The shape of things

This is a little bit health and fitness related - and a lot New Orleans related. If you didn't know this, I grew up in the New Orleans area and have lots of family there. This story I read today in the Times Picayune touched my heart.

Chris Rose, a columinust for TP, wrote a column today about a young man who was one of the many Katrina "transplants" that after many cities and months of moving found himself in NYC after the storm. Although he enjoyed New York, he said he always knew he'd go back home to New Orleans.

So this year, on August 29 - the Katrina anniversary - he started a bike ride from New York City to New Orleans. He logged more than 2,000 miles and made it home safely to New Orleans on October 11 (times square to Jackson Square).

Pearce Grieshaber rode his bike and made many stops along the way charging his cell phone and GPS at fast food restaurants, and meeting many people on his journey. He slept in a hammock and anywhere else that people welcomed him in.

He also raised money for the Musicians Clinic along the way by setting up a blog and encouraging people that he met to donate in his honor. He said he figured he could help people along the way - even though he's not even a musician. Now that he's back in New Orleans he no longer is working at restaurants but is training to become a New Orleans firefighter. You can read the column here. Or you can check out his blog here.

This story is encouraging on so many levels. On a local level it is encouraging to hear stories of people who aren't ready to give up on New Orleans and who will leave their lives that have started over since Katrina to come back home and help out. It's encouraging on a health level because this young man could have bought a plane ticket for $150 and been back home in 2 hours but instead decided that his journey home would be a physical and probably spiritual ride home.

"There are times when I question my decision to leave New York. I had a great life there. One that I would be happy to go back to. But my heart is a compass whose needle points South and it is there that I shall go . . . I know what it means to miss New Orleans." - Pearce Grieshaber

Use Pearce's story to encourage yourself to dream big and make goals. Maybe a cross country bike journey isn't in the cards for you - but maybe you've always wanted to sign up with the Leukemia Team in Training to train for a marathon and raise money for Leukemia research - or maybe you've always wanted to take an adventure trip to the Canadian Rockies - maybe you've always wanted to train and compete in a triathlon.... Whatever your goals and dreams use Pearce's story to help you consider how your dreams could help others. Whether it's raising money or just awareness for a worthy cause.

 

As you all know, I was on vacation last week in the Rocky Mountains. We had a great time. We ended up not going to the winter park mountain biking extravaganza and opted for free fun of hiking all over the park.

For most of the hikes I wore my nifty GPS to track how far (and fast) we were hiking. It came in handy when you think you can't make it any more and you realize that Odessa Lake is only a half mile away! :) I love this site called "Gmaps Pedometer." If you've never played with it, you're missing out. Basically it uses Google maps to map out your run, walk or hike and it tells you the distance and the elevation gains.

So here is a quick overview of our hikes from last week. (I've included a few pictures from each hike I've mapped. Good fun. Here we go:

First Hike: To Ouzel Falls. This was our "acclimate" hike where you go out slow and easy to adjust to the high altitude. It was a very nice hike. I've included a picture of me by the falls, up close and personal. And one of my husband talking with a marmot. Very cute little furry guys found all over the park. The hike was about 6 or 7 miles there and back. We started at an elevation of 8,500 feet and got up to 9,764 feet. (Click the pictures for bigger size)

 

 

Second hike: Odessa Lake, Fern Lake and the pool. The second hike we went with our friends Justin and Erin. This was a long all-day hike. We got a late start, but had a great time and luckily no afternoon storms cut the hike short. Here's the highlights of the hike: We hiked about 8.5 to nine miles on this trail. We started at an elevation of 8,100 feet and got up to 10,045 feet. Nice elevation gain.

 

Third Hike: On our last day my husband and I got up semi-early (for vacation at least) and drove up Old Fall River Road to Chapin Pass. This trail starts at an elevation of 11,000 feet so you can only imagine how quickly you can get winded on this hike. Unlike the other trails, it was difficult to map this one because it's off the "beaten path" so I guessed and this is my estimate - we hiked about five miles up to 13,000 feet. Wow. We wanted to go farther and summit both Mount Chiquita and Mount Ypsilon, but dark storm clouds kept us away. When you're above the treeline like that you're a great big target to lightening.

This was such a great vacation. Thanks to my healthy lifestyle I was able to hike all these beautiful trails and enjoy the breathtaking views. Trips like this are the best because you're being active and having a great time doing it. Try to make your next vacation an adventure! Happy hiking.

As I'm sure you've noticed I've kept to my promise of 4-6 posts a week. I hope you all enjoy them.

For the next 8 days I will be here:

Estes Park Colorado. My husband and I leave tomorrow morning (early) and we're spending the week there hiking, biking, shopping, hanging out, kayaking, etc. Here's some of the things we'll be doing in picture form:

Our bikes will go up the chairlifts at Winter Park and then we get to ride on down. It should be amazing!  Here's a small look at the mountain we'll be riding on...

To find out mroe about Winter park click here.

I love our trips to Estes Park (we go ever summer and winter, we got married there this past winter!). We always get to do so many active things like hiking and biking etc. and they are always so much fun that you forget you're working out!  

If you cannot go that long without great health, diet and fitness information I will give you a very worthy alternative. Check fitsugar.com as often as you want. Always great content, advice and general fun. Have a great week.  

I know it's the middle of June so you may be asking "a new year?" But yesterday was my birthday, so for me it is a new year. I found these two great articles/resource centers for getting outside in the summer and trying something new.

We all know that doing the same exact workout day after day, week after week, can quickly lead to boredom, apathy and finally quitting. So, it's always wise to switch things up. But for most of us (including me) "switching things up" means hopping on a different cardio machine. Eek.

I found this "Beginner Adventure Guide" on the Women's Health Website. Basically you choose "on land" or "on sea" and they have about 8-10 different activities ranging from triathlons, hiking, and extreme tree climbing. For each activity they link to about 4 articles with tips and advice on how to get started. I'm really interested in the triathlon link, since that's something I've been chewing over for the past few months.

Well if you're like me and live in Louisiana or any other climate where 80% humidity and 90 degree heat is norm, you may be thinking, "Stephanie, you're crazy, it's too hot to try something new"

So that's where this article comes in handy.  The article is about running in the heat and humidity, but the author gives some great practical advice that can be applied to any outdoor activity. Some of the advice includes: fueling the workout properly, give your body at least 14 days to adapt to the heat and humidity - meaning power walking instead of running, or mixing up run and walk.

She also gives "tricks" to adapt. One of them is to take a Bikram yoga class, which is also called "hot yoga." Basically you do yoga in a room with 105 degree heat and 50% humidity. Yikes. But she says it's a great way to get your body used to the heat and humidity with out overextending yourself. 

And of course, keep yourself hydrated no matter what you choose to do. Happy adventuring. Keep me updated if you try any of these new activities - I hope you do!