Canoe tripping........a highlight of my year and probably shared as such by many members on this board. As many of you know, my yearly August trip was an ugly fiasco and a classic case of self deception. I went in knowing I had some physical limitations but convinced myself that time on the trail and at the paddle would remedy that.

Surprise, surprise........the trip turned into nothing short of torture as my hips and knees rebelled at the overly ambitious demands. Quadruple portaging of up to, and exceeding, 10 miles a day right out of the chute proved physically debilitating and rather painful.

My trip was abruptly cut short as I was definitely not having fun being not able to perform at even a nominal level. Almost being crushed by a large pine during a late night thunderstorm sort of sealed the deal.

When I got home I was having a hard time standing long enough to put my gear away. It was if I was walking through molasses. Pain, pain and more pain. I quickly made several appointments with massage therapists. That helped immensely and I was at least able to walk. Wow, what a wake up call. This had been coming on, little by little, for at least 10 years. But I went blithely along the way completely convinced that with a bit of grit I could just keep on keeping on as I had always done.

Fast forward.........the last 2 months I have had a somewhat strict diet. Mostly fruits and veggies. No sugar and limited acidic foods. As a result I have dropped about 22lbs so far. In addition I have seen a chiropractor and have done the exercises he suggests. My feet and ankles were weak and pronated. Everything starts at your base and if you lack a good foundation its hard to build.

I started doing a full body exercise via a rowing machine which I get on daily. I also use utube and use the various mobility smashes and stretches. Very important. A Lacrosse ball is my constant companion.

As per exercise I have focused exclusively on a P-90X core disc and perform it almost daily. These steps have helped substantially but I was still not particularly happy with my mobility. My gait still had a bit of a hitch in it and pain at night in my knees frequently disrupted my sleep.

The last 2 months have proved effective but my hopes have been buoyed by the acquisition of the Piyo workout video series. A combination of Yoga and pilates and aimed primarily at women has proven to be very effective. Short workouts which focus on core and flexibility has been very helpful.

My next step is to incorporate Kettlebell workouts as well as the Piyo which should further strengthen the core and work multiple muscle groups at one time.

Lastly I have been introduced to Bone Broth. Sounds sort of weird right? My massage therapist suggested I need to introduce collagen to help my joints into my body via Bone Broth. I began to investigate and was astonished to find an almost cult like following concerning Bone Broth. I picked up a book, Nourishing Broth, and was off to the races. It has not only been beneficial to my joint health but my digestive health as well. Who knew?

I understand that their are members with far more health concerns than myself. But I thought it prudent to encourage others with my results. You may be able to go from replacement parts to rehabbing what you have. Dont be stupid, as I was, and wait until you are immobile before you act. But even if you do you might still be able to rehab the joint. If I was in the shape I currently am it would of been likely I could of pulled off my trip...........but I still have a long way to go. This is a process but I am encouraged.......I am only 2 months in. It sort of seemed disappointing at first but it took a lifetime to get here. I am hopeful of the future and can see the possibility of not having to get hip and knee replacements.

Of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the most important key ingredient. The Lord has good planned for me and that includes healing. The wisdom which comes from above is peaceable and easily entreated. I firmly believe that the Lord gives wisdom and will help guide me along this arduous path. Is there anything to difficult for Him?

Cripes, MT, you must not have time to sleep!
Glad to hear you are on the mend. We share some ailments. I, too, am a firm believer in a variety of exercises, including yoga. I do daily leg/knee exercises in addition to a wide variety of other things and while I still have some knee pain I am actually better today than I was a couple of years ago.
I will have to check out the bone broth. Never heard of it.
Hang in there.

Good to hear about your progress MT. Now it’s all about consistency. The good thing about canoe trips is they can motivate you to stay in shape year round.

GraniteCliffs: "Cripes, MT, you must not have time to sleep!
Glad to hear you are on the mend. We share some ailments. I, too, am a firm believer in a variety of exercises, including yoga. I do daily leg/knee exercises in addition to a wide variety of other things and while I still have some knee pain I am actually better today than I was a couple of years ago.
I will have to check out the bone broth. Never heard of it.
Hang in there. "

What I haven't done so much of is work. Putting focus on getting my wheels back. What has really helped my knee pain is called Voodoo flossing. I also use the technique on my ankle as well. Its basically a 2" wide latex strap which is wrapped around the joint rather tightly and then extend the banded joint through a full range of motions. Keep the band on for about 2 minutes. Blood backs up and when the band is released the pressure blows through opening things up a bit. At least thats the idea. What I do know is it seems to help, a lot.

