Hiking 101--Where's the Trail?

If you're new to hiking, here's a tip.  To help folks stay on the trail, many are marked with piles of rocks, called cairns.  (See one in the center of the photo?  Click on the photo for a closer view!)  They are often placed at regular intervals on trails with stony areas or in places where the direction of the trail may not be obvious.

Isn't this a lovely view?  You can hike this trail yourself at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, outside Fort Davis, Texas.  The Clayton's Overlook trail is just 1.5 miles and offers terrific views of the entire Davis Mountains range.

Never been a hiker, but you're eager to try?  Late this spring we're going to announce a fun hiking challenge for Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Franklin Mountains State Park...and we'll make it easy for new hikers to achieve their goals...even if it means hiking the tallest peak in Texas!  Our other partners will be our own Texas Mountain Trail and GeoBetty.com!

Our Favorite Post-Workout Recovery Snack

After we're done with a long run or workout, the snack we enjoy most is healthy and EASY and delicious.

Creamy, frothy and comforting, this snack is top of mind at the end of our workout.  We can't wait to get to the kitchen!

Three things you need:

1) A banana, fresh or frozen. A 7" banana has just 105 calories and is packed with nutrition, including lots of vitamin C and potassium.  Curious about it?  Click here to read "Why is Eating a Banana After Jogging Good" by LiveSTRONG.com

2)  1 cup of milk.  A cup of 1% milk offers 29% of the calcium and 10% of the vitamin A you need each day, based on a 2,000 calorie diet.  And just 102 calories in a cup!

3)  A blender.  Pop the first two in the blender, cover tightly and blend for about a minute on top speed.

Frozen bananas?  Sure, this is easy too.  Peel a banana, wrap in plastic wrap, then put in ziploc bag in your freezer.  Pop them out when you get back from your workout or your run, and they're ready to go.   Sometimes we add chunks of mango, or a few strawberries (both are great fresh or frozen), or even a canned apricot, too.  Rinse those apricots though..they're usually packed with sugary syrup which adds calories, but not that much taste in our opinion!

Calorie and nutritional information on bananas here.  And the same for milk, here.

Running with Potato Chips

Here's a tip:  Beginning runners often wonder, "so what do I do with my hands?"  There's a tendency to run with fists clenched, but that just keeps your arms tense.  We keep our hands--and as a result--our arms and shoulders more relaxed by imagining we're holding potato chips between our thumbs and fingers.

Potato chips are delicate and and brittle, so they can't be squeezed or else they break.  Just hold your fingers together lightly against your thumb (imagine a potato chip between them), and with practice you'll find your entire posture will be relaxed as a result!