Journeys 3

An update to the April 12th and May 15th entries:

This week marks my 32nd week of nutritional changes, 23rd week of fitness training, and 15th week of bike specific training.

I have less than 2 weeks remaining to prepare for the Enbridge Ride to Conquor Cancer - a 200 KM (125 Mile) 2-day ride from Calgary, Alberta to Okotoks and back.

32 weeks ago I started a journey to change my nutritional lifestyle. For those wondering what "nutritional lifestyle" means, it means changing your eating habits for good, forever, for always. Sure you can have food now and again that isn't good for you but, for the most part, you don't because you learn to care about what you are eating and the health and well being of your body. I gave up processed sugar (straight sugar, added sugar, fake sugar) months ago and have found that my body doesn't like when I consume anything with added sugar these days. It tends to revolt and let me know how very unhappy it is with any sugary choice I make. I never want to get used to eating sugar again!

23 weeks ago I started a journey to change my health and fitness. I joined a couple of classes at a local gym and have been working hard to overcome my own mental blocks. I've been setting micro goals for myself during my TRX and Butt & Gutt Classes so that I can continue to improve and challenge myself. Sure, it would be easy to sit back just do what the instructor says or continue at the same level week after week but where is the benefit to that? My challenges to myself for this 12 week session:
1. Do Burpies with a pushup - every time. I want to be able to do pushups. I don't know why I am obsessed with pushups but I am so this is a way to improve my ability.
2. Do all of the suspended exercises in TRX - this is harder than it sounds because when I started TRX 23 weeks ago, I had a lower back injury. The first session I spent stretching and strengthening my back, often modifying the suspended exercises so that I could get through them. This session, I am attempting them all; suspended planks, suspended side planks (my current nemesis), suspended crunches, suspended mountain climbers, suspended... you get the picture. While I can't always complete the full 30-45 seconds of each exercise, they each get my full effort and I can see improvement.
3. Do more reps, more quickly of each exercise.
4. Take a harder angle or modification for each exercise; ie - push myself harder.
It's paying off in improved strength, flexibility, and fitness.  

15 weeks ago I started my cycling journey. When I had last updated my journeys a month ago, I was still of the mindset that maybe I couldn't ride 2 big days in a row. Looking back, I realize that I set my goal low: 3 hours Sat, 5 hours Sun. I was afraid that I couldn't do 2 big days and I was giving myself an out - a way to give in. Fortunately I didn't take that out and I ended up riding 4.5 hours each day for a total of 90 miles (150 km). Now, I don't even consider riding less than 70 km (40 miles) on a weekend day. I've logged some pretty big hills (massive hill & rolling hill - of death) along the way and am now only 9 days from the biggest ride of my life (so far). I can't wait to take on this next challenge. I know I can do it. Stay tuned for pix and posts from the ride! Calgary & Okotoks, here I come!

The Bridge to Yesterday

While wandering the hills and valleys of Vancouver, BC, I experienced the most amazing thing: A forest standing still in time on the other side of The Bridge to Yesterday (Otherwise known as Capilano Suspension Bridge Park).

Starting on the edge of a cliff, the bridge spans a 450ft wide, 300 ft deep gorge through which runs the Capilano River.

Though the day was cool and raining, adventure awaited! Crossing the bridge, there are incredible views of the Capilano River, surrounding mountains, and an ancient forest.

It is a strange feeling to be 230ft in the air with nothing between you and the wet, rocky bottom of the ravine below but a wooden walkway and a few steel cables.

As you step off of the bridge on the far side, you are greeted by the hush of the massive forest. For my friends back home in New England, imagine the largest trees you have ever seen and then triple them. These Hemlock and Douglass Fir trees are up to 300 FT tall and as old as 1,300 years. It would take 4 people to properly hug a tree in this forest (Believe me, I tried!).

Everything is so lush and green in this ancient rain forest. Deciduous leaves grow as big as dinner plates with massive ferns and broad leaf plants covering the forest floor. Moss grows thick on the trees deep under the canopy. If you are quiet enough, you just might find a tiny dinosaur living amongst the roots and ferns.

Climbing up into the trees, a stairway leads to the treetop walkways - suspension bridges between the trees that hang up to 100ft in the air and encircle the park. Even on a platform at 100ft above the forest floor, the trees still tower above you another 100+ ft. Standing on the platforms, looking up into the canopy, everything was calm and quiet. Even the drops of water falling from the trees high above seemed to be in no rush, dripping down in slow motion as if time had been slowed to a near crawl.

