Find your best self before the wedding ceremony and read marriage, relationship, and wellness tips from Denver wedding officiant, Michael Moody.
Colorado Wedding Ceremony Prep: 4–8 Week Plan | Denver Wedding Officiant
Summary
Get ready for your Colorado wedding ceremony with a structured 4–8 week plan. A Denver wedding officiant and trainer covers posture, injury-prevention, mindfulness, and goals. Build habits and fitness for a stress-free day. Start planning your ceremony in Denver with expert premarital guidance.
Keywords
Denver wedding officiant; Colorado wedding ceremony; ceremony planning Denver; premarital guidance; Colorado elopement planning; wedding fitness plan; posture neutral spine; injury-prevention exercises; corrective exercise; mindfulness for couples; habit building; goal setting; personal trainer Denver; wedding day readiness; stress-free wedding Colorado
Introduction
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.
Video: Alligators
Video: Hip Stretches
Video: Glute Bridges
Restorative Yoga Videos: https://youtu.be/c56tAJ9KjRg or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtVrPUylxp8
Core stabilization exercises: Incorporate this proper form for your plank.
Lumbar spine exercises to alleviate lower back discomfort:
Video: Alligators
Video: Glute Bridges (standard two-foot bridge only without the bands)
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
Part 4: Review Additional Resources
Book: Real Movement: Perspective on Integrated Motion & Motor Control by Gary Gray
Book: Athletic Body in Balance by Gray Cook
Book: Becoming A Supple Leopard 2nd Edition (The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance) by Kelly Starrett
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
Book: Read Chapter 12: Change Your Environment in the book Redefine Yourself by Michael Moody and make a list of external influences on your behaviors and choices.
Podcast: Listen to the podcast episode #24-Exploring the Psychology of our At-Home Environment with Dr. Preston
Part 2: Examine the Underlying Influences on your Behavior
Learn how to manage your stress and anxiety:
Article: What Being a Parent Taught Me About Managing Stress
Article: How to Overcome Your Anxiety at Work
Podcast: Listen to episode #16 - The Examination of Personal and Collective Trauma with Dr. Bakalar
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 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.
Part 4: Find Inspiration
Find motivation through the wisdom of others by reviewing these articles and posting one quote on your closet wall to be seen daily:
Article: 12 Inspirational Quotes that Have Shaped My Life Over the Last Year
Article: My 10 Favorite Life-Guiding Quotes from the Stoic, Marcus Aurelius
Article: My Favorite James Clear Quotes and Thoughts (Set 1)
Reexamine the perspective on your daily life and approach:
Rethink your professional (and personal) approach:
Design a new mindset:
Podcast: Listen to episode #26 - Designing the Mind in a New Year | Author Ryan A. Bush
No longer limit yourself and literally travel outside of your boundaries:
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:
Podcast: Listen to episode #35 - Designing Your New Work Life | Dave Evans
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:
Article: 5 Morning Habits That Have Made Me More Successful (and Less Stressed)
Book: Read Atomic Habits by James Clear.
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
Part 2: Test new workouts
Part 3: Test new hikes (or something else active outside of the gym)
Colorado Hikes near Denver: Nymph Lake, Lake Haiyaha Loop via Fire Trail (RMNP)
Colorado Hikes near Denver: North Table Mountain West Loop (Golden)
Colorado Hikes near Denver: Elk Falls Lookout and Elk Falls Pond (Staunton State Park)
Colorado Hikes near Denver: Green Mountain Loop via Chautauqua Trail
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
Wedding Planning Tips
Wedding Fitness Plans for Colorado Couples | Denver Wedding Officiant
Summary
Plan your Colorado wedding and wellness together. A Denver wedding officiant & trainer shares adaptable 3-, 4-, and 5-day wedding fitness plans covering cardio, strength, muscular endurance, and ROM. Personalize for injuries, goals, and lifestyle. Start premarital wellness for true wedding day readiness.
