Adventures of a Healthy Lifestyle Start Up--Discovering Bike Tours when Traveling

Adventures of a Healthy Lifestyle Start Up--Renting bikes in Minneapolis

My husband and I travel a lot for our company, Livliga. We go to numerous conferences throughout the year, sometimes two in a month. Fortunately, the location for the conferences tend to be in tourist-friendly cities. The weather is usually good and the cities are beautiful.

The real challenges when you travel for work is you are stuck inside most of the time in a convention center and you work long hours. This can be bad for your health and ends up not being much fun.We came to realize it was a wasted opportunity. How could we be in these great cities and leave with out exploring them? That is when we started building in a "half day of fun" into our trips. With conventions we always have to go ahead of time so we can set up our exhibits. We discovered that if we go set up in the morning we then have a half day to play in the afternoon. The next step was figuring out what fun to have.

A couple of years ago we were in Minneapolis for the National Wellness Conference. Right in front of our hotel there was a newly installed rent-a-bike station. This is a fairly new concept in convention and tourist locations where stands of bikes are available for you to rent and they are part of a system throughout a city so you can rent one place and drop your bike off in another location at another station. We decided to try it out. We went from station to station, around town, around residential areas and around beautiful rivers and lakes. We covered about 18 miles and had a great adventure.

Cycling through New Orleans learning its history and seeing its beauty

Then we were in New Orleans for the American Diabetes Educators Association (AADE) conference. A niece suggested we take a bike tour around the bayou. It sounded like a lot of fun cycling around NOLA to not only see but also hear about some of the history of the city. It was interesting and enjoyable. And we were building in exercise as part of the experience.

Other great bike adventures have included cycling on Coronado during a conference in San Diego (ENDO EXPO)-

Exploring Coronado on its impressive 24-mile Silver Strand bike trail

 Taking a recumbent bike tour in San Antonio (Obesity Action Coalition Convention) -

Discovering the unique pleasure of recumbent cycling in San Antonio

And most recently we were in Napa Valley for the Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives conference at the Culinary Institute at Greystone and took a bike tour through the wine country. It was a beautiful tour and fascinating to learn about grape growing and wine making, complemented by some wine tasting. A perfect adventure.

Enjoying the Napa Valley Wine Country by bike tour

Bottom line, we have learned it is healthier and much more enjoyable to make time for an active adventure when we travel. It is truly easy to do and does not have to cost much. You can merely rent a bike. Another choice is to take a bike tour. The added benefit of a tour is learning about the history, architecture, industries and culture of the place your are in. You can also meet some great people. And you can't beat the interesting stories you can share at your booth and upon your return home. Adding active adventures in our travel allows us to live life while building a company. We highly recommend it.

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My 100-Mile Journey Turned into a 110-Mile Success

The Journey: for 7 days I cycled each day to reach 100 miles as a birthday week challenge for me to achieve (photo by LivligaHome).

My seven days are up. I took on a challenge a week ago to cover 100 miles on my bike. I had never done anything like this before.  The most I had ever cycled in a day on a bike was 25 miles and that was a one-time deal. I did participate in The Buffalo Classic fundraiser bike ride once, cycling their shortest route. All this is to say traveling 100 miles in a week was an extraordinary journey for me to take on. To read the entire article click here...

Re-posted from Sheila's Blog on TheEpochTimes.com.

 

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100-Mile Journey-- Day 5-- Hump Day

100-Mile Journey--Day5-- Hump Day (photo by LivligaHome).

Day 5 of My 100-Mile Journey has turned out to be my hump day. Good news is my speed has continued to improve so that I am now up to an average of 10.1. The total miles we covered today was 13.1. In five days we have covered 82.7 miles. Less than 20 miles to go to achieve my 100-Mile Journey challenge!

How I feel: I am feeling the push in my body. My "bum" knee has decided to swell and I am now taking ibuprofen.  Ah, the reality of age. It is a mere reality, not an excuse to stop.

What I saw on the fifth day of our ride: I love looking around when we ride. Each day I see something new. Today I was taken by all the beautiful flowers growing along the paths we take. We benefit visually from the love people put into their yards and gardens. As you can see from today's photo, there is a stunning stand of cosmos along where we ride. Their bright colors seem to be cheering me on.

