Any big plans for the evening?  Do you stay home and watch scary movies?  Pass out candy to trick-or-treaters?  Go to a costume party?  Skip it altogether?  Tonight we’ll be heading to the “Haunted Forest” being put on by our community after it gets dark.  One of the places I recently blogged about as a favorite hiking spot is being transformed into something that I imagine will be like a haunted house without walls.  I’m excited!  And a little scared… 

Today is a major recipe test day.  I have a ton of work to do in the kitchen.  (While I’m in there, one of the recipes finally on my list is some sort of Brussels sprout slaw, like the one in the Recipes to Inspire post.  I’ll let you know how it goes!) So I’ve got my clogs on, my iPod loaded and it’s time to get busy.

In the meantime, I had two internet items that I thought you might enjoy:

- Check out these ADORABLE ghost cupcakes at Let Them Eat Cake and Ice Cream.  I happened to see a photo of them on Foodgawker – makes me wish I was having a party so I could serve them tonight!  If only I’d seen them before a dinner I went to on Saturday, where I was to bring the dessert.  I brought almond butter blondies instead, but these would have been so MUCH more fun!

- I read this article yesterday about a chef who had to have his stomach removed, yet has continued on in the food world and is writing cookbooks!  What a great story!

Have a MARVELOUS Monday blog buds and a fun Halloween!

– Shari B. =)

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It’s that time again – time for some business travel, so I’ll be offline for the coming days!  I’ve had my extra dose of probiotics this morning and green juice (chock full of kale, lemon, ginger, parsley, cucumber and celery) so I feel ready to give any germs a swift one-two punch! 

On this particular trip, I’m very excited because I’ll be getting to make a stop along the way to spend a few hours with a FitFeat Friend!  Maybe I’ll be able to snap a few action shots to share.

In the meantime I thought I’d show you some pictures of my most recent trail visit for some exercise.  This one is just a few miles from my house in the ‘burbs but it feels like a completely different world.  I love that I can drive for 5 minutes, be this secluded and close to nature!

Pikes Peak waaaaayyyy off in the distance:

A little buddy at the trailhead:

Where you live to you have someplace you can get to that makes you feel like you’ve traveled far from home?  What’s your favorite “quick getaway” place for some exercise?

Have a FANTASTIC day friends!

– Shari B. =)

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If you’re a reader from the early days, you may remember that hiking is probably my all-time favorite type of exercise.  You get a heart-pounding cardio workout (especially if you run the downhills), you get strength work on your legs and core, and the muscles that stabilize your lower body joints get a lot of attention (especially the ankle joint) from the uneven terrain.  Best of all, it doesn’t feel like exercise when you have gorgeous scenery to admire.  So if you feel like you haven’t been as motivated lately to get out and move the ol’ bod, just plan a couple of hilly hikes and you’ll be able to “trick yourself” into exercising! 

We tried out a new hiking trail, this time in the foothills outside of Boulder.  And during the hike, it became apparent how the town of Boulder got its name…

The uphill portion of the hike (90 minutes) had my heart rate in the upper 170s most of the time with plenty of high step-up movements on to big rocks along the way.  Coming down (60 minutes) it was around 115.  Total change in elevation was about 2,400′.

Before 8:00 AM the trailhead parking lot was already full:

Gentlemen, start your engines… err… GPS watches!

An old lodge tucked in the trees along the way:

So much is green this time of year!

The upper portion of the trail got really steep – check out the trees as a vertical reference point:

Steep enough that we were doing a 29 minute mile pace!!  S-l-o-w

But slow going allows for great viewing!

At the “summit” of this hike (approx 8,159′):

On the top of the stack of rocks is a plaque that shows you which mountain peaks you can see from this amazing vantage point.

Unfortunately about 6 minutes before we hit the top, the clouds rolled in and this was our view from the plaque:

And of course the sun came out again on the way down!

That just gives us a reason to go back again soon though, which is OK by me!

So while the hike itself only ended up totalling 4.75 miles, the calorie expenditure was much higher (somewhere around 720 for me) from the uphill portion alone.  On the way down our legs started to get wobbly and we were making sloppy steps, so it was time to sit and share a Larabar.

And a touristy photo op. 

Are you convinced yet?  Hiking is a FABULOUS workout. If you live anywhere near some hills, I encourage you to get out this coming weekend.  Just promise you’ll share the pictures with us!

Random tip for GARMIN FORERUNNER users: if you find that your Garmin is charged but won’t power on, press and hold the MODE and RESET buttons simultaneously and then try the power button (while holding the other two still).  Release all three and it should come on just fine.  It took me two tries to get it going again and let me tell you, my heart sank when it wouldn’t power on at first.  I’d be lost without my Forerunner (quite possibly LITERALLY lost too!) 

