Wedding Weight Loss Tips

Bridal Boot Camp: Sculpted Arms Exercise Program

BRIDAL BOOT CAMP: SCULPTED ARMS CIRCUIT EXERCISE PROGRAM (30-40 MINUTES)

Looking to show off your sculpted arms on your wedding day? Of course, you are, you saucy warrior! Your flex will be the gravy on the turkey. Actually, I have no idea what that means, but this program will get you ready for the holiday photoshoot. Simple and straightforward…..and pushing to failure is the theme of this no-nonsense traditional program. Perform the exercises in this order. Note the descriptions next to each exercise (e.g., hinging hips, etc.) and perform 12-15 reps for every exercise. Don’t forget to answer the questions in the “Assessment Section” after your workout. Even when working with a Denver personal trainer, reflecting on your fitness sessions is always essential.

CIRCUIT 1: 8-10 REPS

1st: Bicep barbell curls standing on a bosu
2nd: Tricep skullcrushers on the bench while floating your feet
3rd: Straight arm plank on a stability ball (hold the ball with your hands for 45 seconds, keep your hips up)
4th: Bicep barbell curls standing on a bosu
5th: Tricep skullcrushers on the bench while floating your feet

Time to get wedding fit for my Denver personal training clients. / Photo: Tara Winstead

CIRCUIT 3: 10-12 reps

11th: Bicep single-handle cable curls
12th: Tricep rope pulldowns
13th: Straight arm cable choppers
14th: Bicep single-handle cable curls
15th: Tricep rope pulldowns

CIRCUIT 4: 12-15 reps

16th: Bicep dumbbell hammer curls sitting on an incline bench
17th: Tricep dumbbell kickbacks on a flat bench
18th: Straight arm cable choppers
19th: Bicep dumbbell hammer curls sitting on an incline bench
20th: Tricep dumbbell kickbacks on a flat bench

Bonus Circuit: Failure (Perform until you Drop)

21st: Explosive pushups
22nd: Assisted pullups


Assessment Section

No fitness or personal training program is perfect. Let’s reflect and adapt! Answer the following questions:

  • How would you adapt this training program?

  • Which exercises would you swap out?

  • How could you make this fitness program more challenging?

  • How would you change the order of the exercises?

  • Would you include more breaks in between the sets?

  • Would you include a different ratio of exercises instead?


The Transformative Cycle of Awareness, Acceptance, and Adaptation

Think about your life for a moment. Do you think it is a struggle? Are you generally unhappy? Is something or someone missing? Do you feel out of place?

 

Whether or not you answered yes to these questions, you are probably reading this article because you are searching for something meaningful in your life, or for a solution to change how you feel or behave.

 

The Redefine Yourself approach will serve as the catalyst for this change. During this transformation process, the primary focus of physical and personal change isn’t just nutrition and exercise. It’s a targeted focus on awareness, acceptance, and adaptive strategies. Each word is individually significant but most powerful as a sequence.

 

As you integrate the Redefine Yourself approach into your life, you will refine your perspective and understand why you:

 

  • Do what you do.

  • Can’t reach your goals.

  • Find yourself in the same destructive position repeatedly.

  • Date the same type of person with or without the same hair color and allow the relationship to last six months to twenty years too long.

  • Complain about everything in your life to your friends, who then end up complaining about your complaining, and so forth.

  • Can’t reach your best physical, emotional, and mental self.

  • Live an unhappy and unfulfilled life.

Change starts with the mind for my Denver personal training clients. / Photo: Tara Winstead

Beginning Your Journey

 

Redefine Yourself will help you understand and redefine the very essence of YOU. It is the answer to your perpetual failure to achieve the happiness and success that you desire. You’ll uncover your shocking inner self that has undermined your efforts everywhere from the gym to the workplace.

 

By the end, you’ll incorporate the simple approach that will not only reshape your life, but positively impact the people around you. Most important, you will remove the invisible obstructions that hold you back from achieving personal success!