What I have learned: It is important to pamper yourself. I recommend a long soak in a hot bath with bath salts. It feels oh so good and helps ease the soreness from any possible aches and pains. Today my knee is particularly grateful for a long, hot soak.

What I will do:  When I was the executive director of the American Heart Association in Denver I saw how important it is to provide healthy food to our kids in school. Somehow and for a long time we were feeding our kids the worst kids of foods and taking away their exercise. Not a good formula for ensuring our children grow up healthy. That is why I continue to support programs that improve children's lives, especially in our schools. We are going to give our 100-Mile Journey donation to Action for Healthy Kids. An organization that fights childhood obesity, undernourishment and physical inactivity by helping schools become healthier places so kids can live healthier lives.

100-Mile Journey Day 5 Mileage Snap Shot

Looking forward to Day 6! Only 2 more days of my 100-Mile Journey left!


Live Vibrant!


#100MileJourney
#Cycling
#HumpDay
#MyHusbandRocks
#HealthyLiving
#FeelingGood
#PayItForward
#ActionForHealthyKids
#Livliga
#LiveVibrant

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100-Mile Journey-- Day 4-- Gratitude

100-Mile Journey-- Day 4-- Gratitude in a Place Called Prairie Village (photo by LivligaHome)

Day 4 of My 100-Mile Journey was a day where I saw my speed improve significantly. I have gone from a low average speed of 6.1, which was on my second day, to a high of 9.8 today. Loving it. The total miles we covered today were 13. In four days we have covered 69.6 miles. Almost 70 miles in 4 days!

How I feel:  I feel tremendous gratitude. My husband is a rock and a great trooper. When I proposed this idea to him to do this 100-Mile Journey he was all for it. He has joyfully planned our routes (he is the cyclist who knows the trails around here). He has taught me how to use MapMyTracks. He was even willing to get up after a night in the ER with our son who, ironically, crashed off his bike (thankfully, he is fine!) to make sure I could achieve the daily mileage goal. And if that wasn't enough, he had to battle his gears breaking down in the midst of our ride today. He got his bike to work okay and we were able, yet again, to complete our daily ride. How awesome is that!?!

What I saw on the fourth day of our ride: We live in a town where the trains pass through and go along the roadways. About midway through our ride today we first heard and then saw a train moving a long the tracks right beside the path we were on. It was an impressive train with many cars lumbering along, breaks screeching and cars straining as it winded its way around the curve in the track. It reminded me of one of my favorite books when I was little, The Little Engine That Could. Remember it? There seems to be an apt analogy here as I huff and puff my way towards 100 miles...'I think I can, I think I can...'

What I have learned: Don't forget the sunscreen. I have been good about putting sunscreen on my face but didn't think I would need it on my arms and legs. Oops. When you cover these many miles each day you end up in the sun a lot. I have managed to sunburn the tops of my legs and arms. I have also developed a nice "cyclist tan". My badge of honor.

What I will do:  It is exciting to realize that by covering almost 70 miles these past 4 days, my husband and I have accumulated $140 between us to donate to Action for Healthy Kids. It makes me feel proud to do something good for myself and be able to pay it forward to help our children live healthier lives. And we aren't done yet!

100-Mile Journey Day 5 Mileage Snap Shot

Looking forward to Day 5! Live Vibrant!

#100MileJourney
#Cycling
#Gratitude
#MyHusbandRocks
#HealthyLiving
#FeelingGood
#PayItForward
#ActionForHealthyKids
#Livliga
#LiveVibrant

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100-Mile Journey-- Day 3-- Another Beautiful Ride

 

100-Mile Journey-- Day 3-- Another Beautiful Ride (photo by LivligaHome).

Day 3 of My 100-Mile Journey was easy. Now that we are in the work week we have cut back our miles to around 12 each day. The total miles we covered today was 12.9. In three days we have covered 56.6 miles. We are already over the halfway mark in just three days!

How I feel: We started early this morning so it was cold outside. It helped me keep my speed up. I particularly enjoyed the path we chose. Another beautiful ride.

What I saw on the third day ride: Today we saw the sunrise. It was glorious. There were may clouds in the sky so the glow spread across the sky in all hues of soft peach to salmon-red. What a way to start the day.

What I have learned: Pump up your tires.You would think I would have thought of this before but it took 43.7 miles before I realized my tires were low. My husband kindly pumped up our tires before we started out this morning and it made a huge difference. I was actually able to keep a faster pace.

