Want to try some YOGA...in your own home, or just about anywhere?

When I feel "stuck" and in a rut, and want to try something new, I log onto my laptop and browse Hulu.com's new "Health and Wellness" offerings.  This is a GREAT way to try out new fitness routines--yoga, pilates, cardio, or dance workouts--and you can do them anywhere.  That means you've got some privacy when you try something new--privacy of your own home or if you're traveling, in your hotel room.  And you know what?  It's free.

Want to focus on ab work, or relaxation, or upper or lower body?  There's a workout there for you.  Watch the video through first, to make sure it is a good match for your fitness level and capabilities--take good care of yourself, always.

 

When I travel by car, I try to pack my yoga mat, so I'm always ready.  But yes, I've also been known to stack hotel towels on the floor for a makeshift alternative! 

 

 

Eating Healthy on the Road

Hyatt Place is offering a Hummus Trio plate on their new menu!

I'm on the road up to two weeks in a busy month, and it can be a challenge to maintain healthy practices.

Let's face it:  some days all I want is the comfort of a warm chocolate chip cookie.... am I right? 

Knowing this, knowing my weakness, I try to nip all temptation in the bud and plan ahead:

If I'm driving, I fill a small cooler with veggies, small containers of milk, yoghurt to snack on, and I try to book a hotel with a small fridge in the room.

I also tuck these into my suitcase:

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew packets (unsweetened varieties!)
packs of instant oatmeal
dried fruit pieces and/or nuts
small camping bowl and sturdy plastic utensils
paper towels or napkins
individual bags of tea

Just part of the breakfast spread at the Hyatt Place El Paso
Airport location--fruit, plain and berry yoghurts,
cottage cheese and a variety of fruits

That way I can always control at least one meal a day--breakfast--by heating water for oatmeal and coffee in the room's coffee maker. Some hotels offer great breakfast items, making it easy to eat well, and  not indulge.  One of my favorite places to stay in this regard is Hyatt Place, and the El Paso (Texas) Airport location is a good friend of our Texas Mountain Trail organization.  In fact, they were our first property to participate in our cycle-friendly program!  Yes, they offer indulgences at the breakfast spread that's included with the room, but there's also stonecut oatmeal, juices, cereals, fruit and yoghurt.  Easy, peasy.

Our El Paso Hyatt Place location is among the first 15 nationwide to roll out a new menu with some healthy options, including salads, soup/salad combinations, and my new FAVE go-to dinner item: (pictured above):   

Hummus Trio $7.75  A trio of Red Pepper, Roasted Garlic and Basil Pesto Hummus, served with Kalamata Olives, Pepperoncini, Fire Roasted Peppers, Warm Herb Flatbread & Carr’s Crackers

Yum!

A Great Travel Dress

We're so happy to be in partnership with Stonewear Designs, a wonderful made-in-the-USA women's clothing company specialising in looks for active women. Texas Mountain Trail Executive Director, and Stonewear Design's Grassroots Ambassador, Beth Nobles, tests the Riva Dress.

 

In front of El Paso's historic
Plaza Theatre (click to get
a closer look)

"The Riva dress fell out of my suitcase wrinkle-free--I had been on the road a few days already--and just slipped it on.  Rarely I get such a perfect fit.  It was soft and moved with me all day long, from a public speaking engagement in the morning to bopping around in El Paso's downtown cultural campus and museum to museum in the mid-day sun, to dinner at the end of the day.  The knit was light enough to breathe from the cool morning temperatures to the late afternoon heat, and the long sleeves protected me from the sun."

 "Gorgeous color (now that I've got one in Pomegranate, I want one in Snow and one in Black!) and this is a dress that can take me anywhere.  I'm on the road about half the time, and the Riva is appropriate for visits to the State Capitol, nice restaurants, business meetings and speaking engagements."

 

View a slideshow of our visit to downtown El Paso wearing Stonewear Design's Riva Dress!
 

Green, green, green!

Much of the country has been suffering through drought, including our beautiful Far West Texas, however lately we've been blessed with rain and our entire region is greening up nicely.  Now's a GREAT time to get out on the trail!  Here are some shots taken on Friday in Big Bend National Park, along the Lost Mine Trail.

 

 

Here's a link to the park's webpage on mountain hikes in Big Bend's Chisos Mountains, including the Lost Mine trail we took on Friday!

And hikers in Guadalupe Mountains National Park or Franklin Mountains State Park, have you logged your miles in the Peak Fitness Challenge?  Do so, and you could win prizes...so far we've all hiked 635 miles!  This is a free, fun challenge for everyone, with VERY easy to VERY challenging hikes in both parks!  Sign up here, and join our facebook community here!

Why get your exercise outdoors?

Sure, you can stroll through a mall to get your exercise for the day, and some days the weather calls for it, particularly if there's lightning or ice out there. 

But if you stay inside for all your workouts, you miss a bigger experience, and we daresay a better experience.  There's a big big world out there, and we're not alone.  Take your time on the trail, and you can pick up clues about the animals that share the trail with YOU.

The best time to see wildlife is typically early or late in the day, but even if you head out in midday, you may see tracks in the sand.  This morning we saw bird tracks, lizard tracks, mouse prints, and pronghorn tracks. 

So take your time when you're out there, and look down!  What do you see? 

Scenes from our First Couch Potato Hike!

The Lazy Cow trail in Franklin Mountains State Park is great for hiking and mountain biking too! Click here to Read more about this easy hiking trail !!

Our first Couch Potato Hike of the Peak Fitness Challenge, led by Abby Austin (r), with Adrianna Weickhardt (TPWD, center) and hikers (left) on the Lazy Cow Trail of Franklin Mountains State Park! Click here to  Read Abby Austin's hiking blog here!

Would you like to join the Peak Fitness Challenge?  Visit www.GeoBetty.com/peak to register!

Summer Treat

Layer small chunks of watermelon, feta cheese and cucumber on toothpicks or skewers for a tasty
summertime snack (depending on size of your chunks, as low as 20 calories per skewer!)