 

Redefine Yourself will become the “in-your-pocket” resource for daily change. It exemplifies a new generation of health and fitness books that emphasize the mental and emotional “you” when pursuing personal and professional success.

 

You’ll utilize the following three-step process when confronting your inner influences and adapting new strategies:

 

1. Awareness

 

You are a detective collecting the truth of a moment, observing yourself and every movement, sight, touch, scent, and sound of the world. You are gathering evidence for the truth without judgment. Redefine Yourself will help you examine the most common mental and environmental influences on your happiness. This list includes self-talk, surroundings, emotional restraint, fears, insecurities, perceived control, decision-making processes, and belief in your abilities.           

 

You’ll probably realize that one could write a separate book about each of these influences. In fact, you’ll easily find them in a bookstore or online, already written. But for the purpose of introducing you to you, I’ve only touched lightly on what you need to think about when examining yourself. We’ll call it a light stroke of awareness. At this point, you are just naming what you observe about yourself. While you may not entirely confront the reasons why you’re dealing with these challenges, the Redefine Yourself approach will help you accept these challenges and adapt successful strategies to overcome them.

 

Perhaps you already think that you are fully aware in your daily life. How do you know this? Is this truth based on assumptions or real evidence? Have you separated yourself from your mental judgment and just absorbed the world?

 

Most people answer no to these questions. You might do this occasionally but not often enough. Instead, you often take a leap of faith without stopping first. You jump, again and again, not knowing where you will land.

 

You live a forever-looking-forward existence. You pick up bits and pieces around you but never stop the train of life. “Not enough time,” you say. However, you make time for things that aren’t important to you. “I already know,” you say, but have never stopped to look and be certain.

 

Redefine Yourself isn’t the start of a gentle persuasion to do something. It is a knock on the head to make you realize that you’re not doing something that you think you’re doing.

 

You probably aren’t aware as much as you need to be. I know that you’ve made millions of decisions in your life and have survived thus far. How well have you lived up to this point, however? Could you have lived better if you just halted before reacting? Could you have prevented a disaster by looking in both directions first?

 

I once wrongly accused my girlfriend of being selfish while she was presenting a gift in her hands. Have you done something similar? I felt hopeless about my direction in life and my inability to change it, but I didn’t check to see that the truth was in front of me. Have you, as well?

 

Redefining yourself means becoming and staying aware. When you dedicate yourself to remaining aware before making a decision, judgment or movement, you are committing to a higher state of living. You are committing to seeing both the real perfections and imperfections of the world.

 

There is beauty in this awareness. Recently, my girlfriend and I went to a good friend’s wedding in Milwaukee. It started with an exchange of rings in the pews of the historic St. Josaphat Basilica and ended in the seventh-floor banquet room of the historic Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.

 

The highlight of the evening was the genuine love that I noticed during the father-of-the-bride’s speech. It was unbelievable! I was soaking in the aura of happiness that started in the cathedral eight hours earlier. The guests sincerely loved the couple, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. It was something special that I captured in that single moment. I always wonder how many of these moments—good and bad—I have missed while distracted with my selfish intentions or focus on my work.

 

I was not meant to change or add to this wedding moment. It already took motion without me in the picture. I was just a bystander.

 

There are many more moments, however, which require me to take action. I can make a change to help someone in need, or by removing myself from a situation.

 

Often, it doesn’t matter what leads to a moment. It only matters what you do with it. It requires a fair observation and assessment. This awareness will help you realize the real need to redefine yourself.

 

2. Acceptance

 

When you accept the influences mental and environmental factors have on you, you accept your situation, surroundings, and feelings at that moment. Then, you begin the appropriate adaptive strategies for positive change. You are putting aside your emotional investment and other subconscious influences to start over and redefine you.

 

Although your focus steers toward your mindset and the environment during a period of awareness, you mustn’t dwell on the imperfections of you, your situation, and your surroundings. Additionally, you mustn’t fixate on imperfect pieces of life that are unchangeable at the moment. Before adapting new strategies to redefine yourself, you must accept these things in their current state.

