5 Ways to Build a Resilient Backcountry Body

I am frequently asked about the best way to train for a thru-hike. While training is important, there is no protocol that will prepare you to hike 8+ hours a day, day after day. However, what you can do is prepare your body to handle that volume of effort. In essence you’re building a resilient body that is well-equipped to adapt to the rigorous demands of a long-distance hike. Even if a thru-hike is not in your future, these strategies promote overall health and ability to adapt to the stressors of everyday life as well.

The first strategy is to reduce inflammation. Chronic inflammation in the body can wreak havoc on multiple body systems affecting your ability to recover, causing chronic fatigue, a variety of mood disorders, and endocrine system dysfunction. When left unchecked long-term it can contribute to chronic illness such as cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders. The main culprits of systemic inflammation are processed food, poor sleep, and stress. Focusing on eating well, getting adequate quality sleep, and managing healthy stress levels will go a long way toward recuing inflammation and improving your overall resilience.

As you’ll see in the following strategies, there is significant overlap in methods for becoming more resilient with reducing inflammation. How our bodies operate as a complex and interwoven system is often overlooked. The focus is often on quick fixes that aim to solve a symptom rather than causes. The second strategy goes hand in hand with the dietary aspects of inflammation reduction. Take steps to improve gut health. Over the last decade, significant discoveries have been made as to how the gut microbiome impacts our overall health. It has impact on immune function, the brain, mood and other body systems. When it’s out of balance, so is the rest of the body. In addition to eating well, eating probiotic rich foods (such as kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, etc. can increase overall well-being.

The third strategy for building system-wide resilience is to prioritizing sleep quality—not just duration. Many hours or poor sleep are not as beneficial as a shorter duration of high quality rest. In addition to establishing a regular sleep/wake cycle and getting natural sunlight on your skin first thing after you wake up I recommend turning your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary. Remove the electronics (yes, even your phone—get an alarm clock if you need it), minimize distracting noise, keep it dark with blinds or curtains, and reserve it only for sleeping—don’t watch TV or work from your bed. This creates a habitual association of the space with rest, which makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

The fourth strategy is to minimize stress. Our bodies can handle a certain level of stress before detrimental effects begin to take place. While this varies from person to person, maintaining balance in the stressors of life is essential. Too much stress can cause inflammation, lead to poor sleep quality, and affect your diet. Noticing a pattern of interconnectedness? This strategy includes lowering your exercise load when experiencing a higher than usual level of emotional stressors and develop good coping mechanisms like meditation and community connection.

The final strategy is another panacea like reducing inflammation. Exercising—especially outdoors—helps regulate circadian rhythm which aids in quality sleep, as well as reduces stress and inflammation through movement. Daily exercise is associated with overall improved health and quality of life. Taking an early morning walk can be a great way to get in both exercise and a dose of sleep-aiding natural sunlight all at once.

Making a pattern of behavior modeled off of these strategies will help you be ready for whatever the trail brings your way! If you’re looking for a more in-depth treatment of this topic, pick up a copy of my book Adventure Ready from https://wordsfromthewild.net/adventure-ready/ or wherever books are sold.