Once out of the treetops, the Raptor Ridge walk awaits. Following the outside of the park and the top edge of the ravine, you experience views of the river below with the trees growing out of the ravine still reaching over your head. The wildlife of the forest  can be heard through the chattering of squirrels and the birdsong high above though you rarely see them, so high are their perches. I was lucky enough to sneak up on this creature in the middle of the forest.

 

Adding to the music of the woods are the tumbling streams, running over rocks and fallen trees as they make their way to the ravine's edge only to cascade over into the river below. 

 Wandering through the trees, I felt like a child, filled with wonder at the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. Eager to turn each new corner and take it all in.

I hope that one day you can experience this adventure for yourself. But until then, enjoy the rest of the photos.

Session 2 - Week 6

Week 6 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:

Sunday May 12th - Rest, sleep, fluids, & good nutrition. Happy Mothers' Day to all the Mothers out there. My son called to wish me a happy day and to plan our visit in July when I head for home. :D

Monday May 13th - A day of rest.

Tuesday May 14th - TRX Suspension training. Plenty of leg work in this session. It has been immensely helpful in getting me ready for the Ride. This evening's class was 40 seconds work with 10 second breaks. Mixing it up and making ourselves WORK! Do a set of tricep presses and then, take a step back and make it harder.

Wednesday May 15th -An evening hike at Chickakoo Lake! 1 hour of hiking the Advanced/Intermediate trails with Miss Ashley "Crunchy Frogs", Ghiry, and Zoie! It was a beautiful evening and the trail was challenging. :D

Thursday May 16th - TRX Suspension training - Tabata style! 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, 8 sets of each exercise, repeat!

Friday May 17th - An evening off!

Saturday May 18th - A BIG, HUGE, GIGANTIC ride! :D Started the day off at 8am with a 2 hour, 20 mile ride followed by an hour of Butt & Gutt, and topped off with another 2+ hour, 25 mile ride. 45 miles on the day and scheduled to ride again in the AM for my first back to back long ride days.. wish me luck!

Journeys Too

An update to the April 12th entry.

This week marks my 28th week of nutritional changes, 19th week of fitness training, and 11th week of bike specific training.

I have 5 weeks remaining to train for the Enbridge Ride to Conquor Cancer - a 200 KM (125 Mile) ride. Here is the update:

28 weeks ago I embarked on a journey to change my nutritional lifestyle. No more bags of chips, no more "junk foods", no more empty calories.

What are empty calories you ask? In my book, they are food that have nothing in them but calories from sugar/carbs, fat and not much else. No nutrients, vitamins, minerals - nothing that is actually naturally occurring in the ingredients of the "food". This includes enriched foods. If you can't get the nutrients from the ingredients, what on earth is being added to make up for that?

When I shop, I typically stick to fresh produce, dairy, meats (mostly fish and turkey/chicken), nuts & seeds, and a limited number of canned items - think tuna, pickles (love them in tuna!), canned fruits for smoothies, and alternative grains & pastas. By shopping this way and planning my meals each week, I've been able to drastically change what I am putting in my body. I KNOW what I am putting into my body. I know how many calories it has, I know what is in it for nutrients, I know how it was made because it was fresh and I cooked it myself. Best of all, I like what I am eating because I cook it the way I like it. I find this helps to eliminate cravings because, many times, when you are craving something you are looking for a certain flavor/taste from your food. And most of the time, you aren't getting it.

So where am I going with this? This nutritional journey has taken me on quite the ride. Over the past 28 weeks, I have changed my nutritional lifestyle (and activity lifestyle) enough to lose 58.5 pounds. This is huge for me. I've struggled with weight on and off for over 15 years. Don't get me wrong, this is not easy. It is a lot of work, sweat, and tears - but more on that another day. This journey is far from over. I've got a long way to go but I'm well on my way. And that brings us to:

19 weeks ago I began my fitness journey:

The biggest challenge to any fitness program is your own mind. When I started my fitness training in January, there was a night that I didn't have a car (the wheel had fallen off of The Dingo) or a ride home from the gym. I  packed up my gym clothes in a duffel bag and brought them to work with me. I figured I would get dropped off at the gym and then walk the 1-2 miles home after the workout. I thought about it all day long. I'd only been attending classes for 1 week. I was convinced that I couldn't walk a mile (or 2) home after class. I was sure that I would never make it that far. And so I skipped class that night and got dropped off at home instead. How had I come to think this way? I had been athletic most of my life. I ran track, played soccer, hiked, kayaked, biked, walked everywhere - but I hadn't done any of these things in years. My mind told me that I couldn't, I listened to my mind tell me that I couldn't, and so, I couldn't.