 

Acceptance isn’t easy and is a common reason people choose to be less aware of themselves and the world. It took me awhile to understand why people don’t stop and “open their eyes.” When I did, it made sense: people don’t want to. “Ignorance is bliss! The real world stinks!” The world is imperfect, and this is hard to accept. Instead, they construct a rose-colored reality to mask the blight and scathing.

 

If this is so effective, why are so many people still unhappy? It seems that our instinctive selves always recognize the truth despite our best efforts to ignore it. Our subconscious taps us on the shoulder but doesn’t push us over. It just reminds us that it’s there and tells us what we should do (even though we don’t always do it).

 

It’s our gut barking, and many people are scared to face it at times. They’re afraid to identify imperfections in themselves and their environment and new challenges.

 

Frederick Douglass, a former slave and leader in the abolitionist movement, echoes this in his narratives:

 

“…I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out. In moments of agony, I envied my fellow slaves for their stupidity. I often wished myself a beast.”

 

What an unbelievable quote! Even a man of vigor and ambition like Frederick Douglass questioned being fully aware because of the great truths that he faced.

 

You may not share the terrible circumstances that Mr. Douglass did as a slave. You’re fortunate for this. Nevertheless, there may be an unpleasant reality that might show itself, now or later, when you “open your eyes.” To make it worse, you may not know how to handle it or what to do with this new information. You’re afraid to recognize that you chose the wrong career, but you depend on it financially. You’re scared to accept that you chose the wrong spouse, but you’ve already raised two kids with him or her.

 

No matter what action you eventually pursue, you can accept your current situation. You can accept that knowledge is power even though you can’t always change it.

 

What’s the point of being aware if you can’t always change it then? It helps you understand the world. It helps you understand you. It helps you understand the subtle influences on your behavior, choices, and personality. It helps you recognize what you need to do to be happy.

 

You’re not always given an answer, a path, or the next step when you become aware. Realizing how much you have gained or how isolated you’ve become because of your job won’t be rectified as soon as you notice it.

 

It’s worth knowing, though, in order to achieve a greater purpose: Living a better, happier life. You can’t redefine your life without knowing its current shape and accepting it.

 

Moving forward or redefining yourself can’t occur unless you can learn to accept the way a situation is at a given moment. Otherwise, the insight you gain regarding practical decisions and solutions to problems are fruitless.

 

I struggled with this for a while. I realized that I wouldn’t let go of my emotional investment in my personal and professional lives. I wouldn’t accept that my marriage wasn’t working. I didn’t accept that the website design I worked on for two months wasn’t right.

 

Now is the time to trust your instincts, your gut, and your perspective. Put aside your emotional investment and don’t be afraid to start over. ACCEPT it and move on. When you don’t accept it, tell yourself again and again and again that you should.

 

3. Adaptation

 

Once you’re aware of the challenges you face and you choose to accept them, you are ready to handle your current and unforeseen obstructions to happiness. You will be prepared to adapt your lifestyle and utilize adaptive strategies that apply to multiple facets of your life. The specific solution may be different depending on the situation, but the foundation of your approach won’t change. You are just modifying the approach based on new conditions, needs, or wants.

 

You will also integrate new strategies to practice mindfulness, solve problems, accumulate wisdom through error, create new habits, clarify your purpose, self-police your life, define your boundaries, develop goals to steer positive behavior, and create conversations with others.

 

Please keep in mind that adaptation means taking action. You are not a bystander in this process. Here are several examples:

 

Is your friend is a selfish jerk? Accept All-About-Me Julie as she is and ignore her selfish tendencies, discuss how her actions make you feel, or begin dismantling your friendship.

 

Do you think the president stinks? Accept that the president (insert Republican, Democrat, or Independent here) is the leader of the United States and ignore his political decisions, get involved with politics, or make a grassroots effort for change.