The other thing I use is banded distractions. Basically a massive rubber band. Lately I have been using it to increase resistance for doing ankle stability exercises (to increase range of motion/flexion) as well as connecting the band to my ankle and anchoring one end and using the pressure to pull my leg downward (lying down and extending the pressure in-line with the leg). This opens up the hip, knee and ankle joints a bit and feels great. I walk a bit better afterwards as well.

I learned both methods via a book "How to become a supple leopard" (Kelly Starett). While geared at athletes there are many mobility exercises and stretches which have been very helpful. The author also has many Utube videos.

Voodoo flossing

Banded mobility

You can get the Bands and flossing strap at Rouge Fitness. It really works, try it out, not so expensive.

Yes, check out the Bone Broth. I take the usual joint supplements but why not use the real stuff? You end up pulling all the good stuff out of the joints of the animals and it gives your body something to work with. Make sure you use pure water and farm raised animals. The last thing you want is chlorine and antibiotics. I got my bones from Strauss Direct on line and use a slow cooker for 48 hours per batch and store in mason jars. There are numerous sources for the bones however. Actually rather tasty stuff. I drink it hot, like tea.........but what I really need to explore is adding the broth to soups, stews and sauces. The secret of top shelf chefs.........reduced bone broth, very tasty. Get the book, Nourishing Broth.

TomT: "Good to hear about your progress MT. Now it’s all about consistency. The good thing about canoe trips is they can motivate you to stay in shape year round. "

Indeed canoe trips are a major source of motivation but I am a bit concerned about being able to continue making a living. I have to be very mobile to do what I do and walking around with a limp and in pain has really got my attention. Fortunately things seem to be turning my way.

I could always base camp on Basswood and have a fine time even hobbling around camp..........but life would be rather stressful without being able to make a living.

Geez - I have cancer and now I have skin cancer and the only thing I have done is drink Jim Beam bourbon and smoke street bought marijuana. Works like a charm!
Best of luck with your health issues. I know it is rough.

Glad to hear you are on the mend, MT, and thanks for the information.

scat: "Geez - I have cancer and now I have skin cancer and the only thing I have done is drink Jim Beam bourbon and smoke street bought marijuana. Works like a charm!
Best of luck with your health issues. I know it is rough."

my oncologists would not like your diet much. So far appetite for real food has been great ! My wife tried to talk me into yogurt... No way that vile stuff.
Unfortnately I have lost my taste for coffee... Hope that comes back.
compensating by filing my big mug half full of chocolate milk, fill with water, add a teaspoon of decent (used to be anyway) instant coffee and nuke it for about 3 minutes

dr bob

Regardless of underlying health problems, we can all benefit from staying in shape. Good for you to find what works for you. With my many times through cancer treatment, I also look at staying in shape as being ready to get through whatever they throw out me. And it makes life more fun, too.

I know. I have to get better. I am aiming to start exercising again. I just like to goof off. Don’t eat much. Too much work. Don’t sleep much. Never have. I need air. That’s about it. And I will never die of thirst. Got that covered.

We butcher our own (free range) chickens and always make bone broth from the backs and necks. SO AMAZING.

Glad you've been introduced to the many health benefits of bone broth!

MN_Lindsey: "We butcher our own (free range) chickens and always make bone broth from the backs and necks. SO AMAZING.


Glad you've been introduced to the many health benefits of bone broth!"

Yes, I have heard that the free range chickens make amazing bone broth. I choked at the price however. I am not used to paying HUGE bucks for chicken. A free range chicken, which is what you want for bone broth, goes for at least $20. Geez, that seems like a lot for a chicken. But I will probably give in. My book strongly suggests throwing the chicken feet into the mix as well.

So far I have been using Veal bones. If you get over $70 worth of product you get free shipping at Strauss Direct. My order should keep me in business for a while.

Fish heads and bones also are filled with cartilage. My Dad fishes regularly here in Florida during the winter. Seems gross to pile some slimy fish heads into a stock but I will give it a try.

A bad experience while tripping, exhaustion and not being able to finish the trip, also motivated me. But not as much. I respect the dedication it takes to do what you are doing and respect the help He gives you in your rehabilitation. And I sure enjoy humping over a portage with smooth gait and not having to stop to catch wind. See you out there some time.