Make it a GREAT and FIT day friends!

– Shari B. =)

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Wednesday started out with a pretty ho-hum leg workout.  I knew I’d be hiking (social-cizing) a few hours after the leg workout so I just wasn’t feeling like blasting my legs and then suffering through the hike. 

Weight Training (Legs, Light Shoulders):

• TM Warmup 5 minutes
• Ball Wall Squats 15 close feet, 15 middle feet, 15 wide feet
• ValSlide Rear Lunge 3 sets of 15 reps each leg
• Side Raise (shoulders) 4 sets of 15, 15, 10, 9
• Explosive Lunges 2 sets of 20 reps
• Overhead Shoulder Press 2 sets of 10 reps
• Quick Bench Pushups 2 sets of 10 reps

Rather than lazy I’ll call it “efficient”. 

Then it was time to fuel up for my hike.  I was in need of a 2nd cup of coffee for this one (have you guys tried the new Starbuck VIA instant coffee?  It’s fabulous!  While I’m a big fan of Starbucks lattes, I’m not a fan of their brewed java in-store.  But this VIA is really good!  It’ll be perfect for travelling and camping!)

With said VIA, I had two pieces of toasted Ezekial with raw almond butter and raw honey, with a side of 1/2 medjool date.  Dates are becoming my new favorite snack I think… oh so sweet! 

On the way to hiking I was bumming because I didn’t think I’d be able to see any pretty scenery, thanks to all this fog!

But the minute we crossed over the first ridge of the mountains, look at the blue sky that welcomed us!  Mister Hyde Weather please meet Jekyll!  Wahooo, sunshine and warmth!

There were a FEW aspen leaves left on the trees… most had already fallen.

I’m a happy girl when I’m hiking!

We planned on 6+ miles, but found that the online info of the trails was not as accurate as our GPS … according to our GPS we did 4.25 miles.  Regardless of the mileage, we had a BEAUTIFUL time!  I’m trying to savor any of these last few days that have any bit of warmth associated with them.  This weekend we are supposed to see 70 degrees again so I’m seriously doing the happy dance!

Speaking of mileage, I have to scoot out the door to meet up with a running buddy, so I’ll be back later to wrap up the recap of yesterday’s eats!

In the meantime, here’s a quick shot of my sprouting experiment.  I think I see a couple of baby sprouts!!! 

Have a great Thursday morning and I’ll see you all a bit later!

– Shari B. =)

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Hope you had a very nice weekend!  Mine was very relaxing due to the chilly weather … there was a lot of indoor lounging going on in my house Saturday and Sunday!  We did get out quite a bit too, but it was so nice each time to come home, get our “comfies” on and relax by the fire with some football on TV.

The 2.7 mile “social-cizing” session yesterday with my good friend Jen was great!  It was definitely cold out, but I bundled up in my down jacket, mittens, earband and new trail runners.  It was like hiking on little pillows.  Perfect!

Sunday eats were rather random, as they often are.  Mainly because we aren’t on any kind of regular schedule and we are usually running errands or out and about.

MSP made me a wonderful breakfast of cage-free eggs with Ezekial toast (and Earth Balance vegan ‘butter’).

On the side was a small glass of my BUBBLY but for some reason this one wasn’t!  (bubbly that is)  Which freaked me out a little… kombucha tea is made of live cultures.  If it’s not fizzy, does that mean the seal was broken?  Does that mean bad bacteria gets in with the good bacteria? Or do the good live bacteria go all rogue in there and end up bad for you?  AAAAACCCKKK!  So I had a few sips then just had to dump the rest because I was scared!  Additionally, I don’t think Mystic Mango is a flavor I’ll have again.  Odd, I know – seeing how I’m the MANGO-HOLIC.  I’ll stick with my go-tos:  Gingerberry and Divine Grape

During errands out I had a Lemon Larabar.  And a goodie from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (a dark chocolate dipped Oreo).  MSP had a milk chocolate dipped s’more.    Love our Sunday treats!

After the chilly chat session with Jen I came home to watch the remainder of the Broncos game with this plate of goodies:  kale chips, a big plop of hummus, baby carrots and baked pita chips.  Then I went back for seconds on the kale chips and have used up the whole batch I made Saturday.  I’ll have to make some more today!

When dinnertime rolled around I felt I was really lacking in greens for the day, so I made a supersized green smoothie.  This one had cucumber, kale, green leaf lettuce, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, celery, pepitas, half a banana and half a pear.  Plus about a tablespoon of hemp oil.

It made two huge glasses … and I couldn’t finish it all!  I got about halfway through the second glass and cried uncle.

