Who prioritize fitness for your upcoming and future safaris?

[VertigoBE]

Thanks for the motivation friends, guess I needed that.
My days unfortunately involve sitting on my butt in front of a bunch of screens for 12+hrs a day. Then at home with a 2yo and a 2mo, as well as a loving wife who needs some attention, makes for very short days (or very long ones, as the nights tend to be very short due to little ones).

But enough excuses. I need to get this planned in somehow.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Thanks for the motivation friends, guess I needed that.
My days unfortunately involve sitting on my butt in front of a bunch of screens for 12+hrs a day. Then at home with a 2yo and a 2mo, as well as a loving wife who needs some attention, makes for very short days (or very long ones, as the nights tend to be very short due to little ones).

But enough excuses. I need to get this planned in somehow.

You only need to go to a gym if you want to. You can get in incredible shape in your living room if you want.

 

[Tanks]

Well, being 67 I don't have to worry about very young kids unless I am surprised by my much younger lady.

It is all in planning. Look at how your day goes. Even with 12 hours in font of bunch of screens that leaves you with 12 hours for everything else.

Start with writing down where you spend your time and prioritize fitness over things like TV etc.. Also, it does not take much time to get started. Heck, you could just drop down and do some pushups during your day.

Looking at my day yesterday I did:
4 sets of bentover rows
4 sets of lat pulldowns
3 sets of hack squat
3 sets of reverse hack squat
4 sets of DB bench
3 sets of hammer curls
3 sets of calf raises

It took only 52 minutes including resting between sets.

 

[fourfive8]

I have lived at altitude or in mountains all my life. Some years living and working at 9000 ft or higher. I don’t have any excercise equipment, nor full length mirrors nor any interest in gym membership. At 74, my lifestyle and outdoor interests have always kept me busy outside doing something. I feel fortunate to have no health issues.

I will start getting ready before any big trip- at least a month or two prior. My routine is to put a sand bag in my pack (which ever I’ll be using) and walk at a good pace around my place which has plenty of topography. I try to build up to 7-8 miles a day for 4-5 days a week. Just regular walks between those tougher workouts. Long distance tracking in Africa is different, especially in the heat and sand. That’s a pacing game where stamina is important along with suitable footwear. I’ve never slacked behind any PH in Africa. I nearly walked my 9 years younger nephew into the ground one time in the mountains on Kodiak

 

[Tra3]

Thanks for the motivation friends, guess I needed that.
My days unfortunately involve sitting on my butt in front of a bunch of screens for 12+hrs a day. Then at home with a 2yo and a 2mo, as well as a loving wife who needs some attention, makes for very short days (or very long ones, as the nights tend to be very short due to little ones).

But enough excuses. I need to get this planned in somehow.

Think about starting small and building the activity into your day over time. Start with something simple like a walk around the block and build up from there. The goal isn’t 10 lbs of weight loss in 3 months. The goal is finding an activity you can do and can repeat.

Think of it like debt. I went into debt last fall when I got Covid, then took time off running, then got busy and had a lifestyle change. And I ate all the Brie cheese I could find. The debt was 8 lbs. Now I’m paying down that debt by getting back on my routine. 5lbs paid back and 3 left to go.

My brain works better with exercise. It is probably why hunting makes us all so happy. I know I won’t be escaping my desk job until I retire in 20+ years, so exercise must be part of the equation.

I’ve learned that I don’t need to run on the weekend when my days are loaded with outdoor hobby farm work: sawmill, beekeeping, fixing things that I have broken, fixing things that my teenagers break…

There is a lot of good advice above. The consistency is that each person chooses an activity and makes it happen regularly. I’m jealous of those of you who can hike mountains from your back door.

 

[Inline6]

I applaud and am envious of you all…where do you find the time to do all this exercise. Are there some hidden 25th and 26th hours in a day that I do not know about?

You make the time, can only speak for myself. Work 12 hours a day, cook dinner for the family, cut grass/yard work til it gets dark. When all that is caught up spend some time with the family. Head to the gym about late 30 and usually in bed about 0030-0100. Wake up and do it again.

hot the gym 4 times a week. My knees will not take running. Have a pack that is loaded with 80#s and carry a 20# kettle bell in each hand when walking.

I'm okay with giving up sleep, one day I'll close my eyes and not have to worry about an alarm. Until that time, I'll live it the best I can.

Did give up drinking years ago, it gives me more time to get important things done. It works for me, most think I'm crazy...so might not be the correct answer haha.

 

[uplander01]

It's hard., I travel for work, my body is shot from mountain bike crashes, football injuries, etc. It's easy to hate the gym, I try and walk a lot, and bike a lot, but even that is hard to do in Michigan 5 months out of the year with winter. 30 Years ago I could run a 4.5-40yrd, now if I went out and jogged 3 miles I wouldn't be able to walk to 2 days. All that being said, the elyptical machine and planking are my friend, moderate weight training, and we eat pretty clean. My wife is a former triathlete so she inspires me quite a bit. As long as a guy is a non-smoker and not fat, walks a bit and isn't weakling to start out with you can walk a long way in the nice warm temps of Africa.

