For this edition of Sunday with Sisson, I’ve got a little challenge for you. Now, it's not a hard challenge, nor is it an unpleasant one. Actually, it's going to be pretty fun for you. So here’s what I want you to do:
Create an adventure for you and a group of friends, family members, whoever. Just gather some people together who you know would be up for an exciting physical venture, and then arrange to do it as a group. Now, what do I mean by adventure? An adventure can be many different things, and it’s totally up to you, but the only rule is that it has to be physical. This means something where you’re moving your body, where you’re working toward something, where you are expending physical energy to accomplish the task and complete the adventure. That’s it. That’s the only rule.
I’ll give you a few examples of what you can do.
An adventure can be pretty simple and quick. For instance, try the '
cold plunge challenge.' Find a natural body of water, whether it’s a river, the ocean, or a pond covered in ice that you have to carve a hole into. Get your people together, strip down to your bathing suits, and jump in.
Another example is something called a 'hut run.' Plan out a series of huts or small cabins separated by about 8 to 15 miles. At each location, stock it with a heat source, some food, water, maybe some beers if that’s your thing, and somewhere to sleep. Then, start at the first one, hike to it, hang out, eat, sleep after a long day, and the next day hike, run, or walk to the next one and repeat. This is actually an established activity called a hut run, and there are companies that set this up for you. You can go fancy or rustic. The huts can be tents or they can be opulent cabins. You can hire a company to do it for you or arrange it yourself.
Or, sign up for a Spartan Race. Some people balk at the idea of paying to work out, but it’s much more than that. Spartan Races are really well-organized events, and you can create a team of 2-10 people. You can opt for distances ranging from 3 to 20+ miles. You go together, work together, and conquer the obstacles—things like climbing ropes, ascending mud mountains, carrying heavy sandbags, crawling under razor wire, doing monkey bars... You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish when you have a team of comrades pushing you. It's fantastic. You may want to train for it, turning this into an extended adventure that builds up to the final task.
Adventures can be small or large, simple or intricate, easy or monumentally hard. They can be short but intense or long and drawn out. The point is to get together a group of like-minded people, work towards something, endure stressors, push yourself - if not past your limits, then at least close to them - and ultimately succeed, coming out stronger and better for all the effort you’ve put in.
Now, I want to hear from you. Let me know in the comment section of this week's
New and Noteworthy: What kind of adventure do you think you might embark on?
