How to Fit in Fitness

Today I wanted to put together some quick and easy workout options that will fit into the busiest of schedules. The following resources and tips will help you keep plugging along on your fitness journey, even when time is short, and it's tempting to slack on the workouts for awhile. They are no-excuse and can be squeezed in during small breaks in the day or incorporated into your everyday routine. Anything is better than nothing when it comes to working out, and you'll feel amazing afterwards, promise. So get your butt off the couch and commit to your health and fitness for the next 30 minutes, then get on with your day feeling refreshed and energized!

• Complete a 30 Day Challenge - These challenges are all over the internet, and I would highly recommend giving one a try. They're so easy to make time for, and because they focus on specific areas of the body they produce results quickly. Being able to check off each day and feeling your body grow stronger is extremely motivating. Use one of these challenges to accomplish something you never thought your body was capable of, like 200 squats. My favorite challenges:

• 30 Day Squat Challenge by Popsugar (200 squats)
• 30 Day Push-Up Challenge -Popsugar (50 push-ups)
• 30 Day Plank Challenge - Tribesport (5 minute plank)

• Subscribe to Fitness YouTube Channels -  I enjoy fitness videos on YouTube because they are fairly short but intense enough to feel the burn, and best of all they're free. They have many of the benefits of going to a class, without the hassle or cost. You can also put a couple 5 minute videos focusing on different parts of the body together, and easily customize a full body workout. Check out these channels:

• XHIT Daily
• Blogilates
• Fitness Blender
• Yoga With Adriene

• Bike For Transportation - I have found that workouts that serve a dual purpose (ie cardio AND transportation) are easier to justify. You aren't just running in place on a treadmill, but running errands while also getting physical activity. Once something like biking becomes just the way you get to the grocery store it becomes second nature, something you don't have to think about or make yourself do. I just bought a road bike, and I'm already amazed how far I can travel without a car. 

These are just a few ideas of possible ideas for making fitness possible on a busy schedule. I would love to hear what you do to stay fit in the comments below!

Hiking | Lookout Mountain Loop

View from the drive.

The trail. Looks more like a ski slope but yep I hiked up that... in tennis shoes.

View from the summit.

View from dinner.

After a little hiking hiatus I'm back at it and it feels so good! This weekend took me up the Mount Hood area which I had yet to explore. If you are a regular hiker that finds yourself on the same trail again and again, I would highly encourage you to venture out. No matter where you live there's probably new terrain to cover and when you do you will see your home in a brand new light.

The hike is the Lookout Mountain Loop. It's about 2.5 miles and is considered easy. In all honestly, I would not recommend this hike this early in the year, and am planning to visit again in the summer. Especially after reading that wildflower grow thick along the trail in July and August. My own hiking experience was slightly different from this summery paradise as the trail, along with the dirt road up to the trail head, were entirely covered in snow. If you plan on visiting take a map or GPS because I found roads after the highway to be poorly marked, and reception limited (yes, I got lost). In addition, if you are visiting before June take a four wheel drive car just to be safe (yes, I almost got stuck). Needless to say it was a day full of unexpected adventures.

Despite all of these challenges the view from the summit was worth it. From the top you can see every major mountain in the area from Mount Rainier in Washington to the Three Sisters. Not to mention Mount Hood, which is of course prominent and absolutely breathtaking. The one bonus of attempting this hike in the snow was that the top was devoid other visitors, a sharp contrast to every hike I've taken in the Gorge. Nothing compares to being out in nature and being able to experience silence and stillness completely. To me there is nothing so refreshing or soul cleansing.

I hope that posts like this inspire you to find a hike in your area you find just as beautiful and surreal as I found this one. Or at the very least, to immerse yourself in nature for a day.

Yoga | Hip Openers

Today I thought I'd share one of the first yoga sequences I got hooked on right when I started practicing yoga, one I still go back to regularly. As I've mentioned a few times on this blog already, yoga has become an important and rewarding part of my fitness routine. It is the perfect combination of physical exertion and mental grounding. It brings my mind back to my body instead of the million other directions it has a tendency to shoot off to throughout the day, and makes me feel truly present and in the moment.

Hip-opening sequences like the one above, have a profoundly positive effect on my mood. While opening the hips is challenging, the work is worth the effort. It is said that negative emotions like stress and anxiety are stored in the hips, and there is definitely a release that comes with this practice in particular. It is also an excellent way to relieve back pain, especially tight muscles caused by sitting at a desk all day, or relief after an extra strenuous workout.

When I first tried this sequence out there were some poses that required what I viewed as an intimidating amount of flexibility. Skip the ones that seem too difficult for now, and remember to breathe through the more strenuous stretches. Be patient with your body, but also allow it to be challenged. Flexibility will improve. Now I can complete this video without a problem. Give this sequence a try and experience all the benefits yoga has to offer for yourself! 

Cascade Head Trail & Lincoln City

Lately I have truly begun to see the value in making the most of my weekends, and one of the best ways to do accomplish this is to go on a mini road trip. In my case this means an escape from the city to the coast! There is something amazingly comforting and therapeutic about gazing out into the ocean. It seems to put all my problems and stresses into perspective. I'm not sure if my fascination with the ocean stems from growing up in one of the most landlocked states imaginable(Colorado) or if it has this effect on everyone, but either way I have decided to take advantage of my new found proximity to the sea.

