I Run Like A Girl

First of all apologies for the lack of posting while I was away but I just didn’t have much time. However if you follow me on Facebook and Instagram you were able to see some photos that I posted up while I was away.

To be honest it really wasn’t very difficult to keep fit and eat well on this trip as it was quite an active holiday.  A lot of our time we spent  hiking, cycling and running which was in very high temperatures so we needed our energy from good food.

Funnily enough we clocked up over 200km between these 3 activities – pretty chuffed with myself !

We did most of our hiking in Lake Tahoe,Yosemite and Sequoia. If you ever have the opportunity to visit these areas PLEASE DO. The scenery is just amazing and pictures don’t do any of it justice ,you have to witness it for yourself. Between the three I loved Yosemite. We done about 4 hikes there and my favorite was the Mist trail.

 

 

During the trail we encountered beautiful waterfalls and loads of wildlife.I kept my garmin on me during all our trails, the mist trail was the hardest and was where we burnt the highest amount of calories ( 1,987 – no joke). I’m not surprised because there was f*ck loads of steps and hills!

 

We stayed in a lovely little B&B where the owners made us a healthy packed lunch each day that consisted of a brown bread sandwich with your choice of meat, mixed nuts,fruit and a litre of water.

It was really tasty, so much so that bloody squirrels wouldn’t leave me alone when we ate our lunch. They are meant to be quiet animals that stay away from humans but since people don’t obey signs and feed them they have become accustomed and reliant on eating human food and as a result they are a bloody pest and very bold when around humans. I no longer think squirrels are cute.

After Yosemite we headed onto Sequoia to see the largest trees in the world. I wasn’t really fussed about looking at trees all day but if i got to hike I was a happy bunny.When we got there we spoke to some of the rangers at the park to pick a trail or a few to do that day. He gave us so many options and lots of information. He did scare me a bit though as he said there were rattlesnakes, bears, poison ivy and ticks in the area. I wasn’t scared about seeing a bear as I really wanted to but a rattlesnake…. not so much. When we started off on our hike I was afraid of my own shadow (literally). After about 20 minutes I began to relax especially when we met some other human beings it made me feel a lot more comfortable.

We made it to the General Sherman in one piece. For those of you who don’t know ( I hadn’t a clue before I got there) what I’m talking about it is the largest tree in the world (by volume). It was very impressive to see and we both looked like midget’s beside it.  We had lunch beside the tree – very romantic altogether ( lunch was from a salad bar close by called subs and salads it was so fresh and you could make up your own salad or sandwich for $3) and thankfully there were no annoying squirrels around. Sequoia isn’t as popular as Yosemite so unfortunately for the squirrels they don’t get fed as much. The way back was the most exciting part – we encountered a bear! YESSSSS!

I was shaking with both joy and I was a little scared. Well I was mainly scared because Mike was determined to go up closer to it even though we were told to stay as far back as possible.  We made eye contact with the bear and had a bit of a staring contest but he must have been used to seeing people as he just went about his day and continued scratching at the tree bark to get some of his daily 20,000 calorie requirement ( can you tell how bear aware I am? ).

Here is a wee video of the little bear walking!

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We were in Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Sequoia for a total of 9 days so that was a lot of hiking. Before that we were in LA, Carmel and San Fran. During this time we tried to get out running as much as possible (usually in the mornings) as it wasn’t that hot in San Fran it actually rained while we were there. San Fran had a massive Whole Foods Market where I spent a small fortune on collecting healthy goodies for the trip and for home. After Sequoia we headed to Vegas and undone all the hard work we had put our bodies through the last 2 weeks but it was worth it. I LOVE Vegas!!! We drank every day apart from one day where my body was like are you actually serious Karen what are you doing to me?? However we did manage to hit the gym every day which I was surprised at given the state of both of us! If you have the right mindset you can still enjoy yourself!

As regards eating, Mike wasn’t too fussed he was embracing the american culture so he pretty much ate what he liked for the majority of the time especially in Vegas. He did have his best ever burger in a place called The brewery in Lake Tahoe. Check it out.

While I did let my hair down too I tried to pick the healthier options as much as I could. I ate mostly grilled chicken, fish, steak and salads. I never would have thought but subway do great salads?? Did everyone else know this??

 

 

To sum up if you want to stay fit and healthy on a holiday no matter if its America or Spain you can.  It may not always  be easy to have access to a gym but you can always bring your trainers with you and go for a run/walk/jog in the morning times. Don’t be afraid to treat yourself after all it is a holiday and you are meant to let your hair down. I may have over indulged a little bit too much on the alcohol but I balanced it out by going to the gym/running or If that wasn’t possible just made sure I ate as healthy as possible that day.

Here is a list of some of my favorite healthy eateries I came across on our trip that I feel the need to mention:

Subs and Salads- Three Rivers Sequoia

Antoinette’s Coffee and Goodies: Three Rivers Sequoia

Mix’t Greens- San Fran

Whole Foods: I know its in London but I just LOVE IT and the selection in America is unreal

Jamba Juice Bar – Most Locations

Subway- (Worldwide) I’m gonna give subway a mention because I was surprised by how healthy their sandwiches and salads are. Of course it depends on what you choose but they give a breakdown of calories and fat content for each of their sandwiches and salads which is great if you wanna make a healthy choice.

If you have any questions about my holiday or certain parts, feel free to leave me a message!

It feels great to be back 😉

K

xx