Today's post is based on a friend's Facebook post. So that we are all on the same page, her post was: "OK PEOPLE, LISTEN UP! It's Monday, that's right MONDAY. 12/6/10 - the ONLY 12/6/10 you'll get in this life. God isn't going to give you another 12/6/10 so He doesn't want any complaining about this one. Stop treating Monday like a step-child of a step-child and get out there and make the best of it. We don't have ...enough days on this earth to complain about any of them. HUGS!"
Now that we are all on the same page, I want to expound on it. The woman who posted this has always lit up my Facebook page. I look forward to reading her posts consistently, and she almost always has something positive to say. She is a beautiful person, and I wish that we lived in the same city so that I could get to know her better.
We all need to take her example and stop complaining about our Mondays and our Tuesdays and our afternoon blahs. For the most part, we are alive and we are functioning and we are able to be a part of society. It's great to have time off over the weekend, but if you are dreading your Monday, then maybe it's time for a change. Determine what it is about Monday that makes you want to complain. Is it going back to work because you don't enjoy your job? Is it because you didn't get enough sleep? Is it because you drank too much at a holiday party? Whatever the reason, learn from it, own it, and make better choices next time.
Our days on this earth are limited, and we need to make the most of all of them including Mondays. So, go out and have a good cup of coffee or tea with a delicious, healthy breakfast next Monday morning and celebrate starting a new week. If it's the afternoon blahs that you're struggling with, get out for a walk in the middle of the day. Find some way to celebrate your own life and what you have instead of complaining about what you don't have.
Without making changes, we all continue to struggle. It is our outlook on life that makes us feel alive. Another friend that I admire has told me on numerous ocassions that if she pretends she looks good or pretends to be happy, then she is. Things become reality even if you pretend for them to be that way. So, focus on the positive, make the changes, and celebrate life! Happy Monday, Everyone!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Fit it into the Holidays!
Yes, it is that time of year again, and I'm ready this year! I've been staying in shape, eating pretty well (tho, a little too much at times), and enjoying my down time with books and friends. If you aren't ready for the holidays, they may just slap you in the face by taking up all your time, gaining some extra weight, or spending too much money.
There are many different ways to keep the extra weight off during the holidays. My method is to stay active. I may put on a few pounds here and there during the holidays, but as long as I don't give up completely and I stay active, my weight is (mostly) maintained. This year I signed up for the Thanksgiving Day Run in our community. It is a four-mile timed or un-timed run. I opted for the timed run so that I would stick to a training schedule. So far, it has helped me to get out of the house and enjoy the cooler weather that has come our way. It will also help me with laying the foundation for my runs at the beginning of the year when I begin training for my annual half-marathon.
After the Thanksgiving Run is over, I have foundation miles to keep up until training for the Horsetooth Half Marathon begins in January. There's also swimming and bicycle commuting around town. With the milder weather, it's easy to get outside, but a quick trip to the gym isn't out of the question, either. I also try to fit in a yoga class here and there, too.
Staying active during these cooler holiday winter months is key to the success of any fitness or weight loss program. Not eating only makes you feel deprived of what you can't have, but eating some of those sweets in MODERATION and then going for a four mile run will help you to keep everything in balance.
One last note, I find that when I exercise, whether running, cycling, yoga, or swimming, I don't want to eat that cookie on the table at work or the cheesecake samples at the store. I resist those temptations because I know that it doesn't feel good when I get out on my run. It is more of a saying "yes", to my run than saying "no" to the cookie.
So, this Thanksgiving and Christmas, fit some fitness into your schedule and get off the couch and get moving!
There are many different ways to keep the extra weight off during the holidays. My method is to stay active. I may put on a few pounds here and there during the holidays, but as long as I don't give up completely and I stay active, my weight is (mostly) maintained. This year I signed up for the Thanksgiving Day Run in our community. It is a four-mile timed or un-timed run. I opted for the timed run so that I would stick to a training schedule. So far, it has helped me to get out of the house and enjoy the cooler weather that has come our way. It will also help me with laying the foundation for my runs at the beginning of the year when I begin training for my annual half-marathon.
After the Thanksgiving Run is over, I have foundation miles to keep up until training for the Horsetooth Half Marathon begins in January. There's also swimming and bicycle commuting around town. With the milder weather, it's easy to get outside, but a quick trip to the gym isn't out of the question, either. I also try to fit in a yoga class here and there, too.
