation is safe, for now.

And just in case Wendy’s wants to challenge, KFC has this “sandwich” in the lab …

(via This is why you’re Fat)