Key Topics
Denver wedding officiant; Colorado wedding officiant; wedding fitness plan; premarital wellness; ceremony-ready workout; cardio strength muscular endurance; ROM exercises; personal trainer Denver; adaptable weekly fitness structure; wedding day readiness; mindful marriage preparation
Introduction
I wish I could say that there are only three fitness plans that every personal training client can integrate for optimal physical success. Unfortunately, unknowns and various personal and professional demands enhance our lives as much as they create obstacles. Our strengths, limitations, and preferences also expand the endless structure variations. No program will completely optimize your physical self nor meet all of your wants and needs at once. The structure will most likely be adapted from time to time and may look completely different depending on your life at a given point. Nevertheless, we must start somewhere; the options below will guide your experience.
Once you decide on an approach, you'll quickly recognize that it, like all others, will have its specific benefits and drawbacks. How will you improve your range of motion, cardio, and muscular endurance if you choose a strength approach with a five-day isolated muscle approach? If you integrate a total body aerobic session three days per week, will you break down your muscles enough to gain the tone and sculpt you're looking for? Should you include pilates, yoga, hiking, swimming, other fitness disciplines, and/or related activities? Oi vai! What to do!!!
Considering your present physical state, preexisting conditions/injuries, and strengths and limitations will also heighten the challenge when selecting a structure. For example, a personal training client with osteoporosis may need to focus more on strength to protect their bones and minimize high-impact activity. A person with great strength but asthmatic may want to incorporate a progressive cardio endurance plan with strength workouts.
To guide your appropriate fitness path, I did my best to boil down the endless options to several fitness structures as you mull through the thoughts above. You can choose the one you're most interested in, and we'll adapt it to your goals, gym history, injuries, and more. I purposely didn't include specifics for each day (e.g., reps, intervals, etc.). First, we start with the big picture, create a personalized structure, and then fill in the specific details. Good luck!
How does running and other cardio activities fit into your fitness plan? / Photo: Jacoby Clarke
OUR GOAL TODAY
Establish an adaptable weekly fitness structure (with or without Denver personal training sessions included). First, choose a section based on the number of days you’ll dedicate to formalized exercise (3, 4, or 5 days) and then review the options under each. Once you determine the structure that best aligns with your lifestyle, needs, and wants, we’ll discuss how to adapt and personalize it. Please note: Our bodies are intended to move daily. We may still see some benefits from exercising only 1-2 sessions per week, but we may not achieve the significant gains we desire (hence the focus on three or more days below).
Key Terms:
Cardio Endurance: The benefits of this focus are: lowering risk of heart disease, higher blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke; prevention of chronic disease; better pulmonary function and improved VO2 function; better sleep; reducing fatigue; greater ease walking greater distances, walking up stairs, and performing daily non-strenuous activities; and better mood. Activities: climbing stairs or using the Stairmaster, sports-related activities, running, rowing, swimming, plyometric exercises, and walking.
Muscular Endurance: The benefits of this focus are: increasing aerobic capacity of muscles; performing daily activities under demand for more extended periods; better sleep; increasing athletic performance in endurance-based sports; prevention of chronic disease; reducing general and muscle fatigue; general toning; reducing injuries resulting from repetition and overuse; and maintaining posture alignment—activities: circuit training, functional training, bodyweight training, and plyometric training.
Strength: The benefits of this focus include strengthening bones; performing daily strenuous activities for short periods; increasing athletic performance in strength- and endurance-based sports; reducing fatigue; reducing injuries resulting from heavy lifts; improving mood; sculpting muscles; and maintaining proper posture alignment. Activities: strength training.
