attitude

Checking in on hips and giggles…..

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Here we are almost through the first quarter of the new year. I thought by now my hips would be long gone like the holidays. They are still with me and I have fitness goals that are around the corner. So is my birthday. I will be 55 in April and it seems harder these days to lose the extra weight I have put on this last year. I have researched caloric deficits, appropriate water intake, all the while trying to find out what I am doing wrong.  I exercise at least 5 days per week. I eat healthy. I have documented over 150 days of what I have put in my mouth healthy and not so healthy. Not much has changed. I still can’t fit into my cute clothes. So I kept searching. I think I found the missing piece. I stumbled upon the importance of my heart rate range. The fat burning range instead of the fitness range with a high intense workout seems to be important.

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That was it. I needed a heart rate monitor to be aware of  the range I was working out in. My mom bought me a monitor for an early birthday present….Thank you Mom. I needed to find my fat burning heart rate range by  knowing my maximum heart rate. With that you could find where you should be while doing your exercises. (Your maximum heart = 220 – your age. The fat burning range is 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate.) My monitor display in on a wrist watch and also reads through my phone via apps. The apps are a great way to store the data and look for  fitness improvements in hiking, biking and running.

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I have a hiking trip in May to explore the UK, a 175 mile through hike in July and a marathon in August, as side from the daily desire to just feel healthier. Plus packing extra weight while hiking, biking or running makes doing so more difficult. The fat burning heart rate range during my exercise routine has been beneficial  but I still wanted something to “shake up” my metabolism and get the process of weight loss to really be on its way. Again I started to research methods to do just that. I came across lots of information about fasting for several days to intermittent fasting as well. It turns out we humans have an innate ability to fast without negative consequences to our bodies. In fact the research supports more pro’s than con’s when it comes to fasting.  After I read all about fasting I decided to buy raw cold pressed organic fruit and vegetable juices to help me through the fasting process of the first few days.

The first day of fasting we utilize our glucose supply. The second day we start to use our protein supply which is our muscles. The third day we get into our  lipids which is our stored fats. I started my fast with drinking juice every two hours about 8-16 ounces and drank lots of water. I exercised daily up to 3 hours a day. I used the steam room, the jacuzzi and massage to help drain my lymphatic system. I did not feel hungry. I did not have a headache. I felt great. It was much easier than I thought it would be. By the third day I was still feeling great but thought for my first fast 3 days was plenty. I re-introduced fruit and protein shakes on the fourth day and by the sixth day my eating habits were back to normal. I weighed myself and I had lost 3 pounds. This set the stage for more weight loss and reset my metabolism. I was on my way to being lighter.  I’m finally seeing the results I sought. Yippee.

With all this due diligence I am hoping to stay on track and continue to condition and train while losing the extra pounds. I do however keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat so results may come slower if you are weight training. The weather is getting warmer here in sunny Tucson. The snakes have already come out to bask in it but that doesn’t stop me from hiking. Hiking is actually a fantastic way to get out doors, exercise and burn fat. So here’s to all who seek a lighter self…..get out there and be smart. Work out in the fat burning range and see the results you want faster and consistently.

Workout smarter not harder!

-Kat

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Wanderlust: A very strong or irresistible impulse to travel or wander

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297I have THAT! Do you? It has been a life-long condition for me. I’m not sure there is a cure (nor do I want one). I have immediate and affordable remedies that help the ailment on a day to day basis. My first aid to the never-ending desire is to ‘HIKE’: being outside in nature releases some of the irresistible feelings of that “gotta go” sensation for me. Exploring your neighborhood to the local trails can curb some of the desire. I’ve lived in Tucson for almost 30 years and I continue to find “new-to-me” trails that sound just as exciting as the regular ones I always hike. Just a little bit of time and research can bring you to different destinations that will allow the desire to explore to flourish.

That wanderlust feeling creeps into my head and heart often and usually I start to set my sights on far-away places. Of late I have been taking a deep breath and refocusing on closer areas in Tucson or Arizona to satisfy the impulse. There are a lot of exciting places to discover  within minutes or a couple hours distance in the state. I bet it is true for you as well if you just did a little research to see what exists near you. Social media has assisted my search for the exposure to locations around Tucson and Arizona. Facebook hiking groups from Tucson and all of Arizona consistently add new destinations of wonder that I hadn’t heard about that are added to my growing list of must -sees!