These examples are another way of saying, “Quit complaining and do something.”  Complaining is primarily an emotional output, the result of boredom or simple conversation lacking any substantial or functional value. On the other hand, adaptation isn’t complaining about what you found and sharing how horrible it is for anyone who is or isn’t interested in listening. When you develop an evidence-based strategy and choose the best possible decision, you are effectively adapting your life.


A List of My Intentions for 2023 (Perhaps a Template for You, Too)

A habit must be established before it can be improved. You need to master the art of showing up.
— James Clear, author of Atomic Habits

CURATING THE LIFE I WANT IN 2023….

I believe that everyone needs a reset in their life. And, the move to Denver, Colorado, after 42 years in Chicago, Illinois, was certainly the reset for me in 2021. It was an opportunity to rebuild and reconnect many personal and professional areas of my life. I don’t think a person necessarily needs to take the same drastic step for similar results, though. I beg you to explore and consider the adaptations necessary to achieve your best self and challenge the routine of daily life, but, maybe, in your way (with a little nudge from this template). This is my annual effort to steer the life I want and be the person I aspire to be. Come join me on this journey!

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND

While I’m proud of my success, I know there’s room to grow. It’s amazing how new environments and challenges remind us of where we need to improve. Living through a pandemic and becoming a parent bent prior boundary lines, and, like many others, I needed to reexamine life's patterns and systems. All of these efforts are integrated into the various sections below. I often find the intentions related to a lifetime of habits the most difficult to change, though. The dietary intentions have been repeated over the last few years as they compete with yesterday's social and cultural influences. Although I haven’t completely met those intentions year to year, I welcome their return to the list. The experimentation continues as I try to integrate them into my life sustainably! And I’m okay with that. This year in particular, I have linked these habits, among others, to well-established habits and specifically described how I will achieve them. I’ve also redefined the principles that will steer all of my efforts. Not surprisingly, they reflect my personal and professional identities. Call this a business plan for my life in 2023….that I want you to steal.

THE PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE MY INTENTIONS


 

-Examine my focus and efforts toward current relationships and reallocate more time to each if necessary.

-Review and adapt my present routines to support optimal health.

-Define a life that serves my personal needs and simultaneously contributes to the greater good of society and humanity.

-Act and think with a baseline of empathy, compassion, and kindness.

-Seek understanding of myself and others before judgment.

-Choose the most appropriate path despite the effort or personal sacrifice.

-Celebrate equality and diversity of living things and perspectives.

-Take control of my attention. I’m talking about you, phone and social media!

-Define the boundary lines of overextending myself personally and professionally.

Living for today (and the future) as a personal trainer in Denver / Photo: Elina Fairytale

LIST OF MY INTENTIONS


 

AREA 1: MY PHYSICAL HEALTH INTENTIONS

MY EXERCISE INTENTIONS

Specific Objectives

-Increase cardio endurance by hitting at least 12000 daily steps per day, 2 cardio sessions per week on the Peloton bike or Helix lateral trainer (unless I hike, then 1 session), and 30 hikes of 6 miles or more by the end of the year (or less mileage with a 2000-3000 foot gain instead). Walk to and/or from work to guarantee my steps.

-Hike 30 different Colorado trails in 2023 (with limited repeats of 2022 trails) and support the hiking community with detailed reviews on the Alltrails app to be completed within 24 hours of each hike. Average 3-4 hikes per month. Make exceptions for friends to join!

-Complete 5 sessions of strength/muscular endurance exercise midday afternoons between 1 :00 pm and 4:00 pm, 2 sessions of cardio (including a hike) in conjunction with the weekday workout sessions (unless the Peloton at home…then at 6:16 pm weekdays or Saturday mornings at 8:30 am), and 3 short range-of-motion focused sessions of the lower limb each week within the weekday workout sessions.