"I’M CONVINCED, BUT MY LIFE IS BUSY" FITNESS PLANS (3 DAYS PER WEEK)
Option 1 (Cardio Endurance Focused ):
Time per Session: 20-30 minutes
Benefits: Cardio endurance
What’s Missing?: Strength and sculpt optimization; limited time for muscular endurance-focused exercise (although the rowing and Stairmaster machines help)
Workouts:
Day 1: Stairmaster interval session / 8-10 minutes of ROM activity or yoga
Day 2: Rowing machine or swimming interval session / 8-10 minutes of ROM activity or yoga
Day 3: Run or hike interval session / 8-10 minutes of ROM activity or yoga
Option 2 (Muscular Endurance Focused and Cardio Enhanced):
Time per Session: 40-60 minutes
Benefits: Muscular endurance and limited cardio endurance
What’s Missing?: Strength and a sculpt optimization; limited time for range of motion (ROM) exercises and poses
Workouts:
Day 1: Circuit of upper body and core exercises/ 8-10 minutes of interval cardio
Day 2: Circuit of lower body and core exercises / 8-10 minutes of interval cardio
Day 3: Circuit of explosive total body exercises / 8-10 minutes of interval cardio
Option 3 (Strength Focused and ROM Enhanced):
Time per Session: 40-60 minutes
Benefits: Strength, range of motion (ROM)
What’s Missing?: Cardio and muscular endurance optimization; limited time for stabilization exercises (although they can be built into core exercises)
Workouts:
Day 1: Traditional sets of chest, tris, and core exercise (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 2: Traditional sets of back, bis, and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 3: Traditional sets of legs, shoulders, and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Option 4 (Sports Cardio Endurance Focused):
Time per Session: 45-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio endurance and limited muscular endurance for recreational sports
What’s Missing?: Strength and sculpt optimization; limited time for muscle endurance-focused exercise
Workouts:
Day 1: Tennis match or soccer game
Day 2: Circuit of high-intensity, explosive total body exercises with bands and bodyweight / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses
Day 3: Tennis match or soccer game
Option 5 (Cardio and Muscular Endurance Focused):
Time per Session: 40-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio and muscular endurance
What’s Missing?: Strength and sculpt optimization; limited time for range of motion (ROM) exercises and poses
Workouts:
Day 1: Circuit of total body and core exercises/ 8-10 minutes of interval cardio
Day 2: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Day 3: Circuit of total body and core exercises / 8-10 minutes of interval cardio
Option 6 (Cardio Endurance Focused and Muscular Endurance Enhanced):
Time per Session: 45-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio endurance and some muscular endurance for recreational sports
What’s Missing?: Strength and sculpt optimization; limited time for muscle endurance-focused exercise
Workouts:
Day 1: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Day 2: Circuit of total body and core exercises / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses
Day 3: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Signing up with a Denver Personal Trainer is a commitment inside and outside of the gym. / Photo: Ketut Subiyanto
"COMMITTED TO 4…..LET’S DO THIS" FITNESS PLANS (4 DAYS PER WEEK)
Option 1 (Cardio Endurance, Strength, and Muscular Endurance Focused):
Time per Session: 45-60 minutes
Benefits: Strength, muscular endurance, and cardio endurance
What’s Missing?: You’ll achieve significant gains in each area, but may not optimize one over the other.
Workouts:
Day 1: Circuit of upper body and core exercises with dumbbells and machines / 4 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of interval cardio
Day 2: Circuit of strength-endurance exercises for legs and core / 8-10 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of interval cardio
Day 3: Circuit of high-intensity, explosive total body exercises with bands and bodyweight / 8-10 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of interval cardio
Day 4: 30-45 minutes of yoga or pilates / 8 minutes of interval cardio
Option 2 (Cardio Endurance Focused and Strength and Muscular Endurance Enhanced):
Time per Session: 45-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio endurance is the main goal, but muscular endurance and strength are very important.
What’s Missing?: You’ll see more gain in cardio endurance, but may not optimize the other areas.
Workouts:
Day 1: Circuit of upper body and core exercises with dumbbells and machines / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of high-intensity interval cardio
Day 2: Circuit of strength exercises for legs and core / 20 minutes of interval cardio
Day 3: Circuit of high-intensity, explosive total body exercises with bands and bodyweight / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of high-intensity interval cardio
Day 4: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Option 3 (Cardio and Muscular Endurance Focused and ROM Enhanced):
Time per Session: 45-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio and muscular endurance, limited range of motion (ROM)
What’s Missing?: You’ll see more gain in cardio and muscular endurance, but may not optimize strength or sculpt.
