Make Nature Your New Health Club

Now that the sun is shining and the temperature is warming up, try ditching the four walls of the gym and use nature as a training ground.  It’s tough to hit the gym when the beautiful sunshine beckons us to step outside and enjoy the countryside.  So give in and reap the benefits!  Although working out inside has plenty of benefits, exercising outside can improve energy levels and decrease stress to a greater extent, as well as give us a better workout. 

Since walking is such a popular pastime, turn it into hiking.  In other words, walk on a nearby nature trail in a forest preserve, state park or mountainside.  Start with an hour walk (30 minutes one way, then come back) and work up from there.  You can cover close to 4 miles in a good hour walk.  Many nature trails have mileage markers, but if they don’t, use the health app on your Smartphone to keep track of mileage.  It records walking/running distance and resets daily.  (It’s the app with the little red heart that comes with your phone.)  Prefer biking?  Most forest preserves have biking trails as well as hiking trails.  Personally, I like mixing it up and doing both!    

Hands down, I prefer hiking or biking for 2-3 hours over an hour on the elliptical any day!  This week, I took advantage of the first decent day and did a morning hike with my workout buddy on a forest preserve trail and an afternoon hike with my daughter and grandson Dominic on nature trails at a beautiful national historic landmark.  If you're a parent or grandparent take baby with you.  The babies love taking in all of the new sights and sounds of nature.  Breathing in fresh air is as good for them as it is for us.  We put Dominic in his all-terrain B.O.B. jogging stroller and hiked the beautiful nature trails of The Grove.  The trails are unpaved and the B.O.B. performed perfectly.   A hike can also turn into an educational trip for the kiddies - we got an added bonus of visiting the nature center and Dominic got to see snakes, fish, birds and even wild turkeys walking around on the grounds.     

So what are the big advantages of outdoor workouts?  

• The body works harder.  Varied terrain makes the body move in varied, more complex ways, engaging the core.  Mother Nature’s form of resistance (wind, temperature, etc) also makes the body burn more calories.  Comparatively, biking will use more energy than hiking.  
• We exercise longer outside.  You’ll be surprised how time travels when you are not in the gym.  Changing our routine, seeing new faces, taking in wildlife and flora help combat boredom.  
• Breathing in fresh air makes the body release feel-good endorphins, increasing energy and positive thinking.  
• Hiking and biking are multi-generational.  Not only are they popular with all generations but they are also fun, safe and easy for seniors to accomplish.  
• No schedule.  As long as the trails are open, we can work out whenever we want.  
• Outdoor workouts are FREE!  We don’t have to pay a gym membership and the equipment is easy - get a good pair of shoes, appropriate clothing and a water bottle.  If you are biking, get a decent hybrid and a good helmet.  

For Good

Do you ever reflect upon how the people in your life have changed you?  A week ago, I lost a dear friend, Laura.  As a tribute to Laura, her BFF, Cindy, shared with us a beautiful song from Wicked, “For Good”.  “For Good” is about people coming into your life and making you a better person, changing you “For Good”.  Sometimes they come into your life and stay for many years or maybe they just stay a short time.   Either way, some people who are a part of your life rewrite your life story and make it better.  

As I listened to this song and read the lyrics through tears, I thought about the MANY ways that Laura made me a better person during our friendship, how she changed me “for good”.  Laura was an extremely kind person.  She treated everyone with dignity, respect and pure kindness.  Laura was very dedicated to her family and loved them more than life.  She had a husband and three children and made their home a sanctuary of love and acceptance.  When you walked into their home, you could feel the warmth of love.  My friend also had a great sense of humor.  There were four of us girls, including Laura, that liked to spend a lot of time together.   We seemed to find everything funny.  We could just look at each other and start laughing, knowing what the others were thinking.  I can't count the number of times one of us texted the other 3 with "I need a girls night!"  Laura’s kindness, dedication, love, and sense of humor all made me a better person.  She changed me “for good”.  Most of all, Laura’s positive mental attitude, her selflessness and compassion for others, even through all of her suffering, made me a better person.  She made everyone she touched a better person.   

I hope that I can honor my friend and her gift of friendship by paying it forward.  I hope that my presence in the lives of others will change them “for good”.  I hope that I can give the gifts of kindness, love, dedication, selflessness and compassion that Laura gave me to the people in my life.    

Are the people in your life better…just because they knew you?      

Fun Things to See Traveling Phoenix to Sedona

So excited this year for our Girls Getaway to Sedona.  Since I was already in AZ, I took a drive to Sedona to take a look at the Spa Resort we had chosen for our trip and have lunch at one of the many restaurants in the beautiful city.  In the 25 years I have been going to AZ, I have never made the two hour trip to Sedona.  Now I am wondering, “What took me so long?”