The day started with a hike along the Cascade Head Trail. We hiked to the lower viewpoint, about 4 moderately difficult miles round trip. It begins with a very steep incline up what feels like a flight of stairs built into the trail, but levels off fairly quickly. The landscape is wooded most of the way, and opens up to one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. The viewpoint is on the edge of a cliff, sloping all the way to the ocean. The feeling sitting atop that cliff, with the salty breeze in my hair, and the sound of waves far in the distance was energizing and refreshing. Luckily we chose the perfect day to go, one where the sky is clear and the scenery stretches on forever. 

The next stop was Lincoln City, a cute beach town right along the coast. One of the best features of the beaches here are the tide pools. The anemones, crabs, mussels, and other tiny sea life offer some free entertainment. Stopping at Mo's for some clam chowder is also a must, and it is how we ended the day.What is your favorite day-trip getaway?

Workout Motivation

Hello beautiful readers! Today I want to talk to you about my workout motivation. My personal fitness journey has been… I’ll go with inconsistent. Yet I've always been interested in running, and in the year after I graduated from college I began a regular exercise routine for the first time in my life. It consisted of a combination of running on the treadmill and aerobic YouTube videos. Nothing too extreme, but I was pleasantly surprised to find benefits to working out that I wasn’t expecting. 

Unfortunately, after moving to Portland I was swept up in a whole new world of “adult” life and responsibilities. Working out no longer seemed as important. I found it more difficult to fit into my daily routine, and I also learned that once that routine is broken it is really hard to get back. However, recently I’ve found my motivation again! I’ve purchased a gym membership which has helped me continue running, and I am also pursuing a new interest: yoga. Here, I want to share my top 5 reasons for working out, the things I remind myself of when I’m deciding between going to the gym and watching a Mad Men marathon.

1) Mood Boost

Working out regularly lifts my overall mood, and energizes me. I've been going to the gym directly after work and I walk in feeling sluggish from a long day sitting in front of the computer, and walk out feeling motivated to be productive with my evening. Honestly, sometimes just moving and stretching after sitting all day fells AMAZING and clears my head.

2) Stress Relief

It also is the absolute best way I have found to relieve stress. I can use my workout to channel my frustration into a productive activity, or forget about it for an hour. I have also had strangely relevant and helpful epiphanies while running. It somehow puts things into perspective and makes solutions more clear.

3) Feeling Proud of my Body

Here I'm not only talking about appearance (although let's be honest, toning up is a definite perk). I'm talking about knowing that my body is capable of accomplishing difficult challenges. It means I can go on a strenuous hike with my friends with the confidence that I can finish it out. It means I can challenge my body because I have worked to strengthen it, and that strength gives me pride in myself and my accomplishments. 

4) Confidence Boost

One of my favorite things about working out is setting and meeting fitness goals. For example, when I started working out I had a hard time running for five minutes (sad I know). But after a lot of work I can now run for 20 minutes, which considering my humble beginnings, is a little mind blowing for me. When I began working up to 20 minutes it seemed nearly impossible but I proved to myself that I could do it, and once I finally did I felt like I could do anything. That confidence motivates me to continue working out, and that attitude helps me conquer goals outside of the gym.

5) Skill Building

At this point in my fitness journey I have come to view working out as a hobby of sorts, one that just happens to improve my body, mind, and overall health. As I practice this "hobby" I begin learning about my body, and through that knowledge I begin building physical skills. I have especially noticed this aspect of working out when I started focusing on yoga. In yoga I have been building my flexibility and balance which I view as skills to hone and strengthen, just as I would any other. Feeling myself becoming more flexible, or being able to run faster and longer motivate me to push on.

I hope you now feel more motivated to get to the gym and benefit from everything working out can offer! I believe making the decision to be fit truly is the best decision you can make for yourself. What motivates you to stay in shape?

Hike to Tunnel Falls

"Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better." -Albert Einstein

Sometimes it's healthy to escape into nature for a little while. Take a couple friends, lots of water, some snacks, and set off into the forest. Explore, surround yourself in the beauty, the fresh air,  and the refreshing freedom that comes with getting out of cell service for a couple hours.

That's exactly what I did a couple of weeks ago when I went on a hike to Tunnel Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. It was a 12 mile hike round trip on the Eagle Creek Trail. I had this distance anxiously in mind as we started walking. Thankfully however, I soon found that the trail itself was fairly mellow, not too steep and very easy to follow.

This is Loowit Falls, one of at least 10 waterfalls we spotted along the way. Just one example of the unique and spectacular sights seen from the trail.

Halfway, at about the 3 mile mark is High Bridge. It is an appropriate name, as it sits 120 feet above Eagle Creek.

The scenery along the entire trail was amazing, parts of it on a ledge high above the valley below, others areas deep in the midst of towering trees.

And finally just before mile 6 was Tunnel Falls, a destination that made the whole trip for me. This waterfall is 175 feet tall and breathtaking. The trail leads you directly up to the falls, so close you can feel the mist of the rushing water, flying by just feet away from where you stand. But that's not all. A tunnel carved behind the falls leads you to the other side. The power of the waterfall, combined with the height of the trail caused a giddy exhilaration, the feeling that I had made it. It was so incredible it is hard to describe, all I can say is I'm glad I did it.