Kara shares her views on Pellitec
Name Kara Bartlow Where do you live? Washington State What type of athlete are you? Hiker, backpacker and climber Do you have a day job or are you a professional athlete? For my day job I work as a data scientist as well as working in outdoor retail on evenings/weekends. How long have you been participating in this sport? I began hiking as a way to keep active after an ankle injury I sustained in 2016 that resulted in reconstructive surgery. Climbing and backpacking followed soon after as it healed. Who are your biggest influences? Who do you admire most? My parents and grandparents took us on road trips to the national parks as kids which influenced my love of the outdoors. I admire them taking time to drive us to experience so many states and different trails at a young age. What is your training regimen? I try to spend my Saturdays outdoors hiking as well as a couple days in the gym or working out at home throughout the week. How do you structure your days? I start work between 6-7am and am off by 3pm which gives me time to hike or ski some evenings. I usually drive somewhere further to hike on Saturdays since it’s my only day off between the two jobs. Do you find your diet to be a crucial part of your lifestyle? If so, what diet tips would you recommend to your followers? I’ve started do 16/8 intermittent fasting on Monday-Thursday. What this means is that I stop eating at 8pm on Sunday night and don’t eat again until noon on Monday and repeat this until I get to noon on Friday. As for diet tips, I recommend following whatever diet suits your lifestyle best. I introduced this diet plan into my life because it is easy to stick to no matter how busy you are. I am working sometimes from 6am-9:30pm so I found limiting when I eat was easier than a plan that highly restricts what I eat. How do you care for your body and health aside from your sport? I try to make it to yoga once per week but if I don’t, I just stretch and destress at home. What is your impression of the Pellitec products we sent you? How did they add value to you? What did you like about them? Although I do my best with proper foot care and footwear, blisters still form occasionally while hiking. I liked that the PelliTec® Blister Prevention Pads adhere to the shoe instead of the foot. I usually use moleskin when I feel a hot spot forming but as I hike and sweat it can easily dislodge from my heel. Since the PelliTec® Blister Prevention Pads adhered to the shoe they didn’t sweat off. They were moisture wicking and padded for comfort. Would you recommend Pellitec to other athletes? Yes, I found these to be effective and easy to use. It was nice to be able to stick the PelliTec® Blister Prevention Pad into the back of my shoe to prevent hot spots and not [...]