Staying active during these cooler holiday winter months is key to the success of any fitness or weight loss program. Not eating only makes you feel deprived of what you can't have, but eating some of those sweets in MODERATION and then going for a four mile run will help you to keep everything in balance.
One last note, I find that when I exercise, whether running, cycling, yoga, or swimming, I don't want to eat that cookie on the table at work or the cheesecake samples at the store. I resist those temptations because I know that it doesn't feel good when I get out on my run. It is more of a saying "yes", to my run than saying "no" to the cookie.
So, this Thanksgiving and Christmas, fit some fitness into your schedule and get off the couch and get moving!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Weekend Update: Nov 5-7
It was a big first weekend of November for Northern Colorado Outdoors! Not only have we started the process of kicking off our Health and Wellness program, but we have also started to incorporate some of the activities and discussions into the group. You can look for more to come in 2011 with this Health and Wellness Program, and we are excited to be motivating changes for folks across Northern Colorado!
November 5: Beginning the day, we had a quick lunch swim at The Mulberry Pool, where we did 30 minutes of laps. Then, taking to bicycles, we commuted to Old Town where we started off the weekend on Friday with a Happy Hour Social at Coopersmith's in Old Town Fort collins. It was good to see old friends and for some of our new friends to meet our current members! With loads of laughs over delicious food, we took the conversation and the evening out to the streets where we strolled to various galleries around town gaining inspiration from local artists along the way. We started our journey at The Gallery Underground, where we saw Chelsea Glanz, Andi Rose, and others. Moving on for the evening, we visited Coco's gallery, The Illustrated Light Gallery, and Trible Court Artisans.
November 6: After waking up to a chilly morning, we postponed our morning run to later in the day. So, off we went to REI for the Team in Training Seminar. The Seminar provided good information on the program and all of the benefits for the spring 2011 season. Some of the programs included that we are considering are a Marathon in Paris and a Triathlon in Hawaii. They both look like great goals to work toward and a wonderful cause to be a part of. It turned out to be a lovely day for a run, so we met at Rolland Moore Park at 12:00pm for our longer four mile run. We made it an out and back run at a comfortable pace so that we could talk along the way. Everyone made it, and we will be upping the mileage to five miles next week! Finally, Breathe Yoga was offering free yoga classes to the public for their Teacher Training program, and we went to the 3pm class. It was a good hot yoga, flow mix class in a warm room and perfect for the end of the day. Ending the day with some Core Challenge rounded everything out. (More information on the Core Challenge is below).
November 7: Sunday turned out to be almost as nice as Saturday, but the wind blew in a small front that cooled things off and clouded the skies. It didn't stop us from meeting at the pool for another lunch swim! (BTW: Sundays at The Mulberry Pool are $2!). We got in 30 minutes of lap swimming practicing strokes and enjoying some exercise with friends. Afterward, we treated ourselves to a walk to Old Town for Buttercream Cupcakery's Gingerbread Cupcake Day. (I truly believe that part of health and wellness is not depriving yourself of things that you enjoy. Moderation is key in the success of any wellness program.) Following our visit to the Cupcakery, we headed for the first presentation by Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain. An amazing, engaging, and charismatic speaker, we were all inspired by his words and uplifted by his humor. We were all reminded about the preciousness of life and the importance of taking a light-hearted approach to it as well. It was well worth the small ticket cost and the proceeds for the event went to the Fort Collins Reads program, which supports local libraries and bookstores.
Thanks to everyone who came out this weekend and made it such a fun and active time. We are excited about the changes coming up and keep checking the calendar for more fun and healthful events!
CORE CHALLENGE (5 days per week for 30 days):
Front Plank (start w/ 10 seconds)
Side Plank - Right then Left (start w/ 10 seconds)
Torso Twists - Using Weights or Medicine Ball (as many as you can)
Plank-Ups - Starting in plan on your right side move slowly down to your elbows and then back up to plank - switch sides and do as many as you can
Boat (hold as long as possible)
Side Plank Rotation Twists (as many as you can)
Bicycle Crunches (as many as you can)
Always increasing your numbers every other time you do them.
