Outdoor sports and adventure travel fans all know about the popular go-to destinations. Mountain biking? Head to the Alps. Trekking? Try New Zealand or the Inca Trail in Peru. Rock Climbing? The national parks of the US never let us down.
One place you may not have heard of for adventure sports is in the mountainous state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil. Pico da Ibituruna is a national park and mountain that can be found on the banks of the Doce River and hovers over the city of Governador Valadares.
The adventure sport options you’ll find there are numerous – from hiking and mountain biking, to climbing, abseiling and gliding. And the stunning green landscape is a great backdrop as you get your adrenaline rush.
To get to the beautiful views though, you need to first overcome the 17 km climb. And with a summit rising 1123 meters above sea level, the climb up Pico da Ibituruna – Pico – is a reasonably challenging one. Let’s look at what makes that climb worth-it:
1) Free Flight:
Pico da Ibituruna is one of the best places to practice free flight. Thousands of enthusiasts come here from all over the world, dotting the sky with the colours of hang gliders and paragliders. The site has a free-access flight ramp, but does not offer instructors or equipment. So, if you are going to Pico with the intention of flying, you need to go with your own equipment, with an instructor or look for companies that offer this service in Governador Valadares.
2) Hiking:
Apart from the climb up to the summit, which is a couple hours’ hike along a marked trail, you can also get your hiking fix at Vale Silvestre. This is an ecological park found on the return from Pico that offers trails for all-levels. There’s even activities such as kayaking available there if you want to keep your heart rate up and try something a little bit different!
3) Climbing and Abseiling:
Pico also offers some of the best climbing and abseiling in Brazil. The best known trails are Via do Ralf and Via do Catão, both about 400 meters high. To get down, the most popular trails are Rapel da Santa and Rapel do Mirante.
4) Zipline:
Looking for another way down the mountain? Try ziplining. This options offers quite the adrenaline rush and one one of the most incredible ways to enjoy the landscape, second only to free flight.
5) Mountain Biking:
You can also boost your adrenaline (and your quad muscles) on the numerous mountain bike trails. The mountain descent from Pico da Ibituruna is one of the most challenging in Brazil, so remember to be very careful!
At Altitude Athletic Training, we can help you prepare for your next active travel adventure. Read more about Altitude for hiking, climbing and mountaineering here.
Buying a new bike can be like welcoming a new family member into the home. It will need a place to stay (preferably inside where it’s warm and clean), it will need maintenance, cleaning and upkeep, and it will continue to cost you money for years to come in exchange for hours of joy, happiness, frustration, and anger. Nonetheless, cycling has become more and more popular over the last decade – Business Insider even wrote an article on the newly-coined phrase, “Cycling is the new golf”.
There are a few things to consider before you shell out several thousand dollars on your new toy. Read on for what to think about before pulling the trigger.
1. What are you hoping to use it for?
If multisport is your primary goal (duathlon and triathlon), then you might be thinking of going the direction of an aero triathlon or time-trial bike. These machines are built for speed over anything else, but they can have some drawbacks. Aero frames are often less efficient in climbing hills, and so if your A-race is on a hilly course, you may be wiser to stick to a lightweight road bike that is easier to climb with. Many road bikes are actually lighter than tri bikes, whereas the actual wind tunnel-tested aerodynamics of tri bikes are better than road bikes. Another idea to keep in mind is that you can always purchase a pair of clip-on tri bars for your road bike to temporarily convert it into a tri-bike where you can settle into an aero position for long periods of time. It’s also good to keep in mind that most cycling clubs don’t accept tri bikes during group rides because the aero position decreases the rider’s ability to control the bike well in a group scenario.
If your primary goal is to hit the roads and solid surfaces and be able to get outside, a road bike is likely the perfect fit for you. Under the road bike umbrella, there are several options to choose from. Road bikes intended for speed and racing are typically a little lighter weight and will have more carbon components (read: more $$$), and are generally stiffer with higher road feel, kind of like a pair of racing flats for runners. They are designed to be responsive and ultimately to be fast. The frames are built more aggressively with lower front ends and handlebars, meaning they aren’t quite as comfortable for the long ride.
