Big Bear Hiking: Castle Rock

A couple weekends ago, my husband and I took a quick overnight trip to Big Bear for some quality mountain-lake-infused fresh air. We hiked Castle Rock in the morning before heading back to LA. Though difficult to find the trailhead, this 3 mile round-trip trail was easy and fun to navigate, with opportunities for amateur-friendly rock climbing and astounding views the entire way up.




Getting to the trailhead: Off of Big Bear Blvd, just west of Talbot Drive, the trail starts and ends on the southeast (non-lake side) of the road near the 40 MPH sign. There's also a trailhead sign (but some of us didn't see that any of the 3 times we passed it).

Hike Heaton Flats Trail

Last weekend, three of us hiked Heaton Flats Trail in Angeles National Forest, just north of Los Angeles (about an hour away from West Hollywood without traffic). This 6-mile hike is a steady elevation climb, offering great views and a great leg-burn. From the same trailhead, there are also 3.6 mile and 15 mile options depending on how adventurous you're feeling. This hike is well worth the trip! Check here for a more thorough terrain description and directions.   

Free Spinning App

I recently discovered an amazing, free iPhone app by Global Fitness Apps: Global Cycle Coach. Though no workout compares to the vigor of a live spin class, this app makes excuses to miss a great spin session null and void. The app is free, and you are free to spin whenever your schedule permits.
Here's how the app works:

• Pick a coach. From beginning to advanced, there are great descriptions to help you choose. 
• Buy a class from the coach you selected. Each 40 minute class costs about $0.99, and once you've purchased the class, you own it! You can do that same workout as much as you'd like. 
• Select the music. Choose either your coach's or use your own iTunes to pick songs (I'm currently working on a new spinning playlist, and you can always give this one a try). 
• Get moving! 

A New Hike: Topanga State Park Parker Mesa Overlook

View from Parker Mesa Overlook

A couple weekends ago I did my favorite LA hike to-date: Topanga State Park's Parker Mesa trail. A rolling 3 miles each way, the trail is quite user-friendly and leads to the Parker Mesa Overlook, which is the most beautiful view of LA I have seen yet! The hike in total took us about 2-2.5 hours (including time spent on all these photos and soaking in the gorgeous sights).

Directions: From the Topanga State Park parking lot off Entrada Road, begin at the obvious trail head. You'll walk ~1/4 mile before you see a sign indicating the Parker Mesa overlook to the right. GO THERE!



Tips: Bring water, watch out for mountain bikers.

Look Where We Hiked Last Weekend! Griffith Park

This past weekend, I visited Griffith Park for the first time. It is full of walking and hiking trails as well as the beautiful Observatory and amazing views of Los Angeles. I'm no photographer but decided the pictures are better than any description I could give :)

Joshua Tree

I started this past Memorial Day weekend with a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park for a hike. I never realized how unbelievably gorgeous the desert really is (my pictures do NOT do it justice, so you'll have to make time for a visit). Having just moved to the LA area from NYC, I'm immensely looking forward to the ease and frequency with which these outdoors adventures can occur.

Weekend hikes have been one of my favorite activities on past trips to Southern California. They're a terrific way to enjoy nature, friends, and are a fun way to burn some calories. I'm no hiking expert, so if there's anyone out there with local tips, please share! Next trip to Joshua Tree may include camping and/or bike ride through the park. I will definitely be back for more!

Escondito Falls

This past weekend I went on a "hike" through Malibu's Escondito Falls. While the first two legs offered a rigorous but novice hiking experience, I will go ahead and call the third and final leg an all-out boulder climb (and I'm NEVER one to exaggerate). With shaky legs, we summitted the cliff for a beautiful view of the waterfall beneath and the Pacific Ocean. The next day, I felt not only accomplished, but general body soreness--a hurt-so-good kind of feeling. Not surprising given that just 30 minutes of rock climbing burns nearly 400 calories. If you're not up for the last leg, the view of the second waterfall is still worth the trek.

Climbing out of this cave required advanced shimmying technique.

In case you need another reason to exercise...

Irisis was named for its ability to carry messages between body cells, 

after Greek mythology’s Iris, messenger of Olympian gods. 

A study conducted by scientists at Harvard has isolated the protein, named irisis, produced naturally during exercise that helps increase calorie burn. Irisis turns white fat into brown, a more metabolically active fat that helps keep us warm. In short, the hormone increases calorie burn beyond that which we get from exercise alone. While studies are expected to head in the direction of approving irisis for pharmaceutical use, “repeated bouts of prolonged exercise” promote a natural increase in the body’s levels. Summary? Hit the gym 4-6 times per week and aim for 30-60 minutes per session.    

Talking About a Resolution...

Does your New Years resolution need a boost only 2 weeks into 2012? The pitfall of many resolutions or long-term goals is that they lack specificity and ability to measure success. Make specific, achievable, measurable short-term goals to help make your resolution a reality. 

