Summit For Wellness

I am giving away 2 pairs of the new Skyline Trail Jogger hiking pants from Outdoor Vitals! There are 2 different ways to join in the giveaway, you can see all the details on Youtube. Join me live for your chance to win the Skyline Trail Joggers!

After 7+ years of using the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 tent, we have finally put our thoughts together on what we have loved about that tent, and what we would love to see changed in the future.

This tent has been on a lot of adventures, and overall it has been a beast in crazy weather. Will we continue using this tent in the future, or are we changing to something different? You'll find out in this video! https://youtu.be/S0sOTK-SrMk

As the main backpacking season wraps up for 2023, we reflected on different pieces of gear that we really enjoy having on our trips. Some gear we've had for nearly a decade and is still going strong, while others have been new additions to our kit.

Head over to our Youtube Channel and see which backpacking items made it into our favorites list!

Backpacking Gear We LOVE in 2023 At the end of every hiking season, we reflect on the backpacking gear we have loved over the season. Some gear is new, while others are long time reliable fa...

A couple days ago I did a solo climb up Cashmere Mountain, which was a 20 mile day with 6200' of elevation gain. I messed up big time on my hydration game which really impacted me on the way back down, but otherwise my legs felt fantastic the entire climb.

You can check out the video and full trip report including what I should've done instead to stay ahead of my hydration game!

Solo Hike to Cashmere Mountain This 20 mile hike is located near the Enchantments in Washington State

Last week I packrafted the prettiest river in Washington that I have been on so far! We were on the Dosewallips River and did about a 7 mile section. The rain we had that morning helped improve the water levels so we could actually run the river.

About halfway through the trip, an elk herd crossed the river right in front of us! It was cool to see but also was a great demonstration on how shallow the river is right now. Overall though the run was pretty clear of wood and debris so if you are looking to do it, do it soon before water levels get too low.

A couple weeks ago we were down in the Palm Desert and had 1 day to explore Joshua Tree National Park. It was our goal to try and knock out as many hikes as we can before it got too hot for us.

Most people check out this park in the cooler months because the sun can get really intense, so if you go in winter time you'll probably be able to do a little more. One nice thing about the heat though is a lot of the wildlife comes out to bask in the sun which was fun to see!

You can watch the video from Joshua Tree here: https://youtu.be/n4swg7zge60

If you've been to Joshua Tree, what are some of your favorite hikes there??

In our latest podcast episode, Troy Duell came onto the show to talk about his 20+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and how we can compliment pharmaceuticals with nutraceuticals for a lot of different cases.

He does a great job of showing some of the inner workings of the pharma industry, and gives insights into processes he would love to see improved.

You can enjoy the entire episode on your favorite podcast player or Youtube!

185- Inside the Pharmaceutical Industry and Using Preventative Care Troy Duell teaches us about the inner workings of the pharmaceutical industry and how to integrate it for preventative care

I spent another afternoon playing around with my packraft, and went back to the South Fork of the Snoqualmie to practice some paddle skills. The flow rate of the river was lower than the last time, however it made the rapids a lot more fun and playful!

With all the hot weather, river season will probably fly by pretty quick but this has been a fun shoulder season activity while we prepare to start backpacking! Check out the video at https://youtu.be/I-nItxY8CN4

We recently ordered Alpacka Expedition Packrafts, and have been very excited to test them out this Spring. Timing lined up perfectly because right as our snowboard season wrapped up, temperatures shot up a lot which helped raised the water levels in the rivers coming down the mountains.

It was 90 degrees out, so we met up with a couple other packrafters and went out on the South Fork of the Snoqualmie to get our feet wet. That run got me so addicted to running rivers, I can't wait to get back on one!

Check out our Youtube channel to see the full video! https://www.youtube.com/summitforwellness?sub_confirmation=1

I have been wanting to snowboard Mission Ridge for years, but it is hard to drive such a long distance when we typically get a lot of snow much closer to home.
Then the perfect opportunity arrived. Mission was expected to receive a foot+ of snow, while the rest of the state wasn't supposed to get any. This was my chance to make the trip happen.

As I drove over Stevens Pass and it was snowing, it was really hard to continue driving another hour and a half when there was a chance Stevens was awesome as well. Good thing I kept going...

I pulled into the parking lot, and had nearly front row parking. Apparently Mission Ridge is so well hidden that even with 12 inches of fresh snow people don't think to go there.
It turned into the most epic powder day of the year. Perfect dry champagne snow, no lift lines, and tons of untouched areas made for a day I will never forget! You can watch the full video at https://www.youtube.com/summitforwellness

After a much needed podcasting break, I am starting to release some episodes again! In this episode I have Camille Martin RD on the show to discuss our diet culture and how it impacts self esteem.

We also cover ways to set up meaningful health goals that isn't only rooted in aesthetics, and how to reach those goals.
https://summitforwellness.com/184-dieting-and-womens-self-esteem-with-camille-martin/

184- Dieting and Women’s Self Esteem with Camille Martin Every time we go to the store or see commercials, we end up seeing diet advertisements and unrealistic changes like "Lose 10 lbs in 2 days". These ads

The Ozette Triangle is probably one of the most underrated areas we hiked in the Olympics. We saw the best sunsets from the beach section, and highly recommend backpacking it!

