Aging Adventurously - Lori Balue (Part I)

Aging Adventurously - Lori Balue (Part I)

From Hiker Trash Radio by Doc, Bleav

June 3, 2026 · 31 min · Season 11 · Episode 35

About this episode

Lori Balue discusses how metabolic dysfunction affects hiking and shares her personal journey of transformation after 50.

What if the reason hiking feels harder after 50 has nothing to do with age? Lori Balue is a functional diagnostic nutrition and metabolic restoration practitioner in Southern California who spent 25 years answering that question — on herself. She lost 100 pounds in her 50s, reversed asthma her doctor told her would never go away, and went from barely surviving the steps at Vernal Falls to completing rim-to-rims in the Grand Canyon, running half marathons, and training for Mount Whitney at 63. In Part 1 of this conversation, Doc and Lori dig into what metabolic dysfunction actually is, why hiking feels brutal when your body isn't properly fueled, and how the Hiking Poll's most sanity-adjacent guest ever scored an 82. Plus: why Lori thinks a Garmin watch is the one piece of gear she doesn't have but absolutely should, and why she is genuinely the right person in the room to tell you that age is just a number — because she has the labs, the miles, and the summit photos to back it up. (This is Part I. Be sure to listen to Part II.)

People in this episode

Host: Doc

Guest: Lori Balue

Topics covered

  • aging
  • hiking
  • metabolic health
  • nutrition
  • fitness
  • personal transformation

Keywords

  • hiking after 50
  • metabolic dysfunction
  • nutrition
  • fitness transformation
  • Lori Balue
  • Grand Canyon
  • Mount Whitney
  • asthma reversal
  • weight loss

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Hiking Poll

Places: Southern California, Grand Canyon, Mount Whitney

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