long trail

My Fitness Bucket List

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Yesterday I started a new board on Pinterest that features my Fitness Bucket List.  Right now it’s pretty small but it is constantly growing and features my fitness goals for this year through my lifetime.  The items currently on my Fitness Bucket List are:

This Year:

One of my goals for this year is to start post-natal yoga at Evolution at six weeks postpartum.  The great thing about this class is that I can bring baby with me from 6 weeks until they start to crawl!

Run/Walk the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon.  I know, I know – I have a whole blog post written about this goal and I am sure many of you are saying um whattttttt? You are having a baby in July and this race is in November. Don’t worry my expectations are low, like lower and than low, but we’ve already deferred to this race and so might as well try.

Next Two Years:

Neil and I would love to run the VCM as relay partners in the next few years.  He ran the first half this year and really wants to do it again!

Next Five Years:

The Vermont 100 on 100 is a 100 mile relay race that is on Route 100 (guess that’s where it gets its name?) in Vermont starting at Trapps and ending at Okemo.  Over the past few years Neil and I have witnessed the runners and I have always  been inspired by the race.  The race route is beautiful and I am sure amazing to run.  Neil and I almost signed up last year when a few friends wanted to start a team but ultimately decided that we weren’t prepared to run that many miles and it would probably be a bad idea so our goal of running the 100 on 100 on a team together has been put on the back burner at least for another year or two.

I would love to attend Wanderlust again in VT, CA or CO or even Whistler would be amazing.

This is one of Neil and I’s big running goals to do- I would love to do the one that goes to Key West.

I can always use an excuse to go to Disney and what better excuse than a race that both Neil and I want to do?

Lifetime Goal:

This is a long term goal that Neil and I started a few years ago.  We have been trying to hike a little bit of the The Long Trail each year (unfortunately not this year- or at least no plans to yet anyways). Neil is the hiking lover and I’m in like with hiking but this would be an amazing goal to accomplish.

What is on your Fitness Bucket List? Have you started a Pinterest #Fitnessbucketlist board? If yes, link below!

You can check out my board here.

Backpacking to Tillotson Camp and Beyond: Day 1

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Miles Hiked: 9.2
Summits Reached: 1
Fire Tower Stairs Climbed: 20 ….okay 10 each
Moose Dropping Piles Seen: 500; okay probably less but they were everywhere but no moose to be seen
Coffees Drank: 3 (we split them)
Rounds of Cards Played: 5 and Neil won in the end (but only by a little)
Hours Spent Reading: 3 glorious hours
Minutes Spent Attempting to Do Yoga On A Slanted Rock: 5

Saturday morning Neil and I headed out to Eden’s Crossing at the Long Trail where we had ended our last long hike; you can read about it here. We signed in and started the 3 mile hike the summit of Belvidere Mountain.  This hike was a different one for us because I was carrying an additional 17 pounds on my back and Neil around 25 pounds on his back because this trip we were staying the night.  Unfortunately the night before it had rained so everything was wet and there were some real mucky spots.  We also hit an area that was all rocks so we put our game faces on and got up them anyway we could; sometimes that meant hands and knees.

Neil getting his hike on

We finally made it to the summit of Belvidere Mountain and to the Fire Tower after about 3 hours of hiking up a challenging rock terrain.

Views From the Summit

The Fire Tower

After spending a little time at the summit relaxing without our packs on and refueling with some crackers and water we finally packed up and headed on our way.  We still had 3.2 miles to hike before we finally reached our destination.  Over the next 3.2 miles we encountered load after load of moose droppings, tons of slippery rocks, muddy sink holes and then thunder.  When we started out on our adventure we knew that a thunderstorm was as possibility but we figured we could make it to the cabin before it started.  Well the thunder started rolling in and so we started to book it ….not a good idea when you haven’t had lunch and probably needed more water.  I was feeling pretty nauseous by the end and it felt like it was taking forever to get there.  Finally we made it to the beaver pond which Neil had read was right near the camp and 10 minutes later we were there, our glorious accommodations for the night.

Our Cabin

We took our packs off and settled in and took of our wet shoes, socks and changed our clothes.

