Category: work outs

Injury – The Comeback Kid

On By Outdoorsy LadyIn Uncategorized, work outsLeave a comment

A few weeks ago, I decided to get back to running. I had been running before we moved to Colorado. I was comfortably averaging 5-6 miles. Also, I was working out six days a week doing yoga, pilates, and boot camp. Then we moved. The holidays came. I didn’t want to pay for a gym membership. That was back in November. You can do the math. So I kinda stopped all activity –  except for walking the dog and skiing, of course. It was winter…and cold. I wrote about excuses in an earlier post.

I did try to make the occasional kick boxing or yoga class. Life happens. I totally get it. Spring came and I realized that I have five months to get in shape for my wedding. FIVE MONTHS. So I registered for the Froyo 5k with a friend.  I figured I could do it no problem. My body has always been able to just keep going without injury so I pushed it. Let’s be honest who doesn’t love running knowing there is froyo at the end of the race. I trained for about a week. I ran the 5k just fine. So I thought. When I got home my back was killing me. I couldn’t move much for three days. The pain was so intense that my face would just crunch up into a prune. So much for progress.

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This photo was pre-run, pre-froyo, and pre-pain

I  did learn something. First off, I am no longer 20 years old. Running is something you have to ease into and work towards. The body is an amazing thing, but you have to give it time to adapt. This may seem like common sense, but sometimes we can get wrapped in a goal that we try to take a short cut to speed up the results. Don’t do it. I needed a massage, acupuncture, and another massage to get back to semi-normal. I know the massages sound great, but they were not enjoyable for the most part.

I’m happy to report that I made a full recovery. I started out walking again. Slowly increasing my mileage this time. Then I went on a couple of two-three mile hikes. When that went well, I upped it even more.  In fact, the whole family recently went for an 8 mile hike with no problems.

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The whole family also did a rock scramble!

I also started using Freeletics. It’s an app that has a warm-up, body weight circuit training (squats, sit-ups, push-ups, burpees, etc.), and stretching.  So far I like that it takes about twenty  to thirty minutes. I’ll post more about it when I see the results, but I think this combined with the hiking this summer will help get into shape for the wedding. I’m going to remove running from my routine for a while. I do want to run a half-marathon eventually, but I’m going to actually do some more strength training first.  Also, the weather has been amazing so it is time to get outside, and have some more adventures.

My Season As A Ski Bum

On By Outdoorsy LadyIn Skiing, work outs2 Comments

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I have a confession. I was a ski bum (read: unemployed because we just relocated cities) this season – and I kinda liked it. The snow, the challenge, and the views really attracted me to this sport. I really pushed my comfort zone this season. I gave myself many pep talks before going down my first blue hills. Also, my loving, completely well-meaning fiancé accidentally introduced me to my first black diamond. Luckily,  I survived and was proud of myself for taking on the challenge. My first ski season is coming to an end, but I’m so excited because we already bought our passes for next year.  

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 The views are always spectacular.

I went skiing for the first time in 2014 in Whistler. I know what you are thinking. Yes, I was a very lucky girl. I had a bit of a rocky start though. We went over Thanksgiving weekend. As an aside, this a great time to get a good deal to go Canada; especially if you leave on Thanksgiving day while everyone else is eating turkey. We took a bit of a gamble because it was Whistler’s “opening weekend.” There was not a whole lot of snow on the ground. Powder was definitely scarce. There was quite a bit of ice though. So my ski first lesson was essentially on ice.

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This Iconic Statue is the Whistler Mountain Inukshuk, created for Whistler as a Symbol of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The second day at Whistler, I decided to join Ben up at the “big kids lodge” on the top of the hill. I convinced him to let me ski a green run with him because after one lesson I thought I had this whole skiing thing down. I sure did not have that whole skiing thing down. I ended up on my back with my skis still going down the hill towards trees. Not the experience I was going for.  When I finally made it down to the lift to get back to where we needed to go I was so happy/relieved. The entire lift ride back to the gondola Ben was explaining how to get off the lift because my only ski lesson had occurred on the “magic carpet” where no lift was necessary. As we approached the unloading area, I was getting ready to follow all of Ben’s well laid out instructions when the lifty started saying something to us.  Well, I was so bundled up that I couldn’t hear what he was saying so I was trying to figure out what was going on, but I ended up missing the unloading point completely. I was still on the lift when it started turning to head back down the mountain. Ben started yelling at me to “jump” so I did…from about four feet off the ground. I loved Whistler, but I left with a few bruises – mostly to my ego.

