Fiber Fool

I don’t recall if I ever mentioned taking part in the Get Movin’ Challenge last August, but I took part and completed it successfully, along with DH. This year they’ve moved it to May so it started yesterday. If you live in CO I hope you’ll consider taking part. It is a good start to make activity a habit.

Don’t worry that it is the 2nd. You can still log your activity from yesterday (in fact, I just entered my activity from yesterday). The logging takes place via MapMyFitness. You can log via your computer or tablet as well as with apps for phones.

The challenge isn’t just for gym rats or super athletic people. In fact, it is to encourage people of all levels to be more active on a regular basis. All kinds of activities count! While I go to the gym pretty regular these days, I also walk a few miles most days get to/from bus stops etc. and that counts! So if you live in CO, I’d encourage you to give it a go. There are prizes for hitting a wide variety of days as well as random drawings. Plus, the social aspect via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and blog posts from the Ambassadors are a great way to get new ideas for moving more and to find encouragement and support.

I’m very excited to have been chosen as an Ambassador for this year’s challenge and hope you will join me! For more daily encouragement you can join me on Facebook at Sustainably Natural and Active.

I did something completely new to me this week. My fitness adventure on Saturday was to participate in National Trails Day. It is an initiative by the American Hiking Society and there are a plethora of activities that take place around the country. Here in Fort Collins, June 1st was the 5th event co-sponsored by REI Fort Collins, Larimer County Conservation Corps and the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department. The Fort Collins events are service oriented. The past several years they have done trail work at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area. This year, they tackled Soapstone Prairie.

If you’ve been around this blog for long you know I’m no stranger to Soapstone Prairie. While it is a bit of trek out of town, I love the wide open vistas and the rolling hills, not to mention the historical value of the area (it is home to the Lindenmeier archeological site). So, giving back to the natural area while burning calories, getting out and seeing people and filling a Saturday morning and early afternoon seemed liked a no-brainer.

I am so glad I participated in National Trails Day! I had no clue what kind of work I’d be in for but I figured at this stage in my fitness journey I was up for most anything. I also knew some of the 80 people participating would be kids so there had to be something at my ability level ;-) They split everyone up into 5 different adult groups. The majority of us worked on erosion control along the Cheyenne Rim Trail, the main trail off of the South parking lot. The 4 other small groups did a variety of activities, including putting in a culvert if I recall correctly.

I somehow ended up with 4 college kids who worked for REI and we rocked it. It took a bit for me to find where I fit in terms of the job duties, but I discovered I was good at shoveling and hauling gravel (even with a dilapidated wheelbarrow that liked to tip over on its rickety leg) and not so good at trying to break up the clay of the trail. Together we put in nearly 1/2 of the water bumps that were installed that day. Now, we did leave ours not quite finished and the kids followed behind and completed the covering and tamping. But dang my crew was great at putting in the trenches to sink the large rocks into and we got into a good rhythm of my putting in gravel under and around those rocks.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, as I worked with some of the people putting this together for nearly a year, but I was impressed with how organized it was. I also loved how well they set it up to work with kids. The kids crew was set up adjacent to the adults. The kids (those who were done) were taken back to the picnic shelter an hour ahead of everyone else to play some educational nature games with some of the Natural Area Master Naturalists before the lunch. Really a lot of the kids stuck it out and I was surprised.

Speaking of lunch, Backcountry Provisions, a sandwich shop in Old Town on College Ave donated all the sandwiches for our lunch that day. They were really good. I’m going to have to remember that as I’ve never eaten there before and they have a lot of more interesting sandwiches on their menu. They are also accustomed to packing up the goods to take with on hikes and have the hours to go along with that — opening at 7am!

It was definitely a productive day. I had dust up to my knees! I don’t know of a better measure. Well, other than how stiff I was at the end of Now You See Me that I went to with my friends Tam & Simmon that evening :-)

You can see all the photos taken by the Larimer County Conservation Corps or by me.

Have you ever participated in an activity like this before? What physical activity have you tried recently that was outside your normal routine?

(This is from my birthday last year, so mid-April 2011. I don’t have any newer “workout” photos. Looking at that, while I think I look pretty good, I can see some difference. Partly because those clothes are no longer compression wear and are baggy spandex on me. But I see a difference in shape and tone too.)

With Drew’s departure last Wednesday evening (yes, I survived the first week), my lack of any real strength training in 6 months since my club membership ran out, and the generosity of parents and grandparents on holidays and birthdays I rejoined Raintree Athletic Club last week.