Some where in my mind as long as I have a plan to go investigate a new location the bubbling feelings of wanderlust calms down. The desire to learn something new, be exposed to a different area or find an incredible hidden gem all propel the wanderlust in me. If you too have such an infliction you might try my remedies. Investigate your immediate areas by foot or by bike. Tucson just added a new leg of the already existing bike trail.  It connected existing parts of the trail making for longer distances easier to travel. Does your town have a bike trail?

At my age I have come to accept the feelings that float inside me. I continue to try to appease myself with budget friendly solutions. Hiking and biking my own town and surrounding areas can be the answer. It takes less planning and has immediate gratification. The familiarity you ultimately end up with adds to the comfort you can feel calling your town your home. I love Tucson and the surrounding areas that continue to surprise me with such unique beauty. I’m thankful I live in a place where my wanderlust compulsion can be satisfied.IMG_1176[1]

Honestly, it doesn’t mean I don’t dream of far-away places……it just means that while I’m in town I don’t need to stay in one place. GO explore!

-Kat

Be wise….Be bright!

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009.jpgI love to hike. I used to trail run every day now I hike every day and occasionally run. Living Tucson and in the high country of  the White Mountains of  Arizona allows me to have two very different and diverse places to explore. I see it as a blessing. I try to take advantage of each diverse location. As all of us hikers know it’s true …. something magical happens to us when we are out in wide open outdoor spaces surrounded by nature. I feel as if I am part of the environment I am exploring and just soak it all up.

Sadly, something happens far more frequently in the desert than in other areas where hikers explore. It seems that every year a few solo hikers goes missing. As I am out on the trails, often by myself, I try to be as proactive as possible always thinking safety first. The desert can be very harsh, to say the least, to any visitor. The temperatures can be extreme as well as the risk of venomous reptiles. I take plenty of water, make sure my phone is fully charged (find my iPhone down loaded), have snacks, a whistle, a sharpie and always let someone know where I’ll be hiking or running. But what I DO NOT do is dress like every other khaki wearing hiker, even the forest service wears khaki clothing with a shade of green. I understand that light colored clothing absorbs less heat in the hot sun, but it does nothing to assist you if you are lost. So, I dress like an Easter egg.

I dress bright…. Really bright. I prefer to wear running shorts and tank tops. I occasionally will wear a hat. And fortunately, the trail runner shoes I love are also brightly colored. Why you might ask? Well….my motto became very clear inside my head as I hiked on the trails that the missing solo hiker were said to have been on a couple years ago. I secretly prayed for them to be found….by someone other than myself. But continued to think why it was taking so long to find the missing hiker. My conclusion was always what they were wearing. Those Khaki or desert colored clothes allowed the person to blend in the desert instead of strand out. So, my motto then had significance. BE WISE … BE BRIGHT … BE FOUND THE FIRST NIGHT! Why not be really bright out there against the brown and light green landscape of the desert?

I believe in my motto so much I tell fellow hikers and runners who are also solo when we stop to exchange pleasantries on the trail. For some reason, I am often stopped by others to ask for directions on the trail. I usually know the trails very well and can give direction at which time I also divulge my motto. “Be wise…be bright…be found the first night!” The trails are supposed to be happy places for every hiker regardless of skill level. Proper trail knowledge and safety precautions are often over looked by the frequent visitors to the Sonoran Desert with unfamiliar conditions. Water, sunscreen, trail map, snacks and BRIGHT COLORED clothes can save your life in the desert.

I dress like an Easter egg in the mountains too, just to be safe. But hikers or runners going missing in the high country is rare. I’m not sure why that is true, but it is. Although I know many people cautiously dress with bright colors, so they are not accidently shot by a hunter in the woods. Maybe less people are out in the woods? Or the woods don’t have the dangerous conditions of the desert such as the likelihood of being dehydrated? I’m not sure but ‘safety is first’ where ever I am, and I will always BE WISE and dress very BRIGHT. I am often solo (because my hiking buddies work during the week) I want to be found the FIRST NIGHT!

Hope to see your bright self out there soon!

-Kat

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What is the allure?