Watch the full video at https://www.youtube.com/summitforwellness

We started off our Olympic National Park trip at the Northwestern-most corner of Washington, and hiked to Cape Flattery.

It's a short hike overall, but there are lots to see. Sea lions were in the distance, Cormorants were fighting right next to us, and whales can be seen swimming by.

If you are looking for a hike with a lot of bang for its buck, then this is a good spot to stop into! Watch the full video at https://Youtube.com/SummitForWellness

Do you feel like you have an endless to-do list and you can't ever get to a point where you can relax?

In this episode with Sabrina Runbeck, she teaches us strategies on how to manage our time and to-do lists to regain 1 day per week and not feel constantly overwhelmed.
https://summitforwellness.com/183-stress-reduction-methods-to-improve-performance-with-sabrina-runbeck/

183- Stress Reduction Methods to Improve Performance with Sabrina Runbeck Sabrina Runbeck teaches stress reduction strategies to gain back a day each week.

This time of year is the perfect time to get local, fresh produce instead of produce from the stores. The produce you get locally or grown yourself is picked when ripe, where as most of the food in stores is weeks old (at least).

Colman Power teaches ways to grow food or source food locally that is nutrient-dense and overall better for you.
https://summitforwellness.com/182-how-homegrown-food-improves-your-fitness-and-health-with-colman-power/

182- How Homegrown Food Improves Your Fitness and Health with Colman Power Colman Power teaches how to source local food for improving your fitness routines.

If there is anything we've learned in the last couple years, it's that our immune system plays a very important part in our health, and a robust immune system constantly protects us from pathogens.

Dr. Gary Kaplan works with a lot of patients who have immune deficiencies, and he's figured out ways to strengthen the immune system. In this episode we'll cover some of those ways so your immune system can be as strong as possible.
https://summitforwellness.com/181-strengthen-your-immune-system-with-dr-gary-kaplan/

181- Strengthen Your Immune System with Dr. Gary Kaplan Dr. Gary Kaplan teaches us how to strengthen our immune systems.

There are many different hormones in the body that regulate different biological processes in the body. Most of us have experienced at some time in our lives when a hormone is "out of wack", and it can really change who we are as a person.

One very interesting hormone is adrenaline, which is normally known as a fight or flight hormone.

Dr. Michael Platt is on the show today to talk about adrenaline, and how it could be a dominant hormone in the body and impacting other systems.
https://summitforwellness.com/180-adrenalines-impact-on-the-body-with-dr-michael-platt/

180- Adrenaline’s Impact on the Body with Dr. Michael Platt Dr. Michael Platt teaches us how adrenaline impacts the body.

Detoxes are a common practice to try and remove harmful toxins from the body, however if done wrong, they can cause more problems for your health.

There are many different detox pathways in the body, and Spencer Feldman walks us through each one and how it is supposed to work, and problems that may come up that prevents your body from naturally detoxing.
https://summitforwellness.com/179-detoxing-and-natural-ways-to-protect-your-genes-with-spencer-feldman/

179- Detoxing and Natural Ways to Protect Your Genes with Spencer Feldman Spencer Feldman provides a masterclass on how to detox the body properly.

When it comes to mold, if you smell it, see it, or feel it, then you need to do something about it.

In this episode with Jason Earle, we discuss what to look for in your living spaces that could lead to mold issues, and then what you should do next once you discover there is mold.
https://summitforwellness.com/177-how-to-test-and-treat-your-home-for-mold-with-jason-earle/

177- How to Test and Treat Your Home for Mold with Jason Earle Jason Earle from GotMold teaches us how to test your living environment for mold issues.

At 48 years old, Dave Sherwin completed a Spartan Beast (something I don't even want to train for). He said within the first couple minutes, it was so difficult people were already bringing up their breakfast....

In this episode, Dave and I talk about how to build a fitness routine that helps to keep you young and fit at any age. You don't have to do a Spartan Beast, but there are probably activities you want to be in better shape for!
https://summitforwellness.com/176-how-to-stay-young-and-fit-at-any-age-with-dave-sherwin/

176- How to Stay Young and Fit at Any Age with Dave Sherwin Learn from Dave Sherwin how to stay young and fit at any age.

If you go to your doctor (let's say for a hormone-related issue), do you want to be given a generic treatment plan, or do you want your plan to be designed specifically for you?

In this episode with Jim Hrncir, we discuss compounding pharmacies and how they focus more specifically on the patient's needs. We cover the benefits of using a compounding pharmacy, and some of the regulatory challenges they face as well.
https://summitforwellness.com/175-benefits-and-regulatory-issues-of-compounding-pharmacies-with-jim-hrncir/

175- Benefits and Regulatory Issues of Compounding Pharmacies with Jim Hrncir Jim Hrncir teaches us the benefits of compounding pharmacies and some regulatory issues they face.

Have you ever had food constantly calling your name, even though you know you aren't hungry or shouldn't be eating that food?

Many people are trapped in a food prison, and it is tough to break free of binge eating.