Keep at it. Halleluiah! for the changes you have chosen and the work you do each day to create a more fit & productive you.
Cheers!
P.S. $20 is too much for a dead chicken. ;-)

mastertangler: "

Yes, I have heard that the free range chickens make amazing bone broth. I choked at the price however. I am not used to paying HUGE bucks for chicken. A free range chicken, which is what you want for bone broth, goes for at least $ "

If you want free range chickens for broth see if you can find any small local farms in your area and ask if they ever have stew chickens for sale. We buy our eggs from a small family farm. A couple of times a year she offers up stew chickens for sale. They wouldn't be great if you're looking to roast a whole chicken but for stew or just bone broth like you're looking for they'll probably work great. We buy them for $5 each.

We also buy ducks, rabbits, and an occasional goose from her.

nofish: "

mastertangler: "


Yes, I have heard that the free range chickens make amazing bone broth. I choked at the price however. I am not used to paying HUGE bucks for chicken. A free range chicken, which is what you want for bone broth, goes for at least $ "

If you want free range chickens for broth see if you can find any small local farms in your area and ask if they ever have stew chickens for sale. We buy our eggs from a small family farm. A couple of times a year she offers up stew chickens for sale. They wouldn't be great if you're looking to roast a whole chicken but for stew or just bone broth like you're looking for they'll probably work great. We buy them for $5 each.


We also buy ducks, rabbits, and an occasional goose from her. "

Yup thats a nifty option if you live anywhere besides south Florida. Between the heat, swamps, gators, snakes, coyotes and hawks I'm not aware of any local farms where chickens are cage free. The hispanics have quite a few "fighting chickens" running around but I bet they would be as tough as a doornail.

Sounds like you have a great source. If you like to cook you should look into the whole bone broth thing as it makes the basis for great tasting soups, stews and sauces or at least that is what I have been told. Certainly makes a lot of sense to me. Speaking of Bone Broth, it might be time for a cup ;-)

Bone Broth is very common out in my neck of the woods. Lots of people use it to keep flu and other illness away. I'm glad it is helping you. Turmeric is great for joints as well and is a cancer preventer. I can't imagine spending 20$ for a free range chicken. With those rates you would think I could get rich quick. I watched my free range chickens fighting over a dead mouse the other day. Amazing what they can turn into eggs.

mastertangler: "
Sounds like you have a great source. If you like to cook you should look into the whole bone broth thing as it makes the basis for great tasting soups, stews and sauces or at least that is what I have been told. Certainly makes a lot of sense to me. Speaking of Bone Broth, it might be time for a cup ;-) "

My brother in a law is a chef so anytime he prepares a chicken or cooks any type of pork or beef he's always making a stock or bone broth out of the leftover bones. I've had to tell him to stop bringing so much over because the door shelves of our deep freeze are already full as we can't possibly keep up.

Canoearoo: Turmeric is great for joints as well and is a cancer preventer. uote>

Yes I have quite a little pile of supplements I take twice daily.

*Smarter nutrition brand Tumeric
*Fish oil
*Glucsomine/chondrotin

And I am thinking about getting Relief Factor to help keep down the inflammation.

I want my life back.

mastertangler: "

Canoearoo: Turmeric is great for joints as well and is a cancer preventer.

Yes I have quite a little pile of supplements I take twice daily.


*Smarter nutrition brand Tumeric
*Fish oil
*Glucsomine/chondrotin


And I am thinking about getting Relief Factor to help keep down the inflammation.


I want my life back. "

Which park were in when it happened?

What do you think chicken feet are going to do for you? C'mon man get real. Get a big greasy patty melt and fries. Chicken feet. Geez. That's ridiculous. I would rather starve than eat a chicken's foot.

scat: "What do you think chicken feet are going to do for you? C'mon man get real. Get a big greasy patty melt and fries. Chicken feet. Geez. That's ridiculous. I would rather starve than eat a chicken's foot."

My old Cajun grandmother used to cook chicken stew with the chicken feet. Now I understand its nutritional benefit. Being a kid with table manners I didn't question it and just ate. First, one. Then two. It was good and tasted much, much better than one would think. She was a great cook so that likely counted for a lot.

scat: "What do you think chicken feet are going to do for you? C'mon man get real. Get a big greasy patty melt and fries. Chicken feet. Geez. That's ridiculous. I would rather starve than eat a chicken's foot."

