A Return to Adventure!

50 Hikes in 12 Months

Southern Tier Maps Have Arrived!

Southern Tier Maps

The 7 maps that make up the Adventure Cycling Association’s Southern Tier

There are so many pieces that all must come together for the bike tour. Even though I have been planning this for months, sometimes it feels like there is so much to do with so little time. Then something happens that makes me realize that everything is coming together exactly the way is should. I opened my mailbox and inside a non-descript postal package were the 7 maps from the Adventure Cycling Association. These maps are the guide for 3065 miles of cycling through mountains, deserts, swamp and coastland.

Seeing these maps really brings home the fact that in about 3 weeks I will be dipping my bike tire into the Pacific Ocean and starting on my journey.  It’s coming soon and even though a part of me wishes I had more time to prep, most of me knows that it will be exactly as it should be and that will be just fine.

Training, Training, Training

Increasing Mileage

When it comes to preparing for a 3,000+ mile journey, there are many things to consider. Proper nutrition, supplements, hydration, post-ride stretching, and cycling attire are important factors to take into account. What it all really comes down to is time in the saddle. My body needs to become accustomed to spending hours pedaling those miles day after day. I have been steadily increasing my mileage per ride. On days when the sunlight and weather are not cooperating there may be a 20-miler, but the goal at this stage has been to ride a minimum of 30-40 miles per outing. I am thankful that the ability to pedal those miles has been easy enough. Although Texas is known for mild winters, we do have cold fronts blowing through which puts the pinch on ride days. The biggest challenge at this point has been getting these rides in between cold fronts and on good days before the sun sets.

Leon Creek Greenway

With 5 weeks left before the bike tour starts, it’s time to ramp up that ride mileage goal to better represent the daily mileage that my body will experience on the tour. San Antonio has a fantastic trail system that offers me many opportunities to ride safely. Currently, my go-to trail is the Leon Creek Greenway which offers 26 miles of riding. The plan over the next couple of weeks is to increase my single ride mileage from 40 miles to 50 miles. Then ramp that up even further to the 60 mile mark leading up to the tour start. Many folks might think the mileage increase is a big deal. Actually, it isn’t. I have ridden up to 62.5 miles before. The true challenge is riding those kinds of miles on back to back to back days.

 

Toughening Up

Riding day after day makes a big difference in the performance of each ride. Legs feel heavier on day three than they did on day one. I feel every single bit of every bump in the road. I know exactly where my sit bones are and can feel them more and more on consecutive ride days. This is giving me a taste of what I will experience on the tour. This is good because more than any physical toughness needed during the tour will be the mental fortitude it will take to keep on riding day after day for two months.

40 Mile Bike Ride on MapMyRide

40 Mile Bike Ride on MapMyRide

What I am learning right now is that each long ride is not a sprint. It is definitely more of an ultra-marathon. Currently, the ride time for me to burn through 40 miles is over the 3 hour mark. Part of my training now includes forcing myself stop more often than I would if I were only riding once in a while.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it is actually more challenging than you might think. The more I ride, the easier it is for my body to deliver a faster pace. Those moments when mind and body are in sync with speed are truly magical. I feel like I am lighter than air and flying along the trail is a mental and physical rush.

Balancing Act

This is where the battle between mind and body requires discipline. The fact is that staying at a fast pace is not something that is sustainable over time. Or at least it isn’t for me. I am working on balancing my minds desire for speed with my body’s need for a few moments of non-riding. Stopping to stretch out of the ride position is important. To offer my hips and back a chance to relax makes such a difference in the ride experience. Even standing on my pedals while riding and pushing my hips forward and straightening my back helps to ease tightness. Better still is stopping and taking the time to stretch out for a few minutes. Doing this always leaves me feeling refreshed when I jump back on the bike.

Jen riding fast

My faithful steed

As I work to increase frequency of rides with more ride mileage, this balancing act will become even more important. The long term sustainability of training rides and ultimately the success of the tour will rely heavily on this balance. Which is why I am so grateful to have this time to train. What a difference this knowledge has made so far. I look forward to learning and sharing even more of these nuggets of practical experience as training continues.

Do you have some cycling tips that have helped you improve your ride experience? Let me hear from you. Leave a comment below to share your training gems. Cheers!

Preparations Are Underway

The Planning: Self-supported vs Team Supported

From the time the idea for the Health Fitness Beauty Quest Cross-Country Bike Tour was hatched, I knew it would take serious preparation in order to take the dream and turn it into a reality.  Beyond training there was the logistics of pulling together a two-month event. From making the decision to travel solo on a self-supported tour to joining an existing group of riders or riding with a support team vehicle.

Initially, my plan was to take two months off to ride self-supported with a group of 2-3 cyclists.  However, the deeper I dug into everything that could be captured on the tour, (audio/video interviews, live audio/video diaries) the more I realized that cycling with a support team was the only way to tell the story fully. With a support team I could share the two month experience with the followers of the Health Fitness Beauty Quest in a way that was not possible on a solo trek. So, my new plan became riding cross-country to celebrate the everyday athlete and bike tourism all while maintaining my business.  Having a support team allows me to do all that and do it well.