In this episode with Dr. Glenn Livingston, we cover ways to break free from those food cravings and to take back control of how to feed your body!
https://summitforwellness.com/174-break-free-from-binge-eating-prison-with-dr-glenn-livingston/

174- Break Free From Binge Eating Prison with Dr. Glenn Livingston Dr. Glenn Livingston teaches how to break free of binge eating prison and control your eating habits.

My goal as I age is to feel as good as possible for as long as possible. My goal is to hopefully be active and as healthy as possible well into my old age.

But for that to happen, I need to make sure the things I am doing right now are helping me to reach that goal.

In this episode with Dr. Sandra Kaufmann, we discuss her 7 different key areas to focus on to age gracefully and to make the important changes all the way down at the cellular level.
https://summitforwellness.com/173-improving-longevity-at-the-cellular-level-with-dr-sandra-kaufmann/

173- Improving Longevity at the Cellular Level with Dr. Sandra Kaufmann Dr. Sandra Kaufmann teaches how to improve longevity so you can age gracefully.

Even though I get to hear about a lot of different therapeutic modalities as a podcaster, somehow Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields have evaded my attention.

I had a great conversation with Dr. William Pawluk all about PEMFs. We cover different uses for it, the mechanisms they work, and over 80 different conditions it can be used on.
https://summitforwellness.com/172-using-pemfs-to-supercharge-your-health-with-dr-william-pawluk/

172- Using PEMFs to Supercharge Your Health with Dr. William Pawluk Dr. William Pawluk teaches us all about PEMFs and their benefits.

Did you know that is it extremely difficult to find health studies that have been performed on women only?

There's a major reason why this is, and it has to do with the hormonal changes women experience throughout each month. Because of these changes, it can make studies expensive and causes a lot of problems with the data collected.

However, shouldn't we understand the reasons behind the inconsistent data with women, and use that information to study even more ways to support women through each phase of their cycles??

In this episode with Donna Burke, we talk about nutritional changes women need during each phase of their cycle and why most supplements are formulated for men, and not for women.
https://summitforwellness.com/171-nutritional-products-designed-specifically-for-women-with-donna-burke/

171- Nutritional Products Designed Specifically For Women with Donna Burke We learn how women should change their nutritional needs during their cycles from Donna Burke

Did you know that over 90% of your serotonin is produced in your gut?

Why is it when it comes to mental health challenges, no one is addressing what is happening within the gut to see if that will help?

In this episode with Steven Wright, we discuss how the gut is connected to the brain, and ways to make sure you are creating the neurotransmitters that your brain needs.
https://summitforwellness.com/170-the-role-your-gut-plays-in-brain-health-with-steven-wright/

170- The Role Your Gut Plays in Brain Health with Steven Wright Steven Wright is a gut health specialist who shares how the gut impacts our mental health.

Our modern lifestyles are having huge impacts on our bodies and the ability to move pain-free. The majority of us spend most of our days sitting and not getting exercise, so it makes sense why the smallest things can "throw out our back" or put us into pain.

In this episode with Kris Quinones, we go over some strategies to improve your movement quality so you can be pain-free once again.
https://summitforwellness.com/169-how-our-modern-lifestyles-impact-every-tissue-in-our-body-with-kris-quinones/

169- How Our Modern Lifestyles Impact Every Tissue in Our Body with Kris Quinones Kris Quinones teaches us how to move our bodies in ways to reduce pain.

Every year we look back at all the podcast episodes we released and find which ones were the most popular.

This year our Top 5 countdown covers quite a few topics. Normally there are repeat topics that people are interested in, but this year every episode was a completely different topic.

Topics included weight loss, heart health, genetic blueprints, mental health, and performance enhancement.

Check out who made it into the list for the Top 5 Most Downloaded Podcast Episodes of 2021.
https://summitforwellness.com/top-5-podcast-episodes-from-2021/

Top 5 Podcast Episodes From 2021 These are the top podcast episodes from 2021 on the SFW Podcast!

Do you have a hard time falling or staying asleep, and do you wake up groggy?

In this week's episode, Devin Burke and I cover a wide range of topics to help optimize your sleep so you get the best sleep of your life! Topics range from methods to improve falling asleep, different types of beds and pillows, and even some of the new tech that is out that can help with sleep.
https://summitforwellness.com/167-get-the-best-sleep-of-your-life-with-devin-burke/

167- Get the Best Sleep of Your Life with Devin Burke Learn from Devin Burke how to get the best sleep of your life.

There's always going to be opposing ideas about what diet is the best diet for optimal health. But if we look at the majority of diets, they all have a unifying principle:

They reduce consumption of junk and processed foods, and increase consumption of real foods.

In this episode with Dr. Aaron Hartman, we will discuss foods that should come out of everyone's diets immediately, and how to add in healthier foods without breaking your budget.
https://summitforwellness.com/166-these-foods-are-non-negotiables-for-improving-health-with-dr-aaron-hartman/

166- These Foods are Non Negotiables For Improving Health with Dr. Aaron Hartman Dr. Aaron Hartman teaches us which foods we must remove completely to improve our health.