Fitness
Indoor Climbing: What to Know Before You Go
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Indoor climbing is all the rage, but stepping into the gym for the first time may seem a little daunting. We’re here to tell you everything you need to know before losing your IC card (indoor climbing, if you didn’t get that).
Bring Socks
If you don’t have your own climbing shoes, that’s okay. Just be sure to bring a pair of socks with you. You’ll be able to rent shoes, and trust us, you won’t want to go sockless. When you’re done, spray the shoes with some Lysol and throw in a dryer sheet to keep them fresh for the next person. (These are usually provided in the shoe area).
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Bring Socks
If you don’t have your own climbing shoes, that’s okay. Just be sure to bring a pair of socks with you. You’ll be able to rent shoes, and trust us, you won’t want to go sockless. When you’re done, spray the shoes with some Lysol and throw in a dryer sheet to keep them fresh for the next person. (These are usually provided in the shoe area).
Look for ropes (or not).
Some indoor climbing gyms have ropes to help you climb—this is called top-roping. Others have no ropes at all and padded floors beneath the walls—this is called bouldering. If you’re not sure what you’d prefer, find a gym that has both!
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Look for ropes (or not).
Some indoor climbing gyms have ropes to help you climb—this is called top-roping. Others have no ropes at all and padded floors beneath the walls—this is called bouldering. If you’re not sure what you’d prefer, find a gym that has both!
Use chalk.
You might notice that white, powdery stuff all over the place—that’s chalk. Chalk can help protect the skin on your fingers from getting blisters from the rocks and keep you from slipping when your hands get sweaty. All gyms have chalk you can use, either for rent or purchase. Note: if there’s an unwatched bag on the floor somewhere, it probably belongs to someone. They might be willing to share, but ask before you dip your fingers in!
3
Use chalk.
You might notice that white, powdery stuff all over the place—that’s chalk. Chalk can help protect the skin on your fingers from getting blisters from the rocks and keep you from slipping when your hands get sweaty. All gyms have chalk you can use, either for rent or purchase. Note: if there’s an unwatched bag on the floor somewhere, it probably belongs to someone. They might be willing to share, but ask before you dip your fingers in!
Stay in your lane.
As you’re climbing, make sure you stick to rocks that are all the same color. Routes are color-coded so you know which ones to grab onto and which way to go. You can boost yourself up using any surface (like volumes—those raised blocks on the wall), but don’t grab any rocks that aren’t the color of your route. Once you’ve made it to the top, feel free to use any color to get down—or just jump!
4
Stay in your lane.
As you’re climbing, make sure you stick to rocks that are all the same color. Routes are color-coded so you know which ones to grab onto and which way to go. You can boost yourself up using any surface (like volumes—those raised blocks on the wall), but don’t grab any rocks that aren’t the color of your route. Once you’ve made it to the top, feel free to use any color to get down—or just jump!
Check the difficulty.
Usually, there will be signs posted that describe the range of difficulty for each route. Keep your eye out and choose beginner paths to start until you get the hang of it. Routes are graded using the V scale, a 0-17 range that shows how hard the climb will be. Start with a V0 or V1 and work your way up!
5
Check the difficulty.
Usually, there will be signs posted that describe the range of difficulty for each route. Keep your eye out and choose beginner paths to start until you get the hang of it. Routes are graded using the V scale, a 0-17 range that shows how hard the climb will be. Start with a V0 or V1 and work your way up!
Know where to start.
There will usually be a tag on the first hold(s) of each route to mark where you should place your hands. Starting hand positions are important and usually marked with colored tape or a small tag. If you’re unsure, ask someone next to you for help—they won’t bite. It doesn’t matter where your feet are placed when you start, as long as they’re off the ground.
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Know where to start.
There will usually be a tag on the first hold(s) of each route to mark where you should place your hands. Starting hand positions are important and usually marked with colored tape or a small tag. If you’re unsure, ask someone next to you for help—they won’t bite. It doesn’t matter where your feet are placed when you start, as long as they’re off the ground.
Tuck and roll.
If you’re bouldering, know you’ll probably fall. Don’t worry, the floors are padded, so it won’t hurt. When you fall, try to land in a way that protects your joints. Relax and let yourself roll back onto your butt, so you don’t land on locked knees.
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Tuck and roll.