I believe it's a major source of collagen, stuff that your joints need. I wasn't aware that folk ate them. But back in the day people ate ALL of the animal from hoof to tail.

But for me it's the broth and I will definitely include the chicken feet wh n I make cheicken broth.

If you think that's gross try drinking huge cups of collard or kale green juice straight. I am also invested in juicing using a cold press style juicer and have started making it a habit. Lots less pain at night when I try and sleep.

Food, living food, as medicine.

mastertangler: "

I believe it's a major source of collagen, stuff that your joints need. I wasn't aware that folk ate them. But back in the day people ate ALL of the animal from hoof to tail.

"

mastertangler: "

I believe it's a major source of collagen, stuff that your joints need. I wasn't aware that folk ate them. But back in the day people ate ALL of the animal from hoof to tail.

"

error.

mastertangler: "
I believe it's a major source of collagen, stuff that your joints need. I wasn't aware that folk ate them. But back in the day people ate ALL of the animal from hoof to tail.
"

Digestion of protein is near complete- complex proteins are broken down into their constituent amino acids by the digestive system Your body doesn't take collagen from your food and slather it on your joints. It breaks collagen into amino acids and then builds its own collagen. Doesn't really matter if you get the amino acids from "bone broth" or beans, rice or Scat's patty melt- the collagen in your body is made by your body.

I suppose Banks......what do I know about this health stuff, not all that much really. Tests using bone broth are all over the map as far as conclusive proof, much like glucosamine.

Call me a simpleton but somehow extracting stuff from animal joints and drinking it has a certain ring of truth which I believe. And, one thing I do know, is that belief is a huge part of the healing process. As a man thinks, so is he.

Throw in the numerous testimonials regarding not only improved joint health but also for other ailments concerning digestive issues such as leaky gut and IBS so hey, sign me up. There certainly doesn't appear to be much downside except a few bucks.

Can't remember who asked where I was when all this hardship went down but I was at WCPP. Two long days of driving to get there, 4 nights in the woods including almost getting creamed, and two long days back to Michigan where I promptly flew back to Florida with my tail between my legs. I have been working hard to get back but I see it's going to be a process. Right now I could do a trip if I wasn't overpacked but I still wouldn't be the person I was used to, and that of course takes a bit of the fun away.

But, I'm only 2 months into the new and improved MT. It took a lifetime to get here. I must be patient, consistent and determined. Maybe I will still do long hikes and big canoe trips. All things are possible to him who believes.

Hey, MT. Google 'Organifi Green and Red juice'. Veggies in powder that taste great. I use it daily with carrot juice.

It's not like "bone broth" is something new. Stocks (i.e bone broth) are the core of French Cuisine and have been for centuries. Give it a new name and act like its a discovery to excite the "Food is Medicine" crowd. The notion that "soup is good for you" is hardly revelatory. It's America, faith and a good tagline carry far more significance than fact.

Yeah, now I got skin cancer. I thought I was going in for a meet and greet, so to speak, and before I knew it, a 6’ 4”, obviously African, Amazon goddess was sticking needles in my face. Oh man, I wasn’t expecting all that. That hurt. Geez. I think I actually said out loud with my eyes closed as tight as could be and my knees curling underneath me, ‘Are you serious?’ That was rough. She had a nice smile, but I would bet on her in a fight with a lion if she had a spear in her hand. No fooling around with this chick. Lay down and I will hurt you. They sent in pieces of flesh from my face for a biopsy. Got something like basil cell skin cancer. So now they say they are going to gouge deeper into my face and I will have stitches, bandages. I can’t do this. I need to put this off till the end of the year. I have had enough of this crap for a while. Just leave me alone, ok.

scat: "Yeah, now I got skin cancer. I thought I was going in for a meet and greet, so to speak, and before I knew it, a 6’ 4”, obviously African, Amazon goddess was sticking needles in my face. Oh man, I wasn’t expecting all that. That hurt. Geez. I think I actually said out loud with my eyes closed as tight as could be and my knees curling underneath me, ‘Are you serious?’ That was rough. She had a nice smile, but I would bet on her in a fight with a lion if she had a spear in her hand. No fooling around with this chick. Lay down and I will hurt you. They sent in pieces of flesh from my face for a biopsy. Got something like basil cell skin cancer. So now they say they are going to gouge deeper into my face and I will have stitches, bandages. I can’t do this. I need to put this off till the end of the year. I have had enough of this crap for a while. Just leave me alone, ok."