Workouts:
Day 1: Circuit of upper body and core exercises / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses
Day 2: Circuit of stabilization and core exercises / 30 minutes of high-intensity interval cardio
Day 3: Circuit of lower body and core exercises / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses
Day 4: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Option 4 (Strength Focused and ROM Enhanced):
Time per Session: 40-60 minutes
Benefits: Strength, limited range of motion (ROM)
What’s Missing?: Cardio and muscular endurance optimization; limited time for stabilization exercises (although they can be built into core exercises)
Workouts:
Day 1: Traditional sets of chest and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 2: Traditional sets of back and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 3: Traditional sets of legs and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 4: Traditional sets of arms, shoulders, and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Option 5 (Strength and ROM Focused):
Time per Session: 40-60 minutes
Benefits: Strength and range of motion (ROM)
What’s Missing?: Cardio and muscular endurance optimization; limited time for stabilization exercises (although they can be built into core exercises)
Workouts:
Day 1: Traditional sets of chest, triceps, and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 2: Traditional sets of back, biceps, and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 3: Traditional sets of legs, shoulders, and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 4: 30-45 minutes of yoga or pilates
Option 6 (Cardio and Muscular Endurance Focused and ROM Enhanced):
Time per Session: 40-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio and muscular endurance, limited range of motion (ROM)
What’s Missing?: Strength and sculpt optimization
Workouts:
Day 1: Circuit of total body and core exercises/ 8-10 minutes of range of motion (ROM) exercises
Day 2: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Day 3: Circuit of total body and core exercises / 8-10 minutes of range of motion (ROM) exercises
Day 4: 30-40 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Personal Training in Denver is part of the bigger fitness picture. / Photo: Andrea Piacquadio
"ALL IN” FITNESS PLANS (5 DAYS PER WEEK)
Option 1 (Cardio Endurance, Strength, and Muscular Endurance Focused):
Time per Session: 45-60 minutes
Benefits: Strength, muscular endurance, and cardio endurance
What’s Missing?: You’ll achieve significant gains in each area but may not optimize one over the other.
Workouts:
Day 1: Circuit of upper body and core exercises with dumbbells and machines / 4 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of interval cardio
Day 2: Circuit of strength-endurance exercises for legs and core / 8-10 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of interval cardio
Day 3: 30-45 minutes of restorative yoga
Day 4: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Day 5: Circuit of high-intensity, explosive total body exercises with bands and bodyweight / 8-10 minutes of ROM exercises and poses
Option 2 (Cardio Endurance Focused as well as Strength, ROM, and Muscular Endurance Enhanced):
Time per Session: 45-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio endurance is the main goal, but muscular endurance, strength, and range of motion (ROM) are very important.
What’s Missing?: You’ll see more gain in cardio endurance but may not optimize the other areas.
Workouts:
Day 1: Circuit of upper body and core exercises with dumbbells and machines / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of high-intensity interval cardio
Day 2: Circuit of strength exercises for legs and core / 20 minutes of interval cardio
Day 3: 30-45 minutes of restorative yoga
Day 4: Circuit of high-intensity, explosive total body exercises with bands and bodyweight / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses / 8 minutes of high-intensity interval cardio
Day 5: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Option 3 (Sports Cardio and Muscular Endurance Focused and ROM Enhanced):
Time per Session: 45-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio and muscular endurance for recreational sports, limited range of motion (ROM)
What’s Missing?: Strength and sculpt optimization; more range of motion (ROM) may be needed because of the demand placed on the body.
Workouts:
Day 1: Tennis match or soccer game
Day 2: Circuit of upper body and core exercises with dumbbells and machines / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses
Day 3: Tennis match or soccer game
Day 4: Circuit of high-intensity, explosive total body exercises with bands and bodyweight / 6-8 minutes of ROM exercises and poses
Day 5: Tennis match or soccer game
Option 4 (Cardio Endurance, Muscular Endurance, and ROM Focused):
Time per Session: 40-60 minutes
Benefits: Cardio and muscular endurance, range of motion (ROM)
What’s Missing?: Strength and sculpt optimization
Workouts:
Day 1: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio / 8-10 minutes of range of motion (ROM) exercises
Day 2: Circuit of total body and core exercises
Day 3: 30-45 minutes of yoga
Day 4: 40-45 minutes of interval or endurance cardio
Day 5: Circuit of total body and core exercises / 8-10 minutes of range of motion (ROM) exercises
Option 5 (Strength and ROM Focused):
Time per Session: 40-60 minutes
Benefits: Strength and range of motion (ROM)
What’s Missing?: Cardio and muscular endurance optimization; limited time for stabilization exercises (although they can be built into core exercises)
Workouts:
Day 1: Traditional sets of chest and core exercise (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 2: Traditional sets of back and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 3: Traditional sets of legs (part 1) and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 4: Traditional sets of arms, shoulders, and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
Day 5: Traditional sets of legs (part 2) and core exercises (more exercises per muscle and more rest in between sets) / 8-10 minutes ROM exercises and poses
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
Wedding Planning Tips
Colorado Elopement Wedding Hikes: Nymph Lake, Lake Haiyaha Loop via Fire Trail (RMNP)
Introduction
Living in Denver offers many perks, including beautiful hiking trails for a Colorado elopement wedding nearby. On the other hand, hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park are about 2 hours away and require advance planning (e.g., a day or annual pass and a timed-entry reservation). The drive and extra efforts are certainly worth it, though! The hikes give you access to some of the most beautiful landscapes in Colorado. Here’s the first of a series of Rocky Mountain National Park hikes that I’ve recently recommended to my wedding couples in Colorado as options for a wedding ceremony elopement. I’ve included a review from a past visit and my notes.
