Perspective about Physicality, by City Fitness member Neil Proto

I just returned from the Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic,€“ a National Geographic expedition. Twenty-four days. Departing from Ushuia, Argentina, through the Beagle Channel once explored by Charles Darwin. My imperative for going was the journey of Sir Ernest Shackleton; what he and other Antarctic explorers saw, in part, even though I’d see it through the 21st century prism of better gear and an obvious safety net. We did not avoid risk, and often could not avoid the radical, often abrupt changes in the weather, ice conditions, the rough sea and wind currents in the Drake Passage, and the potential for the accident, including in the places Shackleton journeyed with his men during his failed expedition in 1914. It's been 100 years since his expedition began. 

Many elements of the trip resonated with me: one was the way National Geographic managed risk, the other was how physical preparation - training of a deliberate, intense kind over decades - made a difference. I include in that a range of outdoor activities - snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, and sailing (as the crew) among them, mostly in the Pacific Northwest, and with friends who taught me the meaning of safety, preparation, weather, and the value of camaraderie at hard moments. There also was running, playing tennis, standing on the METRO, and walking, not riding the escalator. Consistently throughout all of that, at times daily, certainly regularly, were workouts and the occasional expert training lessons and very particularized guidance at CityFitness. It has been, and was on this expedition, of imminent value to know my body, what muscles to use and what to call upon at different times. Perhaps most surprising to me were the few moments when the "accident" loomed or happened, including once when I slipped on wet tussock grass coming down a steep incline, and found that I "fell" into a position that I'd learned in yoga! It was the first thought I had when I stood up, and then continued, unharmed, down the hillside. 

The ultimate benefit was that I got to see more, walk higher and longer, cross rapidly moving streams coming off melting glaciers, and embrace every physically demanding opportunity. I did it with a very clear understanding of my physical limitations. It also meant, I got to see yet broader, stunning vistas, experience harsher winds and cold, and see penguins walk confidently up thousands of feet in snow and ice to reach their colony. Neil Thomas Proto CityFitness member for 15 years. (anyone interested in more narrative, photos, and videos can go to FACEBOOK; 7 posts, all of which are "public" (not confined to Friends) or to http://www.neilthomasproto.com