 

[mdwest]

I subscribe to a moderate daily/weekly exercise routine.. just walk a few miles each day, or do something physical (yesterday it was throwing around a couple of dozen 50lb bags of mulch and working in the flower beds around the house for a few hours..

depending on the planned hunt (or other adventure) I will up my physical routine to match the requirements of the hunt.. for example, I will be chasing elk in northern Idaho in October.. the lowest possible elevation we'll see is 5K, but we could be going has high as 9K in the area we've drawn tags.. and there will be several miles of walking daily.. and if we're lucky, we'll be hauling heavy packs for several miles on a couple of days pulling downed animals off the sides of mountains and getting them back to camp... We've also got a hunt planned in New Zealand next May-June (havent set hard dates yet.. should be doing that in the next 30 days).. we know Tahr and possibly Chamois are on the menu.. both are free range and both are at elevation.. and we do no intend on using a helicopter like some do in New Zealand to get close to the hunt area...

So.. starting now, for the next 12 months or so, I'll be intentionally putting more miles under my feet on a weekly basis, trying to drop 10-20 lbs (on my huge 6'5" frame thats not as much as most would think), and by July I'll start wearing a pack (light to moderate weight) while walking daily...

My running and gym rat days are a thing of the past.. between my .mil and my leo/SWAT careers Ive managed to destroy one knee, screw the other one up pretty badly, booger up an ankle, and compress a couple of disks.. I dont mind moderate exercise (I enjoy it).. but getting under a 300lb bar on the bench like I used to.. or getting out for a casual 5 mile run like I used to.. those things will never happen again (no desire to do that sort of thing anymore)...

 

[DLSJR]

A number of people have commented about how hard it is to exercise due to lower extremity injuries. For all those guys, try pool walking. I first started doing it after knee surgery. My physical therapist had me do it, and he was adamant that I not swim as kicking would be bad for my still healing knee. So, I started walking in chest deep water. I was amazed at how quickly it tired me. Very low impact on your lower half but the constant resistance of moving through water really is good exercise if you do it for 30 minutes or more. When I pool walk, I swing my arms through the water in different directions on each lap, so it becomes a full body workout. I usually get in a 45-60 minute session.

if you have foot, ankle, knee, hip or back problems, you should give it a try. You’ll be very pleasantly surprised at what you get out of pool walking. But, like every single other exercise, consistency is where you’ll see results. Nobody sees results with any exercise program initially, but after a few months you realize you’re seeing and feeling changes, all of them good ones.

Gotta go for now, I’m about to head out the door for 3.5 miles with my duck dog.

 

[Firebird]

Riding bike is also easier on knees and joints if a pool is not available. I’ve been looking at motor assisted e bike, not for exercise but for use while hunting. Would Own one already but I think they might be restricted in the next year or two in the areas I spend most my time.

 

[SETH RINGER]

GETTING IN SAFARI SHAPE? BOUT A WEEK BEFORE WHEELS UP I SWITCH FROM BOURBON & COKE TO GIN & TONIC!

 

[HankBuck]

GETTING IN SAFARI SHAPE? BOUT A WEEK BEFORE WHEELS UP I SWITCH FROM BOURBON & COKE TO GIN & TONIC!

Seth, you must drink some crap Bourbon - if mixing it with coke…but just like cheap ammo “all good as long as it goes bang !”

 

[Elkeater]

GETTING IN SAFARI SHAPE? BOUT A WEEK BEFORE WHEELS UP I SWITCH FROM BOURBON & COKE TO GIN & TONIC!

To quote my uncle bob. “Mixing whiskey is a waste of good whiskey”

For some reason that quote from my childhood always stuck. I picked up drinking straight liquor in college and never changed. Probably helps that I can’t do beer for health reasons.

 

[fourfive8]

I've learned a few things over the years about getting prepared for travel and hunting. The sheer length and hardship of long distance travel is difficult even for the young and fit. Also living at altitude helps if going to lower altitude. I've lived at 7600 for the past 24 years and much higher, at times, prior to that. Those who live at sea level and plan on hunting at any significantly higher elevation need to spend more time and effort getting ready.

At 74 yo and 6-3 190, I can completely commiserate with those who are long in years or tall or large. I have to ignore the advice about "just get business class"... ya right!... at 3-5+X the price of regular economy, I might as well not go at all or go once every 10 years! Crap advice for regular people on limited budget.

Getting in shape or staying in shape helps tremendously for long distance travel. When younger, it would only take me a week or two to get ready. Now much longer, more like a month or two. I had my L4 disc removed in 1988 and had problems with the L5 in 1994. I feared lifting heavy loads or carrying heavy backpacks for hunting. I learned nothing to fear if I stayed in reasonable shape. I also learned that keeping upper body strength is the key to mitigating lower back problems!

I am currently working on getting ready for a long flight and travel. No strenuous hunt planned on other end, just getting ready for the long travel. Many emphasize diet and certain work-out plans... I don't know? I just eat reasonable foods in good variety and get good exercise around my place year round. Shoveling snow and running a chain saw and bucking heavy tree sections and brush is good for upper body strength! Brisk walking is always good. If panning packing game out or that type thing, I'll put a sand bag in my pack and do the same walking, working up to ending the prep at least 3-4 days before departure.

In a couple of weeks I'll be heading out on a long trip, but not hunting Currently walking a lot. Looking forward to partaking in some "health food" cuisine at the local 'Bee, spending a little beach time in the shade with an ice cold San Miguel- not a tourist in sight and doing some swimming