Support Team and Partners

Jordan and Jonathan, Support Team and Videographers

Jordan and Jonathan, Support Team and Videographers

I am also pleased to announce that my two sons offered to become the vehicle support team. Jonathan and Jordan have been my biggest champions and frequently join me for what we call “family adventures.” They will not only drive the support vehicle but will also be the video production crew. They have both worked Social Media Lounge video interviews events with me through the years. They are well versed in both livestreaming and recorded video. The only difference now will be that the Social Media Lounge is 8 states across the entire southern portion of the United States.

The more I talked about the tour the more folks I had who were interested in becoming partners of the tour. These partners offer both sponsorship and in-kind donations. Both of which will go a long way towards make the bike tour successful. I have been blessed to have some fantastic folks jump in to sponsor the tour. There will be detailed information in a more in-depth future post.

You’re Doing What?!

Is the reaction most folks have when they learn of the bike tour. The tag that I have on my social media profile starts with “Living the Dream!” To me living the dream is a way of thinking, living, being. It isn’t something you wait to do when you retire or when you hit the lotto. It is in the now. The now for me means being able to do something I’ve dreamed of all while running my business and sharing the experience with my sons. We can all do this. I hope to be an inspiration to folks who have been waiting for the someday in their lives. “Someday, I will….” That someday could be now or next week or even next year. Whatever it is that you’ve always wanted to do, just go out and make it a reality.

Sharing The Story

One of the things I enjoy is sharing the story. Going deeper into a subject and learning by asking questions.  What this usually means is that I can frequently be found interviewing people with my phone in hand recording each and every word. It’s fun and my clients and interviewees appreciated the multimedia dynamic. After all, who can tell a story better than the person who is living it?

This is where the idea for adding a multimedia element to the tour came into play. As I travel through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida I will stop to interview everyday athletes and learn more about what small towns and big cities are doing to promote bike tourism along the Southern Tier.

You may be wondering, “When will you have time to ride and conduct interviews?” My plan is to ride a very manageable 40-60 miles per day. Which averages to about 4-6 hours a day with rest days every 5-6 days. This leaves plenty of time for recouping during ride days with days off to conduct interviews.

Where You Step In

sponsor bike tour imageWant to be a part of the journey? There are all manner of things we have on a tour list. Some of them are crucial and others would make the tour easier to ride and capture.

If you feel inspired to join us or become one of our partners to ensure we have everything we need to make the tour a rousing success then click on over to our here to learn more. Either way we hope that you will continue to cheer me on and be accountability partners as we  embark on the latest adventure of the Health Fitness Beauty Quest.

 

Cross-Country Bike Tour

I am drawing the…

line in the sand

…line in the sand.

Planting my flag…

...in the ground.

…in the ground.

Standing up and…

...make a statement

…making a statement

in front of God and the entire interwebs.

“I, Jennifer Navarrete, will ride 3069.5 miles across the United States from California to Florida on my bike.”

That’s right, I’m going on a cross-country bike tour!

Adventure Cycling Association Southern Tier

Reflections on 2014

On January 1st many of us set New Year’s Resolutions. We resolve to do better. Do more of the things that are good for us (health, fitness, financial) and less of the things that are not so good for us (poor food choices, sedentary living, frivolous spending). The model of success I have found through the Health Fitness Beauty Quest has been one of adding. The focus has never been about taking away, but one of incorporating more of the things that are better for me.

Health

By adding better food choices such as an apple before a breakfast taco or a salad before a burger, I found the cravings for poor food choices naturally minimize and were even deleted from my daily meal options. This does not mean I forgo pizza or burgers or tacos. What it does mean is that those types of food options have fallen into the few and far between meals. I simply do not care to eat them as often as I did in the past.

Fitness

In 2014, I added neighborhood walks, interval treadmill sessions, hiking and gym circuit training to my cycling and swimming. I was surprised to discover how quickly my body responded to mixing up my fitness routine. It took less time to loose inches and gain strength when I varied my workouts. By adding more movement and changing the types of exercise I was doing I saw bigger results.

Beauty

I went big when it came to beauty. I added monthly facials, had an abdominal awake lipo procedure, incorporated a morning and evening beauty regimen and learned more about how to care for myself than I had in all my adult life. I not only learned about beauty care, but I stuck to it day after day, month after month. It’s one thing to learn something, but it is an entirely different thing to see it through day in and day out.

Nutritional Supplements

Although nutritional supplements are not part of my blog title, they have played an important supporting role in each aspect of my health, fitness and beauty. In 2014, I became a part of the #1 nutritional supplement company in the world. Incorporating nutritional supplements to my daily routine was another I found to move my quest forward. By joining the company I also added another stream of income to my business.

As I look back on 2014, I see a year of transition and transformation. I took my life back from the unhealthy version of myself and staked a claim for the new healthy, fit and beautiful version of myself that will live out the rest of my adventure-filled days.