Sometimes the most secluded, off-the-beaten path, locations provide the most ideal scenery for an elopement wedding in Colorado.
Time of Year: Late June.
Weather: 55 degrees and sunny at 9:48 am, cloud cover for most of the hike until 1:15.
Cover: 75% covered.
Time: 9:48 am - 1:15 pm.
Distance: 5.5 Miles total (Loop: Nymph Lake Trail to Haiyaha Cutoff Trail (out and back to Lake Haiyaha) to Fire Trail to Glaciar Gorge Trail to the Bear Lake parking lot.
Traffic: High until we reached Lake Haiyaha (low).
Parking: Tons of parking....but no spots (except 1 lucky spot that opened). The shuttle halfway may be the only option (there were lines by 9:15).
Equipment: Hiking boots.
Terrain: Well-marked trail with plenty of rocks to step on and plenty of beautiful views until Lake Haiyaha. We didn't take the turnoff to Dream Lake. Big boulders to climb around Lake Haiyaha. Mostly a covered decline from there via Fire Trail.
Difficulty: Moderate (decent cardio baseline for the initial incline to 10k).
Colorado Wedding Officiant Notes: Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) offers many scenic backdrops for a Colorado Wedding Elopement. Many of the most beautiful trails begin in the Bear Lake parking lot and lead you to incredible lakes, including Dream Lake. While these trails tend to be very popular during the summer, they can also lead you to quiet spots like Lake Haiyaha. My photos of the varying landscapes at 10,000 feet and above took place on a wet and foggy day. Nevertheless, the weather provided a mystic serenity often lost in a bright landscape. For clear views and sun, hikes in RMNP before 11 am is most ideal during the summer. Typically, clouds and rain permeate the sky daily from 11 am until 3/4 pm. In the fall, the incredible colors of the trees might provide the painted landscape you’re looking for, but remember that Trail Ridge Road (the road through RMNP) may be closed because of winter conditions at higher elevations. Assume that you won’t have access to the road from late fall until mid to late spring.
Rocky Mountain National Park offers endless options for elopement ceremonies. Timing of the year is important and a pass and reservation is required, though.
Lake Haiyaha offers an incredible setting on a sunny and foggy day for a wedding ceremony.
Once you climb above 10,000 feet in RMNP, your Colorado elopement wedding ceremony will have a scenic backdrop unmatched.
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
Wedding Planning Tips
My Favorite James Clear Quotes and Thoughts (Set 1)
Introduction
Each week, I share a bit of wisdom from author James Clear with my personal training clients in Denver. His book Atomic Habits has inspired many people seeking optimal health to create a new routine. While change may be challenging, the right mindset and series of habits can lead to a lifetime of joy, physical prowess, comfort, and less pain. If you like my selections, definitely sign up for Clear’s weekly newsletters for more tidbits!
Find new inspiration with a Denver personal trainer. / Photo: Eberhard Grossgasteiger
Favorite Quotes (and Thoughts) from James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits
"The more you invest yourself in fulfilling work, the more your effort fuels you. The harder you work on a bad project or in an unsatisfying role, the more of a grind it becomes."
