First 2018 Hike

  On the 1st of January the Virginia State Parks host an annual 1st of the year hike.  This was my second year participating.  I choose a different park this year because it's nice to switch it up and with 37 parks within the state it's nice to see the variety.  This year I went to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

  This year despite the extremely low temperatures I made it a couple miles before I had to turn around not for a lack of trying but water flooded the trail.  Three times actually but the first one I could walk around the second  I jumped over and splashed with only one foot but, the last spot was too deep and wide.

  The hikes are offered at the parks at different times providing you the opportunity to have a guide.  The hikes offered are an hour hike or a few miles. Or of course you can choice to make your own adventure for however long you would like.

  The beauty you see when you get out in nature is immeasurable.  You get to see plants, tree, animals, bugs, and water.  My favorite is the water views.  All the parks have some sort of water source and it's always beautiful when I see it. 

  On this particular day there is not an admittance fee.  People should take advantage of this and check out the parks and trails. It's a great day for an introduction.

  Have you gotten out for a hike or stroll for leisure yet?  What do you enjoy most in nature?

Weekend Fitness

  It's Friday and the weekend is almost here.  You have worked all week and you can't wait to take it easy on the weekend.  That's completely understandable but your workout doesn't have to be canceled.

  I knew I would have a busy weekend but I am motivated to stay active all 31 days of October so I planned ahead.  Saturday I was going to be gone but based on my plans I was going to be walking a lot so that was my fitness for the day.

It worked out great.  I would have liked 25,000 steps but we had to go to another place at 6 and it started to rain so my plans were not quite 100 % attainable.

On Sunday I knew again that my fitness routine would be interrupted so I set my alarm a little earlier for jog before my 'official' day started! 

  Most of my cardio routines are in the morning so that's nothing new to me.  It works best for me because after noon I lack motivation for the most part.  3 miles for me!  The weekend didn't slow me down!

  Well at the end of my weekend. I feel good! My fitness was not compromised based on the weekend or busy plans.

  I still managed to get a complete week of fitness done!

  1 week done 3 weeks and 3 days to go.  This is just a view of my steps.  I didn't necessarily walk or jog to get fitness but sometimes I did both. Thursday and Friday I rode my bike and those miles don't get calculated with my app. Monday I also did Yoga.

  Do you have a goal for the month?  How are you doing so far towards that? 

10 miles of Norfolk VA

  For the last couple weeks we have ventured to Norfolk the city next door and took advantage of their summer kids program.  While there since I paid for the ferry and parking (optional) I like to get my money's worth so we toured the city as well.  On foot of course because that's FREE!

We racked almost ten miles that day but I packed our lunch, some snacks and plenty of water to keep us going.

  This city has so many neat spots I knew of and some we just stumbled on coincidentally.

We checked out some street art and they decided to strike a pose.

 It's hard work realizing that the walk has only just begun...

 We saw a mermaid or two.  We are going to go back and look for some more.  Although after some research apparently there are 130 and I doubt we will get to all of them.
They sure are neat to see because they vary so much.

In a quiet little neighborhood we found this running train in the front yard.  My kids stood there for awhile.  I don't know how often the train runs but I'm glad my kids were in the right place at the right time.

We even visited The Pagoda for some impromptu pictures.

We plan on making another visit or two to Norfolk and I can't wait to share with you what we see!  

Do you re-visit neighboring towns? Play tourist in your own city?  What is one place you keep going back to that's close?

Hiking with Children (a hiking group review)

  Do you know what's nice?

1.  Getting outside to enjoy the fresh air.
2.  Spending time moving.
3.  Meeting new people with a common interest.

  Today I finally got to join a group that I have been watching from the sidelines.  A group that supports, promotes and encourages you to get out and explore your neighborhood with your children.  You know I am not shy with my kids and hiking.  We have trumped through over a dozen state parks, paddled in boats and took on the Lighthouse Challenge in New Jersey climbing up 100's of steps!

  This group provides a platform to meet up with other individuals and their children to hike together.  Even if your a regular hiker or walk your neighborhood these guys provide an outlet to maybe see a new area.  They have regular and spontaneous hikes.  The hikes meet at different areas and offer different paces, trails, and offer hikes that are stroller friendly and some that are carrier only.

  The group is all based on volunteers but I'm sure it doesn't seem like work when your meeting up with friends for a regular 2 mile walk.  Today we (the kids and I) walked 2 miles with this group (you choose a group based on your preference of location, miles and child options be it stroller, carrier or walker.

  On our walk it took us to a new area! We saw some new things.

My kids made new friends 

And we got in some miles today!

Check them out hikeitbaby and see if they have a local branch for you to connect with.  It's a good way to get out and about.  Shake off those winter blues! 

All it takes is one step!