Meet my new favorite place to go hiking: When I moved back to San Diego County a few months ago, it was funny because although I was back in a general area that I had lived in before, I'm 45 minutes north from where I had lived prior. It has been like learning the ins and outs of a whole new place, although the area is familiar. One of the first things I started searching for in my new area was new favorite hiking spots. After all, hiking is one of my favorite things to do. It's not only a way that I get exercise and exercise my dog, it's also a meditative practice for me. It's a way that I process things and clear my head. Often, I start off a hike with a dilemma or just something that I'm contemplating, and by the time I get back in my car, I've resolved it. Escondido's Elfin ... [Read More]
workouts
My First TRX Suspension Training Experience
Recently I mentioned using a Groupon to try out different classes at a fitness studio near me called Fortis Fitness and Strength Training. My 5-class deal is up, and do you think that I did the same class twice? No way my friends, I like to keep things interesting! I had a lot of fun participating in a kickboxing, spin, heated barre, yoga sculpt (more on that to come) and TRX class. And today I thought it'd be fun to share my experience with my first TRX suspension training class. TRX (the acronym is for Total Body Resistance Exercise) classes center around the use of a suspension trainer, where you do a variety of exercises using the TRX bands, leveraging gravity and your body weight to develop strength, balance, flexibility and core stability. A little tidbit that I didn't ... [Read More]
Let’s Get Sweaty! Heated Workouts: Yay or Nay?
Confession: I don't do well in the heat. If the temperature's cold, I'm usually fine with a blanket and a hot cup of tea, but what I don't like is being hot and sticky. This may be in part the reason that I'm living in SoCal, since I love being outdoors and the mild weather is so conducive to that. When I go back to Jersey in the summertime, where I was born and raised, I practically melt with the high humidity. It's not even that I've turned into a spoiled Californian. My body just has never done well in weather over 85 degrees. My house doesn't have air conditioning (which I recently found out is common in this area), and I actually have a heat paranoia. All windows and doors are opened and my ceiling fans are turned on first thing in the morning, for fear of getting hot and not ... [Read More]
Ways to Get Out of Your Fitness Comfort Zone
There's nothing that sounds more boring to me than doing the same things day in and day out without variation. I like to be adventurous with pretty much everything - from the meals I make and the fun activities I partake in, to the workouts I do and even the walking and hike routes I go on with my dog. I think, Walking the same exact path every single day? How blah! I find that switching things up keeps life interesting, and also sometimes scary and exciting. Don't let fear of the unknown freak you out.... Scary and exciting is a good thing! (source) I suppose I could talk a good amount about comfort zones in general. I'm a girl who landed a freelance journalist gig for a newspaper after randomly contacting the editor and telling him that I'd be a great writer for him... with no ... [Read More]
Bondi Band Headband Giveaway!
I have a love/hate relationship with headbands. I like them because they keep my hair out of my face while I'm working out, but I can never find headbands that don't give me a headache with their tight bands or completely fall off my head mid-exercise. So when I got the opportunity to review headbands from Bondi Band that looked comfy and cute, I gladly accepted the chance. My favorite one that I received was a black headband with the OM symbol on it, and I tested out my new fitness head gear with a few different exercise regimens today. First, I had a yoga session in my backyard bright and early. I practiced some of my favorite poses, including downward dog variations: Some Goddess love: Eagle with a lunge: Backbend play: One legged side plank (I know, I like to point my ... [Read More]
The Morning Burst of Energy Workout
I'm sure I've said it before, but I love to start my day off with some movement. During the week I'm typically sitting down working a lot of the day, and it's nice to just begin my day with either a long walk with Harley, some yoga, or a quickie workout that wakes my body up. It may just be the endorphins flowing, or perhaps it's the way that movement makes me feel like I'm setting a good tone for the day, but I really think it gives me more energy throughout the morning and afternoon. In the spirit of morning workout love, I'm sharing with you a workout sequence I created last week as a way to get that first thing in the AM movement in. The workout itself takes only 15 minutes. With around a minute of dynamic stretching to start, then a few short minutes of stretching at the end, ... [Read More]