Here's a photo journal of my recent mountaineering trip to the North Cascades. We summitted two peaks; Silver Star Peak and Mount Baker. It was the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have done in over a decade; now I can't wait for the next trip!

Coach Seiji's North Cascades Mountaineering Trip

There were definitely times that if I was asked on the spot whether or not I have having fun, the answer would be "hell no," but there were times also when it was a lot of fun but it was all challenging. 

I get asked a lot why I like to do these sorts of trips; why would I like to be freezing, hungry, out of water, scared, lost, whatever. One of the answers is that if I can overcome those types of challenges, problems and difficulties plus make decisions under stress that greatly affect my health or maybe even my life, then the stresses and challenges of "normal" living don't seem so bad in comparison. After I get home, get back to work and go on with daily living, the things that used to stress me out or bother me cease to do so for a while. They seem manageable and rather small in comparison to the things I endured or made decisions about on my trip. 

It is temporary...the stress comes back eventually...I just need to be smarter and plan another trip before then! Thanks for reading.

16 months ago I embarked on a personal dietary journey:

I wholeheartedly put myself on what I called the “Caveman Diet,” my personal take on what is commonly called the Paleo Diet. The premise is that our bodies have not evolved enough to process foods of the modern era: foods borne of the agricultural revolution, modern chemistry and modern food science. The thinking is that our bodies are still adapted to eating as our ancestors did. What all this means is that relative to “modern” diets, this way of eating is low glycemic, low carb, high protein and high fat.

My simple mindset is that if I can’t hunt it, fish it or gather it, then I am not going to eat it with a few exceptions to account for modern life. My diet has consisted of all meats (preferably organic or grass fed), all vegetables (preferably organic), eggs, nuts and fruits in moderation. I hold back on fruits a bit because I figure the only reason we can eat so much fruit is that it is shipped here from wherever in the world it is in season and they are relatively high glycemic compared to vegetables. I add a little bit of dairy in the forms of cheese and yogurt only because I am looking for fermented foods to provide the bacteria that we would normally be eating back in the day because we wouldn’t wash anything.

Some variations exist in the Paleo Diet world and my personal Caveman Diet follows these often debated tenets: I don’t differentiate between saturated and unsaturated fats which is a main arguing point amongst the Paleo crowd. Why? Because I don’t think Mr. Caveman did either, he wouldn’t even know the difference. This means that you have to disregard the modern cholesterol hypothesis of heart disease, which I debate internally all the time but I am starting to not believe in it. More on that later. I also think that Mr. Cavemen would have figured out that eating the fatty parts of animals made his energy last longer which is important when you don’t know when you get to eat next. Some versions of the Paleo diet have you avoiding tubers (potatoes) and legumes (beans). Those, they say, are products of agriculture. This is true for large quantities of potatoes or beans but my thinking is that Mr. Cavemen would come across them from time to time and try to eat them, I mean why not? So, on occasion I have a moderate amount of potatoes and legumes. Those are what I have found to be the major differences amongst Paleo based diets.

Check out these video interviews of Coach Seiji’s tips for the Average Joe pursuing motocross:

http://www.grindtv.com/moto/video/training_tips_with_coach_seiji_2/#55585

http://www.grindtv.com/moto/video/diet_tips_with_coach_seiji/#55751

The Lucas Oil Motocross Championship made its way to the Lone Star State for the second round, with riders anticipating brutal temperatures and an unyielding track. Texas resident and Coach Seiji personal training client Andrew Short was looking forward to racing in his home state
but had to deal with some first moto adversity.

The Red Bull/KTM Factory Racing rider gated well in Moto 1 but crashed hard in the first quarter of the opening lap. Short took a while to
remount then put on an impressive charge from dead last in the ever present Texas heat to end the moto in a respectable 15th place.

Shorty didn’t gate as well in the second moto, rounding the first turn mid-pack, rounding the first lap in 21st.  He immediately made several passes within the first few laps to work his way into the top 10. As the moto progressed and others began to falter in the tough conditions, Short would pilot his 350 past several top tier riders to end the second moto in 6th,

The final round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series seems to always be filled with drama and this year’s version didn’t disappoint; championship outcomes were on the line and track conditions were very challenging. Coach Seiji personal training clients #65 Hunter Hewitt and #29 Andrew Short both ended their SX seasons with strong performances to end their campaigns on a high note.

