Hydration while Hiking

When I first moved to Seattle, I learned that this is a place for "outdoor people."  You know the type... people who like to do activities outside for fun.  Hiking, fishing, skiing, snow shoeing, biking, boating, camping, backpacking, rock climbing... basically a lot of things I wasn't really into.  Prior to moving here, I ran outside or went for walks and I have always loved to kayak, but mostly my outdoor activities were barbecueing and sitting by a pool.  Eager to fit in and make friends in the PNW, I accepted an invitation from a coworker to hike at Mount Rainier.  We had probably walked about two miles when I said... "Ummm.... I don't think I've ever actually hiked before."

"What do ya mean?" she asked. "Well," I replied, "Connecticut doesn't really have high mountains.  I can see we are still headed away from the car and have probably already walked two miles, but my previous hikes would never have surpassed maybe 3 miles and were a lot flatter.  I'm not sure if I'm well enough prepared for what we're going to do today." She did the smartest thing you could possibly do in that moment.  She asked what was in my backpack.  What was my water situation? I had two 20-oz plastic bottles in my backpack, both mostly frozen still.  Did I mention it was August and at least 70 degrees in direct sunlight?  What else was I carrying?  I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple, an extra pair of socks, and a long sleeve shirt.  That was it. 

Mt. Rainier August 2016

I ran out of water.  I ran out of food.  And my phone said we walked about 12 miles that day. By the time we got to the car, my legs felt like brick walls and you can imagine how my feet did walking that much in an old pair of NIKE Shox tennis shoes.  But the view!

Since that first hike in August 2016, I have regularly fallen into the trap of agreeing to hike with this same friend.  If it sounds like I'm blaming her, I'm not. I really love going.  I've seen some really incredible places and made a great friend along the way... I just tend to hit a wall of physical misery somewhere around 10 miles of walking and she does an awesome job of finding us 12 mile hikes.  We recently went to the Olympic Peninsula and did the Dungeness Spit hike... my phone says we walked 14 miles that day. I feel like I keep falling for the same trick... or I keep asking for it!

Every time we go for a hike, I think I get better with my preparation.  I no longer wear all cotton.  I now have a Camelbak Backpack that can carry multiple liters of water.  (This same hiking friend got it for me, isn't she the best?!)  I carry sunscreen so I can re-apply.  I carry nail clippers and band aids and a small amount of medical stuff in case there is a need for it.  There is a lot more food on every outing, also.  As a physical therapist, I really should have known the importance of hydration and nutrition on this amount of physical exertion as well as for recovery, but I really didn't know how under prepared I had been.

Recently I was chatting with some of my current coworkers discussing the basic things you should have when you hike.  I don't really feel the need to carry fire starting materials or shelter when I go for a day hike, because I don't plan to spend the night in the wilderness, but some websites recommend you prepare to be stuck out there and carry these types of things. Also, I have an irrational fear of getting lost and a terrible sense of direction, so I should probably prepare better for this type of situation. If you're curious to know more about the basic essentials you should bring hiking or camping, REI has a post about it, here, and I'm sure they'll sell you all the equipment listed so that you can have the safest hiking or camping experience ever!

But today the focus is hydration.  Water is essential for our survival.  This scientific paper was really interesting and explains a lot about the importance of hydration.  Water makes up our blood, helps regulate our body temperature, serves to transport nutrients and wastes, and is an essential component of cellular processes.  The paper states "during challenging athletic events, it is not uncommon for an athlete to lose 6-10% of their body weight... decrements in performance can occur with as little as 2% loss of body weight" Running out of water while hiking or exercising can be scary because drinking water found in nature can make you really sick.  I don't know all the rules, I just know that when I ran out, my friend wouldn't let me drink from the lake because of the risk of bacterial infections which lead to serious tummy aches... and other gastrointestinal issues that I'll spare you the details of.  Just know that if you drink water in the wild, you could end up feeling really miserable.  Fortunately she had enough water to share to finish our hike.  But how much should you bring when you have to carry it and it can be super heavy? 

I read several websites and articles looking for the recommendations.  Most of what I found says a half liter for every hour you plan to be out walking.  More water if it's hot, if you're going on a steep incline/heavy exertion hike, you're not a regularly trained hiker, you sweat a lot, or you tend to drink a lot of water in general. 