November 5: Beginning the day, we had a quick lunch swim at The Mulberry Pool, where we did 30 minutes of laps. Then, taking to bicycles, we commuted to Old Town where we started off the weekend on Friday with a Happy Hour Social at Coopersmith's in Old Town Fort collins. It was good to see old friends and for some of our new friends to meet our current members! With loads of laughs over delicious food, we took the conversation and the evening out to the streets where we strolled to various galleries around town gaining inspiration from local artists along the way. We started our journey at The Gallery Underground, where we saw Chelsea Glanz, Andi Rose, and others. Moving on for the evening, we visited Coco's gallery, The Illustrated Light Gallery, and Trible Court Artisans.
November 6: After waking up to a chilly morning, we postponed our morning run to later in the day. So, off we went to REI for the Team in Training Seminar. The Seminar provided good information on the program and all of the benefits for the spring 2011 season. Some of the programs included that we are considering are a Marathon in Paris and a Triathlon in Hawaii. They both look like great goals to work toward and a wonderful cause to be a part of. It turned out to be a lovely day for a run, so we met at Rolland Moore Park at 12:00pm for our longer four mile run. We made it an out and back run at a comfortable pace so that we could talk along the way. Everyone made it, and we will be upping the mileage to five miles next week! Finally, Breathe Yoga was offering free yoga classes to the public for their Teacher Training program, and we went to the 3pm class. It was a good hot yoga, flow mix class in a warm room and perfect for the end of the day. Ending the day with some Core Challenge rounded everything out. (More information on the Core Challenge is below).
November 7: Sunday turned out to be almost as nice as Saturday, but the wind blew in a small front that cooled things off and clouded the skies. It didn't stop us from meeting at the pool for another lunch swim! (BTW: Sundays at The Mulberry Pool are $2!). We got in 30 minutes of lap swimming practicing strokes and enjoying some exercise with friends. Afterward, we treated ourselves to a walk to Old Town for Buttercream Cupcakery's Gingerbread Cupcake Day. (I truly believe that part of health and wellness is not depriving yourself of things that you enjoy. Moderation is key in the success of any wellness program.) Following our visit to the Cupcakery, we headed for the first presentation by Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain. An amazing, engaging, and charismatic speaker, we were all inspired by his words and uplifted by his humor. We were all reminded about the preciousness of life and the importance of taking a light-hearted approach to it as well. It was well worth the small ticket cost and the proceeds for the event went to the Fort Collins Reads program, which supports local libraries and bookstores.
Thanks to everyone who came out this weekend and made it such a fun and active time. We are excited about the changes coming up and keep checking the calendar for more fun and healthful events!
CORE CHALLENGE (5 days per week for 30 days):
Front Plank (start w/ 10 seconds)
Side Plank - Right then Left (start w/ 10 seconds)
Torso Twists - Using Weights or Medicine Ball (as many as you can)
Plank-Ups - Starting in plan on your right side move slowly down to your elbows and then back up to plank - switch sides and do as many as you can
Boat (hold as long as possible)
Side Plank Rotation Twists (as many as you can)
Bicycle Crunches (as many as you can)
Always increasing your numbers every other time you do them.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Essential Health & Wellness
In response to the overwhelming demand for exercise, health, and wellness, we have decided to move Northern Colorado Outdoors more in that direction. With so many people in the world questioning our current healthcare system, we, as a society, are now turning to holistic practitioners and to changes in our lifestyles to help us with chronic issues or to just live long and healthy lives.
This is wonderful news because for those of you that don't know, I have always been interested in creating a healthy community of folks that want to exercise, eat well, and live a full and productive life, which is what Northern Colorado Outdoors is becoming! We already have a group of runners, swimmers, and climbers! We hope to attract more people to this healthy community that continues to be about getting outdoors and having fun, and is also about living a life of compassion, balance, truth, and joy. And, of course, with all things health and wellness related, we will have food, too!
So, as we take off on this journey of wellness, I encourage everyone this holiday season to think twice about picking up those sugary treats and enjoy a smoothie with fresh vegetables and fruit or a delicious soup without all the meat products. I also challenge you to get out and take a yoga class or a spinning class, learn to swim, or climb a wall. Enjoy your life! Afterall, that's what being healthy and well is all about!
This is wonderful news because for those of you that don't know, I have always been interested in creating a healthy community of folks that want to exercise, eat well, and live a full and productive life, which is what Northern Colorado Outdoors is becoming! We already have a group of runners, swimmers, and climbers! We hope to attract more people to this healthy community that continues to be about getting outdoors and having fun, and is also about living a life of compassion, balance, truth, and joy. And, of course, with all things health and wellness related, we will have food, too!
