Grand Lake SOLO Summer Vacation 2018 - Devil's Thumb Pass Trail

This Blog Entry has been written since Friday, July 13th...I had issues with uploading my pictures! I finally got some help from my amazingly smart cousin who is a computer genius! Ha! So here is this LOOOONNNGGG overdue blog post! 


On Friday, July 13th I did the Devil's Thumb Pass Trail. It was amazing! Nothing new when hiking in Colorado! It was in the Arapahoe National Forest, so Zoey & Mo could join me. We had a great time! Here are some of my highlights from the this beautiful hike...


1) The brisk morning breeze was perfect as we started this 8 mile out and back hike! We started at 8:30am.

2) I love that my furry kiddos love hiking as much as I do! Look how happy they are! And this picture of Mr. Mo. Could you die? I melt when I see this picture of my sweet boy. He has my heart.

3) The wildflowers! Oh my! The pictures do not do it justice. After about 3-3.5 miles you make it above tree line and they are EVERYWHERE. My breath was literally taken away. I couldn't help, but smile and thank the universe for this amazing gift after about 2 miles of straight climbing! I got to see one Columbine Flower. 💙

4) I saw two beautiful rocks that reminded me of my friend Molly H! She loves unique stones, so whenever I see beautiful stones/rocks I think of her! Molly you would have LOVED these stones. Per usual, the pictures doesn't do it justice.

5) I love that I got to meet a hiker that had hiked from Northern New Mexico! He had started in late May and had already done 400 miles. He was ending in Grand Lake, so he was on the final leg of his journey. I'm in "AWW" of people that do this. Maybe one day I'll have the desire to hike for a month or so? Right now, it doesn't sound appealing, but that could change!

6) I met 3 women who were probably all in their sixty's! Karen, Sharon & Hanna. Two of them lived in Grand County and one came up from Denver (Centennial). I saw them twice on the trail. Actually Karen took this picture of me, Zoey & Mo. I hope I still LOVE hiking when I'm in my sixty's!

7) I saw two male juvenile moose about a mile into the hike! They watched us like a hawk and I respected their space. I did snap this photo before continuing on the trail!

8) The false summit! You gotta love them and you know when hiking a pass you are most likely going to have at least one! I thought of an analogy as I came upon this false summit. False summits are like dating...you gotta get past the false summits (guys!) to make it to the REAL summit (where the real beauty is) ! I'm patiently waiting for that REAL summit and until I get to that summit I'll enjoy the journey and challenge of the climb. :) How's that for an analogy? Seriously though dating in your mid-thirties is a chore. I would much rather be at home with my pups binge watching a series on Netflix or ID Discovery. Ha!

9) The summit! Worth the 2,200 elevation gain. Worth the heavy breathing. Worth the effort. All the best "things" in life never come easy. That's why I LOVE hiking big mountains! The challenge to get somewhere beautiful for the view. The thrill of being on the edge of a mountain is unbeatable. When you feel like your in the clouds...that's where I feel the most alive!

I hope you enjoyed this blog entry! If you are ever in Grand County and want a challenging but doable hike...do this one! It's worth it.

Cheers,
Alli

Stronger U - My Journey to a Healthier ME!

On April 11th of this year my dear friend Molly and I started a program called Stronger U (SU)! It was a program Molly had learned about through her Peloton community and had caught her attention because of the success individuals were having with weight loss and muscle gain. When Molly and I had a lunch date she mentioned this program to me and I was interested. At this point I was feeling unhealthy and just plain BLAH. I had lost my dear friend William unexpectedly, my best friend Dana was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and my boyfriend had broken up with me. Here I was 36, single (again) and feeling just plain gross with my health. I worked out regularly, but was still putting weight on. Things had to change!

So when Molly mentioned Stronger U to me I thought "What the hell! Let's do this." Molly was on board, so we signed up that next week and our start date was set...Wednesday, April 11th. When I signed up it was the first time I heard of macronutrients (carbs, fat, & protein). I was going to be assigned a Coach who assigned my daily macro goals and now I had to track & weigh everything I ate through MyFitnessPal app. What did I just get myself into? I felt overwhelmed.

