Find An Exercise You Love, And You Won’t “Work Out” A Day Of Your Life

This expression is normally used for work, but why stop there! I’m a firm believer that if you wish to be successful in sticking to an exercise regimen, you must find the right exercise for you, and you’ll end up NOT regarding it as “working out”, but “having fun” instead. This is even more important during the holiday season, because we are engaging in all kinds of delicious foods that we may not normally have on a regular basis. So, in addition to finding an exercise you love, also make time during this holiday season to get out there and get active the day after your festive holiday engagements, instead of participating in the downward spiral called “leftovers”.

Find An Exercise You Love

Some people love lifting weights or running on a treadmill. That’s fantastic, but it may not be for you. I know that it’s certainly not for me. I believe that the key to your fitness is finding something physical that you actually enjoy doing. For me, I’ve realized this past year that I love to hike. I’ve always loved hiking, but I never thought to make it as part of my regular exercise regimen, and it’s done wonders for me! The nature aspect I really love, along with getting to know a trail like the back of my hand, and who doesn’t love solitude. I’ve never been a “group workout” kind of gal. I like to be by myself. At one point, I was hiking the Mt. Rubidoux trail so much that I would time myself, and strive for a better time with each hike. I’ll tell you all about the hike shortly! Other activities I love are tossing the baseball around, frisbee, and sometimes I’ll run. Gala Darling has a new product called “Bad Witch Workout” which is amazing too! You use mostly gravity to perform different exercises with little equipment in the privacy of your own home, and also hits on music and style while doing these exercises. It’s made me feel like a teenager again, and it’s SO FUN!

Don’t Wait For The New Year

There is no time like the present to start right this moment. Yes, the dawn of a new year isn’t quite upon us yet, but why wait to make your “new year’s resolutions”? I vowed to myself sometime during the course of this year to make time for exercise, and I have. I haven’t always been perfect, but I keep striving to be better than I was the day before. If you really, really want to become more fit, you will make the effort to quit procrastinating, and do it now. Procrastination is just an excuse to not exercise to-day. Why not get a head start on it, and kick some of that holiday eating in the butt right now. Starting now will also help keep the effects of holiday eating at bay, so when the New Year comes, you’ll either be where you started before the holidays, or may even be in better shape than you were going in! That’s a win in my book!

Stick With It!

This is what I struggle with the most. There is a natural ebb and flow in life, and that isn’t limited to exercise and how you split up your day. Sometimes the momentum of motivation can drop right out from under you, and while that is frustrating, it’s OK! Pick yourself back up again, and refresh that part of your life. I have a classic example. The hubbs and I went on a week and a half vacation to the Pacific Northwest. I knew that it would be a challenge to get the exercise in, so I planned hikes during the trip. That worked out swimmingly! What I didn’t anticipate was how things would go after the trip. Coming back, I had the time change to contend with, which unfortunately limited my time outside, thus limiting my hiking. It took me a few months to get another rhythm down, but I did! Now, I try to hike on the weekends, and during the week, I supplement with Gala Darling’s Bad Witch Workout.

Those are just a few tips I’ve employed myself, and I hope they help you too. I’m definitely not perfect, but it’s nice to have a reminder and a different perspective! Keep striving to be a better you, and if you have a less than perfect day, week or month, it’s OK! Life happens. Just pick yourself back up when you’re ready.

Mt. Rubidoux 9th Street Trail Hike

I’ve been dying to share my favorite hike with you all, so here it is: The Mt. Rubidoux 9th Street Trail Hike! I love this hike so much. It’s short, and sweet, has some good elevation gain in spots, and there’s plenty of cool stuff to look at.

I’ve lived in Riverside since ’97, and was introduced to this hike by some of my T.G.I.Friday’s co-workers and fell in love instantly. It’s changed a little bit over the years – the most common hike on the mountain is now paved, and the head of the 9th Street Trail has since been blocked off. There is good news though! The 9th Street Trail intersects the paved part of the hike, so you still get to experience this trail in almost all of its glory.

Park at Ryan Bonaminio Park, and walk Northeast up San Andreas road. There, you’ll see the main trail head for Mt. Rubidoux. There’s an area that has water fountains, and even a station to fill up water bottles. There’s information about the trail, and a picnic table.

Make your way up the paved trail, and there will be a split. It’s a well manicured area with more information about Mt. Rubidoux, and places to sit along the short wall. You can follow the trail up to your left, and stay on the pavement, or you can go straight, and head up the paved trail to the right (Northeast). This is the part of the paved trail that intersects with the 9th Street Trail.

Continuing on the paved trail to the right, you’ll come across this beautiful big mesquite tree. You’re almost to the intersection at this point! The tree is on your right, but look to the left about 65 feet forward, and you’ll see hay bales. This is where the intersection happens.

Climb over the hay bales, and you’re now on the 9th Street Trail. Just a few feet into it, there’s this large rock dedicated to Charles M. Loring, and you’ll know you’re on the right path. There are also three palm trees clustered together. These are the only prominent palm trees on the mountain.

From there, the trail is pretty easy to follow. It veers off to the right, and you’ll go through a couple switchbacks before you eventually head in the southwest direction. You’ll eventually come across my favorite part of the hike! The photos of the sequence are below.

You go up this large, ladder type boulder and come out on top where the trail heads west.

Make your way to the bridge and watchtowers, and cross the bridge.

The trail continues up, and you come out on the top of the smaller set of big stair-like steps.

Looking back on the bridge.

From here, you descend the steps, continue on the paved path to the larger set of steps, up to the top of Mt. Rubidoux where the large white cross sits.

You’ve made it! There is a place to sit, right at the base of the cross where you can catch your breath and contemplate the beauty.

The trail as described is about 2 miles round trip. If you’d like more information about this trail, check out Mt. Rubidoux on All Trails.

Combat The Bulge,