So, as we take off on this journey of wellness, I encourage everyone this holiday season to think twice about picking up those sugary treats and enjoy a smoothie with fresh vegetables and fruit or a delicious soup without all the meat products. I also challenge you to get out and take a yoga class or a spinning class, learn to swim, or climb a wall. Enjoy your life! Afterall, that's what being healthy and well is all about!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Re-organization
Northern Colorado Outdoors is re-organizing its business plan and management at the moment. We plan to have all the kinks worked out over the next few weeks and begin running again with a full calendar of activities for our members! Keep checking the calendar because you will find more activities, more fun, and more friends than ever before! We're excited to get things moving again, so stick around! There's more to come!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Weekend Update Sep 3-6
It was a long weekend for Labor Day and we hope that you all had a great one, too! I know that we all did!
September 4: Tour de Fat, Fort Collins Style! The Tour de Fat commenced in its hometown this weekend to a record-breaking crowd! With a parade of bicycles of over 10,000 and a crazy after-party at the New Belgium Brewery, everyone is still talking about it! Costumes, bicycle inventions, delicious micro-brew beer, and loads of people watching! If you missed the Tour de Fat this year, that's okay! It happens every year, so you can join us next year with all the wild and crazy fun! This event also happens to be the largest fundraising event for our bicycle community! All proceeds from beer sales at the event go to the Overland Mountain Bike Club and Bike Fort Collins for trail work, bicycle advocacy, and so much more!
September 4: Monarch Crest Take II - The last big ride of the season ended at Monarch Crest for a second run this summer. It was a great one, too! No clouds in the sky, cool breezes the whole way, and smooth singletrack to lead our way. It was a monumentous ride to top them all! We added on the Silver Creek Trail this time, with some loose, technical descents, and some steep, fast climbs, it wasn't quite what we were expecting, but there were definitely some fun downhills in there to make up for the difficult parts of the trail.
September 5: Hikin' 14'ers and Celebratory Camping Trip with Jen P! Well, after a long summer of 14'ers, Jen finally finished all 54 14'ers in Colorado! A major accomplishment! She invited us to join her on her very last 14'er at Mount Handies, a class I, 6 - mile hike. It was a fun end to the summer and to Jen's 14'er journey. Congratulations to Jen for all her hard work this summer.
Otherwise, we got in some camping along the way, and some down time back at home... Whew! A great end to the summer season, tho, fall is getting full, too, so stay tuned for more!
September 4: Tour de Fat, Fort Collins Style! The Tour de Fat commenced in its hometown this weekend to a record-breaking crowd! With a parade of bicycles of over 10,000 and a crazy after-party at the New Belgium Brewery, everyone is still talking about it! Costumes, bicycle inventions, delicious micro-brew beer, and loads of people watching! If you missed the Tour de Fat this year, that's okay! It happens every year, so you can join us next year with all the wild and crazy fun! This event also happens to be the largest fundraising event for our bicycle community! All proceeds from beer sales at the event go to the Overland Mountain Bike Club and Bike Fort Collins for trail work, bicycle advocacy, and so much more!
September 4: Monarch Crest Take II - The last big ride of the season ended at Monarch Crest for a second run this summer. It was a great one, too! No clouds in the sky, cool breezes the whole way, and smooth singletrack to lead our way. It was a monumentous ride to top them all! We added on the Silver Creek Trail this time, with some loose, technical descents, and some steep, fast climbs, it wasn't quite what we were expecting, but there were definitely some fun downhills in there to make up for the difficult parts of the trail.
September 5: Hikin' 14'ers and Celebratory Camping Trip with Jen P! Well, after a long summer of 14'ers, Jen finally finished all 54 14'ers in Colorado! A major accomplishment! She invited us to join her on her very last 14'er at Mount Handies, a class I, 6 - mile hike. It was a fun end to the summer and to Jen's 14'er journey. Congratulations to Jen for all her hard work this summer.