After we settled in and decided to make some Backpackers Pantry Pad Thai for lunch and to my surprise the peanut butter in the pad thai was Justin’s!

Pad Thai ....soup? (not photogenic)

We thought the pad thai had good flavor but could have used more time (our fault) “cooking” and less water so it wasn’t so much like a soup.

We also enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and relaxed outside looking out at our view.

View

 

Via!

The remainder of the night we spent doing yoga (well attempting to on rocks), reading, playing cards and just soaking up the sun.

For dinner we had the Backpackers Pantry Katmandu Curry.  It was actually really delicious! We both loved the flavor and the addition of the lentils.  We will be buying this one again.

Backpacking

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It’s been a long weekend of backpacking and now it’s time to relax. We did 6.2 miles Saturday and finished off 3 more miles this morning. I will be doing a follow up trip blog and Neil and I are going to do a He Says, She Says blog post on gear so standby and goodnight.

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Fitness Friday: Backpacking

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Neil and I are heading out on a grand adventure this weekend. We will be heading out to the great outdoors with just the shoes on our feet and the packs on our back for ONE whole night. I know it’s a big deal, haha. Anyways we are heading out on our first ever backpacking trip. Now we have done our far share of hiking which you can read about here, here, here, and here.

Last night was spent preparing everything to do this trip and it’s pretty crazy everything that you need to bring; okay if you are hardcore you can probably do with less but well I’m not.  So here is backpacking for two:

Our Gear: His and Hers Backpacks, Sleeping Bags, "Pillows", Bladders, Polls and Sleeping Mats

FOOD!

Dinner and Lunch: Backpackers Pantry sent me the Katmandu Curry to try and we decided to pick up a Pad Thai for lunch. Will report back...

Snacks: Triscuits, Newton Fruit Things From Foodbuzz Tastemakers, Dates, Primal Strips (these might be a little old)

Drinks: Water Purifying Drops, Amazing Grass (need our greens) and YogaEarth pre and post workout drink mixes

Energy Foods: Clif Shots, Shot Blocks (Margarita my favorite) and Sweet Wheat wheatgrass

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Goji Berries, Chia Seeds and Peanut Butter

Cooking Supplies: Jetboil, Gas, Mugs (for the Via we haven't purchased yet), Bowls and Cutlery

Fire: Matches, Lighter, Fire Starter and Camp Fire Starter Blocks

Tools: Multi Tool, Knife, Spade (so you can bury your....), Compass

First Aid Kits

Trail Maps and Books

Lights and Cameras (not pictured): Headlamps and yes that is a Farm Sanctuary Pig Flash Light

Sunscreen and Insect Repellent

Clothing: Day 1&2 Outfit (same just change of unmentionables and socks) and Camping Outfit

Other necessary items: Trail Shoes, Rain Jacket, Hat, Sandals (for when we get to camp) and Knee Support

It looks like a lot of stuff eh? Well it is and yet with a few extra socks and a little a bit more food you could easily do 3-4 days with the same amount of stuff; it just looks crazy for one night. Anyways we are going to head out on our adventure tomorrow morning. I’ll catch you up on all the events on Sunday/Monday. Have a good weekend!

Resolutions for 2011

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This year is all about setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals aka Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Tangible Goals. Last night the Hubz and I kept it pretty low key with homemade tempura veggies, martinis and too many episodes of House Hunters.  We also took a minute to sit down and work on our goals for the new year.
I wasn’t quite as successful last regarding my goals- you can checkout how everything went here.
I know that this year I am setting goals that I can complete and look forward to the adventure.

    1. Attend a blogger conference – this might be a slight cheater one but I will be attending Vida Vegan Blog Conference .  After a long discussion with the Hubz we finally decided that we would make the trip to PDX for the conference and we are looking forward to it.