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There is a power that continues to call us to the wild. The wilderness wildness has a virtue that speaks to our souls. We are planning our next adventure into the depths of the Sierra Nevada’s on a 152-mile trek in July 2018. We are attempting to get our permits for Yosemite, desiring a final rush of hiking the epic Half Dome to conclude our hike.

 

But if we can’t finish there, we are wanting to at least start in Yosemite trying to squeeze in the chains of Half Dome before pushing Northbound to Meeks Bay of Lake Tahoe. After completing our John Muir trek apparently our enthusiasm became contagious and there are now three more women wanting to pursue the outdoor world of thru-hiking this summer with us on a section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Our direction will be northbound or southbound depending on what permits we get through Yosemite (that’s a whole story and process in and of itself).

The first ‘planning’ meeting took place in a booth in a bar (that was a bad idea-definitely not the best call so far). It was difficult to hear each other but we got to the permit forms and the process was explained. I brought all three maps out and had highlighted the PCT trail we plan to traverse. It is a little daunting to look at maps encompassing several different wilderness areas and follow your finger on the trail that goes top to bottom of the whole map-that’s a lot of HIKING! We started to discuss gear and food but figured it would be best to have an additional meeting, not in bar, to discuss both in detail. The other three women have done a lot of day hiking and some over nights but never gone for a long thru-hike. Hopefully, some of what Gwen and I learned on the John Muir Trail will be of benefit.

We are all over fifty and the allure of such an adventure could have been percolating in each of us for years just waiting for the right moment in time for all things to be perfectly aligned for July 2018 to be a thru-hike we will all do together. Our lives have all been very different and yet similar. We have all been wives, some more than once, some still are. Two of us are widows. We are all moms with ages of our children ranging from 12 to 35. Some of us work and some of us don’t but we all love to hike. We are approaching the planning of our thru-hike with experience and determination to be as prepared as possible. As always, the little motto is being repeated “grams equal ounces, ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain”. Our preparation for our trip includes physical training too. We meet at least once a week to work out together running the stadium stairs. And we try to hike together on a weekly basis also.

Living in Arizona is a blessing in the winter because the weather lends itself to being outside. We can hike in comfort and train on trails while using our “Alltrails” app on our phones. There are so many trails available in the Tucson area and using the All Trails app makes finding them and staying on them a lot easier. Gone are the days of a compass and a lot of guessing. Rock cairns are so beneficial but not always present. Using a user-friendly app takes the worry out of getting lost while getting familiar with new trails. Exploring Arizona is an endless task and “ExploreArizona” on Instagram provides inspiration for new beautiful places to be examined while hiking with ‘training’ as the pretense. From the desert floors with the Sonoran flora to the mountain tops covered in Pondarosa Pines the diverse ecosystems and topography of Arizona continues to provide diversity to our hiking adventures. Explore Arizona on Instagram consistently provides photographs of “have to see” places in our incredible state. pexels-photo-154140.jpeg

With a Grand Canyon hike coming next month it will give us a good gauge as to how far we have come in our physical training goals. March is planned with another trek to Northern Arizona around the Page area for day hiking. We are hoping to hit the Vermillion Cliffs, Coyote Bluffs, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon and sneak into Utah for a day trip to Escalante Grand Staircase for one more day hike. We all agree that thru-hikes justify day hikes and that any hike feeds our souls through walking on our soles! W

I’ll keep posting in our planning in hopes to inspire and share information at the same time.

Hike on….

-Kat

Training for a thru-hike…..

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Riding a bike is great cross training for hiking

Well there is more to it than that: Being healthy and fit for a day hike is significantly different than being healthy and fit for a thru hike. Our body and minds need to be ready for the trail. Not to mention the detailed planning that goes into a thru hike adventure which we will discuss in another blog. But the training can start NOW! “The better the train, more the gain on the trail” ……says not just me. The idea of a week-long to a month long thru hike is romantic in my mind given that I will be out in the beautiful-middle-of-no-where-wilderness with all I’II need to survive on my back dependent on only myself-awe!!! That’s pure love. I don’t mean that selfishly I mean it supportively to the idea that self-reliance, self-confidence, basic survival skills and gaining the ambitious belief “I CAN DO IT!” is my means of attack for the encompassing objective in preparing and planning a thru hike. So, with members of my tribe we are working to increase our stamina, endurance, core strength and our confidence to be as successful as possible on our future journey on a section of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) from Yosemite to Tahoe where will make memories that last a life time.

