So little to do and so much time!...Wait, scratch that...reverse it...

I have found myself in a pickle, and I don't mean literally of course, because that would be very odd and just a pinch uncomfortable, but I digress.

I have taken up a class in Fort Collins, which is an hour commute to get to, but is an amazing networking opportunity and holds some potential career options. 

Meanwhile, work is picking up and I'm getting more hours, and I still have a two days a month obligation to volunteer in Keenesburg, yet another hour's drive.

This leaves me with 8 day work/class/volunteer weeks that don't exactly give me a lot of free time. Not to mention I'd been feeling tired a lot before this hectic schedule even began, and once it did start I got a sudden case of vertigo that didn't go away until I slept it off that night. It was weird, came on very suddenly, and left me unable to move without feeling nauseous. 

So while I still want to work in more exercise into my insane schedule, I also have to not push myself too hard. 

So I'm trying to at the very least drink more water, reduce some junk food and if I'm tired after work/class/volunteering, to go ahead and be lazy and NOT push myself.

That's my spiel for now, sorry I don't have any good pictures to add to this.

For everyone else trying to find a fitness schedule that works for them, good luck! It's harder than I'd like it to be!

Another day, another hike!

After work I ventured off for another hike. The place I really wanted to hike was still closed from the flood, and I suspect the parking lot and other parts have been washed out. 

So, I ventured to Rabbit Mountain (formerly Rattle Snake Mountain, and for good reason, unlike the mountain in Maine with the same name) and took a different path then my usual. (Saying usual here is a stretch, I've only been to Rabbit Mountain 2 times before).

However, I was longing to be somewhere that had trees overhead, and while the park I wanted to go to was thick with tall ponderosa pines, Rabbit Mountain has fewer trees unless you walk for a mile or two. Even then, it's not like the forests of Maine, but still pleasant.

I had only meant to walk for a half hour, but I ended up walking for an hour instead, as once I got started I became too curious where the path lead and had a hard time turning around.

Look! TREES! Oh, boy.

Golden Eagles. I watched one land and catch a rabbit

So it's been roughly a week since I've officially started! Hurray!

It was another very windy day.

Establishing a habit and dehydrated fruit!

After my two days of failure to do anything healthy, I vowed Sunday after I worked 8 hours and went to a cookout that I would get some exercise before bed.

I was able to do this, though exhausted, I did about 15 minutes of crunches and pushups before I crawled into bed. It wasn't the half hour of exercise I was hoping for, but it's better than nothing at all, and Monday and Tuesday were about the same amount.

What matters most to me is not having a zero day, and establishing a pattern. I'm working on not exercising right before bed, because that means I'm already tired and less determined to get a good workout.

As this habit is established, I'm hoping to increase the time I spend on it from 15 to 30 minutes, maybe more depending on the stress I need to work off or how energized I am that day.Going longer than planned is certainly not a bad thing.

Yesterday I went for a hike after a job interview, it took me about an hour and it was a good climb, only 2.8 miles but enough to leave me winded.

Mule deer

The town below was my starting point. I got a bit higher than this

Now onto the subject of food. I have a dehydrator, and it's perfect for me because I love chewy foods!

So when I pack for lunch, I often include both fresh fruit, and dehydrated fruit!

Mmmm, Fresh fruit!

For those of you who have a dehydrator, I've found that the best fruit leather is applesauce!

Just slather it on a fruit leather tray, get it as flat and even as you can, and let it go for about 6-8 hours.

Plain old applesauce!

I also love using peach or strawberry applesauce!

There are lots of good fruits to dehydrate, my personal favorites being bananas, kiwi, mango and strawberries! 

We eat a lot of banana chips, and they get their own jar. Since I moved into my house in July, the jar has never been empty. Here I am below with the very nearly empty jar.

Yes, I took a sad selfie with a banana chip jar. See how much I care.

Attack of the couch

I start this new entry with bad news. I already broke my pattern, and failed to do any sort of exercise the past two days.

I MEANT to go for a walk after work, but I had errands to run and hurried home, and was too tired to do anything when bedtime rolled around. Saturday was much the same, and I have no real excuses.

However, failure is not the same as defeat, and I am just as determined as ever. I wrote up a "battle plan" based on my current work schedule, that includes cardio and strength training, with one day reserved for doing something I don't normally get to do, like biking, hiking or kayaking. That way I have a fun day to look forward to.

Today right after work I have a barbecue to go to, and I hope to have enough energy at the end of the day to do some push ups and crunches before bed.

Even if it's not much, I really must try to do SOMETHING before bed.

The good news in hitting a rut on the second day is that I can learn from this, and I would hate to have to post another blog post about how I allowed myself to fall off track.

I will keep track of my failures, and do my best to understand why they happened so I can avoid repeating them.

Day two, confronting my first hurdles.

Yesterday I went for a brisk walk after work. I had hoped to some degree I could get myself to run, but something in my head restrained me from moving faster than a power walk.

Part of this may have been my need to stop and take pictures.

However, I am starting a good habit, and I know from past experiences that the first few days are easy, but by next week my traitorous brain will start proposing reasons why I should eat ice cream and occupy the couch instead of going out for a walk.

Perhaps because I was busy at work the whole day, I spent nearly all of my 8 hour shift standing, so when I went for my walk my back and feet were sore. I still pushed on for a walk, and even went for 40 minutes instead of 30 to make up for my desire to stop and take pictures. 

Even though my back hurt, the walk helped loosen me up and I'm sure it was nothing but good for me.

I'd never been on this trail before!

I came to a fork in the road. I picked the downhill slope, because I knew I'd have to walk back up the hill on the way back!

Prairie dog!

Today is another 8 hour work day, and at the moment I'm not sure if I want to go for another hike or if I should go home and try working on my core. The best way to stop getting back pains is to build up your abdominal muscles, or at least so I've been told.

I shall report on tonight's progress tonight or tomorrow!

It was a windy day, and I took this while walking. It will be nice to have a start and end photo to compare to!