[pct-l] TSA recovery

[Dave and Cindy]

Diane,

Great advise!  Thanks : )
And you are right, there isn't much professional info out there about proper 
diet and exercise for a long distant hiker.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com" <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 7:32 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] TSA recovery


> I've done two summers now of this long distance hiking business and
> can at least compare the results of both.
>
> The first time, I had some vitamin deficiencies and was hungry all
> the time but tried not to overdo it. When I got home I was really
> hungry and the hunger lasted a long time. I gained the weight back
> quickly even though I tried to limit myself to eating only natural
> food. I had foot problems and could not really exercise much. I tried
> to bicycle but that hurt, too.
>
> The second time I hiked, I made sure to take vitamins while I hiked.
> I also made sure I ate way more than I ever thought I should. I did
> not lose as much weight but I also was not quite as hungry as last
> year when I got home. I was able to eat normally right away. This has
> been great. I also had less foot pain and have been able to do
> moderate exercise.
>
> I think it's good to do light exercise rather than strenuous because
> the strenuous exercise triggers that hiker hunger.
>
> So my non-professional advice is on the trail, eat lots and take
> vitamins. Off the trail, eat like a normal person and eat natural
> food, not processed food. Continue to get exercise, but let it be
> moderate so that your weary bones can rest and you don't trigger food
> binges.
>
> As for the anxiety, I don't have a cure. For me the cure was going
> back out the second time and completing the trail but that doesn't
> help people who completed it all at once. I did have a bad experience
> going on a job interview. I didn't realize how much my brain wasn't
> quite working yet, how many words I couldn't remember. It's not a bad
> idea to spend some time getting your brain back in civilized mode again.
>
> I still don't have a job, and this is causing new anxiety.
>
> By the way, I searched for professional advice but nobody in the
> world posts information on the web that is remotely useful to an
> experience like long-distance hiking. Nobody except ultra runners and
> you know what? They don't quit.
>
> Diane
>
> On Oct 8, 2009, at 8:55 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>> Now that most of the 2009 thru hikers are off the trail what about
>> "Trail Separation Anxiety", (TSA) and Nutrition?
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