Fast forward to this past winter, and my first ski season living in Colorado. We bought a Subaru when we moved here because we wanted to be as Colorado-ish as possible. Luckily, our Subaru came with two ski passes to Copper Mountain. I love Copper. It has a whole side dedicated to beginners. I loaded up on ski lessons. This time I took it slow and tried not to get ahead of myself. The instructors so far have been phenomenal. They push you without scaring you for life. I’m 30 now, but I totally want to be the 95-year old still skiing down the hill. I only discovered skiing recently, but I feel like it is a sport that I will continue with for as long as I can. I also LOVE the whole Après-ski concept. So far, my favorite is a glass of nice wine with a side of hot tub. I have a feeling I will be investing in a pair of skis very soon.

 

Here is a Après-ski cocktail recipe for the next time you find yourself in the lodge, sitting cozily by the fire, and peacefully unwinding from a day on the slopes

INGREDIENTS

    • 3 ounces hot strong-brewed coffee
    • 1 ounce Frangelico
    • 1/2 ounce Licor 43 (sweet citrus- and vanilla-flavored liqueur) or Navan
    • 1/2 ounce Cognac
    • 1 large dollop of unsweetened whipped cream
    • 3 coffee beansNow, in a mug, mix the espresso with the Frangelico, Licor 43 and Cognac. Top with the whipped cream and garnish with the coffee beans.

 

 

 

 

Friday Night Yoga Club

On By Outdoorsy LadyIn work outsLeave a comment

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Photo credit: Friday Night Yoga Club

I’ve been doing Yoga for the last ten years or so. I’ve done downward dog everywhere — inside, outside, hot, cold, and even suspended in mid-air that time when I tried aerial yoga. So when I was invited to Friday Night Yoga Club (FNYC), I thought it was just going to be yoga that happened to fall on a Friday night.

FNYC started out as a wintertime sister to the Yoga Rocks the Park events in Denver, but now its one of the fastest growing “yoga parties.” Who knew there was such a thing?  The mission of this organization is “to create a conscious community through world-class yoga events that promote peace, giving and well-being on a global scale.” So far, these parties only happen in Denver, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and Portland. Hopefully expanding to more cities.

My friend and I arrived a little on the early side, but the room was already packed. They had so many people RSVP that the staff had to move it into the CrossFit studio next door. The CrossFit equipment loomed large over the room full of yogis rolling out their mats.

I sat down and a man appeared almost from thin air because of the lighting, and handed me wireless headphones. I was already happy about the wireless headphones, but then I found out that also happened to glow in the dark. Say what? I was a little hesitant at first too because I thought the headphones would probably come off my petite head during some of the yoga poses, but they were actually quite comfortable. This was definitely different.

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Photo credit: Friday Night Yoga Club

There was a DJ streaming a mix of chants, Elton John, and sitar strumming all mixing together in a way that oddly made sense. The studio was totally silent because everything was streaming through the headphones in a silent disco manner. A calm voice entered my ear telling me what to do, when to breathe, and to pause in the crazy by taking a moment for myself. I was in a room with at least 50 people, but through the headphones and the music I was also entirely alone. It was one of the best hour and a half yoga sessions I have ever done.

After the yoga session, there were about a dozen vendors giving out samples of kombucha, chocolate, cold pressed juice, and tonics. Not to mention the ten minutes in heaven in the form of a free massage or mini-facial.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience immensely, but it turns out that this experience goes on tour and is seasonal so there are only two more sessions in Denver. You may want to put this on your winter work out list for next year. It’s by far the healthiest “party” I have ever been to, and really a great start to the weekend. Maybe I’m buying into that whole Denver healthy lifestyle mantra, but its far better for my body than anything I would normally do on a Friday night. You can check it out here. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Note: Best to buy in advance because they sell out quickly.