Resolution: "Lose weight."

This week's goal: "Exercise 15 minutes extra, 3 days."

Resolution: "Eat more vegetables."

This week's goal: "Include vegetables in 2 out of 3 meals every weekday."

Resolution: "Eat healthier."

This week's goal: "Choose fruit instead of dessert 5 out of 7 days."

Happy 2012!

Book Review: Born to Run

I'd heard a lot about Christopher McDougall's Born to Run. The book is a talented journalist's account of growing his own amateur athletic career by adopting the running stylings of Mexico's Tarahumara tribesmen. And all the adventures that come along with sticking a bunch of Americans in the depths of isolated canyons in Mexico to brave ultra-marathon distance runs.

While I wasn't moved to run barefoot or take up 100 mile distance running, I did notice a difference over my past few runs in the way I think (or better said, don't think) about my stride. McDougall was encouraged by his coach's study of the Tarahumara's way of running to  run like a kid again, a lesson in both gait and attitude.

The Tarahumara subsist on a close-to vegan diet, with nights spent getting drunk on corn beer--a diet that most of us would assume detrimental to the body and inadequate considering the ultradistances the Tarahumara run every day. Their lifestyle of living off the earth and enjoying multiple uphill marathon runs daily supports minimal rates of injury, great longevity, and a population that knows virtually no chronic disease.

So what exactly do they eat? One passage sums it up better than I ever could, so thought I'd share in case anyone out there feels ready for a dietary experiment:

 "Anything the Tarahumara eat, you can get very easily," Tony told me. "It's mostly pinto beans, squash, chili peppers, wild greens, pinole, and lots of chia." ...the traditional Tarahuma diet exceeds the United Nations' recommended daily [protein] intake by more than 50 percent. As for bone-strengthening calcium, that gets worked into tortillas and pinole with the limestone the Tarahumara women use to soften the corn.


Now I'll just need to remember to register for limestone tortilla flats.

Dancefloor Workout

I've had a couple amazing weekends recently. For the past 2 weekends I've been away at dear friends' weddings. After the ceremony is done, cocktails and dinner have been had, and the couple has had their first dance, my favorite part begins--the dancing. Just 30 minutes of vigorous dance floor breaking it down burns can burn up to 200 calories, or enough to compensate for a shared piece of wedding cake.  

Check out the sweaty dancefloor from a hot summer night
at a beautiful and clearly outrageously fun Charlottesville wedding!

Coconut Water Craze

On store shelves for a few years now, coconut water has developed quite a following as the "perfect all-natural sports drink." We're used to some pretty over-the-top marketing ploys in the health and fitness market, but this claim actually has some truth to it. Here's why:

• Like other sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade), coconut water contains electrolytes, which your body needs to replenish as you sweat them out to prevent muscle cramping and dangerous dehydration. 
• Coconut water also contains carbohydrates, which are necessary to consume if you are doing one hour or more of high-intensity exercise, like running. 
• Unlike other sports drinks, coconut water is natural. It contains these fitness-focused nutrients without the artificial stuff. 

In addition to serving as a sports drink, coconut water is also a great choice for a lower-calorie substitute for juice or a low sodium cooking alternative. Give these quick and easy recipes a try:

• Smoothie: Blend 1 cup frozen fruit + 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt + 1/2 cup coconut water. Perfect breakfast for the summer heat! 

• Coconut rice: (makes 4 servings) Boil 2 cups coconut water in small heavy saucepan. Add 1 cup brown rice, cover, and reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. The coconut water gives the rice a slightly sweet flavor--perfect stir fry accompaniment! 

Don't get too high

You may have heard of "runner's high." It refers to the release of endorphins in the brain when your body's reached a certain level of physical exertion. And, it's awesome! Interestingly though, this high comes at around the same time that your body's glycogen stores are depleted, putting you at increased risk for injury.

Glycogen is the way your liver and muscles store glucose to use for energy. During intense exercise, like running, you use it all up in under 2 hours, which will cause your body to begin breaking down muscle and fat to restore blood glucose levels. Repeatedly putting your body in this state may increase your risk for sport-related injury. So if you're undergoing a serious training regimen, consider looking into carbohydrate loading. And, like anything, remember to treat your body well, eat right, take days off, and don't get caught being a junkie!

"All Day" Workout

72 minutes, actually. I'm talking about the Girl Talk album, entitled "All Day" (free download here!) The 72 minute album of differing mash-up beats from artists you know but haven't heard quite like this before is the perfect long workout mix. Let the beat guide your pace to make it exciting. Check out how many calories you'll burn if you give this a try (based on 155lb person):

• Running  ~850 calories
• Biking  ~600 calories
• Stair climb ~760 calories
• Power walking ~420 calories
• Weight lifting ~320 calories

So get moving!