Have Media Will Travel

A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.

Fitness

Shelli: 1; Krispy Kremes: 0

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This is POST 27 of my “fitness journey.” For backstory, see Post 1,
Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, and Post 17,Post 18, Post 19,Post 20,Post 21, Post 22,Post 23, and Post 24, Post 25, and Post 26.

Fighting the temptation. It's hard!

First off, to those of you who regularly follow my fitness blogging, thank you for your support and readership! I appreciate it. You help me in my fitness journey.

I’ve lost 28 pounds and a quite a bit of fat in the last 14 months. I have never felt better than I do right now as a direct result of weighing less and being healthier.

I’ve tasted the Koolaid, so to speak, and I’m not going back. Or, model Kate Moss said (and was criticized for): “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”

I’m not skinny, and not trying to be. I’d rather have muscles and be able wrestle our three sons and do “epic” adventures. These things require more than skin and bones; they require a strong frame.

Still, I think about what Kate Moss says a lot. Like, for example, recently, when there were two cartons of Krispy Kremes at our house. (We bought the donuts to support a local fundraiser).

The “filter” my coach and friend Steve Bechtel, of Elemental Training Center, instructs me to apply to such food decisions, is “Will eating this bring me closer to my goal or take me further from it?” Unless I’m training for a donut-eating contest or an episode of the yet-to-be-produced The Biggest Gainer, that usually does the trick for me. But if and when it doesn’t do the trick, I recall the quote by Kate Moss.

Donuts and similar foods are yummy — that’s why we fall off the wagon and consume them — but their benefits (of tasting so good) are pretty short-lived. In fact, most often, the enjoyment passes as soon I’ve snarfed the last crumb. You can only make a brownie last so long… And yet the negative impacts continue long after the snarfing is over. I often feel sluggish from the temporary sugar high, which quickly leads to a bit of a crash and energy suck, not to mention I am not happy with myself for eating something that I know has no nutritional value.

So, think about this the next time you reach for the chips at a barbecue. Maybe grab some baby carrots instead. Just sayin’.

Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, Sophie Mosemann and Lee Brown.

My Personal Trainer Shares His Knowledge

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This is POST 26 of my “fitness journey.” For backstory, see Post 1,
Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, Post 17,Post 18, Post 19,Post 20,Post 21, Post 22,Post 23, Post 24 and Post 25.

Those of you who have been following my fitness journey know that a little over a year ago I enlisted the help of a personal trainer, Steve Bechtel, of Elemental Training Center.

The work has been hard, but the results have been staggering. As a result, I’m convinced of the value a personal trainer can add to a person’s health and life.

Here’s part one of eight video clips I recorded during a recent interview with Steve. In this first video clip, among other things, Steve talks about the difference between “exercise” and “training.” He shares many insights. I encourage you to follow the entire interview on my HaveMedia YouTube channel.

Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, Sophie Mosemann and Lee Brown.

Running “The Bus” Trail above Lander, WY

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It’s spring in Wyoming. Which means there is snow still falling. As I write this today (May 11), we’re getting pounded with snow. The forecast calls for up to 20 inches of snow in our foothills. Boo hoo! I know, the optimist would say we need the moisture, and everything will be so green come summer. And of course I agree, but it sure puts a damper on my trail running and training for my upcoming 50-k event in Lake Tahoe.

Here is a short video clip I captured during a recent run on a trail above Lander, WY, called The Bus. It is beautiful scenery, particularly when blanketed by snow. But still, about the snow: waaaaa!

Next Up: 50-Kilometer Trail Run

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This is POST 25 of my “fitness journey.” For backstory, see Post 1,
Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, and Post 17,Post 18, Post 19,Post 20,Post 21, Post 22,Post 23, and Post 24.
Howdy! It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a fitness update. Let me try to catch you up. Right now I’m training for the Lake Tahoe 50-kilometer trail run on July 17. I’ve done 50ks and trail marathons before, including an attempt at a 50-miler. But, it’s been a while since I ran. :>

Running again.

So this next phase of my training is focused on incorporating running into my training, as well as ramping up my endurance. Currently, I’m doing two days a week of foundation/strength work with coach, Steve Bechtel, of Elemental Training Center. I’m also doing high intensity workouts 2-3 times a week (running hill intervals or doing intervals and tempo work on the elliptical trainer or stepmill), and also fitting in some short trail runs or bike rides during the week if the opportunity presents itself. Then, during one weekend day, I’m spending 3-6 hours trailrunning, hiking, cycling or some combination of these.

One of the things I love most about training for an endurance event is the journey — the scenery I get to experience in my back yard, the foothills and peaks of Wyoming’s southern Wind River Range.

Scenes from my training:

Running on a dirt road above Sinks Canyon State Park, near my hometown of Lander, WY.
Many of the trails I run are still covered in snow. This hill is at about 7,500' elevation and this was on April 30.
A view of the big country in my back yard. If you look closely, you'll see a tiny speck at left. That's my friend, Kathy Browning.
Running with a friend, Holly, and her dog, Milo, in the Twin Creek area of our back yard.

In addition to the many miles I look forward to logging in our Wind River Range foothills and high country, and the Tahoe 50k event, I plan to pedal my road bike 100 miles during the Fremont Area Recreation Tour (FART), and also do the 28-mile Logan Peak Trail Run. I might also mention I hope to keep the weight off, possibly even lose a little more, but only if I can sustain the level of training necessary to complete all of the above. We’ll see how that goes. I will keep you posted here.

Thanks for your continued readership and support. I appreciate it very much!

Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, Sophie Mosemann and Lee Brown.