Why Strength Training Is So Important To Me! (probably not what you think)
This is a Personal One!
I want to tell you how and why I got into Strength Training - and all this focusing on progressively getting stronger. Probably not what you think… but his is how I found my way into CrossFit, into the Crossfit Games and served as a kickstarter to this whole thing with Thriving Lifestyles.
Since I moved from Iceland to Copenhagen in 2009 - later to the UAE in 2016 me and my DAD have a tradition to go on challenging father daughter hikes every year. Enjoying some quality time, off the grid - fully immersed in Icelandic nature!
These have been day tours from our summer house or longer ones, being self sufficient for several days in the Icelandic Wilderness.
One time we went on a 4 day hike, fully equipped with food, tents, and all our equipment in our backpacks. As a guide you are meant to carry about 10-15% of your body weight in a backpack, and we made sure to follow that. But we were going like off OFF the grid! So there was a lot of things we needed to bring.
Day 1 went well, and we were walking uphill on most of the trails while enjoying some amazing landscapes.
Day 2 came around, we ventured off the trail, went across a glacier and then had to go down on the other side. And even though I thought I was well prepared, I had been running a lot that winter and was “fit”, my knees did not approve of this amount of load on the inclines and declines with that extra weight on my back. My knees started hurting badly and swell up like a balloon.
Did I mention we were FAR away from any road, and the only way to end the hike there, was to call out the national rescue team and be picked up by a helicopter. Not a decision you want to take lightly!
After spending some time with my knee in an ice cold local stream and taking a plunge in the therapeutic warm geyser spring next to our campground, we decided to try to continue the hike - 2 days away from the car if we went the same way back or continued the loop. Luckily my dad was fine ... and offered to carry most of the heavy items out of my backpack so I could finish the 4 day hike.
Day 3-4: I had 2 more days without distractions, walking 8-10 hours per day to think about things, and its funny how your process things so much better when you are walking, and moving the whole day!
This was the time I decided that I needed to change something in my daily/weekly habits to avoid this ever happening again. I was not going to let this guy in his 50’s take my load. And I definitely was not ready, at the age of 20 years old be robbed of my freedom to explore and live life by painful knees!!!
I finished my holiday in Iceland and as soon as I got back to Copenhagen I started strength training on my own by doing squats, lunges and deadlifts slowly but gradually growing stronger. That led me to signing up for a CrossFit Gym, and I haven’t looked back since.
I have truly found FREEDOM along with more physical capacity. And as a bonus, I have not had a single day where my knees have hurt since - even though this pain I experienced on the hike turned out to be from a partially torn meniscus. No surgery was needed, just strength training and loads of patience.
Now me and my dad have an ongoing joke, that I have to continue getting stronger so that I can take him with me on hikes when he turns 90 and I’ll be 60!
Bottom Line:
Strength training in the gym isn’t something that you are meant to show off. It doesn't have to be to look great, but most of us will enjoy the functional benefits way more and make it worthwhile.
Adding strength training into your routine is so you constantly put in the work to enjoy experiences with our loved ones, create traditions and do more of the things that are important to us.
Strength training is essential to Building a Thriving Lifestyle.
Would love to hear your story? Have you experienced something similar with exercise?
drop me a message @ eikgylfa@gmail.com!