The tribe members joining this journey in July 2018 will be Gwen, myself, Gina, Katie and Brenda. My goal has been to hike the entire length of the Sierra-Nevada’s after completing the JMT (John Muir Trail) with Gwen in 2016. The JMT was Gwen’s pick; this section of the PCT is mine (we take turns picking our adventures). Gina and I hiked Guatemala together summer of 2017 and she fell in love with that part of the trip craving more adventures. Katie wants more time on the trail after her introduction of 2 days on the JMT (read: Gwen’s “Ignorance is bliss” blog). And Brenda is new to hiking and backpacking but very eager with several weekends and overnights under her belt. Gwen, Gina and I will start in Yosemite with Katie and Brenda joining use a week later at Sonora Pass to finish the second half of the 152-mile section ending in Meeks Bay. This is all very exciting to think about but physically challenging to complete.

I have made additional summer commitments beyond the 152-mile hike following the weekend after our completion. They include but aren’t limited to hiking with my son, Cole, from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows including hiking Half Dome, and then the next week we are off to Alaska for salmon fishing and finishing with a half marathon in Anchorage. So, training can’t start soon enough for me. No one needs similar goals to find self-motivation to improve personnel fitness. Where ever you are and whatever your objectives are you can implement a training program to fit your needs or follow the one below. It is a simple comprehensive muscle building, core strengthening, endurance increasing workout plan. Take what you need and go for it!

Note: The section of the PCT we are doing has no elevation gains greater than 4000 feet. There are summits that will be challenging with our back packs weighing between 32-45 pounds.

Remember building all we need within us is a process over time….and we are what we eat. Eating healthy and drinking lots of water is important. Always have fun and respect your limits. Avoid injury by NOT doing too much too fast…. start somewhere but start slow if just beginning to train. A day of rest can do your body and mind wonders. To work out with tribe members is beneficial, motivational and keeps you accountable.

 

Training for a thru hike:

“The difference between a dream and a goal of a thru-hike: An action plan in place to gain momentum for the changes your body will need to achieve your dream while gaining the confidence you need to follow through.”   -BK

HINT: Make a commitment to the days per week for training and stick to it

Cardio and endurance is essential

-hiking steep and difficult trails for a minimum of 2 hours once a week (increase distance and time bi-weekly-gradually)

-challenging quick-paced cardio workout (running, treadmill, biking or stairs) with incline increasing over time for 1 hour a day

-engage in fitness class as an alternative for a shake-up to muscles 1 hour a week (swimming, abs of steel tape, Les Mils at a gym or boxing)

Core strength is imperative

-weight train 3 times weekly for a minimum of ½ and increase weight over time (do 2 to 3 sets of 15 repetitions of each exercise working arms, legs and core)

-yoga, TRK, good old calisthenics or swimming improves core strength (calisthenics: jumping jacks, wall sits, push up, abdominal crunches, chair set-ups, squats, side lunges, squat jacks, high knee shuffle, ski umps, chair tri-cep dips, plank, high knee running in place and mountain climbers to name a few that can be done in circuit form and done twice with 30 second rest between 1 minute of 13 exercises)

– stretching after a good hike or work out is the best time to stretch because you are warmed with blood flowing through your muscles. Basic stretching after each workout will decrease soreness and increase your range of motion

– Varying exercises with increase of time, incline, distance and weight improves stamina and overall benefits of training

Our tribe starts TODAY! We are starting with the stairs at McKale Center (@ U of Arizona their basketball stadium). We will run up and then down all of stairs for an hour -around and around we will go. We are trying to exercise be it hiking, walking, running or swimming 5 days a week with a long hike at least once a week. This Sunday we are doing Blackett’s in Sabino Canyon National Park which is a total of 8-miles, but the last leg of it is up 1.7 miles with a 1700-foot elevation gain. Tucson tends to have awesome winter weather making outdoor training easy and a multitude of diverse types of hiking trails to choose from. And the stadium stairs for not-so-good weather days. We will start adding weight to our backpacks and do a few shake-out overnights that will prepare our bodies to carry the weight of our packs on the 14-day journey.

Start today……. stick with it! You will only get better!

-Kat

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Looking in the direction I am headed… believing I CAN DO IT!