    2. Do an overnight backpacking trip on the Long Trail- this is one of the goals the Hubz and I have together.  He has developed a new found love for hiking and I am warming up to it as well.  I have decided that this year I want to try new things and challenge myself and an overnight backpacking trip will definitely be a challenge worth doing.
    3. Run a 5k- As you will see this is one of my goals from last year that I totally failed on.  I decided that I am still wanting to challenge myself athletically and put this back on my list to give myself a second chance.
    4. Blog with a purpose- I have decided that I really need to take more time with my blogging and write high quality blog posts.  I do not want to pressure myself to write everyday but write when I want to and only submit post that I am proud of.
    5. Embrace Health Counseling- I will receive my health counseling certification in April.  I currently am able to counsel but I only have a limited number of clients.  This year I would like to increase my clients, work on marketing my business and teach a health/nutrition related course at a local  gym, co-op or health food shop.

    Other things I want to do in 2011:

    • Create a “grown up” bedroom – one that has a bedroom set, a style, and is a place that the Hubz and I can retreat to; a space of our own.
    • Revamp my blog- make improvements to the layout as well as the features.
    • Update my health counseling blog….rather have the Hubz do it.
    • Get to my happy weight by trying new activities such as P90X, hiking, running and yoga.
    • Spend more time reading. Do you have any book recommendations?
    • Spend more quality time with the Hubz- make a conscious effort to have 1 date night a week.

    What are your goals for 2011?

      Reflecting on 2010

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      This time last year I sat down and made a list of 5 things that I really wanted to accomplish in 2010.

      1. Eat more raw foods

      I feel like I did increase my raw food intake however not as much as I had originally imagined.  I love to be in the kitchen and I find that cooking is a way for me to relax and be creative.   I would like to become more creative in the raw foods world- step out of my comfort zone and work on more raw recipes this summer.

      2. Lose some weight

      Hiking Long Trail 2010

      I don’t keep track of my exact weight so much nowadays but I know that my clothes feel better and that I am getting closer to a weight that I am comfortable with.  I currently started the P90X to jump start my year and get me ready for some intense backpacking this summer with the Hubz.
      3. To run a 5K

      Well this did not happen. I started the C25K and it was going really well and then I just stopped. I don’t really know why but I know this one one goal that I had for 2010 and will probably end up on my 2011 list as well.
      4. Blog more

      I have blogged more and not only that I blog with more of a purpose.  I feel that 80% of the time I blog with a purpose and that is at least a 25% improvement since last year which it a success! However there is always room for improvement and I will keep improving my blog. I even wrote my first e-book and I am starting on my second one!
      5. Find a job that makes me happy x2

      No I am not a fire fighter- I just work for them!

      Not only did I find a job in March 2010 that I absolutely love I started a program through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a holistic health counselor. I now not only have 2 jobs that I love plus write a blog I love, I am a housewife to boot!

      Over the last 12 months I have left my awful job, found a new job I love, started a health counseling program, became pregnant, moved, had a miscarriage, healed, became more dedicated to my blog and became a happier, healthier person. Stay tuned for my goals for 2011.

      Do you set yearly goals for yourself? Do you find that this works for you?

      99 Bottles of Beer…

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      The Hubz and I are “beer aficionados” or at least we like to think we are (more the Hubz than me) ….if you aren’t laughing you should be.  Anyways we really do love beer especially really good craft beer; we are lucky to live in Vermont where there are tons of craft breweries. Anyways so as many of you may have seen me tweeting the Hubz and I had a mini beer tasting on Monday night. So we rated the beers based on what we liked the best (5 being best and 1 being worst), however below is the order we drank them in:

      Victory Storm King Stout- 3.5- great flavor and hoppyness which I love

      Long Trail Harvest-2 this was just okay.

      Dogfish Head Punkin Ale-4-loved this! it was not too sweet like some pumpkin beers are; it had great spice and overall flavor we will be purchasing this again!

      Sierra Nevada Tumbler-3-this was alright but not my favorite, not my least favorite either.

      We enjoyed the Sierra Nevada Tumbler with Squash and White Bean Soup & Sour Dough Bread - p.s. if you are interested in being a tester for my soup e-book e-mail me! More details soon!

      Southern Tier Harvest (my favorite)- 5! This beer was delicious! A great fall beer with lots of hops!

      Victory Festbier-1.5-this beer was pretty much a fail. Very boring and little flavor.

      While we ate, drank and were merry the fur baby did this:

      warning drinking too much beer may result in this