I was apparently quite tired because I was out like a light at 8:30.  Which meant I woke up rested and ready for this morning’s workout:

Weight Training (Back/Traps):

• TM Warmup 5 minutes, followed by arm circles
• DB Rows 4 working sets of 12, 12, 12, 11 reps
• Upright Rows 4 working sets of 15, 11, 11, 11 reps
• DB Shrugs 3 working sets of 16, 15, 15 reps
• Lower Trap Pulls 3 working sets of 20, 15, 15 reps
• Rear Delt Flyes 3 sets of 15 reps
• Tricep Dips 3 sets of 12 reps
• Ball Crunches 3 sets of 20 reps

***

I have another crazy-long list of Monday To-Dos as usual, one of which may be to get started on my “sprouting experiment“.  I bought some cheesecloth yesterday and I have one glass jar set aside and want to try to sprout something.  I happen to have some millet on-hand and have heard that can be sprouted, so that might be my first try.

Do you do any of your own sprouting?  Have you had success?  Any tips you’d like to share with the FitFeat readers? Please drop a comment in the comments section!  We’d love to hear from you!

Also just another quick reminder that FitFeat will soon be going self-hosted, so the web address may change a bit.  I hope to ‘flip the switch’ this coming weekend but will plan to put out a post just prior to the move so you’ll know where to find me!

Thanks again for reading and commenting!  Have a great day and I’ll see ya tomorrow!

– Shari B. =)

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Hope you are enjoying a relaxing morning so far!  I am posting a little later than usual because I was definitely enjoying a lazy morning myself!  Enjoyed my cup of coffee with the book I’m currently reading, and then spent some time on the phone with a few family members. 

Yesterday was so full of things to do that it flew by way too fast!  I can’t even believe it’s Sunday already. 

Saturday’s exercise consisted of a SOCIALCIZING!!  (That means exercise while you socialize!  I know – I make up a lot of weird words!  Socialcizing, yardio, wogging…    Hey, whatever it takes to get you all moving and staying active, right?  But you have to admit that when you say you are going to do some yardio, you grin a little!  And we should always be happy that we are fortunate enough to have able-bodies, right?) 

So my Saturday SOCIALCIZING was a 5.61 mile hike/walk with a really good friend of mine and her awesome daughter.  We walked to the Bluffs, did a full loop, and then back.  Socialcizing is hands-down the best way to exercise:  with good friends and some chat time!  That’s today’s ready-made FitFeature:  make social time more about getting out in the fresh air than being based around lunch, dinner or drinks when you can.  I would guestimate that 85% of my “catching up with the girls” outings are built around some form of physical activity (hiking, running, walking, rollerblading.)  Not only is it a time-saver because you are combining two things you might normally do separately, but you are also saving MONEY and CALORIES! 

I started Saturday off with my “reading glasses” mug filled with my happy juice!    I was catching up on blog-reading, so I figured it called for this particular mug!

Before the walk with the girls, I powered up with an extra fruity blended GREEN GOODNESS!!  (I finally found where the text color button was hidden in WordPress!)  This one had 1/2 of a Colorado peach, about 1/4 of a leftover apple, a clementine, lots of romaine, a fist o’ spinach, sprouts and 1/2 an English cucumber.  Look at this blender full of vitamins and minerals:

Such a pretty green after:

Rascal goes crazy for my green drinks.  He hears the potato peeler as I peel my cucumbers and comes running to the kitchen for his cucmber treats.  He got a little taste of the final product this time (and while it looks like he’s going to drink out of my cup, I assure you I let him take a smell, then dipped my finger in to let him lick my finger!)  I think it’s funny that he loves veggies.  We don’t give our dogs ‘table scraps’ – but we do give them bites of veggies here and there and occasional fruit.  (FYI:  no grapes or raisins for your dogs!)

After the long exercise outing, I was ready to eat again (when am I NOT ready to eat, right?)  Early lunch was some leftover Veggie Lasagna from Friday’s dinner.  It was even BETTER reheated!  Ohhhh, so good!  Can’t wait to have some more today! (I’m giving you a side shot this time so you don’t get bored looking at my same foods!    )

Later in the afternoon I also had another get-together, this time with some wonderful ladies that I used to work with starting way back in 1995!  I love these women and am so glad to still be in touch with them after all these years!  We’ve vowed to get together at least every 6 months, so this was our second “Semi-Annual” event!  Lots of chatting was done by all and we probably could have gone another three hours without running out of topics.  It was a great time!  My eats are unpictured but I had a big glass of white wine, some ”Mary’s Gone Crackers” (wheat- and gluten-free) smeared with some herbed goat cheese, as well as some great whole wheat nacho chips with a spoon of DEEE-LISH-USH warm spicy queso.  Can’t wait till the next get-together, thanks ladies for a fab time!

