Preparing for Altitude Sickness

If you ask me if I’m scared of the Kilimanjaro climb, my answer is no. Sleeping in a tent for 6 nights, no available bathrooms on the mountain, hiking every day for 7 days or being exposed to the cold  doesn’t bother me. I know I can deal with the uncomfort I may be facing. But if you wonder what my biggest fear is. Here it goes: I’m worried about experiencing altitude sickness once I reach a certain altitude.

I tried researching ways to train my body to altitude but it’s kind of difficult to do so when I’m not surrounded by mountains over 1,500m. Before booking my flight to Tanzania, I was planning to visit my friend in Vancouver and do some hiking there but that plan was immediately cancelled once my trip to Kilimanjaro was booked. Why? I’m strapped on cash! But hiking the Rockies would have definitely been a great training program for me.

So what am I doing? I’m getting myself in shape. I train as much as I can, when I can. My training program is varied. I’ve been doing 30 mins on the step master along with 30 minutes on the treadmill with a maximum incline. My rule of thumb is not using my hands to grip myself because that’s cheating! I’ve been continuing my aerobic classes to make sure I don’t lose my cardio. Now that it’s starting to get cold, I am going to pick up jogging outdoor to prepare my lungs for the cold.

I’m no professional trainer but I’ve been active all my life. I’m trying to use my little knowledge of training to try to successfully prepare for this climb. I’m thinking that if I can make sure I’m fit enough, then I’ll only have to deal with adapting to the altitude once I’m on the mountain. So again, if you ask me what my fear is, check out the video below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u7sSDI778Q]