Keep Moving to Stay Fit

With the start of spring, I intend to experience this gorgeous state.  When we first moved to Oregon, we had great plans to explore all of the beautiful and unique features that are offered here.  We live 50 miles from the coast, and 50 miles from Mt. Hood and the gorge is right down the highway.

Well that plan lasted about a year.  Yet, the best experience we had in Oregon was on our honeymoon, almost 5 years ago.  That was a fantastic trip that gave us just enough of a taste of the state to know we wanted to move here.  Then came the realities of owning a business, and the exploration came to an abrupt halt.  It's time to fix that.....

Last weekend, I went for a walk around Lake Oswego with my friend Dana, and our dogs Hannah and Josie. This was a leisurely walk, not what you would consider a hike or a power walk.  We were out to enjoy the weather and the scenery....gabbing constantly for an hour and 40 minutes.

Pretty in Pink, Quince Bushes

 We walked around the South Shore of Lake Oswego, and enjoyed the day and the surroundings.  Its amazing how water is so soothing.  Just to hear the little creek at the bottom of the hill, or to see Lake Oswego, sends me back to fun times when I was a kid.  My sister, brothers and I were outside exploring in Wisconsin nearly every day.  Wow...the memories are flooding back, but that for another day.  Just keep in mind that I've tasted just about every
bird and animal that lives in Wisconsin.

Trilliums and Wildflowers

Lake Oswego is located just outside of Portland.  We didn't drive to some remote location to get outside and get some exercise, its in our back yard.  We were both just 10 minutes from our homes.  Yet, once we started walking around the lake, it felt like we were a million miles from home.  As you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful walk.

For many years, there has been a fitness trend for walkers, take at least 10,000 steps per day and you will stay fit.  Now, I'm not subscribing to that as your sole means of working out, but Dana put on her pedometer to record our steps.

Lake Oswego

After an hour and 40 minutes, we walked over 11,000 steps which equates to slightly more that 4 miles.  Because we were walking leisurely, and didn't really get our heart rate up, we only burned about 400 calories. That is based on the calculation by Dana's pedometer, which turned out to be fairly accurate.  A calculation for you to use when walking is 100 calories burned per mile for a 150 pound person.  So if you weigh more than 150 pounds, you burn more per mile than a person who weighs less than 150 pounds.

There was a time that walking was my sole source of exercise.  I got up at 5:30 every morning and walked 4 miles before work.  It took slightly more than an hour.  And while I was able to maintain my weight, I lost almost all the muscle in my upper body, to the point that I could not do even one push-up.  That scared me.  I don't want to grow feeble as I age...I plan on being active for the rest of my life.  That's when I met Michael and was introduced to functional training.

Using kettlebells as my primary exercise tool has increased my strength, endurance and agility.  Now I can burn up to 1200 calories per hour doing the SKOGG System kettlebell workouts, and use walking and hiking as a supplement to my fitness regime.  Because of the increase in strength and stamina, I can fully enjoy a leisurely walk around the lake, or an intense hike up Mt. Hood.

The best way to stay fit is to keep moving!

You, only stronger!

Sue

Stop and Smell the Roses!

It's happening! The best time of the year.  The earth is waking up from its winter slumber and coming back to life.  You can hear it, smell it and see it.  I wake up to the sound of birds singing in the tree next to my bedroom, I love that sound.  The flowers and trees are starting to bloom, and the smell of flowers awakening hangs in the air.

Love flowers in the yard

Oregon is such a beautiful state.  Just walking in my neighborhood, I can see the Willamette River Valley in one direction, and the foothills surrounding Mt. Hood in another direction.  The flowers and trees are blooming all around me, and I can see the snowy mountain in the distance.  Words really can't explain the beauty, and I am thankful everyday that I am fortunate enough to be able to experience it.

This year, I have made a promise to myself to experience this beautiful state.  It has been a rough couple of years opening the gyms and living and breathing them.  We have finally reached a point that we can begin to relax....at least in small doses.  My plan is, to hike, camp, fish and relax whenever possible...and to stop and smell the roses.

One of the things I have discovered in the past week, I am in much better shape this year than I have been in the past.  Walking up and down steep hills used to get the best of me.  Seriously, when we moved here 4 years ago, I couldn't make it up the hill in our neighborhood without stopping for a rest.  Yet this year, I surprised myself with my strength and endurance.  I have to attribute that to my kettlebell training.  Working out with kettlebells, without any other form of cardio training, has increased my strength and endurance to levels I have not experienced in many years.  I am looking forward to hiking the mountain to test it out.

Later today I am going on a two hour hike with a friend.  I'm not sure where we are going yet, it looks like rain, but I will be taking pictures of my excursions to share with you.  In Portland, we are used to rain.  So I will suit up in my rain gear and enjoy the mild weather anyway.  Its kind of peaceful walking in the rain!

I will continue to workout during the week with the SKOGG System Kettlebell Training.  It clearly has changed my life, and is allowing me at 56 years old, to hike up a mountain.  Something I couldn't have done 20 years ago.  I am in the best shape of my adult life!!

If you would like information about the SKOGG System, offered on a 5 DVD set, or SKOGG Gym located in Portland, OR, check out our website. 

Have a wonderful spring day!!

You, only stronger,

Sue