A college student taking in the world around her. Becoming the person I want to be and offering advice, my experiences, and random thoughts with those who are interested. ~Started December 3rd, 2018~
Today we went to IKEA to get some new furniture. It was a full days outing and by the time we came back, put the things we bought together, I was exhausted!
We woke up at 4:30am and hit the road around 5 to drive a little over an hour to Goldbar, Wa. When we arrived at the trailhead around 6 there was only one other car in the parking lot. It was pretty cold, about 45 degrees out – so we were both happy we brought our puffy jackets. We started the hike just as the sun was starting to rise. One of my favorite parts of starting hikes early.
The first 1.75 miles was fairly easy. We decided to take a detour of 1/2 mile each way to stop at Bridal Falls. They were beautiful and didn’t require us to put on our micro spikes. We rested at the falls for a few minutes then made our 1/2 mile hike back down to the crossroad to continue our way up to Lake Serene.
As we were on our way up to the lake, we ran into the couple whose car was also in the lot when we arrived. It was perfect timing as they recommended we put on our micro spikes for the rest of the hike up to the lake. We chatted with them for a bit then continued on our way to the lake. This was my first time hiking in the snow. The first few miles of the snow wasn’t too bad. A little slippery, even with micro spikes, but manageable.
The last mile is where the snow got a bit more sketchy and harder to walk on, mainly because I have never hiked in the snow. There were some mental blocks I had to get over to continue on. Just when were about to call it quits, I checked google maps and realized the lake was just around the bend. So, of course, we continued on and made it all the way to Lake Serene.
We chilled here for bit grabbing some food and taking in all the snow. Unfortunately while we were up there it was really cloudy and hard to see the mountains across the lake. There was so much snow that the lake was covered with white. We kept hearing avalanches coming down the mountains across from us. There was something eerie about hearing them but not being able to see them. I feel like it made us cut our time spent up there a bit short. After grabbing some food, we repacked our bag and headed back the way we came.
On our way up we only passed two people, but on the way down, the trail started to get busy. Another reason why I like early morning hikes. Making it back over the snow was the hardest part for me. But once we through the snow, the descent was a breeze. When we made it back the the car the parking lot was completely full. The opposite of how we found it this morning.
Overall this hike was so beautiful! We hiked about 8.7 miles round trip in a little under 5 hours. This included the 1 mile detour to the falls. The first half of the trail was green and quiet with no one else on it. The second half was full of snow and the extra challenge of learning to hike in it was totally worth it. I’m glad Alex and I pushed each other out of our comfort zones and made it all the way up to the lake. It took a lot of mental pep talking on my end to push myself, but now I know what it’s like to hike in the PNW in March! Excited to get outside on the weekends and explore more of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer!
Switching up my workouts this week! I did a 25 minute spin class and had some energy left to get a quick ab workout in as well. The abs were hard after biking, but proud of myself for pushing through.
Skipped the leg workout tonight since we are going hiking tomorrow. Excited to get back into hiking!
We work up at 4:30 this morning and drove to Goldbar for our first hike of 2021! Overall the trail was fairly easy until hitting the snow and making our way up to the lake. This was my first time hiking in the snow with micro spikes. It felt great to get a hike in this weekend. Check out the hiking section of my blog to hear more about it!
I’m pretty sore from the hike yesterday, so decided to take it easy and stretch out my legs on the bike. I rode for about 20 min to stretch them out.
I added a five minute bike cycle to my workout tonight to get my heart rate up a bit. My legs were also restless and I figured this might be a good way to tire them out.
Switched it up tonight with some yoga! With work being stressful this week I wanted to do something to clear my mind and really focus on my body. Yoga defiantly did the trick!
We finally got a gym reservation at our apartment. It’s been hard to get one due to the new regulations they set forth when reopening it up. We got a 45 min slot. I filled my time with the stair climber, row machine, and a quick 1/2 mile sprint (since we were cutting it close to time on returning the key and didn’t want to get penalized for it).
Overall it was nice to get back in a gym, but I don’t know if I’d push to go back anytime soon. With us having weights and a bike in our apt. it feels like we have everything we need.
Did a 3 mile morning run around Green Lake with Alex and his fam! I typically don’t get up early to workout but always end up loving it when I do it. Maybe I should look at getting up earlier on the weekend and knocking my workouts out first thing in the morning.
Onto another month already! Time is flying and it’s hard to keep up. I’m realizing I write these blog posts the week I do the activities, or for this one a few days before the next month starts, but often forget to post them at that time. Instead, I end up uploading the month in bulk.. something I need to get better about.
Anyways, back to what I originally wrote for my April entry.
I’m really happy with my progress through March, and honestly throughout this entire year so far. I’ve stuck to only having 2 rest nights a week, staying hydrated, and pushing myself harder throughout each workout session. A lot of these successes I think can be attributed to working from home and having extra time to workout and stay hydrated throughout the day.
With this being said, I don’t want to get comfortable and maintain where I’m at. I want to continue to push myself. Whether that means knocking out more reps or going an extra mile or two on the bike. It’s important to me to continue to grow and treat my body right.
I feel the healthiest I ever have and want to continue to feel this way. Working out and eating healthy are two things that helped me get to this point. Being mindful of how my body feels after a workout and that release of stress that comes with it is something important to me. Having a outlet to clear my mind and destress throughout the week has made a huge difference in my not only mental health but also my physical health also.
I’m really happy to have this outlet and be passionate about it. Alex and I really push each other when it comes to working out, which has been a huge factor to how much I push myself in a daily basis. I’m super excited for March and can’t wait to see the gains that are made!!
We are still chugging along workout wise. Our apartment gym has finally reopened but it’s been hard to reserve a time slot, so the at home workouts remain for now. Which, to be honest, I’m not too disappointed about. I feel like throughout this past year with Covid we’ve finally started building out our home gym.
What started with two yoga mats and an 8 pound ball has increased to 10 pound dumbbells, 15 pound dumbbells, and an exercise bike. It’s been quite the improvement this past year and I’m sure it will continue to grow!
I’ve started getting comfortable with my 30 min full body workout and increased my workout time by 40 minutes. This will allow me to equally strength train my abs, arms, and glutes. I’ve also found this awesome spin instructor on YouTube and have been trying to hop on the bike and follow along to her videos a few times a week.
I’m still following my WFPB diet and loving every meal! I feel energized and not heavy after eating, but best of all I feel like I’m rewarding my body by eating healthy. There’s something to be said about treating your body right when working out five days a week. Overall I’m really happy with how 2021 is going and have a few short term goals for March that are carrying on from February.
I’m loving these 40 min workouts I’ve created for myself! It feels good to push myself and see what I’m capable of.
It’s my birthday! And also a rest night 😉
Man, these spin workouts make me sweat! They are super hard but I love them. So glad I’ve tried something new and found a new cardio exercise besides running – especially during the winter months.
These 30 min workouts are starting to get fairly easy. May need to look at switching up my workouts or increasing my workout time…
Alex and I got up, got ready, and went for a run around the Ballard neighborhood to start off our day. I really like making these morning runs on Saturday a habit!
With March around the corner I decided to revamp my full body workout and increase my time from 30 min to 40 min. This allowed me to equally focus on my abs, arms, and glutes as well as get more reps in. I’m excited to continue improving my workouts throughout March.
My Not-So-Secret Diary 