Road bikes that are designed for the more casual rider or someone looking to go longer but not necessarily as fast as possible are considered endurance road bikes. Contrary to the lightweight, speedy road bikes, these bikes are built with more flexible frames, generous fits, and less aggressive gearing to allow for greater comfort over longer time. Many beginner riders find these bikes fit the bill perfectly. They also tend to come in a little on the less expensive side since the components aren’t geared to be as light as possible.
2. What type of surfaces are you looking to ride on?
If you’re hoping to hit some dirt roads but not exactly an intense forest trail, a gravel bike may be just what you’re looking for. Gravel bikes are newer players in the bike world, and have become a fantastic choice for both experienced and beginner riders as they offer wider tires, greater stability, and more riding flexibility than traditional road bikes. If you’re looking to get into the up-and-coming sport of cyclocross, this is what you’ll need!
Not quite a road bike and not quite a mountain bike, these bikes are of course heavier than racing bikes, but will give you the flexibility to ride on virtually all types of surfaces. They are fantastic for more social rides, where speed is less a concern and all-day riding is the name of the game. Frames can come in different materials offering heavier or lighter rides, but as with all bikes, it’s up to you what you want to shell out.
If you’re really hoping to go all-in with nature, your best bet would be a full-blown mountain bike. These bikes offer the thickest, most textured tires with the most stability, with frames equipped with shocks and components to absorb high amounts of force from bumps and jumps. These bikes are not terribly practical for much else other than the woods and tend to not make great commuters either as they are quite bulky.
3. What’s your budget?
This is a very important question to ask, as you can spend anywhere from $800 for an aluminum frame bike to thousands and thousands of dollars on a custom-made bike with all of the high-end fixin’s. In general, the lighter the bike, the greater the price. Keep in mind there are many “middle of the road” options that utilize a combination of materials such as an aluminum frame but with a carbon fork. We suggest that if this is your first bike purchase, look for something decent and not too heavy, but don’t break the bank. You can consider buying a bike used, but it’s crucial that the frame size is correct for you, otherwise even the best used bike will feel horrible to your body if it isn’t fit properly. Don’t just “try to make it work” – this is a one-way ticket to getting injured. Finally, invest in a proper bike fit. Most shops will offer you a “complimentary fit” with the purchase of your bike, but these are rarely more than a crude fitting where they ensure the seat is the right height. A truly well-done bike fit takes 2-3 hours and will run you $200-$600 dollars – worth every cent in our opinion. Most bike fitters stand behind their fit for at least one year, so if you start to develop an ache or pain that doesn’t feel good, you can go back and have an adjustment made.
With the right bike, for the right price, you can confidently ride into the future and enjoy every hour that your new toy brings you. Cycling changes many peoples’ lives and you may just find your next favourite sport off of the links.
About the Author
Lauren Roberts is a Registered Physiotherapist and Founder of The Running Physio in Toronto. For more information on her team, the clinic, and for more great blog articles, visit www.therunningphysio.ca.
For many of us, the traditional job of 40 hours per week, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm is a thing of the past. If you’re fortunate enough to work at a startup or more flexible spot that has work from home options, it can sometimes be a little easier to fit physical (and mental) breaks into your day. However, there are still plenty of positions and roles that can be much more demanding and require you to be present or at least on-call for well over 40 or 50 hours per week. Hopefully you love your job if this is you – but it can make time for exercise a definite challenge.
We’ve compiled our top hacks to staying healthy when you feel like you’ve got zero time to spare. We all know the benefits of exercise: Improved anxiety and/or depression, improved self-confidence and mood, and a decreased stress response, not to mention improved blood sugar regulation and weight control, but let’s be honest – life can be really, really busy. Here’s how you can make – and keep! – an exercise routine no matter what the weeks throw at you.
Hack #1: Choose your activity based on how you want to feel.