If you have to have cancer, even skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma is the best kind to have. And, probably you CAN put it off till the end of the year without it being anything life-threatening. Maybe it will never be life-threatening. But it surely won't get any better by putting it off either. It will need to be taken care of.

I have had six of them now, three on my face and three on other parts of my body. Probably will have more if I live long enough. Mine are the results of being a blonde teenager in the days of no sunscreen and the idea that getting a tan was a "healthy" thing.

I'm funny about cancer. As soon as they told me about the diagnosis (after the biopsies) I was all about getting it out of there! ASAP!

Good luck to you.

Banksiana: "It's not like "bone broth" is something new. Stocks (i.e bone broth) are the core of French Cuisine and have been for centuries. Give it a new name and act like its a discovery to excite the "Food is Medicine" crowd. The notion that "soup is good for you" is hardly revelatory. It's America, faith and a good tagline carry far more significance than fact."

Bones. It's how soup is made.

Two of my collagenous favorites are Vietnamese Pho and Japanese ramen. Rich broth can't be rushed.

If you do enough piyo you will be ready for the endless portage of winter bwca travel. I did the workout everyday for months plus x country skiing after work. Great core workout. Don’t over do it I would recommend every other day.
Good luck
I’ll see you on the lakes in March.

I have always heard it called Scotch Broth even though it was plain old 'beef bone broth'. The old-timers in my family claimed it to be great for knitting broken bones as well as for sore joints.

mjmkjun: "Hey, MT. Google 'Organifi Green and Red juice'. Veggies in powder that taste great. I use it daily with carrot juice."

Yup I will check it out.

Clearly bone broth is nothing new, or is it? Back in days of long ago no part of the animals were wasted. Not so much anymore as we select the cuts we desire. I'm looking at a ribeye tonight at Longhorns ;-)

Yes I seen the add for Piyo and knew that was for me. No jumping around and focus on core strength and flexibility. It will be hard for me to do just every other day. The workouts are to short for me to do that. And i want results like yesterday. But I need to be careful......when I had my knee worked on (after another crash and burn in WCPP) I asked the doc if I could bike. He said yes, so I started out with 6 miles and felt great. Well if 6 miles was good then what about 25! What an idiot! Of course all my advances went south and put me back at square one. I am laughing just thinking about it. What was I thinking!

They will fix you up Scat. My artist/fishing buddy had several big huge deep holes in his face from the procedure......I was shocked when I saw him. But a few months later it was as if nothing had happened......again I was shocked.

mastertangler: "My feet and ankles were weak and pronated. Everything starts at your base and if you lack a good foundation its hard to build.
"

Personally I find that your core is your base and foundation. Everything originates from your abdominal and back muscles. You can still paddle without legs so I don't think that is a great starting point. Granted, power does not come from your core, but it does enable you to use the power you have and build more. When getting into shape always start with your core then move to targeting or compensating for weaknesses.

I would agree that most of the work in your situation might have been focused on your legs so that you could properly carry a load. Carrying a load the wrong way or walking unbalanced can strain other parts of your body as they struggle to compensate. The same can happen when lifting things, like heavier packs out of a canoe, so training specific muscle groups to be able to handle the work you have lined up is very important.

The point is just that you want to start with your core so that you are able to perform the specific muscle group exercises properly without injuring yourself. That is the foundation to build upon and also what can hold you back if you neglect it.

Yes I agree that your core is probably your most important body part. However, a chiropractor and a professional masseuse both stated the same thing concerning everything starting at the feet. If your arches are weak, then your ankles become pronated and your body starts to compensate to keep you upright. This starts a cascade of negative consequences including musculature which becomes imbalanced.

I start my day by doing 70 toe crunches when my feet hit the floor. Then I do 30 lifts in which I get onto the balls of my feet, up and down to strengthen arches, ankles and calves. I believe it all starts at the base, your feet. It makes sense to me after it was explained. The other thing they both suggested was to use a golf ball and roll your arch on it to loosen up the tissues.

Think about it......the ankle gets pronated due to weak arches, the knee compensates and dips inward and then that puts undue stress on the hips often causing them to be uneven. One thing leads to another.

I'm not complaining about the way you are doing it. Only stressing that people take care of their core to reduce injury.

