5 Things I Take On Every Long Hike

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I love hiking, but I especially love a long hike. What is a long hike? As my super Google research has shown me, there doesn't appear to be a standard definition. For the purpose of this post, my reference to a long hike is definitely not a thru-hike or a multi-day hike. Instead, my long hike definition is a day hike of five or more miles. For example, I recently hiked just over seven miles along the Appalachian Trail in Maryland, and I would consider that a long hike for the sake of this post, as well as my quads. 

Are you a hiking newbie? I have some tips for first-time hikers that you can read here, and here are some additional tips from the American Hiking Society. 

June Goals Check In and July Goals

It's the beginning of the month, so it's that time again: goal-setting time! As a recap, these were my June Goals:

1. Try an EMOM workout
2. Try two new fitness classes
3. Hike in a new place
4. Go for a bike ride
5. Finish reading a book

So, how did I do?

Studio Review: LUMI FIT Transformations

If you read my June Goals, you know that I've been wanting to try new fitness classes. What you may not have known is that I have always wanted to try a trampoline class. Well, guess who was able to feed two birds with one seed? This lady!

Mix It Up: Transitioning Between Seasons

This post is sponsored by Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. 

As we transition from spring to summer, I’m all about transitioning into new and healthier habits. Now that I’m working earlier in the morning between my full-time job and my indoor cycling class, plus doing a better job of going to bed earlier, I’ve realized that I need to start eating breakfast again!

One thing that I like to do is to try a challenge - whether it’s related to photography, fitness, healthy eating, or mindfulness. If you’re like me and you want a cool, attainable challenge to try, you’re in luck - Zespri is running their Win & Wander Challenge!

Learning to Adapt

Today presented some challenges. They were really innocuous challenges, but they were frustrating nonetheless. You know one of those days where just a bunch of little things pile up and you become frustrated? Today was one of those days.

The final straw for me was when I wasn't able to get in the workout I'd intended after work. I got incredibly frustrated, and then I sat there for a minute and said, really? Of all of the bad things that can possibly happen in a day, you're going to let this little thing bother you? Go home and get in a different workout, ya crybaby! (I use tough love on myself about 98% of the time.)

My sassy inner dialogue was right though: I have my health, a loving family, a happy relationship, a roof over my head, and a good job. I can choose to sit around being grumpy over a bunch of minor inconveniences, or I can take the lead in my own mood, and get myself smiling again! So that's what I did; I finally set up my DailyBurn account (which I'd apparently been paying for since November 2017) and got in a fantastic workout! Getting all sweaty and trying something new definitely did the trick! I'm ready to go to bed feeling more relaxed, optimistic, and ready to have a better tomorrow. I wish all a fabulous week!

Does your inner voice boss you around? What do you do when you need to boost your mood?

5 June Goals

It's that time again! Goal setting, here we come!

I think I did pretty well in April with hitting my goals. In fact, I did pretty awesomely, if I may say so myself. I hit a plateau a few weeks back, but I've started incorporating even more strength into my fitness routine, and I'm kicking butt now! I decided to kick-start my May with a 24-hour fast just to shake things up and give my system a supercharge. Surprisingly, I felt fantastic!

So now, let's take a look and see what goals I've come up with for the month of May.

A Brief Oral [Health] History

I don’t know about you guys, but I consider oral health to be an important piece of the health and wellness puzzle. When I was fresh out of college, I didn’t pay much attention to it. My mom wasn’t making my dental appointments anymore, I didn’t always have dental insurance prior to my government jobs, and it just wasn’t a top priority for me. As Julia Roberts’ character said in Pretty Woman, “BIG MISTAKE. HUGE.”