This year, I set out to conquer not one, but two extraordinary challenges: Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro twice – first in June, then again in September. For many, scaling Africa’s highest peak even once is a daunting feat. I’ve known climbers who, after one attempt, swore never to return. Yet, while Kilimanjaro demands respect and should never be underestimated, I believe that with the right preparation, even the most formidable challenges can be met – and conquered.
The good news is that the June climb has been cancelled and that provides me three extra months in which to train.
Although I’ve summited Mount Kilimanjaro in the past, years of desk-bound routines have erased any advantage. Anyone who has taken a long break from fitness knows how daunting it can be to restart an exercise regimen.
Training for the climb is extremely important. The success rate for reaching the summit is 60 to 70 percent of those who begin, with lack of physical fitness accounting for some failures.
An experienced climber told me that although female climbers are proportionately fewer than males, the success rate among women is higher than for men. That is no surprise. I believe the reason is women are preprogrammed through their DNA to avoid risk. They have a tendency to prepare adequately for challenges. Instead, men will jump off the deep end of a swimming pool and attempt to learn to swim. Sometimes we manage to swim, but the likely outcome is we drown.
To help at least maintain those statistics for men, I am summoning all the help available. I have dusted off a book from my library titled, “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.” A quick review might offer some advice on how to step away from my desk and begin exercising.
The author shares many anecdotes that explain how changing our behaviours can create motivation for performing difficult tasks, such as overcoming a lethargy to exercise. Some of these anecdotes are confusing. One reads that divorcees possess a higher chance of buying different brands of beer. I thought that was interesting and wondered how it would help me resume my weekly cycling routines.
Another anecdote describes how Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) confronts alcoholism; equally as important as offering a formula for overcoming alcoholism, AA cultivated a belief within recovering alcoholics that change was possible.
The underlying message of the author is that behavioural change is possible, as long as one believes it is possible. It is possible to begin training for tackling Mt. Kilimanjaro; it is possible to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, yet again, in September.