If you're thirsty, you're already probably a bit dehydrated and need to drink.  In fact, the paper  listed above describes the need to drink before you reach this point, even when not thirsty, while being active.  There are recommendations of consuming water every 20 minutes, but again, this really varies based on exertion level, fitness level, temperature, and sweating.  Still, dehydration and heat stresses can become medical emergencies if they're not properly handled.  Conversely, you can drink too much water without sufficient salt which is also a medical problem.

You can actually find out a more specific amount of water you should consume by weighing yourself, exercising while measuring your water intake, and then re-weighing yourself.  The Seattle Storm go through this every season in order to try to determine how much fluid replacement players might need for optimal recovery after practice and games.  Fluid replacement is important with exercise of all types, but for today, I'll just try to be safer while hiking and be prepared as much as I can be for the conditions I'm expecting.  There are so many other important reasons to consider hydration.  In the clinic, we discuss drinking more water with patients experiencing post concussion syndrome and chronic pain a lot, also headaches, and anyone experiencing dizziness.  In general, we probably all need to drink more water, particularly when we're active.  Let's hope the summer sunshine is here to stay in Seattle, and here's to a summer filled with gorgeous hikes!

Special Olympics 2018

The Special Olympics just wrapped up in Seattle and, in case you missed it, there were some really awesome moments.  I don't have a TV so I didn't get to watch nearly enough - but there were highlights posted online that were heartwarming and inspirational and I had the opportunity to volunteer with them on Thursday.  Here's my favorite photo, thanks to the Seattle Times:

Virginia Wade, 17 year old gymnast from Seattle

This was the 50th Anniversary of the Special Olympics with athletes competing in 14 sports.  As a physical therapist, I was disappointed that I was not permitted to provide sideline coverage for any of the events, but I was still able to volunteer to help screen healthy athletes for risk of injury.  I supervised a great group of Physical Therapy Assistants students who were completing a series of balance tests for hundreds of athletes.  Other groups were screening flexibility, strength, and aerobic endurance.  Our four stations were a small part of the available resources for the athletes, all of which included collecting baseline data on these athletes and helping to provide education for them to improve in areas where they may be at risk for injury.  Competing athletes were also given the opportunity to have a dental examination, vision check, hearing assessment, health assessment for blood pressure and body mass index, and a podiatrist foot inspection.  By completing several of these stations - all for free - athletes could be provided new hearing aids, newly made glasses with proper prescriptions, dental care, referrals for physical therapy or other healthcare services and they were provided a free pair of sneakers.  All of these things were provided by sponsors which is really incredible. 

I met hundreds of athletes from at least 20 different states.  We know that about 2,000 athletes were screened during the week, and that all 50 states and Washington, D.C. were represented by athletes.  Several of the Washington (state) athletes were followed by cameras to their various stations which was cool to see them getting a little extra treatment.  Several athletes had finished their competitions and were wearing their medals.  Having personally seen Olympic Medals in the past, I was pleased at the caliber of the medals used at this event, as well.  Still so heavy!  Each athlete was also wearing a credential and usually a team jersey or Special Olympics shirt with their state listed on it.  States were trading pins with each other and collecting them.  When the Connecticut delegation came through, I was super excited to see people from my home state, and they gave me a 50th Anniversary Special Olympics Connecticut pin!

Who competes in the Special Olympics? These are athletes who have an intellectual disability which means that they have limitations in their cognitive functioning that could include delayed learning and development.  The games are an opportunity for these athletes to "demonstrate ability rather tahn disability" and, among numerous other benefits of participation, provides them with free access to healthcare, and this is one of the foundational purposes of the Special Olympics.  Washington Special Olympics will hold another Special Olympics event again in August in Everett and they'll be looking for volunteers then, too.  I encourage people to check out the Special Olympics website, find their local community page, volunteer for an event, and support this awesome group of athletes! 

Stair Challenge!