Even today, 19 weeks later, I am still amazed at what I CAN do. I can do pushups, I can do TRX suspended mountain climbers & crunches. I can do squats and lunges for days (okay, exaggeration there), I can jog (and I hate jogging), I can bike for 4.5 hours, I can hike very steep hilly terrain and even RUN up the hills. I can do so much and yet my mind is still stuck on "Um, are you sure you can do that? I'm not sure you can...". My next challenge to myself (mini goal) is to stop listening to my mind and to tell myself I CAN DO IT!

11 Weeks ago began my bike journey:

As you just heard in the above paragraph (just seeing if you are paying attention), I bike for 4.5 hours at a time. I'd always biked as a kid. I went to bike camp where we biked for the whole day, every day, for a week. It was great! This is great! Also pertaining to the above paragraph, I am still amazed that I can do what I can do. This weekend's goal is 2 days of riding, both long rides. 3+ hours on Saturday, 5 hours on Sunday. Will I make it? Yes, I will! I'm telling my mind now that it is going to happen! Mind, get your butt in gear because we are taking a ride! Oh! And my fundraising is THIS close to the $2,500 that I need to ride in June! THIS CLOSE! So feel free to donate to sponsor my ride! I can't do it without you! In fact, I couldn't have gotten this far without everyone who has cheered me on in my journeys.

See you all in another month... (that is for the next update, the next blog post will most likely be tomorrow so come back then!)

Session 2 - Week 5

Week 5 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:

Sunday May 5th - Rest, sleep, fluids, & good nutrition. I'd come down with a bug or cold or something and was just tired all over.

Monday May 6th - A day of rest and catching up on the chores.

Tuesday May 7th - TRX Suspension training. The warmup itself was a workout! 30 Jacks, 10 Pushups, 7 Squats, 5 Pushups, 7 Burpies, 30 Jacks, 25 High Knees, 5 Pushups, 10 Squats, 30 Jacks (or something very close to that!). And then it was time to get to work! The fantastic thing about TRX Suspension training is that it NEVER gets any easier. You are working your total body, using your body as resistance/weight. And Sheila is always coming up with new tricks to wear you out! After this particular workout, I experienced some muscle fatigue in muscles that I'd forgotten I had - obliques and mid back muscles. It was great! Oh, and did I mention my poor glutes?

Wednesday May 8th -An evening hike at Chickakoo Lake! 1 hour of hiking the easy/intermediate trails with Ghiry. Read about it here.

Thursday May 9th - TRX Suspension training -This class included a lot of single hand mode work. This is where you have either 1 foot suspended in the TRX or you are using only 1 hand/arm to do the work. Plenty of single arm rows, bicep curls, single leg lunges, single leg squats, etc. Can you imagine doing a single arm bicep curl, using your body as weight? I couldn't imagine I would EVER be able to do it. But I can! :)

Friday May 10th - 2.5 hours of hiking at Chickakoo! Quickly becoming my favorite easy to get to destination for a change up in my routine. I'd been itching to get on the Advanced trail and that is EXACTLY what Ghiry and I did. Read it here (and see the pix!).

Saturday May 11th - Why, exactly do I wake up before my alarm clock every morning? *sighs* :D Butt & Gutt was held OUTSIDE today! We met at the Boxing Club and walked, lunged, squatted, and jogged to the outdoor destination where we would complete more donkey kicks (fire hydrants) than my bum cares to think about along with plenty of ab work. A quick jog back to the club and a long stretch and I'm ready for my next adventure.... another hike this afternoon!!


Have a super fantastic week and catch you on the other side of the hike! :D

UPDATE: 1 hour and 45 mins of hiking. Amazing how much time you can shave off of a hike when you aren't stopping to take pix every so often. :D We hiked the reverse of Friday's hike - Advanced trail first, then Intermediate, ending on Easy.  Beautiful sunny day (I think I got a tan), no bugs, a little on the dry side but wonderful. :)

Take a Hike - 2!

Chickakoo Lake is fast becoming a favorite evening destination! Out of work at 4:45 on a beautiful Friday evening and I couldn't think of a better place to walk the dog.

This time, I was determined to get on the Intermediate & Advanced trails that wander the perimeter of the Chickakoo Lake Recreation Area. I hadn't seen them before but ran into a couple of hikers coming off the Advanced trail who said it was ALL up and down hill. What fun! :)

Arrived at the upper parking lot at 6pm, leashed up the dog, and off we went. Here is the map again so you can follow along the trails. Jump below for the hike details and link to pictures.

The upper parking lot is the P surrounded by the grey lines. Ghiry and I got on the trail to the upper right of the P on the yellow/orange trail - Easy trail. We followed it until the point that it intersects with trail 2 - Intermediate trail - and heads south of Dog Leg Pond. This pond is full of PEEPERS ! Always a pleasant chorus to listen to on an evening hike. :D While I had seen only Greebs in the pond during the previous hike, there were a couple of green headed mallards last night as well.

