Rocky Mountain National Park

Trip Date: September 2012

This trip is what started our obsession with hiking...

We had a hiking trip planned for NC and VA but the weather started to look pretty bad.  On the Thursday night before we were going to leave we just randomly started looking at other trips we could take because we both had the week off and we really wanted to go hiking.  We both want to visit all the National Parks so we decided to see how much it would be to visit one.  They were all pretty expensive but then we came across $99 flights to Denver, CO.  A buddy of Scott’s (from high school) lives near RMNP so he sent him a message to tell him we were considering flying out to hike in RMNP.  He told us to come out and he would hook us up with a great rate on a room.  We booked our flights and hotel Friday night at midnight to fly out Sunday morning.  Needless to say, we were running around like crazy on Saturday trying to get ready for this VERY “last minute” trip.  BONUS: Scott had a $100 voucher for the flight and we were upgraded for free to a room with a full kitchen!

Rocky Mountain National Park

We hiked 24.45 miles with a total elevation gain of over 5,300 ft. 

Sunday

We flew into Denver and stayed there Sunday night to check out the city and go to a baseball game.  We went to the Rockies vs Padres game Sunday afternoon.  Coors Field was beautiful! We can now check that stadium off our list (we want to visit all major league stadiums in the U.S.).  After the game we explored downtown Denver and discovered the biggest REI I have ever seen!  We woke up and checked out Monday morning – finally headed to Winter Park!

RMNP Day 1 (Monday)

We didn’t want to do too much the first day because of the change in altitude so we drove along Trail Ridge Road to check out the park.  We went into a visitor center when it was sunny, we came out 10 minutes later and it was pouring!  The rain only lasted for about 20 minutes so we were able to fit in a short hike.  It was hard to catch our breath for the first 10 minutes or so of each hike but after that everything was fine!  I found it interesting that the recommendations they gave on how to deal with the change in altitude are also some of the clean eating principles (eat every few hours, drink a lot of water, avoid processed foods, etc)!

As we were hiking Monday, there was a man who was hiking with a cane and he had two people helping him (I assume they were his children).  He wasn’t that old but you could tell that something was wrong (maybe his back).  I overheard his daughter ask him if he was okay, and he said “Yes! Of course, no need to stop, I’m doing just fine”.  Then they stepped out of the way to let some people go around and he said “Oh, we are just stopping to cool off a bit” (he was joking – it was 43 degrees outside).  This literally brought tears to my eyes…here is a man who has EVERY EXCUSE in the world to sit at home and be unhappy but he was outside, enjoying nature, exercising, and was SO HAPPY.  This also reminded me of a man we encountered last year while backpacking in Boone, NC.  He was 80 years old hiking up a trail considered “strenuous”.  He chatted with us for a few minutes and told us that he hiked the trail every Saturday before making his weekly trip to the grocery store.

RMNP Day 2 (Tuesday)

We did a 7.76 mile hike that took 3 hours and 44 minutes.  It was beautiful!  The hike took us to a big meadow where you could see all kinds of wildlife.  We also saw an old cabin and a beautiful creek/waterfall.  I thought this hike was pretty tough but it was nothing like what was about to happen on Wednesday…

Scott decided that he would climb up the rocks on the side of a mountain…so, I decided it would be photo shoot time!

RMNP Day 3 (Wednesday)

We did a 9.53 mile hike that took 5 hours and 43 minutes.  This hike was straight up the mountain… Mt. Ida.  We saw marmots playing in the rocks we were climbing up – they were so cute!  While we were at the summit another couple came up and we ended up hiking back down with them since there were warnings everywhere that people get lost on the trail (at least we would be together)!  Anyway, she was wearing a heart rate monitor…when we finished our hike it read that we had burned 3,175 calories!  It was a very difficult hike but worth it because of the breathtaking views at the top.

RMNP Day 4 (Thursday)

Scott went downhill mountain biking with his buddy from high school.  After they finished mountain biking we ate lunch in Grand Lake and then headed back into the park.  We went to the Estes Park side of RMNP and hiked to Dream and Emerald Lakes and Alberta Falls.  Once again, very pretty!  After that, we drove to Boulder for dinner.  After dinner, we took another random trip to a small town in the middle of the mountains called Black Hawk.  We went here to scope out the casinos…Scott and I have a lot to learn before we go to Vegas!  Needless to say, we ended up back at the hotel at 3:30 am.

Friday

We booked a late flight so we would have time to spend in CO on Friday.  We visited downtown Winter Park, went moose “hunting” (I really, really wanted to see one – but never did) and then stopped by Red Rocks on the way to the airport.  Winter Park is absolutely beautiful.  The little village there is precious and I bet it is even more amazing in the winter with snow everywhere!  We couldn’t really see much of Red Rocks because they were setting up for a concert but from what we did see it looked pretty cool!  Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:05 pm, when we got to the airport we learned there was a 50 minute delay.  That 50 minute delay quickly turned into a 2 hour delay.  So, once again, we had another night where we were up until after 3 am!  It was 4 am before we got home from the airport!