Richmond Beach Park steps - Shoreline, WA

How is it almost June?!  That mean's it's time for the Shoreline Million Stair Challenge!  The purpose of this event is to have the community collectively climb one million stairs to increase fitness competing with neighbors. According to the site, last June I completed 11,444 steps!  The challenge was started in 2012 for community awareness of health as well as to bring more people out to the park near my house where there is a long stair case (188 steps) that can be broken down into portions as well as a smaller set of stairs nearby.  I use these when I train for my March stair climb for Multiple Sclerosis which I've previously written about here!

This year my goal is to complete 15,000 steps in the month of June.  That's an average of 500 steps per day or 3500 stairs per week.  I don't work out 7 days per week, so this seems like a lofty goal, but I'm excited to work towards it and spend more time outside.  Additionally, on the side of this blog, I've been tracking my miles walked and stairs climbed all year... and I'm a bit behind in my 75,000 stairs goal, so this should really help get me more on track!  Fortunately, the sun stays out a lot longer in June so post-work stairs will be in order!

I urge others to join me in this challenge and climb some extra stairs this June.  It might help you start a new exercise routine or change your daily habits.  Since I started training for stair climbs, I definitely notice myself taking stairs more than alternatives... and I've gotten stuck in a few stair wells for doing it! You can climb stairs anywhere and still participate in the challenge. We can motivate each other to train and get stronger and more fit!  I want to see photos of the stairs you climb - so if you sign up to join, I'll match your stair count (up to 1000 additional stairs!).  Seattle area friends, if you want to head to a local stairwell - there's a whole network of them listed on this website - let me know and I'll climb some stairs elsewhere! I won't race you - because it's not about doing them quickly.  It's about being active... and I'm slow!

Happy Summer and Happy Climbing!

Five Reasons You Should Attend PT Pub Night

logo from: http://ptpubnight.com/

What could be better than a Friday night spent with friends?  A Friday night spent with fellow physical therapists having drinks chatting about patient cases, the health care system, recent conferences, and suggesting new articles to read.  #AllTheCoolKidsAreDoingIt.

When a former coworker first invited me to PT Pub Night about 3.5 years ago, I was a little hesitant to attend because it sounded just as cheesy as my above statement.  I was new to Seattle, and new to being a PT, though, and a networking event sounded like something I should do.  Actually, I didn't know any PEOPLE in the area - PTs or otherwise.  I had been harassing her to have dinner with me so I wouldn't have to eat alone sitting on my living room floor since I was a poor new grad without furniture.  It wasn't a hard sell.  We headed over to Hales Ales in Fremont, WA and since that time I have been to several PT Pub Nights.  Here's why you should check one out if you get the chance.

1) You meet new PTs in your city.  Obviously.  This is helpful for learning, future employment opportunities, finding new continuing education courses, securing a mentor, finding local specialists for things like bike fits or pelvic health or running mechanics, learning about referral sources and surgeon preferences with their rehab protocols, discussing the changes in legislation that directly impact patient care in your region... this list could go on forever.  Having colleagues that are in a similar line of work but don't work in your office is incredibly valuable.  Alternatively, bringing along your coworkers can help build up your work relationships because these events are really about physical therapy and health care - not your personal life.

2) You meet PT students either studying nearby or on clinical affiliations in your city.  The last two PT Pub Nights I have attended, the same student was present.  He's graduating soon and it's interesting to hear what he's learning in school, how his rotation is going.  It could help me if I'm ever a CI (scheduled in 2019!) to get the opinion of a student who I have no professional responsibility towards, but also it helps me grow as a professional.  I remember attending PT Pub Night-type events when I was a UConn PT student attending the Combined Sections Meetings (Chicago and Las Vegas) and loving the opportunity to talk to my faculty in a more casual setting.  Later, when I was a practicing PT and attended CSM in Anaheim, it was even more comfortable to have dinner and drinks with my former instructors because we're colleagues now!  In the three years since I graduated, there have been a handful of times where I've directly reached out to them for advice regarding patients, careers, and the status of the UConn PT program.  It makes sense that your instructors shouldn't be sitting next to you at the on-campus bar (shout out to the sticky floor at Ted's with delicious chicken cutlet sandwiches), but after your grades are finalized, your faculty immediately becomes your first network of colleagues.  That relationship can start sooner with this type of function.

