Chalk For Breakfast

When my grandma broke her leg, it put into perspective the reality of how aging affects the way we live. Watching her go through the recovery process both physically, and mentally led me to evaluate my own lifestyle and how important it was that I started to exercise more.

Before the whole situation, I was already aware of how important mobility is. Helping and observing my grandma through her recovery also served as a reminder of how bone density is also important. With the intent of building new, healthier habits, I started frequenting the climbing gym more often. At the time I was going once a week, maybe. So I set a goal to get to the point of climbing at least twice a week. As I started increasing the frequency and climbing more difficult problems, I started to think about incorporating more strength training as well.

From the point when I started to increase my gym visits, to the time of writing this, I have changed my routine several times. Over different routines and schedules, the one thing that has remained a constant is that I do my best to wake up early so that I can be to the gym early as I have found it to be the most peaceful, focused, and productive time for me to climb.

One thing that I have noticed this past fishing season is that I have become more confident in my wading. Sure, some of that may come from experience, but I see a direct correlation between my time climbing and my stability when navigating the riverbeds.

I always enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of climbing. As I’ve pushed myself to move up the bouldering grades, I have found more of both mobility and strength. The ability to bend and flex in order to apply tension and balance your weight while maintaining your holds is part of the equation. Having the physical strength to be able to pull off the moves is the other part. While the core, arms, and legs get stronger, there’s also the balance of stretching to keep the muscles from becoming too tight and maintaining one’s mobility.

Along with the development of strength, and mobility, I have also found that I am more aware of how I distribute my weight when moving. I am more coherent in how I’m able to move around the riverbed, and find I don’t splash around or flail as much as I used to.

All in all, I have become a big advocate for strength and mobility training to help increase our longevity as anglers. I’m not saying it has to be climbing. For me, waking up early in the mornings to engage the mind and body has made a positive impact on my own fishing.