Coming back to fitness? Let's talk REBUILDING!
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Hello Reader, Heya Fit Travel Tribe, 👍PROPER ATTITUDE👍 Finding a training program that works for you is amazing, especially once you hit a groove. You learn what schedule works for you, your muscles adjust, and you learn how to fuel your body with nutrition to support your training. Inevitably, things in life happen that might stall your progress. Once you get a reprieve, it's back to work! A longer hiatus means certain muscles, tendons, and ligaments haven't been used in a certain way for awhile. How you supplement your conditioning (extra rest, more water and electrolytes, etc.) also matters. Don't skip these critical pieces! Re-conditioning takes a lot of patience and analytics, plus...well...even MORE patience! It's something I'm personally going through now, so...let's get into it! 🥰Hello from my lovely home, Sofia! What a beautiful day to finally reveal the exciting, important news: As of July 1st, I FINALLY HAVE MY VISA! I still have plenty of paperwork left to do. The visa is just the monumental "foot in the door." But at least I'm able to control my time and I have 6 months guaranteed in Bulgaria to finish paperwork. Though I've been home 2 weeks, would you believe I already took a short trip to Greece? I traveled to Rhodes for 2 nights as business trip since I'll be creating a Old Town VoiceMap audio walking tour for that destination. I started by walking through the moat, looking up at the old walls from down below slowly nodding and thinking "....yep....damn....these are for sure impressive!" Here are some of my favorite structures below: Lastly, I've been tracking my nutrition on MyFitnessPal and stepping up my lifting routine. I'm going to be taking some time to create a personal inventory of exercises and progressions and building a 6-month training schedule for myself. Since I started lifting heavier and more regularly, my body is for SURE feeling it! I had my ass handed to me this morning while teaching Bodypump (my normal weights felt exhausting!) I'm also starting to run again. I've been having an issue with my left ankle from an injury 1.5 years ago (flaring up randomly), so part of my training plan will focus on mobility. However, the tendons in my feet need a TON of re-conditioning. They've been aching after 10 minutes of running - YIKES! But it's all about being patient and smart to re-build. Hopefully in time for my half-marathon in October (!!)
👟Find good quality athletic shoes....that fit properly! For months I'd procrastinated traveling further out to the big Sports Depo store to view a wider array of running shoes. I have really big, WIDE feet (because of bunions), and needed access to lots of options. Thankfully, I found helpful staff and, after an hour, had properly sized my feet to purchase 2 new pairs of running shoes! Firstly, the type of shoe matters. Secondly, fit. Besides comfort, the shoe's design will only be effective and keep your body safe with a proper fit (feet, ankles, knees, hips - it all travels upward). I created an Instagram post about it since it's incredibly important to find shoes that fit.
On a personal note, given my new properly fitting shoes, it assists with my body analytics. I'm confident my feet are not only being re-conditioned to running, they are also getting used to the new elevated level of cushioning in these running shoes (quiet different from my previous pairs). It all adds up together to give you a more accurate picture of your training and how to adapt :) ⛰️Hike to the Millennium Cross on Mount Vodno One of my favorite things about "destination fitness" is discovering how easy it can be to add movement to your day. A few hours spent climbing a mountain trail can become both your workout and one of your most memorable travel experiences. This hike in Skopje is super close to the city center and very accessible! Sofia, is similar with climbing Vitosha nearby. Just because you're in a European capital, doesn't mean you have to travel far to climb an entire mountain. You can do it in a day! Just outside the center of Skopje, Mount Vodno offers a chance to trade traffic and sidewalks for forest trails and panoramic views. The hike to the Millennium Cross is a favorite among locals, and there are routes for a variety of fitness levels. Thankfully, it was just a 20 minute walk from my hostel to the trailhead. Since there was a heat wave, I started at 6am!🥵🥵 It took about 2.5 hours to reach the top and there was even an affection cat to greet me upon my arrival! (LUCKY ME!) I took the paved road back down since it's easier to descend. There is technically a cable car that runs from the midpoint to the summit, but it's very fickle and sometimes isn't running. Overall - super solid day hike! 💳 A Little Credit Card Win I recently went to use the annual hotel credit on my Chase Sapphire Preferred card and realized Chase quietly increased the benefit last month from a $50 hotel credit to a $100 hotel credit. Even better, my card anniversary was just about to pass. That means for my upcoming trip to Romania, I can use the $100 credit from my previous card year and another $100 credit from my new card year. A nice little $200 savings on accommodations. One of the biggest lessons I've learned with travel rewards is this: Also, stay organized! I keep a reminder on my phone 2 months before my anniversary to remind myself to not let the hotel credit go unused. HUGE UPDATE: The Chase Sapphire Preferred currently has a 100,000 points sign-up bonus! That's one of the highest you'll see!
👉 New to points and miles?
Always on my mind: More money for more travel! It's often worth a little homework for those savings 💸 Feel free to always respond back to this email with any thoughts and questions you might have or content you'd love to see in the future. Happy travels & healthy living, Heidi Note: Some images and GIFs sourced from Unsplash and Giphy. |