Also, my mom works in a hospital and says that doctors hate chiropractors. They call them witch doctors and advise against them, probably because they act like doctors but aren't. Instead they recommend physical therapists. Same idea with a masseuse since they are intended for stress relief only, not sure what you mean by professional though since that just means that's their job instead of their hobby. Massage Therapists are recommended for any healing. That might just be a miscommunication though because people often confuse the two, but they are not the same thing.

Not saying you should avoid them, just take their advice with a grain of salt. It isn't that hard to be a chiropractor, it's easier than becoming a nurse. Just keep in mind that physical therapists work with doctors to treat you and chiropractors don't.

If you want to make your own bone broth find a deer hunter that processes his own deer. He will probably give you lots of bones if you ask.

Jim Beam bourbon and street bought marijuana. Works like a charm. Cures cancer, loneliness, and helps give you a deeper understanding why Colonel Hogan always got the upper hand on Colonel Klink.
Best of luck with your broth brother, scat

Go to a chiropractor..... you will be going back for a long time to feel better... Never ending cycle.

scat: "Jim Beam bourbon and street bought marijuana. Works like a charm. Cures cancer, loneliness, and helps give you a deeper understanding why Colonel Hogan always got the upper hand on Colonel Klink.
Best of luck with your broth brother, scat"

I'm sorry scat, but you need to get help.
God bless

Zwater: "

scat: "Jim Beam bourbon and street bought marijuana. Works like a charm. Cures cancer, loneliness, and helps give you a deeper understanding why Colonel Hogan always got the upper hand on Colonel Klink.
Best of luck with your broth brother, scat"

I'm sorry scat, but you need to get help.
God bless"

I have a different take on this. You go right ahead, scat, and get "comfortable".
Apologies for the distract from subject of the thread, MT.

Zwater: "Go to a chiropractor..... you will be going back for a long time to feel better... Never ending cycle.
"

That might be the case with some. But not the man I go to. My Pastor is a martial arts expert and a professional body guard. He is also a certified combat instructor with handguns and knives and has trained all over the world. Last year he was flown in to evaluate a new urban military training course and has given instruction to the 10 mountain division.......there's much more but you get the point.

He has other martial arts experts suffering from debilitating injuries and has them fly in to see this chiropractor. I was desperate as my back was giving me severe issues and he set me on a pathway to being healed (my hips were uneven). He taught me much but what surprised me most was that he stated he wanted to fix me so I didn't need to see him anymore.

My mother also had her life changed by a team of chiropractors in Michigan. So I think you are at least partly mistaken. I'm sure we could trot out plenty of folks who have horror stories as well so as the saying goes, buyer beware.

There are a lot of people that think a chiropractor is a one stop fix and that with a couple cracks of your back or neck they'll cure whatever body ailments you may have. I know it often times feels that way because of the almost instant relief they can deliver. However, in almost all cases its only one step on the road toward recovery.

Its always been my experience that chiropractors can be highly beneficial but a chiropractic adjustment alone does not cure or solve the underlying issues. It simply allows you to get back on the path toward recovery. For instance if your pain was stemming from some type of alignment issue and a chiropractor puts your body back into alignment your body will have a chance to heal and feel much better for a period of time maybe even a long period of time. However, if you do not address the underlying issue which may stem from some type of muscle imbalance, muscle weakness, or something like that then your alignment issues will most likely redevelop over time and you'll be back where you started. It may take a awhile and perhaps it will take long enough that you don't necessarily correlate the 2 as being connected but odds are they will be if you don't address the underlying issue.

In my opinion a chiropractor and a physical therapist should work hand in hand on a patients recovery. The chiropractor can get you to a point where your body is in a place where it is now able to recover and the physical therapy can get your body to the point where it is now strong enough and balanced enough to prevent the issue from reoccurring in the future.

I've experienced it for myself with my shoulder. I tried rehabbing through physical therapy alone but my range of motion was so poor that I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. After a visit to a chiropractor we discovered the underlying issue stemmed from my upper back. Over 3-4 visits the chiropractor was essentially able to put me back together again and for all practical purposes I felt healed. However, that didn't mean the underlying muscle weakness in my back was resolved nor did it mean the pain wouldn't come back if I ignored the muscle issue. It did however make my rehab program significantly more productive as it greatly improved my range of motion and eliminated the pain I was feeling which allowed the rehab program to work. It also helped me refocus the rehab plan to better target the root cause of the issue. I wouldn't say the chiropractor healed me but they did pave the road toward my healing assuming I was willing to do the rest of the work needed.