100-Mile Journey Snap Shot of Day 3 (photo by LivligaHome).

What I will do: With the joy I am receiving from my 100-Mile Journey I want to pay it forward. Since it is at the beginning of school and I think it is important to support healthy kids in school, I commit to giving $1 dollar per mile for each mile my husband and I ride. We are going to give our donation to Action for Healthy Kids. This is an organization that fights childhood obesity, undernourishment and physical inactivity by helping schools become healthier places so kids can live healthier lives. I encourage to join me in paying it forward.

Looking Forward to Day 4! Live Vibrant!

#100MileJourney
#Cycling
#HealthyLiving
#FeelingGood
#PayItForward
#ActionForHealthyKids
#Livliga
#LiveVibrant

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100-Mile Journey-- Day 2 -- Paying It Forward

100-Mile Journey-- Day 2 -- Paying It Forward (photo by LivligaHome)

We made it through day 2 of My 100-Mile Journey. In two days we have covered 43.7 miles. Not bad for a woman who will be 58 at the end of the week.

How I feel: It is amazing how much energy I still have! There are a few aches but nothing major. I think my joy in accomplishing 43.7 miles overrides any of the aches and pains.

What I saw on the second day ride: It is amazing the amount of wildlife that exists within our city. We have lots of trails a long the water ditches throughout our town. It is here you can see heron, sparrows, snakes and even raccoons. Today we saw a huge turtle!  He looked like he was on a mission scuttling across the path trying to get ahead of us. A rare sight in Colorado.

100-Mile Journey-- Day 2 -- Turtle skuttling in front of us (photo by LivligaHome)

What I have learned: Eat a banana. With my increased exercise my muscles have decided to contract into "charlie horses". Lovely. I was in the midst of dinner when a muscle decided to lock up. I ate a banana and it seemed to help. I ate another one this morning and so far no charlie horses.

What I want to do: I have been inspired by the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. With the joy I am receiving from my 100-Mile Journey I want to pay it forward. Since it is at the beginning of school and I think it is important to support healthy kids in school, I commit to giving $1 dollar per mile for each mile my husband and I ride. We are going to give our donation to Action for Healthy Kids. This is an organization that fights childhood obesity, undernourishment and physical inactivity by helping schools become healthier places so kids can live healthier lives. I encourage to find out more about this great organization.

Looking Forward to Day 3! Live Vibrant!

100-Mile Journey Day 2 Snap Shot

#100MileJourney
#Cycling
#HealthyLiving
#FeelingGood
#PayItForward
#ActionForHealthyKids
#Livliga
#LiveVibrant

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Instead of the 100-Foot Journey– I Took on the 100-Mile Journey

This week I am changing things up with my blog. I have taken on a 100-Mile Journey where I have set the goal of cycling 100 miles in one week. Each day I plan on sharing more of the story. Below are my first thoughts on the importance of taking on challenges.

My 100-Mile Journey started by cycling around Golden Pond (photo by LivligaHome).

In our world we have the phrase “Go big or go home”.  I have taken this to heart when it comes to celebrating my birthdays. Birthdays are always a milestone. The older we get it seems the more we dread them. That is why, many years ago, for my 30th birthday, in fact, I decided I wanted to change it up and start conquering mountains and taking on new challenges when my annual natal day came around. For my 30th I climbed a mountain, Teddy’s Teeth. I will always remember my 30^th because of it. To read the entire article click here...

The first day of my 100-mile journey I did 22.1 miles (photo by LivligaHome).

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Changing Habits: Becoming a “Jock” at 57

Changing Habits: Becoming a “Jock” at 57 (photo by LivligaHome)

In the summer we all tend to be much more active. We spend more time outside barbecuing, hanging out at the pool, gardening, taking picnics to the park, playing tennis, boating, fishing, bicycling…you name it.

My husband and I have been enjoying cycling around our new town. I have bicycled most of my life but never for any great distance. Just for quick jaunts for meeting up with people, quick errands, for family fun around the neighborhood when the kids were little and for easy Sunday morning rides with my husband as a lovely way to start the day together.