Walking Meetings

Steps by George Hoden

Steps by George Hodan

Most of the folks I know are like me, they work online. Which means many, many, many hours sitting down with a laptop and/or iPad. Being able to work for myself anywhere and anytime is a wonderful gift. However, spending any length of time sitting without moving is not a good thing. Studies from the Mayo Clinic, University of South Carolina along with articles from The Guardian and WebMD all point to excessive sitting as a serious health concern.

A couple of years ago I consulted with a local PR professional about one of their outdoor destination clients. During our brainstorming session, I proposed the “Have a walking meeting” campaign to encourage people to enjoy the outdoor space during the work week. This idea has stuck with me ever since. I just liked the idea of having meetings while walking outdoors. We all have mobile devices so taking meeting notes or even audio recording the meeting while walking would be easy enough.

It wasn’t until about 6 weeks ago that I personally implemented the Walking Meeting. I have a weekly call with my mentor and friend, Rhea Perry. I was sharing my fondness for the FitBit and my concept of the walking meeting. She liked the idea so much she went out and bought a FitBit and said she would join me. And just like that our weekly calls became Walking Meeting calls.

It’s been great. Our calls are late morning so it breaks up a day of meetings and calls. While our calls usually last 1-2 hours. The walking part of our calls last about 20-30 minutes. While 20-30 minutes may not seem like much of a workout, according to my FitBit I am burning between 120-230 calories per session. Which compared to what was 0 calories burned, is a very good thing.

In the past, many of my meetings were in coffee shops. Now, I have more and more of my meetings on the hike and bike trails. Let me encourage you to consider adding a walking meeting or two to your work week. Your waistline and your pocketbook will thank you.

Remember, you are worth the extra effort it takes to start the journey towards a healthier, fitter and more beautiful version of you.

RESULTS: RESET Weight Loss Challenge

RESET Weight Loss ResultsOne week ago today, I started the RESET Weight Loss Challenge. As an Independent Distributor for USANA Health Sciences, I wanted to see how this particular product worked. I have been extremely pleased with the results I have seen after taking USANA’s nutritional supplements that I wondered how well their other products performed.

Here are the results from my 5 day challenge: -6 lbs. I began the morning of day 1 at 157lbs and wound up at 151lbs on the morning of day 6. The results have made me even more of a believer in the products that have now become a daily part of my family’s lives.

Here is my recap video:

 

If you would like to lose an average of *4 1/2-5lbs over 5 days, contact Jennifer via email or Twitter to join the RESET Weight Loss Challenge.

*Individual results may vary.
Disclosure: As of 7/31/2014 Jennifer Navarrete became a USANA Health Sciences Independent Distributor.
Disclaimer: Always consult a doctor before beginning any weight loss, diet or fitness program.

The RESET Weight Loss Challenge

RESET picWhen I signed up to become an Independent Distributor for USANA, they sent me a box of all kinds of goodies. From nutritional supplements to skin care to snack bars. One thing that piqued my interest was a glossy box that had the word RESET on top. When I opened it I discovered there was a 5 day weight loss system inside. Individual packets of Nutrimeal, Essential Supplements, Snack Bars and a RESET Success Guide.

I have been pretty happy with my existing healthy weight loss program of being physically active and smart eating. However, the claim of loosing 4.5-5lbs by the 5th day had me intrigued. So, in the interest of being product knowledgeable, I figured it might be a good idea to give it a whirl. After all, how can I talk about the products unless I have experience with them? Or at least that is what I told myself I was doing.Jennifer's starting weight for the #RESETChallenge

Like everything else on this journey, I figured sharing the experience with you would be another way to keep me accountable. Here is a pic of my starting weight of 157lbs. I will be posting pics each day on Twitter so we can all see how well it does or doesn’t work.

Here is the video I created for the first day:

 

Not one to go it alone, I invited my mom and a friend to join me. Let me know if you’re interested in joining us for your own healthy RESET.   I will keep you informed of the progress and write an update post on day five. Wish us luck!

Has It Been One Year Already?

Health | Fitness | Beauty Quest  Year One

Health | Fitness | Beauty Quest
Year One

The month of September marks the Health Fitness Beauty Quest one year anniversary. It is hard to believe so much time has passed. I look back at everything learned over the last 12 months and realize just how much has changed. When I started on this journey, I had no idea where it would take me. My hopes were to discover a healthier and fitter version of myself. As a self-proclaimed “Tomboy Techie”, I also was curious to discover more about the world of beauty.

For those of you who have followed my journey, I give you my heartfelt thanks. Your words of encouragement and support have been invaluable to me. The knowledge that you were cheering me on and holding me accountable have been a large part of my success.

I really do feel fantastic after a year of the Health Fitness Beauty Quest. It has been an incredible year and I am extremely grateful to each one of you. Your tweets, comments, likes and shares online have gone a long way towards keeping me on track. The face-to-face conversations, phone calls, hugs and texts warmed my heart, lifted my spirits and fueled my workouts. I have always felt I was in partnership with you on this journey.

In order to share some of the keys to my success I will be visiting with Pinnacle Wellness, ContourLase Body Institute and Your Wellness Plan. These companies partnered with me to provide services, products and education when I began this journey one year ago.

The archived and ongoing conversation can be found by searching for the #hfbq hashtag on Twitter and Facebook.