Step 1: The Evaluation | Step 2: The Routine | Step 3: The Fine-Tuning

Step 3: The Fine-Tuning: No workout goes unnoticed
"Every day when I start up my computer, it tells me who has logged in and when," White says. That explains why he sends an e-mail wondering about my inactivity during a recent trip to San Francisco. I fumble with an excuse about "tight deadlines" and a "backlog of work." He fires back with a pep talk: "Sometimes the hardest part is just standing up and telling yourself you need a break," he writes.

Later, White follows up with an e-mail informing me that he has tweaked the schedule to account for my slacking off. Doh! Other fine-tunings involve swapping a Monday weight workout for an aerobic session after I complain of muscle soreness, and integrating new leg exercises following a calf strain.
After only a month with Carmichael, I drop a couple of pounds and boost my overall strength enough that White has to bump up the intensity of my weight-training regimen. As for kiteboarding, I recently rode a two-hour nonstop session—my longest yet by more than 65 minutes. The core exercises especially have given me an edge in my man-versus-kite showdowns.

Mexico no longer looms, but beckons. And whether I need a workout adjustment or a well-timed pep talk in the last days leading up to my trip, White will always be just a keystroke away.

Pick up the February 2006 issue for 36 amazing Hawaiian adventures, the most spectacular treks in Australia, 11 weekend escapes near you, and more.