There have been so many advantages to being back there:

• Strength training equipment of all varieties - medicine balls, resistance tubes, free weights, Star Trac machines and on and on.
• Pool! While I don’t often have terrible flares that would otherwise keep me from exercising, I do like to mix it up and get in the pool every now and then for some resistant cardio, but if I’m really achey it is especially nice. The steam room and sauna can be nice on occasion too, especially with allergy sinuses.
• Yoga classes - which not only help my body, but my brain as well. While I can do the yoga at home, for me classes are more meditative because I’m not having to concern myself with timing my positions (in Yin you hold the positions for 3-5 minutes so you really do have to time things unlike with a flow). I even took advantage of a couple workshops this past week - tennis ball massage and breathing into backbends.
• The free session with a nutritionist upon signing up. I didn’t learn anything new, but it was pointed out to me that I had slipped back into my habit of under eating. Since the bronchitis I just never really got hungry. But upping my food slowly over the week I noticed yesterday that I did get hungry. Still with a longer time span than ideal, but it is progress. A small sign that my metabolism is ramping back up
• The free session with the personal trainer. My session with Tracy this time around was amazing. She was my preferred water aerobics instructor last time around so she had a feel for my fitness level to a certain degree and we already had a rapport. But most importantly, she called me the night before to confirm the appointment and find out what I was looking for in my session so she could prepare ahead of time. Since I already knew how to run the basic equipment - treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes and the Star Tracs I asked to learn more about proper form on the rowing machine and for some non-Star Trac strengthening. She delivered! My arms and core are declaring it a rest day today.
• Even if I don’t really interact with anyone while working out the staff always says hello and goodbye with a smile and I’m surrounded by people. Sometimes that is all I need to chase away the loneliness.
• If you had asked me before I rejoined if people would remember me upon my return I would have told you that the instructors from the three classes I took most frequently would likely but no one else. But my previous personal trainer did as did a handful of people from the yoga classes that I hadn’t been to since my stint in working full-time outside of the home, so over a year ago. And while progress this past year has been so slow I almost don’t notice it, several of these people were astounded, which is always a nice boost for the self confidence.

I have had an issue with rejoining though — taking my time and wading in! I just want to jump in and try every class that is different since the last time and do this and do that. It has been difficult to keep myself reigned in. As it is, I think I’m teetering on the edge of over training again between my low caloric intake, having been not exercising beyond walking in over 6 weeks and the yard & garden work on top of the workouts. So today, I am really going to listen to and trust my body and have a rest day. I just have to keep telling myself that the classes will still be there next week and next month. None of the ones I’m most interested in are flagged as low participation so I should be good.

Are you a member of a club or YMCA? What are you favorite classes or pieces of equipment?

If you don’t have a membership, how do you strength train at home? Do you have some equipment? The only thing I really did was run when my club membership ran out. Occasionally I’d throw in some traditional crunches, pushups and planks but I was bad about doing it regularly. For equipment, all I had was a 2 pound and a 5 pound dumbbell from a stint of PT for my shoulder - yes, only one each :-/

1. CatEye Loop Rear Light ($11.77, Amazon); it has an adjsutable bungee attchment system so I can attach it to my cargo on my bike as needed or in this case to the back side of my headlamp for added running safety. DH attaches it to his backpack for when he is walking to/from the bus stop in the dark now that the nights are getting longer.

2. Black Diamond Gizmo Headlamp ($19.95, REI); a relatively simple, low-end headlamp that increases my visability while filling in the shadows of my running route where trees block the streetlights.

3. Tek Gear Raglan Performance Tee ($30, currently on sale for $18, Kohl’s); just your basic long sleeve running tee with moisture wicking and flatlock seams.

4. Active by Old Navy Compression Pants ($30 regular price, sadly no longer available); for affordable running tights, these are awesome with good reflective detailing, zippered bottoms for a nice snug fit but easy on and off, back waist zippered key pocket and while still available were not too hard to get for $15 a pair which is a steal for compression. They do have breathable mesh at the back knees which is making them a tad on the cool side now that running time temps are around freezing.

5. Brooks Ghost 5 Running Shoes ($110); a gel cushioned neutral running shoe that got top reviews from various running publications this year. Weird insole issues with my first pair aside, these felt like a natural extension of my foot, I knew they were it as soon as I put them on.