Honestly, longer rides were never enjoyable to me. Being obese, my bottom would get sore not too long into the ride. Then there was my stamina; I wasn’t good for more than a few miles. It all seemed like too much work. Then a couple of years ago, as I started losing more and more weight, eating healthy, and working out 5 days a week at the YMCA, I discovered I had a lot more endurance and interest in cycling longer distances. It became a fun, purposeful challenge. I will never forget the day I did my first 20 mile ride. It was quite an achievement. I was happy and exhausted by the end.

Most of the rides my husband and I do now are between 10 – 20 miles. We have even enjoyed renting bikes in other cities and cycling around to get to know the city through the lens of a bicycle. We did this recently in Minneapolis. What a beautiful city with great architecture, bridges, trails, trains, lakes, museums, the Guthrie Theater, Farmer’s Markets and restaurants. I have never seen more or had more fun! Who would imagine I would be becoming a jock at age 57?!?

Cycling Around Minneapolis (photo by LivligaHome)

As the summer continues we are spending more and more evenings, and weekend mornings cycling around the new city we live in. My husband plots out our routes. His favorite app for doing this is http://www.mapmytracks.com. It is easy to use and you can customize your routes, save them and share them.

The new goal is to ride at least 10 miles each day for a whole week before the summer’s end. I will keep you posted. Can’t wait to share this next progress with you!

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Post Knee Surgery Update- Back to Hiking and Biking!

First ride Post Surgery!

I think the lesson in life is to try and avoid having to have surgery. But there are times when you do need it and you have to have it. Things can also go wrong. Who knew my leg would decide to develop thrombophebitis?!? It is a slow, very slow heal.

Last week I went to my primary care doctor. She said it could take up to six months to heal...some never do completely heal! Well, I sure don't want to have to face this forever so I am going to do everything I can to help it heal. The doctor's recommendation was to wear support socks/hose as much as possible and start taking an aspirin a day to help with any residual blood clots.  I look very cute! I decided to go with the one sock look rather than wearing a "knee hi" in white on both legs. I will win no fashion award! But it does help with the swelling and the "gurgling" my veins do during the day. My leg doesn't get as tired. However, the long socks have somehow triggered pain, swelling and stiffness in the back of my knee. I am now trying a method of wearing it intermittently during the day...first thing in the morning for my exercise, then off for a while, then back on towards the end of the day when my leg gets tired and I start to limp. We shall see...

I have been struggling to keep my weight down with so little exercise so I decided I just needed to start moving and my leg would have to adapt. My left leg hasn't adapted so well but the rest of my body and mind and soul have loved hiking again and getting back on the bicycle! Nothing too heavy-duty. We hiked up to Agnes Falls near Buena Vista last week and then this weekend I went for my fist bike ride since the Fall. WAHOO! It felt great. Now to convince my leg...

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Participating in an Organized Bicycle Ride

It seems we are always pushing our selves to do things. I think it is what keeps us alive and kicking. It is sort of like that old business dictum "If you are not growing, you are dying". I think our lives are like that too. If we don't keep learning and trying new things, we start the slow downward spiral, with our minds and body atrophying. Tough stuff, but true. And now that I have reached the ripening age of 55, I recognize how easy it is to let go of what is truly a quality of life by not continually challenging myself. The memory gets rusty, the muscles get cranky, the voice gets froggy and the smile droops downward, along with other parts of the body we won't mention.

Finding and sustaining passion in our lives, even if it is just a general "lust for life" is the way I have found to keep myself curious and looking forward. Bike riding has become a bigger and bigger part of my life. I spend more time on the stationary bike working on endurance, I have gone further and further on my bike on rides with my husband, I now incorporate bike rides on my trips to other places and, this past weekend I tried out my first official organized bicycle ride which benefited our local university and their scholarship fund. It was a little scary at first, but it was truly a lot of fun!  I only did the 14 mile "Family" ride so I could test out my ability to ride in a group. I am glad I did. Plus, the next organized ride was for 35 miles. I think this will be my goal for next summer...

The scariest part of the ride was the start. With everyone starting at once there is a crunch of people and bikes. This was particularly challenging because it also included children on their bikes. People are looking out for themselves and aren't so aware of others around them which can make for some perilous moments. My best strategy was to not push it and keep some distance between me and those in front of me. I was especially cautious at the beginning...and asked my husband, who is a much better cyclist, to look out for me, running interference with the more aggressive cyclists eager to cut in front of me.  It worked out well. I am looking forward to my next ride.

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