Otherwise, we got in some camping along the way, and some down time back at home... Whew! A great end to the summer season, tho, fall is getting full, too, so stay tuned for more!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Weekend Update Aug 28-29
Saturday, August 28th - We started out at 4am meeting at the Colorado Welcome Center at the intersection of Prospect and I-25 to begin our journey to Gray's Peak. It was so early that the sun had yet to shine it's first glimmer of light over the horizon, so breakfast in hand and sleepy-eyed, we caravanned two hours to the trailhead. The trailhead was much easier to find than we thought. The rough jeep road to get to the start of the hike gave us a chance to wake up a bit. Once we arrived, we didn't take much time at all to get ready. We put some layers on, grabbed our backpacks and set out for accomplishing the highest point on the Continental Divide: Gray's Peak, and for most, their first 14'er! It was slow at first getting used to the altitude, but once warmed up, it was one foot in front of the other as we climbed each switchback and boulder with deliberate and careful steps. Dawn, her son, Jake, and Brandon, set out quickly to accomplish the task at hand and waited at the top for us for a while. They were already cold by the time we arrived. We stopped for pictures along the way, and we saw some mountain goats at the top of one of the ridges. There were plenty of dogs on the trail to stop and pet, too! There was one border collie in particular that we played leap frog with, and he was doing a magnificent job on his first 14'er! A couple of us stopped halfway and turned around. It was difficult to breathe and the trail was steep in places, but most of us summitted the 14,000 foot mountain, signed in and took plenty of pictures. We hung out on the top for a while and ate lunch and talked to some of the other hikers. Our way back down was much more lively. Talking and giggling, we seemed to be flying down the mountain in record time; however, toward the end of the descent all of us were struggling with blisters and fatigue. We slowed it down, and made our way back to the car just in time for the afternoon showers. On the way back to Fort Collins, we stopped in Idaho Springs for some pizza at Beau Jo's. Some yummy food in our bellies and a great day of hiking and a major accomplishment left us all weary-eyed and happy to be back home.
Congratulations to Dawn Theis, Jake Theis, Brandon Barrett, Jennifer Hahn, and Eric Swab for their 1st 14'er! and to Jacquie Adams and Kristina Brown for their 2nd 14'er! Way to go guys!
Saturday, August 28th - Trail Work Day at Horsetooth Mountain Park! On the same day that we were climbing 14'ers, we had a group of dedicated folks who volunteered their time to working the trails at Horsetooth Mountain Park. The grassroots team at Full Cycle helped organize the event, and we had plenty of volunteers from Don't Hike Alone and Northern Colorado Outdoors! The trail work day was a success, and a big thanks goes out to Ralph Eberspacher for organizing the event and to Backcountry Provisions for their sandwich donations to our trail work crew!
Sunday, August 29th - Venus de Miles, a women's only ride starting in Longmont, Colorado, took off. With women supporting and women riding, it was a great day to be on a bicycle! It's always wonderful to see women of all ages, backgrounds shapes and sizes getting on their bicycles for a good cause! All proceeds benefitted a scholarship fund.
Sunday, August 29th - Monarch Crest Take 2 was unfortunately postponed until later... We hope to get out there again before the snows, but it may be next season before this happens...
All in all, it was a fun weekend, and we were all exhausted from the accomplishments and activities that happened! Looking forward to a major Labor Day Weekend coming up soon, too!
Congratulations to Dawn Theis, Jake Theis, Brandon Barrett, Jennifer Hahn, and Eric Swab for their 1st 14'er! and to Jacquie Adams and Kristina Brown for their 2nd 14'er! Way to go guys!
Saturday, August 28th - Trail Work Day at Horsetooth Mountain Park! On the same day that we were climbing 14'ers, we had a group of dedicated folks who volunteered their time to working the trails at Horsetooth Mountain Park. The grassroots team at Full Cycle helped organize the event, and we had plenty of volunteers from Don't Hike Alone and Northern Colorado Outdoors! The trail work day was a success, and a big thanks goes out to Ralph Eberspacher for organizing the event and to Backcountry Provisions for their sandwich donations to our trail work crew!
Sunday, August 29th - Venus de Miles, a women's only ride starting in Longmont, Colorado, took off. With women supporting and women riding, it was a great day to be on a bicycle! It's always wonderful to see women of all ages, backgrounds shapes and sizes getting on their bicycles for a good cause! All proceeds benefitted a scholarship fund.
Sunday, August 29th - Monarch Crest Take 2 was unfortunately postponed until later... We hope to get out there again before the snows, but it may be next season before this happens...
All in all, it was a fun weekend, and we were all exhausted from the accomplishments and activities that happened! Looking forward to a major Labor Day Weekend coming up soon, too!
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