6. REI Winterflyte Jacket ($99.50, but used my member coupon); I tried to go cheaper, but I wanted thumbholes and a phone/headphone compatible pocket and reflective details in addition to warmth and some protection from the elements and this fit that bill.

7. Manzella Sprint Tech Tip Running Gloves ($20, REI); light weight gloves so they don’t get too hot once I get going, with tech-friendly fingertips so I can run my iPhone and fleece on the thumbs for controling the cold morning nose run!

8. Tuneband ($21.99, Amazon); I don’t always use this now that I have the jacket with a media pocket, but this band takes my phone without having to remove it’s hard case which is nice. I do suspect there may be a better option out there, but I not a fan of the plastic sheets over the screen - especially when combined with tech gloves.

Now that we’re into mid-October and I get up to run around 5am my runs are chilly and to some extent dangerous since it is well before the 7:15 am sunrise. So warmth and visibility are top concerns in choosing my running gear. I also still need to be careful about skin management so compression where possible, moisture wicking and flat-lock seams are key features too. But I try to be as thrifty as I can get away with without compromising on these concerns.

This is my current typical uniform, plus an old commercial hat I don’t much care about so sweat on it doesn’t concern me. I do on the colder mornings also add my Faux-Pidge (aka Fidge) around my neck/shoulders to keep their angriness at bay (warm is key to keeping those muscles more relaxed for me). It works great! I could use an earband or low-profile hat to add, but they aren’t essential purchases right now (that doesn’t stop me from looking whenever I’m somewhere that carries such things though, LOL).

What are your outdoor exercise essentials for colder weather? I’d love to hear what you wear for cold weather running, walking, biking, snowshoeing or cross country skiing!

Wow, what a week it has been. I’m not sure if it is the heat or the smoke or the solstice or what, but people have been extremely rude! One day this week I had been called almost every bad name you can think of, all before 10:30am! Yesterday afternoon I had a woman use the F-bomb no less than 12 times in a 5 minute span, along with many other instances of equally offensive language. Unlike most callers, she did realize she was rude and aplogized before she slammed down the phone. But dang, I am ready for this week to be over. In none of those cases was I in a position to do anything about what they were cussing at me for. *sigh*

So, onto happier things - I did go on the hiking program last Saturday and it was fantastic! Soapstone Prairie is an Natural Area owned by the City of Fort Collins which shares borders with Larimer County’s Red Mountain Open Space and Cheyenne’s Big Hole Open Space. It is located roughly 30 miles north of Fort Collins. Soapstone contains the Lindenmeier archeological site famous for its Folsom culture campsite. What was unique about this particular program at Soapstone was that we were allowed to wander off the trail at points to get a closer look at some of the homesteads on the property.

The Master Naturalist volunteer who lead our group, Brian Carroll, was a great storyteller and very knowledgeable about homesteading practices of the time (late 1800’s and early 1900’s) in this area. He and one of the NA employees are digging deeper into the history of the homesteads that were on the property and are unearthing many different tidbits. Of course, as is the case with puzzling out the history there are some more questions being raised and some conflicting information. It was all quite fascinating though - marriages, divorces, moves into Fort Collins, affairs and all manner of events not that different from today.

We hiked about 3 miles, much of which was on-trail to what is currently being called the “Lindenmeier Homestead” but some new information is making it sound like maybe the Lindenmeiers never lived in that particular building. We had some visitors keeping us company for our lunch too! Portions of Soapstone are still leased out to area ranchers for grazing.

One view of the homestead.

Parts are still standing.

Near by is a naturally fed spring. It has been so hot and dry that you can easily see where it flows! Looking for such things are always a clue to finding evidence of prior habitation! This particular spring also had the remains of an aquaduct very nearby, though that was no longer being used to bring water to the stock tank near by.

While I had my doubts about the weather when we were setting out on the hike, it ended up being just about perfect. The air was free of smoke. The temperatures were moderate and the sun very quickly came out. It wasn’t a bad way to spend a weekend day burning some calories and learning some local history. They’ll be repeating the program again in the fall and I’d definitely recommend it to any locals.

If you want to see more photos from the day, I’ve put up a set on Flickr. Though I haven’t yet gone through and appropriately captioned everything yet. If you have questions about any of them, feel free to comment!

With the forecasted temperatures this weekend and the rudeness of people I’ve dealt with this week I think I’ll be hibernating at home aside from the required weekly grocery jaunt. Hopefully I’ll be in the basement, perhaps in front of the sewing machine! What are your plans for the weekend?