Breaking News: Staying Active Helps Keeps You Sane

Any commitment to physical activity, particularly one you do with other people, will stand you in good stead in these insane times

Soundtrack to this post:

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It’s not a mystery: one of the things that are key to good health, both physically and mentally, is to stay active.

This week I accidentally remembered that in the previous month of May I had achieved 20 years of Indoor Rock Climbing — wow! Apart from walking, which is also something that I enjoy, that’s maybe the longest time I’ve ever persisted with any physical activity.

It really helps that the local climbing gym is a 12 minute walk from my place and that my schedule allows me to go in the daytime when it’s not as crowded and hectic as it is in the evenings.

I usually aim to go three times a week and most weeks I make that target.

Ropes as Lasers. (From 2010 and I can’t remember who took this photo).

Even if I often begin on the same, easy climbs at the start of each session, and do laps (more efficient and helps to increase endurance!) initially, I’ve never found rock climbing, even the indoor version of it, boring. On a good day at the gym, I’ll do 12-13 climbs, which is likely to be double laps on 4 easy climbs and then the remainder will be increasingly harder climbs. Those latter climbs — as opposed to what I call the “ladder climbs” (basically the straight-up ones, which have plenty of holds for my feet and hands, and get all my limbs moving quickly) — will feel much more doable once I feel more open in my body, as well as psychologically more confident to tackle a more tricky climb.

This last year or so I have somewhat plateaued in my abilities, but I still always really enjoy the exertion and feel better after a long session of climbing.

The other thing I love about this activity is that one needs a belaying partner (I’ve tried but I can’t quite get into bouldering which is like climbing but shorter walls and without ropes). Knowing there is another climber waiting for you at the gym really helps me get you out of the door on those “oh no, I have too much work” days.

But even with a partner holding the ropes, the only person you are competing against is yourself. You are witness to your own progress, or regression, depending on the day. And that is what I love most about it: I try to be better, or I become aware that I’m not doing as good on any given day/week.

Rock-climbing is like a puzzle that you solve with your whole body. It is challenging both physically and mentally, and sometimes emotionally, since your mood can really affect your success.

(And vice versa: in my two decades of climbing, I’ve sometimes gone to the gym — especially these last 3 years — in not the best emotional form, but have come out at the other end feeling so much better).

For me it’s really about stretching and opening up on the wall, and for that reason I like to call it Vertical Yoga.

Oh — almost forgot! — I love the activity so much that the title track of my second album (posted above) was all about using rock-climbing as a metaphor for the journey of life. I wrote it a few years ago, soon after I came back from El Potrero Chico in Monterrey, Mexico, which just happened to be one of the most beautiful places in the world to go climbing. It was the first time I had ever gone climbing outdoors, and yikes, it was a completely different animal — just read about “Dangers in Potrero Chico” in that link above — challenging me. I’ve climbed outdoors in a few other places since but I think I was very lucky to go there for my first outdoor climb and it is a dream to return there one day…

What an adventure I had! For sure the James Bond theme was intentional.

Speaking of one’s life’s journey, I have such respect for my friend, Susie, who is one of the most physically active people I know, and who inspires me for that (and other reasons).

My friend, the Olympic Weightlifter! (Photo by David J. Toman)

She just got interviewed by The Fit Over 50 Podcast:

From endurance runner and triathlete, to soccer player and literal "soccer mom," and now multi-time medalist at the Olympic Weightlifting National Championships, Susie Gerhard has followed a fascinating trajectory in her active journey. At the center, she has always had a love and appreciation for movement and a desire to seek out new challenges.

I particularly appreciated that in Part Two the interviewer — David J. Toman — and Susie got into discussing Lockdown Madness.

“It was nuts, like… you know… I was just completely gobsmacked! I mean, everything I was doing, everything I was thinking about health, and how to build it, on the day they did the lockdown, they just decided that they were following a certain kind of expert, who didn’t believe any of those things!

And I mean this wasn’t stuff that I just casually believed. I mean, I went to all of these coaching seminars, I went to training seminars. I did so much study and care. And the top things were:

• Having a healthy, happy, in-person social connection network

• Being physically active in sports and activities that you enjoy, and especially enjoy with other people… activities like dance that create new neural connections, like, things where you are touching and being in communion and community with people.

And they would say “for our health” but the very things that give us health had to be shut down… first!”

Take a listen and enjoy this great conversation (split into two parts, here and here) with a super active — and super — human being!