There’s nothing better than a great American road trip (especially when it’s only 2 hours) to soak in our nation’s majestic beauty.  The thing I am NOT a fan of is driving out of my way (even the tiniest bit) to see things like the The World’s Biggest Ball of Paint (Indiana), The Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue (Georgia), or some other weird roadside attraction.  But our journey from Phoenix to Sedona involved stops definitely worth chatting about.  The drive is very pretty to say the least, but also very unique.  Traveling from the desert floor to the top of the plateau, from an elevation of 1000’ to 4300’, is incredibly scenic and the 115 mile trek from Phoenix to Sedona has plenty of optional detours worth consideration:

• Anthem Veterans Memorial:  This memorial, right off I-17 in Anthem, AZ consists of five pillars honoring the sacrifice and service of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.  Every year on November 11 (Veterans Day) at 11:11 a.m., the sun’s rays pass through the ellipses of the five pillars to form a perfect solar spotlight over a mosaic of The Great Seal of the United States.  If you are near Anthem, AZ on Veterans Day or any other day, it’s a must-see.                                        

• Montezuma Castle:  Montezuma Castle National Monument is also right off of I-17 just south of the Sedona exit.  It’s a great little historical “field trip” and if you have grandkids with you, they can see the Indian cliff dwellings that they study about in their social studies classes.   Montezuma Well is located off the exit north of Montezuma Castle.  Montezuma Well is also worth a look-see but the hike from parking is slightly longer and tougher than Montezuma Castle.  

• Jerome:  We drove up to this old copper mining town (more than 5,000’ elevation) to see “America’s Most Vertical City”.  It’s also supposed to be haunted, pegged as the “Largest Ghost Town in America”.  If you have some time, stay at one of the Inns, shop, visit the winery, see a silent movie and go on a haunted tour.  If you don’t have time to stay overnight, drive up and see all of the houses built into the mountains and take advantage of a great view of the Verde Valley.  

Baseball, Hiking, Biking and Hot Yoga

A lot of snowbirds flock to AZ during the first 3 months of the calendar year.  My favorite month in AZ is March.  Spring Training for 15 different Major League Baseball teams in the Phoenix area is a definite benefit.  10 different stadiums in a tight radius surrounding the beautiful Valley of the Sun guarantees  your pick of 8-10 different games a day from late February to late March.  I do like to watch our two Chicago teams - the Cubs at Sloan Park and White Sox at Camelback Ranch - but you don’t have to be a baseball fanatic to enjoy March in AZ.  

With the beautiful March weather and SO many options of outdoor activities, spending my first retired March in AZ was a no-brainer.  One of the first things I did after arriving was to call my good friend from college, Mary, fitness guru extraordinaire.  She always has a new extreme workout idea for me to try and this time was no different.  I did have one request - I wanted to go hiking.  

Mary lives in beautiful Scottsdale and is familiar with dozens of hiking and biking trails in the beautiful mountains.  The first activity she chose for us was a two and a half hour hike through part of Thompson Peak followed by an hour of Hot Yoga.  Although I have taken many Yoga classes, I have never tried Hot Yoga.  It was definitely worth a try.  

At mid 70’s, the weather for our hike was perfect and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking!  We hiked the beautiful trails using the Gateway Trailhead access point in Scottsdale.  If you decide to try hiking, make sure you have good shoes (I did fine with my Nike Free Trainers) and a hydration backpack.  Water is vital and the hydration backpack is light and easy to carry.  If you are in AZ, I highly recommend hiking.  Don't worry about your fitness level.  If you can walk, you can hike.  You will love it!

Hot Yoga - Wow!   I have practiced plenty of Yoga in the past, but this was my first Hot Yoga class.  They are not kidding about the heat!  It definitely warms up your muscles so you can hit your poses easier and gives you a better cardio workout, burning a lot of calories.  The great thing about Hot Yoga, like any other yoga class, is that you work at your own pace and comfort level without judgement.  Listen to your body and if it tells you to lie down and take a break, that’s exactly what you do.  Mary put me by the door, which the instructor opened on occasion, allowing us to cool off sporadically.  I confess, I had to take quite a few breaks but even lying on my yoga mat during the breaks, listening to the instructor's voice was relaxing and had its benefits.  I will definitely return to hot yoga at True Hot Yoga in Scottsdale, but this time not after a hike since I'm a newbie.  It is vital to be well hydrated before you go.  Loved the instructor and staff! 

After our hike and hot yoga, we had a healthy bite to eat at Mad Greens.  Everything at Mad Greens is made fresh, in-house from scratch.    All ingredients are locally-sourced and organic.  It was yummy!       

I was happy with no soreness from the hike (thanks to the Hot Yoga) so we went on a bike ride the next day.  Our bike ride took us through Frank Lloyd Wright’s beautiful “Taliesin West”.  We were able to take in the stunning landscape along our ride to the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.  To see the house, you need to schedule a tour, a definite to-do while in the Phoenix area.