Specific Plan

Monday

-45 min Strength Session

-Circuit Muscle Focus: Chest and Triceps (Low Rep), Core, Range-of-Motion Routine

Tuesday

-45 min Strength Session

-Circuit Muscle Focus: Back and Biceps (Low Rep), Core, Range-of-Motion Routine

Wednesday

-30 min Strength Session and 20 min interval Peloton Ride

-Circuit Muscle Focus: Shoulders, Leg Routine 1, Core, Range-of-Motion Routine

Thursday

-45 min Strength Session

-Circuit Muscle Focus: Arms (High Reps), Leg Routine 2, Core, Range-of-Motion Routine

Friday

-45 min Strength Session

-Circuit Muscle Focus: Total Body/Bodyweight Circuit, Core, Range-of-Motion Routine

Saturday or Sunday

-6-11 mile hike or 3-5 mile hike with a 2000-3000-foot elevation

Every Day

-1 set of 20-30 Perfect Pushups after brushing my teeth every night, 12-20k steps per weekday

MY RECOVERY INTENTIONS

Specific Objectives

-Sleep 7.5 hours every night and rest from workouts on Saturdays and Sundays (unless a hike). Specific intent: In bed by 11:15 pm and waking up by 7:05 am (no snoozing). Complete a late-night routine at least an hour before bedtime.

-Schedule 3 “Take a Deep Breath” phone prompts per day on Google Calendars. Once I see the notification on my phone, I must stop and take a deep breath no matter what I’m doing.

MY DIETARY INTENTIONS

Overarching Goals:

-To minimize inflammation and triglyceride levels and fluctuating blood sugar levels resulting from dietary choices. Specifically, lower triglyceride levels back to 150. This number is typically genetically higher than the other numbers. Thanks, Dad! I’m responsible for anything above 150, though.

-To reduce stress and anxiety levels by reducing caffeine and prioritizing sleep.

Specific Daily Dietary Objectives

-Never feel stuffed or starved and eat within 5 hours of the last meal (unless overnight).

-Assess the cues for current snacking habits and change the influences that lead to this behavior.

-Stop eating a meal at the first sign of feeling satisfied.

-Mindfully prepare the size of my 5-year-old’s leftovers, and don’t eat his leftovers :).

-Limit sips of alcohol to 3 days or less.

-Alternate sips of water and alcohol when indulging.

-18 out of 25 meals per week are whole food plant-based foundations and free of oil, meat, processed foods, and refined sugars.

-Only 1-2 servings of dairy per week (less is better).

-Minimize the consumption of anything processed (including vegan and vegetarian products....choose whole food plant-based options as often as possible).

-At least 3 out of 4 meals per day must be plant-based.

-Calories: 600-800 per meal.

-Plate Ratio: 25-50% Vitamins, phytonutrients, and other micros and macros, 25-40% Protein, 15% Good Fat, 25% Fiber.

Specific Social Dietary Objectives

-Use the Daily Dietary Objectives above as a baseline when eating out (and no matter whom I’m with).

-Eat a complete small meal before snacking (to avoid snacking).

-Restrict extracurricular eating/treats to 1-2 servings.


Stretching your limits with a Personal Trainer in LoHi, Denver - Photo: Ketut Subiyanto

AREA 2: MY EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH INTENTIONS

MY REFLECTION INTENTIONS

Specific Objective

-Identify one positive characteristic of the day while brushing my teeth in the evening.

MY ATTENTION INTENTIONS

Specific Objectives

-Limit social media interaction to twice per day (preferably on my desktop).

-Limit email actions on my phone to responses that require a response within 60 minutes.

-Maintain an inbox of 2 or less emails by unsubscribing from unnecessary emails and being more efficient with email templates and correspondence. Clean out any extra emails every Friday by 1:00 pm.

MY REFRAMING INTENTIONS

Specific Objective

-Replace all complaints with constructive criticism or reframe the message to reflect a positive light.

Even in a personal training career, I must constantly reassess how I allocate my time and energy. / Photo: Ketut Subiyanto

AREA 3: MY RELATIONSHIP INTENTIONS

Overarching Goal: Foster positive and meaningful relationships that support and enhance my life.