Heading around Dog Leg Pond and continuing on the Red trail, we intersected with trail 4 - also intermediate. Here is where I have always chosen to go left and stay in trail 2. However, after a couple of pictures of a particular log I'd seen on my first hike, I headed off right onto trail 4 - Green line. This trail takes you around the end of Kettle Lake and onto the northeast side of the lake. Let me just say that with all of the ponds and lakes in the recreation area, you are never very far from a fabulous view!

Trail 4 intersects with trail 3 - Advanced!  - with the option to take a right and head back to trail 2 or go left and around the rest of the park. A quick check of the clock indicated it was only 7:30pm, there was plenty of daylight left, and as Ghiry and I were both in great spirits, left we went!

This part of the hike was the most fun as it really was UP hill and DOWN hill, steeply! Lots of hills! On several of them, I let Ghiry off leash so that he could make his own way up the hill as his long doggy legs carry him more quickly than my short girl legs can take me up the hill. He was great, stopping and waiting at the top of each new hill. We enjoyed the scenery and found ourselves at the parking lot at 8:30pm with sunlight to burn.

I took a lot of photos this time and will definitely be back to do this hike again (TOMORROW!) & again & again! Next time I want to go the reverse direction, my only complaint being that the whole hike is not on terrain similar to the advanced trail. Perhaps 2 loops around the advanced trail, 1 in each direction, are in order...

Stay tuned! 

Take a Hike!

I'm fortunate enough to live a mere 15 minutes from a wonderful set of hiking trails at Chickakoo Lake Recreation Area.

And so... Last night I loaded up the dog, grabbed my boots and drove on out. What a difference in scenery compared to only 2 weeks ago! You can find a link to the pictures from 2 weeks ago here. 

The weather was a beautiful 63F (sorry, my C translator is broken today...) with little wind and barely a cloud in the sky. Leaving the house at 6pm, I was ready to hit the trail by 6:30. A brisk 1 hour walk, stopping every so often for pix (much to the annoyance of Ghiry who just wants to go and go and go and sniff everything in sight) and we were out at 7:30. Ghiry and I picked the orange and red trails in the map above as I'd done them a couple of weeks ago and needed something within the 1 hour range as Ghiry is getting a bit older (Grandpa dog) and anything after 7pm is past his bedtime.

We saw many interesting things on our trip including a Squirrel, a Hawk, several Greebs (ducks), a Loon, 4 Beaver, a Muskrat, and a small herd of Deer.

Check out the new pix!

Ghiry and I enjoyed this hike very much. In fact, I think I'll do it again tonight - Green and/or Blue trail this time. Ghiry has opted to stay home and work on his chess strategies...

Session 2 - Week 3

Week 3 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:

Sunday April 21th - Dropped in to spin with the Bulls-eye Bike Club at 6:30am. This is an open spin from 6am - 9:30am until the weather gets warm enough to move outdoors. I completed 2.5 hours during open spin and a 3rd hour during an instructor lead Boxing Club spin. In total I rode 3.5 hours and 75 KM (46.5 miles).

Monday April 22th - A much needed day of rest! My hip has been aching since spin class (old injury from 2011 that decided to tighten up and prevent me from doing squats yesterday). Took the dog for 1/2 hour walk to warm up the hip and then spent a another half hour stretching.

Tuesday April 23th - TRX Suspension training. Squats, leg lifts, arm work, and more!

Wednesday April 24th - A trip to Edmonton to check out Campers Village & pick up a pair of hiking boots for Saturday. I've got plans to hike the Chickakoo Lake area! Picked up a nice comfy pair of Keens! :)

Thursday April 25th - TRX Suspension training - Round 2 for the week. Plenty of leg work in this class with jump squats, sprinter starts, single leg balance squats, & split single leg lunges. And let's not forget the biceps and triceps... no, we wouldn't want to forget those!

Friday April 26th - a REAL day of rest. A couple of movies on Netflix and an early bedtime.

Saturday April 26th - 1 Hour of raking leaves followed by an hour of Butt & Gutt -Crunches, Leg Lifts, Fire Hydrants (donkey kicks), Russian Twists, Crunchy Frogs, Side Crunches, Diagonal Single Leg Lifts with Crunch, and I'm sure I forgot the rest. Sore and tired for the day! And yet.. off I went to Chickakoo Lake for an hour and a half hike to wrap up the week.

Time for some protein, carbs, and a nap! See you all next week!

And Now For Something Completely Different

Today's post has been forgone in favor of sharing a fun hike. I'll be back tomorrow but rest assured that you aren't missing anything during recovery week. :D

Read it here.