Active Travel - A New Way to Relax

Chicago is a wonderful city to be active, especially in September. All of the following pictures were taken within walking distance of each other. You can even rent a bike and visit everything in downtown.

Denver too! There are so many ways to be active in Colorado.

 

3 Ways to build a healthier taco during #NationalTacoDay

In Houston, we love tacos. We eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are probably even dessert tacos out there somewhere. Here are a few easy ways to build a healthier taco. How do you make a healthy taco?

1. Add tons of veggies (and fruits)... a majority of your taco filling should be delish produce

2. Substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream

3. Add less cheese and rice and more beans 

Walk and Bike to School Day is October 4

Can you walk or bike to school with your kids? Is it possible to take one day per week and help lead a Walk to School Bus? See how to start this by viewing this article. 

Use your car less and muscles more

Active commuting is a trendy buzz phrase now, although it's the oldest form of transportation. Check out these ways to enjoy your commute.

 If you have a long commute during the workweek, spend less time in your car on the weekends. Bike to the grocery store and walk to your neighborhood park. Check the savings in driving costs we would have if we kept our cars parked for trips less than one mile.

Biking or walking to work is uncommon for most commuters, with only 3.4% of Americans traveling this way. Can you change part of your commute so that you are walking farther from your parking spot? Can you drive into the city and take one of the many bike-friendly trails into the office?

Birthday Freebies in Houston

1. Yogaleena offers a free class on your birthday. Check out more information here.

2. Free Starbucks drink. Check out more information here.

3. Free Luby's Birthday Meal 

Fitness can be FREE

Try these many free sources for fun workouts that can be done anywhere (with WiFi :)

1. ToneItUp on YouTube (there are tons of other workouts too - I just can't personally recommend them :)

2. Amazon Prime

3. Your library - books, videos and digital media (Hoopla, here in Houston)

4. Sworkit App - check out this article from the Washington Post that explains how a study at the University of Florida determined the top 30 fitness apps based on the quality of their workouts. 

5. Pilates for Beginners - https://thebalancedlifeonline.com/product/pilates-for-beginners/

HEALth.

HEAL is the root word for HEALth. Sometimes this means waking up early, sometimes this means sleeping in late. Make sure your body has time to HEAL physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I HEAL by visiting beautiful places whenever possible. Sometimes this means waking up early to see a sunrise and other times this means breaking away from family and friends, events, etc.

This picture was from a quick early morning run at Lake Livingston, TX

This was taken in a national park the day before our friend's wedding.

Here we were enjoying the Guadalupe River. 

Our dog is enjoying the blue bonnets in spring.  

Outside > Inside.

Below are pictures from adventures from Washington to Michigan. This is my gym. I would much rather get my steps exploring these beauties than on a treadmill or track.

Mount Rainier National Park

Olympic National Park

Traverse City, MI

Clear water + huge sand dunes

Sleeping Bear Dunes

 

Galveston Island State Park

There are tons of ways to be active here. There are paddling trails, hiking trails, and beaches. Buy a year pass and go to any Texas State Park for a year for $70 for everyone in your car.

Kayaking on Lake Como

Walking to the beach / Gulf of Mexico 

Tons of crabs

Exploring one of many the trails

Don't let your sedentary job keep you from moving forward

How do you stay active with a sedentary job? Do you bring your workout equipment to work? Do you schedule time throughout the day for movement? There are so many ways to stay active even if you have to sit at a computer all day. Try these.

Happy Men's Health Week!

National Walk To Work Day & More

Tomorrow is National Walk to Work Day. Give your car a break. Use your gas money on something fun!

Next Month is Mental Health Month. Does exercise improve your stress level?

Have you scheduled your check-up this year? NWHW reminds us to get screened.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month: What do you need to know?

Next month is Alcohol Awareness Month. Alcohol can affect your mental and physical health. Celebrate Alcohol-Free Weekend, during March 31 to April 2, 2017.

Be self-powered.

Use your legs to transport yourself. Burn more calories, less cash and gas.

Ride a bike to run errands. Parking is much easier on a bike. Check out this cool bike lane in Austin, TX.

Walk, run or bike to work. Try this once per week, then build-up to more commute hours.

Lastly, are you self-powered enough to do bodyweight exercises? Check out the bodyweight exercise at the bottom of this website. You don't always need a gym to workout.