#65 One Industries/Suzuki privateer Hunter Hewitt has performed admirably all season, consistently running up front and chalking up
top 10’s. He would continue this at Vegas, fighting off a determined field and battling the slippery track surface. Hunter would emerge in the top 10 in his East Coast main event and put in consistent laps to hold his position; he came under heavy fire late in the race but remained focused and determined to reap the benefits of his good start. Hunter earned 8th place at the checkers and would finish the season in 10th place overall. Coach Seiji is very proud of Hunter’s accomplishments; his privateer effort combined with coming back from double femur surgery has been a huge challenge and speaks volumes about his and his team’s determination.

Coach Seiji personal training client #29 Andrew Short had a great day at the penultimate round of the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross Series at Salt Lake City, ending the night with a season’s best 4thplace finish in the SX class main event.

The Red Bull/KTM Factory Racing veteran rode solidly all day despite the frigid temperatures. Andrew immediately rode well in practice and ended the qualifying sessions with the 5th fastest lap time in the incredibly stacked premier class.

Coach Seiji client #29 Andrew Short came through the pack from dead last after a first turn pile up to claim 10th place on what can be considered the most treacherous supercross track thus far in the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross Series. Andrew was able to display his incredible drive and fitness as he battled the track and the majority of the stacked SX class field as he fought for every position in the 20 lap main event.

The Red Bull/KTM Factory Racing pilot was having an incredible day in Seattle despite the soft, deeply rutted and inconsistent track surface. Shorty rode well all day and qualified in 4th position overall on his KTM 350.  Andrew backed his awesome qualifying efforts with a stellar heat race; the veteran rider gated extremely well and went on to finish second in his heat race.

The Dallas edition of the Monster Energy 2011 Supercross series proved tough for several of the world’s best supercross riders; the combination of hard packed dirt and as- big- as -Texas sized whoops proved catostrophic for some. Coach Seiji clients Andrew Short, Hunter Hewitt and Jason Anderson all persevered to continue on their journey through the amazing 2011 supercross season.

#156 Rockstar Energy/Suzuki rider Jason Anderson and #65 One Industries/Pro Circuit rider Hunter Hewitt and  both charged hard in the opening laps of thier heat race to advance to 3rd and 4th place by the halfway point of the race. Both riders defended these positions through smart riding to move on to the main event with great gate picks. Red Bull/KTM Factory Racing pilot #29 Andrew Short gated both smartly and agressively, then rode consistently while others faltered to post a 4th place  heat race finish to move easily to the main event.

The supremely challenging Dallas track proved the most formidable adversary in both main events. Slippery dirt, tight layout, huge and inconsistently sized/spaced whoops combined with the sheer competitiveness of the field produced some nasty get-offs and series point shake ups but Coach Seiji clients survived to press onward.

Coach Seiji personal training clients Hunter Hewitt and Andrew Short overcame a treacherous track and aggressive competition to post great results at the Jacksonville round of the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross Series while rookie Jason Anderson succumbed to bad luck and crashes to sit out the main event for the first time in his young career.

One Industries/Pro Circuit rider #65 Hunter Hewitt inadvertently started in nuetral in his heat race and entered the first turn in dead last place. Hewitt was in the zone as he displayed incredible passing skills earning him a 4th place position at the halfway point of the heat race. Hewitt would easily hold this position for the remainder of the event and transfer to the main. Rockstar Energy/Suzuki rider #156 Jason Anderson gated extremely well and at the halfway point of the opening lap was riding agressively to establish a 2nd place position. Unfortunately he was taken out in the last turn of the first lap by a questionable move by Gannon Audette. Anderson would remount only to crash in the torturous whoop section and would retire from the heat race. #29 Red Bull/KTM rider Andrew Short would pull a holeshot aboard his KTM 350 in his heat race and ride strongly throughout the event to card a 3rd place finish to continue his streak of impressive heat race results.