If you’re bouldering, know you’ll probably fall. Don’t worry, the floors are padded, so it won’t hurt. When you fall, try to land in a way that protects your joints. Relax and let yourself roll back onto your butt, so you don’t land on locked knees.
Keep your distance.
Be respectful, and don’t climb too close to other people. There’s nothing worse than an accidental hand-hold six feet in the air. Also, look up! Don’t walk under anyone who’s climbing. They could fall at any minute, and you don’t want to get hit.
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Keep your distance.
Be respectful, and don’t climb too close to other people. There’s nothing worse than an accidental hand-hold six feet in the air. Also, look up! Don’t walk under anyone who’s climbing. They could fall at any minute, and you don’t want to get hit.
Have fun!
The first time at anything can be pretty scary—especially if you’re climbing up a 15-foot wall with no ropes. Remember that everyone there was once in your shoes (maybe literally), and they’ll probably be willing to share some tips and encouragement. So hang in there—or don’t, the floor is padded.
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Have fun!
The first time at anything can be pretty scary—especially if you’re climbing up a 15-foot wall with no ropes. Remember that everyone there was once in your shoes (maybe literally), and they’ll probably be willing to share some tips and encouragement. So hang in there—or don’t, the floor is padded.
Wellness
Foundational Steps to Cultivating a Daily Self-love Practice
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When you think of self-love what do you think of? Bubble baths, walks on the beach, facemasks, or what? Self-love can mean so many different things but when we think about self-love, we have to acknowledge loving ourselves both on the outside and on the inside. The way that we show ourselves love is one of the most important things we will ever do.
How do we treat ourselves? How do we talk to ourselves? What foods are we putting into our bodies? How are we thinking about our overall well-being when practicing self-love?
As self-love defines and redefined itself for you over the years, here are a few foundational tips to think about when easing into your self-love journey.
Step 1: Learn to set boundaries
Don’t we love this one? Loving ourselves has a lot to do with the boundaries that we have for ourselves, with others, and for others. Take time to think about your own emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual needs when setting boundaries that reflect your personal needs. Boundaries don’t have to be big and scary; they are here to remind us that you get to have your lived experience and still have expectations about how you’d like to be treated and what you’d like to feel.
When thinking about your boundaries, ask yourself:
- How do I feel without having boundaries?
- What would I like to have boundaries around?
- Are my boundaries actual boundaries or am I creating walls in my life?
- How do I plan to uphold my boundaries?
Step 2: Cultivate self-compassion
In a world where perfectionism and curated existences have been rewarded, begin to cultivate compassion for yourself. You are a soul having a human experience and it’s totally okay if things are not perfect.
Mindfulness exercises such as Breathwork, self-care activities, and self-compassion, all help train the mind, emotions, and even the body’s stress chemicals to be able to deal with undesired situations. Self-compassion means, can you be nice to yourself? Can you find empathy and kindness for yourself in the middle of what feels chaotic, stressful, or unwanted? Self-compassion means that we get to make mistakes, have our plans not work out the way that we wanted, and we still get to celebrate that we are doing the best that we can and it is enough.
When thinking about self-compassion, ask yourself:
- How do I respond to stressful situations?
- How hard am I on myself?
- How do I celebrate myself?
- How do I show myself kindness?
Step 3: Nourish yourself
In every sense of the word “nourishment”, begin to learn what nourishes you and what depletes you. Nourishment doesn’t just mean food for yourself; it means that whatever you are consuming whether it be media, podcasts, people, energy, information, etc. all impact the way that we think, feel, and experience life.
Nourishing yourself definitely goes right along the lines of having your boundaries intact and practicing self-compassion.
When thinking about nourishment, ask yourself:
- How do I nourish my emotional well-being?
- How do I nourish my mental well-being?
- How do I nourish my physical well-being?
- How do I nourish my spiritual well-being?
- How do I nourish my social well-being?
- How do I nourish my financial well-being?
That’s it. Those are the foundational steps to cultivating a self-love practice that you can ease into your daily routine. Come back to these questions often, because like anything else, self-love is a practice and it takes effort, time, and intention to maintain.
If you’d like to try breathwork, mindfulness, or play classes with me, check out these workshops and training sessions that work with your schedule. For other breathwork classes, browse Mindbody.
