by Deborah Leedale-Brown, Lifestyle & High Performance Coach
7 Day Blog Series of the Inaugural Women’s Wellness Camp.
DAY 1 – Travel Day
Three of the women arrived safely at Denver International Airport on Sunday morning. From Denver we took a short ride to Boulder in our 15seater van to pick up the other two women who had arrived in Colorado the previous day. After the group introductions and a great lunch at Breadworks in Boulder we drove up into the Rocky Mountains to our ski lodge style base Active at Altitude in Estes Park (www.activeataltitude.com) – a great mountain house based at just over 8000 feet and surrounded by views of the Rockies. Coming from sea level to this altitude is definitely a major adjustment and shock to the body! I talked to the ladies about the challenges of staying and exercising at altitude and what actions they could take to reduce the risk of experiencing any major problems related to acute mountain sickness. Terry Chiplin who is the owner of Active at Altitude and has lived here for over 5 years feels strongly that the two most important factors in coping with the initial days at altitude are arriving well rested and not fatigued or over-trained, and then paying very close attention to maintaining hydration which is not always easy at this altitude because of how dry the climate is.
Once everyone had been given time to get settled at the lodge and their rooms, we headed out in the late afternoon for a short easy hike to stretch our legs and take in some of the stunning views in the surrounding area. We drove to Lily Lake, at 9000ft and with the majestic Longs Peak as its backdrop it gave the ladies a true taste of what was to come. The one mile level trail around the lake was a great way to stretch our legs after a travel day. One time around the lake I gave the women a choice, another lap of the lake or a detour trail above the lake with a little elevation and technical rock steps. All the women rose to the occasion and chose to challenge themselves with the short steeper loop. It also gave them a feel for the effects of altitude, we all had our hearts pumping and felt a little short of breath.
I think the sensation of exercising at this altitude came as a little shock to some of the women, but overall was a well needed session to help our bodies recover from the day of travel and begin to adapt to living and exercising at this altitude.
Healthy and nutritionally balanced dinner back at the lodge, an introduction to the camp and a chance for the women to explain their reasoning for taking part, then some well needed sleep ahead of our first full day of exercise tomorrow.
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