3) For me, like I said, I had no friends when I moved to Seattle. This isn't an exaggeration.  As a physical therapist, I spent all day long talking to patients - so I didn't feel like I was missing out on the human connection entirely. But meal times alone at home were super lonely.  I would be lying if I didn't acknowledge that my closest PT colleagues are also some of my closest friends in Seattle and that this was a direct result of PT Pub Nights.  I even joined a softball team because of a friendship made at PT Pub Night - but that ended with me having a broken nose and a concussion - we can talk about those another day.

4) The group is always different.  At least here in Seattle, where the location changes each month, the attendees are often more local to the host location.  This weekend's Pub Night was a small group, but sometimes it's a large crew.  Most of the time the attendees are from orthopedics and sports PT, but sometimes there have been therapists from other settings which is a refreshing reminder of the things we are trained to do.  I do not miss my time in the skilled nursing facility, but several PTs I have met love working in that environment.  To see them passionate about their setting is refreshing and the end-game for all of us is to improve human function. Additionally, we previousyl had a mayoral candidate join us, we have had Washington Physical Therapist Association board members attend to increase awareness of upcoming legislation, and sometimes a physician from the neighborhood will even stop in.  It's a true networking event.  

5) You can respectfully debate the issues going on in health care - because at the end of the day, we all want our patients to get better. If our approaches or our political opinions differ, the end-game is the same.  This past Pub Night, for example, some of the participants had just returned from a Pain Summitt in California.  They had a lot of insight to share and they treat their patients with strong consideration for the biopsychosocial model.  While I, too, consider this model in my treatments, it's a new concept for me and so I still find myself more in the biomedical model camp.  I like some of the language that the biopsychosocial model uses and I like to hear how they talk and think about the patients in front of them.  I treat mostly children so I see a lot of fear avoidance behaviors and have observed the way the wording we use with patients directly affects some of them. Any time you get a group of people together who have differences of opinion, the conversation can get intense.  This Pub Night's talks were deep - but they made me think - and I respect that.  The conversation is notably different when March Madness comes around - because we're all rooting for our alma maters. 

PT Pub Nights have spread throughout the country, particularly in the cities.  I encourage you to check one out - or come hang out with us in Seattle.  You might learn something, but you'll definitely meet some interesting people. 

Photo credit: Sarah Cruser 
Location: Magnuson Athletic Club, hosted by Ellie Somers and Sisu Performance

Seattle Ignited Women Project #SIWP

 📷: http://seattleignitedwomenproject.com

Last night I attended an event that was devoted to women empowering women. The Seattle Ignited Project, started in 2017 by Allison Tenney to "redefine what strength and success means as a woman." The speakers, catering, sponsorship, and facility space were all consistent with the idea of inspiring women in all their roles - as female business owners or entrepreneurs or fitness pros or athletes or innovators or moms.

The Riveter is a space devoted to empowering women moving their businesses forward.  They host events that support female initiatives and serve as a work space for thinking, networking, and productivity to start or further develop your company.   I typically write my blog from my living room or from Walnut Street Coffee - but I loved this concept.  And the food! Catered by That Brown Girl Cooks were roasted veggies and chicken sliders with garlic aioli and Chef Kristi Brown's famous hummus.

The sponsors were a series of tables by mostly local companies - all women owned - with a variety of purposes and goods.  I'd love to tell you about them all - but instead I'll pick my two favorites.  I was super excited to see my good friend and fellow Seattle Storm sideline pal Emily Blurton to learn more about her personal training and athletic development business - Emblem Fitness.  She's bright and talented and I'm so fortunate to have her in my circle - Check out her site! I also really liked meeting the crew from Intentionalist - an online directory of businesses owned by women and/or LGBTQ individuals so that consumers can choose to spend their money intentionally in support of these organizations.