Specific Parent/Husband Objectives

-Make myself more emotionally available by removing electronic devices during interactions. Allow at least 1 hour of connection with my wife and son after work. Utilize the features of the Garmin watch to limit phone time. Put down the phone when conversating.

-Hug more! Always hugging on hellos and goodbyes….and random in-betweens!

-Schedule at least one meetup with my wife sans son per week and two date nights per month. No offense Preston! We'll most likely meet before my son’s pickup from after-school care during the week. If not, date night with a sitter at home!

-Hike or ride a bike on a trail with my wife at least once per month.

Specific Friends, Family, and New People Engagement Objectives

-Engage in more meaningful conversations with friends, family, and new people (even if I’m only spending a minute on the elevator with them) and foster new relationships with people who embody empathy, compassion, and kindness as a foundation for their behaviors and perspectives.

-Contact my inner circle of family and friends at least once per month via phone call, text, or in-person meetups.

No Mountain is high enough as a Personal Trainer in Denver / Photo: Mathew Thomas

AREA 4: MY ENVIRONMENTAL AND REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE/CIVIC DUTY INTENTIONS

Overarching Goal: To reduce my carbon footprint and steer a new conscience about the environment and agriculture.

Specific Whole Food Plant-Based Diet Objectives

-Aim for a 75% plant-based diet foundation by ordering my groceries online every Sunday morning. Reminder to myself: This is the most effective action any individual can take to influence global warming and preserve our environment while striving for optimal health.

Specific Waste/Pollution Reduction Objectives

-Minimize using Ziploc bags and any single-use plastics using pyrex containers and metal silverware.

-Purchase in bulk and/or order several items in advance and at the same time online.

-Use biodegradable bags for trash.

-Place all expired food in our compost bin and recycle all appropriate items.

-Limit the wasted food by reviewing the sizes of prepared meals.

-Replace most car travel within 10 minutes of walking and minimize car usage to only 8000 miles per year.

-Create a list of environmental-related activities by January 20th and check off one activity with my son, Preston, weekly.

Specific Advocacy Objectives

-If I find a way to integrate the podcast back into my schedule, dedicate at least 3 podcast episodes to climate change and regenerative agriculture.

-Link professional messages to environmental advocacy.

Travel extends the boundaries of what we know about ourselves and the world. I can’t wait to indulge in Rome again this summer! / Photo: Mario Cuadros

AREA 5: MY TRAVEL INTENTIONS

Overarching Goal: Expand my connection to various cultures and experience in new environments.

Specific Domestic Travel Objectives

-Visit and stay overnight in a new town or city every 6-8 weeks! Well, familiar towns and cities can account for half of the plans, too :) Review our travel plans on the 1st of every month.

Specific International Travel Objectives

-Visit and stay overnight in a new town or city in Europe by the end of 2023. Book our flights and travel plans by the end of the 1st quarter.

Finding the ratio of spending time with my family and myself as well as serving my responsibilities as a personal trainer in Denver, wedding officiant, and podcast host is always a challenge. / Photo: Wallace Chuck

AREA 6: MY SPECIFIC PROFESSIONAL INTENTIONS

Overarching Goal: Adapt my professional life to maximize my personal satisfaction and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of my efforts.

Specific Efficiency Objectives

-Reassess all email templates by February 1st and adapt as needed to increase response time and limit phone and computer time.

-Double-check every message and schedule confirmation before sending. This a reminder to slow down!

Specific Effectiveness Objectives

-Build fitness and lifestyle check-ins at the beginning of every Denver personal training session and create accessible resources for quick client reference by February 1st.

Specific Time Management Objectives

-Develop a strategy by February 1st to manage all professional-related efforts between 8 am and 5 pm on weekdays (no weekends). Weddings and wedding rehearsals are the exceptions.

-Determine the specific number of hours necessary for the success of my businesses. 28-32 hours of personal training, 1 podcast episode every 4-8 weeks, etc.

-Develop a strategy to reintegrate the podcast efforts into my schedule through sponsorship opportunities by February 1st.