My coach was going to be Matt Dustin...let me tell you about Matt. He is amazingly smart when it comes to nutrition and working out! He has even written a book/cookbook about macro-nutrition that you can buy on amazon (Buy Here). In the past 15 weeks he has encouraged me and reminded me this is a marathon and not a race. Good reminder for competitive me! Loosing fat takes time and consistency. He reminds me to continue to live and enjoy myself! What "diet" program allows you to really do this?

Well, in 15 weeks I've lost 26 pounds, 7 inches around my waist, 6 dress sizes, and 19 inches overall! Not to mention my workouts are SO much easier and I'm officially at "runner" status in my OrangeTheory Fitness class. The SU program works! I eat more than I ever have before. No joke. I wasn't eating nearly enough protein. In addition, I eat more consistent than I ever have. There is no more "cheat days/burning down the house days." I am consistent with my food intake. It's amazing what consistency can do to your body and mind. NOW...in the past 15 weeks I've still "lived." I go out to dinner and lunches. I have the occasionally cocktail and I've eaten fries, burgers and ice cream! You heard me right folks...I eat the stuff I still LOVE that is consider "bad" for you. I do this all within reason and make it a point to meet macros! And if I don't...no BIG DEAL...the next day I get back to it! Consistency.

Now drum roll....here is a great Before & After picture. The Before picture was taken on July 3rd, 2016. I was depressed and miserable in this picture (heaviest I've ever been). That was a HORRIBLE year for me. The "After" picture was taken this last Friday, August 3rd, 2018 when I had to do a double take in the mirror because I didn't recognize myself. CRAZY, right?

Now I do have "before" pics in a bikini on Day 1 of when I started SU with progression pics throughout my entire 15 weeks so far, but I'm not ready to share those pictures yet. I want to get to my goal weight and my goal of having ABS before I share those pictures. I'm about 10-15 pounds of what I *think* my goal weight will be. But that could change....I'm changing as a person, so my goals might change as well. :)

If you are interested in more information on SU please do not hesitate to reach out to me. This is NOT a pyramid scheme business. I truly believe in their program and I will never go back to my old ways of eating or dieting. And for extra motivation for you... my mom joined 6 weeks ago and she is ROCKING this program as well! She is 68 years old and loosing weight and inches! It's been fun to do this journey with my mom and Molly. Plus, I just had a few more friends sign up since they have seen my success! It works people! Invest in yourself if you are feeling BLAH. I was. And man, am I grateful Molly mentioned Stronger U to me at our lunch date in March! I'm the happiest and healthiest version of myself and I'm 36! Oh and I'm the smallest clothing size I've ever been. I can't wear anything in my closet! I'll be cleaning that out in the next week since I can't wear any of my clothes prior to SU. I'm TOO SMALL!

Happy Motivation Monday!

Cheers,
Alli

Grand Lake SOLO Summer Vacation 2018 - Kayaking on Grand Lake & Shadow Mountain Lake

On Wednesday, July 11th I gave my legs (and pups!) a break and decided to kayak on Grand Lake & Shadow Mountain! It was AMAZING! I walked into town (about 1.25 miles) and rented a kayak. I was on the water by 10:10am. It was quiet at this hour still. The water was smooth and I was off!

I kayaked probably 3miles or so! I was out on the water for 2.5 hours. It was amazing! I HIGHLY recommend renting a kayak on Grand Lake and doing this. I went all they way to the islands on Shadow Mountain Lake where no motor boats are allowed.

It's funny. I had texted a few of my girlfriends pictures of this and one of them responded with "I want your life!" And another one responded with "Me too!!" It's funny because I could say the same thing about each of these women with whom I admire. It was in this moment I felt complete gratitude for a career that allows me to take this time off to take care of me! :) 

Today (Friday the 13th) I did another amazing hike! I can't wait to share that blog entry and pictures with you all!

Happy Friday!

Cheers,
Alli