A common mistake that we often make is trying to convince yourself to get into an activity that you…don’t even like. Maybe you read an article about how something like swimming is fantastic for your health. So you head to the pool on a Sunday afternoon and buy a pass. Once you hit the changeroom, you realize that it’s kind of chilly and cold, you forgot your flipflops and the floor is a bit gross, the pool temperature is less than ideal, and the lanes are so crowded you spend your whole time stressing about how fast or how slow you should be going and in what lane you should be in. For a few weeks you force yourself out the door, but the pool still feels cold, and your still getting kicked in the face with people on a busy weekend. Soon enough, your fresh new habit has fallen by the wayside, along with your wet bathing suit and goggles. Because wait, did you ever consider if you even really liked swimming? Especially for those taxed for time, ask yourself, what do I like doing? More importantly – How do I want to feel?
If you’re mega stressed and craving something intense, an instructor-lead cardio workout not only takes your mind off your stresses, but gets you out of your brain and kickstarts your endorphins. Or if you feel exhausted and fatigued, maybe you want to feel more rested. Perhaps try an easy yoga class to ease stress and just get your body moving in positions that are away from the desk. If you’re somewhere in the middle and feeling ambivalent about really anything at all, nothing does the trick better than a brisk walk around the block, even for 15-20 minutes. We all know activity and exercise makes you feel better, but you’re much more likely to stick with it when you can look forward to the thing that you know will do just the trick for you on any given day.
Hack #2: Change it up.
While many of us are self-professed creatures of habit, studies in habit-building psychology and in “sticktoitiveness” have shown time and time again that we’re much more likely to stick with a goal for the long term when we can make small microchanges to it day-to-day and week-to-week. For example, have you ever bought a new pair of running shoes and been really excited to try them out? Your run that day probably felt much more exciting and fun because of your new kicks!
By ever so slightly changing up your routine, you can keep things fresh and exciting, and trick your mind into looking forward to things that are sometimes less desirable. If you’re starting to feel stuck in a fitness rut, think about trying something new, or maybe asking a friend what they’ve been doing lately and joining them someplace you haven’t been before. There are always new and exciting places to check out in the city – and here at Altitude, we can’t wait to open our doors as the first and only place to offer altitude training in a 1,100 sq ft. chamber. Now that’s something fresh and different to get excited for!
Hack #3: Small things equal big things.
Sometimes there are just those days where you are not going to get a workout in. A deadline, having to pick up your child from daycare because your partner is sick, or just a day where you can’t get on the ball – these things happen. One of the easiest and simplest ways to get even a little bit of health and fitness (and sanity) in on these days is to inject “movement snacks” into your day. For example, if you struggle with back pain, make an effort to do a few little back bends and 10 mini squats every time you refill your water or go to the bathroom. If you go to the bathroom 6 times, you’ve now done 60 squats in the day. If you have a wonky shoulder or neck, invest $8 into a stretchy band and keep it in a desk drawer. Every hour, make a deal with yourself to take a five-minute break, grab your band, and do a quick shoulder stretch. Not only will this help combat postural-related problems like headaches and neck pain, but also gets your blood flowing and gives your brain a second to reset. No one can work straight through for 10 hours a day without some breaks. You owe it to yourself to take these little breaks, and when you finally head home at the end of the day, your body will thank you.
Hack #4: Check your health insurance policy or corporate discounts.
You’re paying into it, don’t let it go to waste! People often wait until December and realize that they have unspent dollars of massage, physiotherapy, or acupuncture. Not only are these things great for stress management, but a good physio clinic will include a home exercise programs for you, or they can work with your particular lifestyle to help put together something specific for your needs and in line with what’s available to you. If you aren’t a gym person, you can absolutely still do equipment-free, home exercises that pack a ton of benefit. You don’t have to be hurt to utilize these services! Also be sure to check out if your company has any discounts to local gyms or other hot fitness spots – use those perks! You’ve earned it.
Always remember that your work reflects your own well-being. One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is a sound body and a sound mind.Fitness can come in all types of forms, whether it’s a few pushups at your desk while on a call, or kicking it on a treadmill in a high-energy class at 6 am. Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and you have to make it work for you. Above all, enjoy it, and feel good about how amazing your body and mind truly is.
About the Author:
Lauren Roberts is a Registered Physiotherapist and Founder of The Running Physio in Toronto. For more information on her team, the clinic, and for more great blog articles, visit www.therunningphysio.ca