-Take personal time off without guilt and without loading the schedule before and after.


Colorado Wedding Elopement Hikes: Green Mountain Loop via Chautauqua Trail

Now that cooler weather is upon us an elopement ceremony in nearby Boulder is always a safer bet for mild temperatures and interesting terrain. Definitely my new favorite front-range trail with sweeping views east, north, and west! Don’t plan to host your wedding ceremony elopement here? Maybe decide after these photos. You can easily have a Colorado elopement wedding within 35 minutes of Denver. I’ve included a review from a past visit and my notes.

The Green Mountain Loop in Boulder offers a few options for an elopement wedding in Colorado.


 

Time of Year: Late-October.

Weather: 38 degrees and sunny at 8:57 am, wind: 4 mph (nonfactor).

Cover: 65% dispersed cover.

Time: 8:57 am - 12:31 pm.

Distance: 7.3 miles total (left on the loop at Amphitheater Trail).

Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes.

Route: Chautauqua Trail to 6th Street Connector Trail to Meadow Trail to Amphitheater Trail to Saddle Rock Trail to EM Green Man Trail to Green Mountain West Ridge Trail to Ranger Trail to Gregory Canyon Trail.....and then back to Meadow Trail to 6th Street Connector Trail to Meadow Trail to Chautauqua Trail. In other words, follow the All-Trails map (except Ski Jump Trail-closed).

Traffic: Light.

Parking: 50% full (parking now free until Memorial Day Weekend, tons of parking for the many trail connectors).

Equipment: Hiking boots.

Terrain: A well-marked rocky trail with a 2600-foot climb over the first 3.7 miles. Primarily a dirt path the first 1 mile down from the peak of Green Mountain before a rocky dirt trail starts again within the canyon. The Meadow Trail on the front and back ends is mostly a dirt trail too.

Experience: I think this is the most rewarding front-range hike so far. While everyone jumps on Boulder's Royal Arch and Flatirons trails, this neighboring trek offers interesting terrain with incredible east, north, and west views up the steep incline to the top of Green Mountain. You can see over 20 other peaks as well as the high plains at 8100 feet. On the way back, you're also rewarded with a rocky stroll through Gregory Canyon. I clocked 3.5 hours for 7.3 miles. Expect to add time to your hike for the climb and soak in the views.

Cost: Free.

Difficulty: Hard Level 1 (cardio and muscular endurance necessary for the consistent grade up the first half and steady footing on the way down; moderate distance overall at 7.3 miles; no significant scrambles; 1 ladder climb because of a mudslide).

Colorado Ordained Minister Notes: Like the neighboring Royal Arch hike, my wedding officiant clients will need good cardio and muscular endurance to manage the 2600-foot climb within the first 3 miles. For such hikes, I move at a pace that doesn’t overstep my physical boundaries and I certainly take breaks when necessary. The work is worth the wedding elopement with a view! You can cut off a couple of miles by parking at the Gregory Canyon Trailhead, too. I won’t judge. :)

When to Visit: Although the trail is close to Denver, the winter season will offer a snow-covered option depending on the week and the sun exposure on parts of the trail. Microspikes will help you conquer the terrain. The mix of shade and sun exposure makes a morning summer hike bearable (although it will warm up quickly by noon). Early fall is an absolutely beautiful, dry option, while the early spring may be a bit muddy depending on the snowmelt (the sun may dry most of the trail by mid afternoon).


Although my recent hike was over 7 miles, you can easily host your Colorado elopement wedding ceremony within a few short miles.


My wedding couples will be able to name over 20 peaks in the distance with this handy tool on Green Mountain in Boulder.


This is view is only 35 minutes from Denver. Simply amazing.


The terrain aren’t ideal for high heels but they aren’t bad for a bride in hiking boots!


This part of the Gregory Canyon is a nice option for an elopement ceremony too!


We have a skyline in Denver…..and Boulder gives us the majestic rock formations swimming in the forest of trees.


