Urban Adventure

This week, BFF and I decided to try something new in order to squeeze some fresh air and exercise into our schedules.

The plan was this : she would walk from her office, I  would walk from home, we'd meet up at a halfway point and finish the walk home together. The total walk would be approximately 3.5 miles. Easy peasy!

The first part of the walk was filled with streets, sidewalks, cars, and office buildings. Nothing relaxing about that but at least we were soaking up some sunshine!

We chose to take the scenic route home and cut through a large city park. Nothing like a nice nature walk to clear the mind after a crazy day of work. We could have done without the mosquitoes! Yuck!

It was a pleasant surprise to find some cool urban art on the park trail. BFF couldn't resist taking pictures of the colorful displays. It felt like we had discovered some modern hieroglyphs.

I was fascinated at how nature was beginning to reclaim it's place in the city. I imagined that, if left alone, the concrete terraces and bridges would be overgrown with vegetation and wildlife in a few years. I kinda like that idea.

It was a great time and we are both looking forward to our next urban adventure. You never know what you can find in your own neighborhood!

Happy Trails!

Valeka 

                                     

Until the New Year...

It's been a while since I've posted anything new on Running On Heavy and for that, I apologize. I am going to take the next few weeks to regroup, revitalize and renew myself which will trickle down to my blog.

I hope to be back in January with some new and fun things for you all to read!

Thank you so much for following my little blog. I appreciate you all so very much!!

Hugs!

Valeka

No Excuses

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion.” – Muhammad Ali


"Transformation is not five minutes from now; it's a present activity. In this moment you can make a different choice, and it's these small choices and successes that build up over time to help cultivate a healthy self-image and self esteem." - Jillian Michaels


Many of us have desk jobs and for the most part, that's a good thing because we don't have to work outdoors in harsh elements on a daily basis.  But it does mean that our activity levels are not what they should be.  

My life has been pretty hectic for the past month or so.  I'm spending a lot more time writing and that means, more sitting.  No one gets healthier from sitting all day so I have a few ideas on how to give your tush a break from the chair.  I've tried all of these and they have helped me to get in some activity when I absolutely have to work on my computer.  These can all be done in short 5 minute bursts throughout your day or during your lunch break.  And taking a 5 minutes to do this for yourself is MUCH better than using the same minutes to visit the fridge for a scoop of ice cream!  
I have a couple of yoga apps on my Iphone that get me moving but my favorite one is Simply Yoga.  It gives the option to choose a 20, 40 or 60 minute work out.  The app has videos that demonstrate the poses to be used for the routine you have selected.  I'm no expert but it has helped improve my balance and flexibility.  Looking down the road, better balance will help me when I start trail running in the fall.

I've also taken up what I call "commercial break work outs."  These are usually a series of various old-school exercises like jumping jacks, squats, planks, crunches, lunges, calf raises and push ups.  This is very effective!  You would be amazed at how much you can get done during a 3 minute commercial break!  And speaking of "old-school", I found a jump rope in my closet a few weeks ago.  I may need to bust that out for some quick cardio!     

Another thing that I do is run "laps" out in the breezeway in front of my apartment.  I like to take Big Baby along when I do this.  It gets us outside for a few minutes and makes us both pretty happy!

So, there ya have it!  A few ideas that are easy, effective and, best of all, CHEAP or FREE!  All you have to do is invest a few minutes of your time to make them work for you.  You (and I) have no excuse to not get in some exercise when it really is pretty easy to fit into even the most fast-paced day!

Happy Trails!
Valeka