The speakers were inspiring.  I had never heard of Erin Brown before this event - TRAVESTY! She presented a list of "Ten Things She's Reasonably Sure Of" which included many valuable lessons.  One of those was "Take Time to Digest" from which she discussed that people are consuming information at a rapid-fire pace and we can't process or fully comprehend it all at the rate in which we receive it.  Her recommendation was to be mindful of how we choose to access these inputs - such as potentially spending less time with the social media and respecting other peoples' stories.  It made me think about how I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice about 2 weeks ago, and how in those days (early 1800's), you would receive a letter by horseback riding mail carrier, and you would take the time to sit at a desk with a quill and ink, carefully process the information,  and write a deliberate and thoughtful response. If you send me at text, I almost instantaneously respond - sometimes without actually even comprehending the full incoming message and too often with an impulsive reaction.  The emotion of our communications is lost with our new means of interactions and it's not moving us in a positive direction.  I like to think this blog post is a small way for me to digest the information from last night, process it and see what I really took away from it.  (CT Pals - she's coming your way soon!)

Gina LaRoche was the second speaker and she very eloquently spoke about three of the seven laws that are in her soon-to-be published book "The Seven Laws of Enough."  I understood her message to be more about introspection.  Spoiler Alert: Law Seven is "Love is the Answer" but the question surprised me:  "How well have I loved myself today?"  I'll be honest - I generally think meditation and mindfulness are garbage... but this view is an ignorant one because I have never given it a try.  In the past several months, I've been working on a focused program for a healthier me, and only last week did I even consider that there should be some amount of mindfulness practice included in that.  But I don't like doing it! (Maybe because I'm so terrible at it!)  Gina led a meditation practice and I could see the reaction others in the room had to this moment, and I decided I had to give this a fair shot for the next few months. I practice skills for my career and for getting better at this blog writing stuff and for my physical fitness - why couldn't I practice something to improve my mind?

The evening wrapped up with a panel discussion including: Crossfit Competitive Champion and Olympic Weight Lifter Elisabeth Akinwale,USA Soccer Olympian turned speaker/activist and performance trainer Lori Lindsey,  and ESPN Journalist Dianna Russini, moderated by The Riveter CEO Amy Nelson.  They talked about their journeys, obstacles, accomplishments, and what drives them to support women personally, in the world, in the workplace and in athletic endeavors.

I can't ignore the people in the crowd because the room was full of about 100 women and they were awesome too!  For example, I met Sally Roberts, two-time world bronze medalist in wrestling and founder of Wrestle Like a Girl which supports young girls through college-aged women who want to participate in wrestling.

Ultimately - it was a fun night that provided me with some new perspective and numerous ideas to ponder.  I'm excited to see where Allison Tenney takes the event in the future, and I'd definitely attend in the future.  I hope you'll click a few of the links and look into some of the people who participated to learn more about some really strong women working to improve the world for the next generation of girls to have better opportunities in the future.

About Me - Professional Abby

I guess I just jumped into trying to be a blogger without actually introducing myself sufficiently.  My apologies.

Hey there.  I'm Abby Gordon - a Physical Therapist living in the Seattle area for the past 3 years.  Job-wise, I'm currently working at Seattle Children's Hospital in their outpatient sports medicine Mill Creek (soon to be Everett, WA/North) clinic.  On the side, I consult with the Seattle Storm and recently have added on consultation for the Spectrum Dance Theater.

How did I get here? The personal basics: My undergraduate education was a BS in Exercise Science from the University of Connecticut in 2007.  While in college, I was also a manager for the University of Connecticut Women's Basketball Team for four seasons along with a season each of Women's Soccer and Softball.  After graduating, I worked for the Connecticut Sun Women's National Basketball Association team as their Travel Coordinator and Equipment Manager for four seasons before returning to UConn for my DPT in Physical Therapy which I completed in 2014.

While in graduate school I wrote a research project focusing on women's basketball lower extremity injuries.  My paper, if you're so inclined, was published in 2014, and you can feel free to be the only person, maybe ever, to read it: here.  The research process was incredibly beneficial in helping me grow as a physical therapist.  I have much more appreciation when I read scholarly writing now, because I know that it took several years for those papers to get to publication - along with blood, sweat, and tears of a group of investigators.  I have, on several occasions, considered further participation in research - but then feel like there's so much information to read - I should start there and get to the research at a later point in time.  This blog is a way for me to keep some of the research I'm reading organized and share key ideas that may help others.

So there's the basics of how I came to be AIG DPT... You'll see the basketball theme permeating the physical therapy career.  Basketball, somehow, is my favorite thing of all things.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Abby