The high plains of Colorado coming to life with new color!


Sometimes the hidden parts of a trail often provide majestic backdrops for a Colorado wedding ceremony too.


The varying terrain of Boulder offers multiple backdrops for an elopement ceremony on one trail!


Your Fitness Game Plan for Your Colorado Wedding

Time to get ready for your wedding ceremony in Colorado! Here's the adaptable game plan for the next four-eight weeks and beyond (a lifetime of habits doesn’t change in a month, after all). Please note that many of the phases will overlap. Although I recommend checking off each line item before proceeding to the next, feel free to jump around as desired (but know that it was designed and ordered strategically :)).

Whole Food Diet / Photo: Ella Olsson

PHASE 1: Learn about Posture, Proper Form, and the Neutral Spine


 

Part 1: Learn about Posture, Proper Form, and the Neutral Spine

Posture and movement: Review the posture and movement emails from your new favorite Denver personal trainer :)

Injury prevention for the lower back and posture: Review this article to learn about lower back injury prevention and proper posture.

Proper sitting: Review this article about proper form while sitting and change the way you sit.


 

Part 2: Integrate Exercises for Injury Prevention

Continuum of corrective exercise to limit pain and discomfort:

Daily Rotator cuff/anterior shoulders and lower back/hips Exercises: Watch these videos and incorporate these warm-up range of motion exercises into your routine.

Core stabilization exercises: Incorporate this proper form for your plank.

Lumbar spine exercises to alleviate lower back discomfort:

Thoracic spine mobility exercises to alleviate shoulder and neck discomfort:


 

Part 3: Foster Awareness

  • Book: Read Introduction in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody

  • Book: Read Chapter 1: You Are Not Alone in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody

  • Book: Read Chapter 2: Practice Mindfulness in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody

  • Book: Read Chapter 3: Listen to Your Inner Voice in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody


 
 

Finding a new awareness with your pup at your side. / Photo: Cottonbro

PHASE 2: Examine the Mental, Emotional, and Environmental Obstacles to Your Success and Adapt


Part 1: Examine the Environment's Influences on Your Success


 

Part 2: Examine the Underlying Influences on your Behavior

Learn how to manage your stress and anxiety:

Learn how insecurity and fears influence your behavior:

  • Book: Read Chapter 4: Face Your Fears in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody to examine how fear influences your behavior.

  • Book: Read Chapter 5: Extinguish Your Insecurities in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody to examine how insecurities influence your behavior and how to change your perspective.


 

Part 3: Examine your Decision-Making Process and Problem-Solving Approach

  • Book: Read Chapter 10: Change the Way You Decide in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody to examine your decision-making process and how it influences your behavior.

  • Book: Read Chapter 13: Approach New Problems with Confidence in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody to examine your problem-solving approach and how it influences your behavior.


 
 

Setting new goals and creating new habits are often a chess match. / Photo: Pixabay

PHASE 3: Set New Goals and Create a Supporting Structure of New Habits


Part 1: Purpose and Goals

  • Book: Read Chapter 18: Define Your Purpose in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody to guide your reflection on your life’s intent.

Learn how to set sustainable goals:

  • Article: How to Set Sustainable Goals

  • Read Chapter 19: Create Goals to Maintain Your Positive Focus in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody to examine how to create goals and support a life of positivity and satisfaction.

Examples of goals to steer your short and long-term focus:


 

Part 2: Specifically Structure and Design Your Fitness, Diet, and Professional Paths

Build a business plan for optimal health :

Develop a specific fitness plan:

Being your diet game plan:

Rethink your professional plan:

Create more time for your personal training sessions and other fitness efforts:


 

Part 3: Creating Habits to Support Your Goals

Examine your current habits and create new habits to support your health and fitness goals:

Find new ways to create time for yourself and fitness:

Time to test new programs in LoHi and beyond! / Photo: LiSun

PHASE 4: Test New Fitness Programs and Activities

Part 1: Find new ways to amplify your current workouts