NUTRITION:

A lot of people have asked what I ate on this trip.  We packed the food we needed for hiking (protein bars, granola, trail mix, nuts, etc). Thankfully, we had a full kitchen, so we ate breakfast in the hotel each morning.  Our breakfast consisted of eggs and oatmeal.  We left each morning after breakfast to go hiking so Meal 2 and Meal 3 (and sometimes Meal 4) were on the trail.  Once we were off the mountain we would go out for “dinner”.

If you are going on a trip, this post may help you with what to pack!

Which National Parks have you visited?  Have you ever been to Rocky Mountain National Park?  If so, what was your favorite part or hike?

Clean Eat Education: What to Eat Before (and After) a Workout

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Now that you know you should eat something BEFORE you workout... Now you ask: What do I eat?

Here's the lowdown on what you should consume before a workout:

Cardio ONLY workouts (44 min or less): Have a few extra minutes to squeeze in a quick HIIT workout or even just go for a power walk? If you are only doing a cardio workout, you should have a 50-100 calorie source of quick digesting carbohydrates to rev up your metabolism and keep your body burning fat throughout your workout.

Cardio ONLY workouts (45 min +): Hitting the streets for a hardcore run? (I would consider anything over 3 miles hard core - I am not a runner! Yet!) You should have any where from 100-150 calories of a quick digesting and a slower digesting carbohydrate source. Skip the protein source until after your workout.

Weight Training/Lifting Session: Planning to pump iron before breakfast? Not so fast! Make sure you eat 150-200 calories of a quick digesting carb (such as one 30 cal rice cake), slower digesting carbs and a lean protein source. Don't waste your hard work - you want to build those muscles!

Here is a quick list of snacks you can use to create your pre-workout snack. Please note there are many other snacks you can choose from - I included only these as they are quick to prepare, travel well and tend to cause the least amount of stomach issues once you are working out. You can definitely add to this list!

Quick Digesting Carbs

• Low Sodium White Rice Cake - approximately 30 calories per rice cake
• Banana - approximately 105 calories per medium (7 in) banana
• Green Apple - approximately 72 calories per medium (3 in in diameter) apple

Slower Digesting Carbs

• Low Sodium Brown Rice Cake - approximately 50 calories per rice cake
• Oats (Quick Cooking, Steel Cut or Old Fashioned) - approximately 80 calories in 1/4 Cup of oats
• Sweet Potato - approximately 90 calories in 1/2 Cup of baked sweet potato
• Brown Rice - approximately 54 calories per 1/4 Cup of cooked brown rice

Lean Protein Source

• Protein Shake - this is the sometimes the quickest way to get your calories if you are in a hurry! Calories will vary depending on your brand of protein powder (we use TLS whey protein powder).
• Scrambled/Boiled Egg White - approximately 17 calories per large egg white (4g of protein per egg)

What should you eat after a workout?

That's pretty simple - a 100-200 calorie snack consisting of a lean protein source and a quick digesting carbohydrate source. The carbohydrates will help your body to digest and use the protein source that you have consumed and repair your muscles (this is how you build muscle. Tear it down to build it up!). It is IMPERATIVE that you eat within 30 minutes of a workout for optimal results!!

Hope that answers your questions!

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Clean Eat Education: Eating Before a Workout

It's a question we all ponder through the course of our fitness journey - Should I eat before a workout? Should I train on an empty stomach?  The quick answer... EAT BEFORE YOU WORKOUT! There is quite the controversy regarding the answer to this question online, among fellow trainers and among fitness fanatics. If you are a morning exerciser, this really pertains to you. For those of you that workout later in the day, chances are you are well nourished prior to your workout, but just in case, please read on...

If you remember from my article on metabolism, your body has been working through the night, burning carbohydrates, fats and proteins to carry out the restorative process that is: sleep. 

Just a refresher... here's the your metabolism eating 6 meals per day vs 3 meals per day:

As you awake in the morning, your body yearns to be fed - your metabolism has dipped below the fat burning zone and into the muscle burning zone due to lack of food. This is reason enough to eat as soon as you can! When you couple this phenomenon on top of your desire to shed pounds, it becomes apparent that if you are already burning muscle for energy when your body is almost at rest (when you first wake), think about how much more muscle your body will have to burn to generate enough energy to power through a workout or cardio session. A whole LOT! Can you afford that... NO!

Keep your muscle and eat a little snack of 100-200 calories prior to exercising in the morning and your body will thank you for it! 

Stay tuned... I will be discussing great options for what to eat prior to a morning workout soon!

Update: Click here to learn what to eat before & after your workout