Kettlebells are cheap and awesome for core and combined strength exercise. I’ve used them to build strength for endurance sports like paddling and cross-country skiing. Do some plank rows, standing rows, and Turkish get-ups and you’ll be sore in muscles you didn’t know you had.
Caution though, is to be careful about learning and practicing proper form with strength exercise. Poor form with added weight not only can negate the benefits of the specific exercise, but also puts you at risk for injury.

Banks is right about protein digestion/synthesis, and the rebranded novelty of a good soup stock.

Complimentary/alternative treatments can be helpful, as long as you don’t rely on them for sole diagnosis/treatment of things that have well established treatments in conventional medicine. Most of these are good providers who can recognize when refrrral to a real doctor is appropriate, but there is also unfortunately some rare quackery that swindles people or even puts them in danger.

I found when it comes to chiropractors and physical therapist and even doctors you have to search for people that are good and dedicated to their craft. All have their place, but like in the case of chiropractors, many think their profession is superior. At some point I would hope the powers within will hold some of these people to higher standards. For now, you have to more or less seek out the professionals that will best help you out. Doctors are not much better. Many think if they can't figure something out you just need this or that drug that may or may not help the situation. I think MT is on to something in his regiment. I applaud his efforts.

Getting in shape will help with one side of the equation, but the weight of your gear is the other side. My pack weight for next years 15 day WCPP trip is just over 36 pounds. Maybe you can trim down on your gear a bit MT.

SinglePortage: "Getting in shape will help with one side of the equation, but the weight of your gear is the other side. My pack weight for next years 15 day WCPP trip is just over 36 pounds. Maybe you can trim down on your gear a bit MT."

Yea I know.......but I don't carry it all at once. I will give a hard look at doubling. But with trips of over 20 days a certain amount of food must still be carried. And what of sufficient fishing tackle!

I will see how the winter goes. I have good days and bad. I am certainly stronger than I was just 2 months ago.

I am interested in the Kettle Bell workouts. I got the series Iron Core Kettlebell. 4 disc set for $10 on amazon. I have no idea what they do. The net basically suggests 35lb kettle bell for men to start with. I decided to start with 25lb considering my disadvantage and add or subtract according to how I do.

Interesting knowledgeable comments concerning chiropractic work and addressing root causes. Indeed I have been made aware of muscle imbalance via my chiropractor as well as numerous informative videos on Utube. For that reason I have been focusing on doing single leg squats to even out the imbalance. It was surprising to me how much stronger one leg was than the other. The other surprising thing was my glutes were weak and not firing. Other leg muscles were doing most of the work. What a mess! Little by little, with the wisdom that comes from above which is peaceable and easily asked for............I will get this figured out.

Taking more trips across the portage with lighter loads can still be a lot of work. But I guess I would rather take it slow than not get there at all! Is hiring a sherpa an option?

Hey MT, you can use this as your alarm clock. Seriously. Psychological Warfare

Here's one for at the gym
The workout

SinglePortage: "Taking more trips across the portage with lighter loads can still be a lot of work. But I guess I would rather take it slow than not get there at all! Is hiring a sherpa an option?"

Who can go for 20 days? Besides, I HATE other people carrying my stuff canoe stuff across a portage almost as much as I hate others people "helping" me offload my fishing equipment off of a charter boat (quickest way I know to leave gear on board). It's not that I am to proud but mistakes are sure to happen and I end up with unbalanced loads since I hand carry.

I am envisioning 2 possible likely scenarios/choices for next summer.........base camping on Basswood should my rehab not go as well as I hope. But my preference is back to WCPP but instead of doing a tough route, there and back on the same travel path, I think I will fly into my destination lake and ease back out and have Harlan shuttle me out once I get back to an EP. Sounds funnerer. Get off the plane, set up camp and be frying up some walleye the same day instead of a week of hard work just to get there. I work hard, I deserve it by golly ;-)

mastertangler: "knowledgeable comments concerning chiropractic work and addressing root causes. Indeed I have been made aware of muscle imbalance via my chiropractor as well as numerous informative videos on Utube. "

Muscle imbalance and one leg being stronger than the other is a VERY common issue. I'd say most people have some sort of imbalance.