I was feeling really tired when it was time for a late dinner.  It had been dark and rainy most of the day here, which really zaps my energy (I think I must run on solar power, because when the sun is taking a break I just don’t have the same zip!)  So I made a ‘lazy girl burger-n-fries dinner’ by popping a Gardenburger in the microwave, topped it with yellow tomato slices, some mustard and pepper and wrapped it in a “romaine bun”.  My ‘fries’ were red pepper strips. 

It didn’t QUITE fill me up, so I poured a snack-size bowl of Mom’s Best All-Natural cereal as a little dessert. 

Alrighty folks, time for me to get busy on this sunny Sunday! 

Drop me a comment:  do you socialcize?  Tell me about it! 

Have a fantastic day!  See you next time!

–Shari B. =)

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When I signed off yesterday I mentioned that we’d be heading toward Colorado Springs for a hike.  We chose Barr Trail which if you follow it all 13 miles you’d end up at the summit of Pikes Peak.  (No, we were NOT planning to tackle that today.)  But we Googled the trail last night and the few bits we read about it said that the first half on the way to the midpoint camp wasn’t too bad, that it gains 1400 feet in altitude across a 4 mile stretch, and a picture showed this fairly flat(ish) tree-covered trail.  Plus people run a marathon on this trail every year (13 up, 13 down) so we thought, “Let’s just do half of it, and go to the Barr Camp – can’t be THAT hard.”  We also thought “If our easy 4 mile run on Tuesdays has 500 feet of ascent, 1400 across 4 miles will be a piece of cake because we won’t even be running.”

Um, let’s just say we were in for a surprise. 

OK, first of all I may need to reread the aforementioned Google blurbs because we hiked 3000 feet UP today (not 1400 as stated in said article) during the first half of our hike which only totaled 7.67 miles roundtrip, so I don’t know what GPS that guy was using!  We only went halfway to the CAMP!  (But hey we can say we hiked over 25% of Pikes Peak today… hahaha!)  It was almost 1000 feet of ascent per mile.  I think we are more used to hikes that go up, hit a ridge, go down a minute, go up again.  This was up, up and more up.  Where were my beloved downhill portions?

This pic shows how far away the top of the 13 miles is (I think we were 3 miles in at this point.)  That is the tip top of Pikes Peak where the summit house is:

This shows me taking a quick water break.  Our car is parked somewhere down in that valley far far away that you see behind me. My expression says it all here:

My heart rate was at a constant 175 and it felt like we weren’t even moving!  Molasses going uphill moves faster than we were moving today.

People actually RUN this!?!?  (Click here for the proof.)  Are they crazy?  Do they carry oxygen tanks on their backs instead of water?  And I’m sorry, but they PAY a registration fee too?  Someone would have to pay ME to run this (and it would have to be a LOT!)  All kidding aside, I give major kudos to people who can do this.

So the moral of the story is:  I was handed my a$$ on a platter by Barr Trail today.   (But I still had an AWESOME time!)

Do you hike?  If so what kind of terrain?  Where is your fave trail? Drop me a comment!

Here are the EATS for this unusual day:

A fellow blogger I adore, The Fitnessista had her own recipe creation “the breakfast cookie” featured in Glamour’s “Vitamin G” fitness blog yesterday (very exciting!), so I told her I would have to try one.  You make it before you go to bed at night and when you wake up you have breakfast waiting in the fridge – which is great since we left the house super early this morning for the hike.  Ingredients included oats, mashed banana, raw almond butter, bit of rice protein powder, almond milk, and a few raisins.   She signs off her posts as G$ so I tried to use lite chocolate syrup to give her a shout out, but it comes out much faster than frosting and looks like a 2 year old wrote it…

It paired nicely with a cup of Kenyan Roast:

Mid-morning snack was an unpictured Coconut Cream Pie Larabar during the hike.  Coconut Cream Pie flavor is one I often use for energy before or during exercise.

After the hike, we were craving some mexican food for some reason, so we ended up at the 3 Margaritas in Monument, CO.  O..M..G… the Veggie Enchiladas were fanTAStic! I have to admit I was really surprised at how good this was!   I’ll definitely be getting them again.  Corn tortillas filled with chopped veggie mix (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, red pepper) and topped with a carrot puree!  I ate both enchiladas, but just had a few bites of the black beans and rice.

I had a green smoothie for a late afternoon snack around 4:15.

And dinner may or may not happen as I mentioned (I’m betting on NOT!)  If it does it will be a LAZY GIRL meal for sure, like a can of organic soup or something, because this bod is telling me to put it in PARK! 

I hope you all have had a fun-filled day!  Tomorrow’s FRIDAY!  And a holiday weekend!  Enjoy it!  See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

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