“Life is a series of tradeoffs, and greater results usually require greater tradeoffs. The question is not, "Do you want to be great at this?" The question is, "What are you willing to give up to be great at this?"
Meditation teacher, Light Watkins, on acting your age: "The advice shouldn't be to act your age. It should be to act on your spirit. Your age may try to prohibit you from dancing like that, or starting over, or trying something new. But your spirit would never do such a thing. If something feels aligned, your spirit wants you to go for it, whether you're 15 or 85. Acting your age makes you fit in more, while acting your spirit will indeed cause you to stand out—in a bad way to people who act their age, but in an inspiring way to those who act their spirit. Try acting your spirit from time to time, and you can see for yourself which path makes you feel more alive." Source: Newsletter by Light Watkins. (Hat tip to Wes Claytor)
"Question: “Who (or what) do you need to forgive, so you can move on and live well?”
"It's only work if you would rather be doing something else. Find a way to carve a career out of what you already want to do."
“Build small habits. Make big plans. 1) Keep your daily actions small. Strive to get 1% better every day. 2) Keep your daily mindset big. Think about how you can play a bigger game. Start small, but never dream small."
Painter Mariam Paré, who specializes in making paintings by mouth after suffering a spinal cord injury, offers some advice to her younger self: "If I could talk to myself twenty years ago, I would tell myself to focus on my strengths, and not on my weaknesses; on the things I could do and not the things I couldn’t do; to strive to excel and hone those skills to the point of excellence. That this was the best strategy to secure my future. I would say to myself that the only real obstacles you have are those you create for yourself."
"If an idea is true, criticism will not destroy it, but strengthen it."
Interior designer Danielle Colding on the ultimate luxury: "Quality of life is having the freedom to make choices that are not fear based. Whether it’s the ability to choose the kinds of projects I want to take on and can learn from, or the ability to take a month off to travel. Freedom to choose is the ultimate luxury."
Question: “What is an area you'd like to improve over the next decade? How are you working toward that outcome today? Think long-term. Act short-term.”
"When researching strategies, emphasize patterns over stories. One person succeeding means nothing. 100 people succeeding is a signal. When explaining strategies, emphasize stories over patterns. People forget numbers and charts. Everyone remembers a great story."
"When determining the size or complexity of a new habit ask yourself, "What can I stick to—even on my worst day?" Start there. Master the art of showing up. Then advance."
Poet Jenny Xie on how reading is a form of travel: "Reading is migratory, an act of transport, from one life to another, one mind to another. Just like geographic travel, reading involves estrangement that comes with the process of dislocating from a familiar context. I gather energy from this kind of movement, this estranging and unsettling, and I welcome it precisely because it’s conducive to examination, interrogation, reordering. Travel, imaginative or physical, can sharpen perception and force a measuring of distance and difference." Source: The Self Is a Fiction
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
Wedding Planning Tips
#32 - Growing a New Future of Farming and Food Equity | Dr. Damien Thompson
Introduction
Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we examine the mental and emotional narratives and processes that steer the social stream of consciousness….Truly a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. Each episode is a glimpse into the trends and patterns of human behavior and the underlying influences that navigate us into different directions. Whether we primarily focus on nutrition or the unconscious, guests share insights, thought-provoking lessons, the nuances of creativity, and the elements of being….us.
Today, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Damien Thompson, the co-founder of the organization, Frontline Farming, and director of the Center for Food Justice and Healthy Communities.
In addition to his training in anthropology, Dr. Thompson holds a certification in Permaculture Design and a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Teaching Certification. His interests center on the building of community food systems, small-scale urban food production, developing community, and cultural practices related to food and medicine, teaching and learning in education, and permaculture. Dr. Thompson has a keen interest in how communities can utilize traditional and modern information and practices to build food systems that uplift marginalized and oppressed peoples, restore ecosystems, build biodiversity, support cultural diversity as well as provide individuals and families with the highest level of access to the means to support their own health (and we talk quite a bit about these topics today). I should mention that Dr. Thompson is also a mayor-appointed member of the Sustainable Food Council for the City of Denver, and a co-chair for the city’s Good Food Purchasing policy group. No doubt, he plays a significant role in the necessary trend of regenerative agriculture and our future connection to food.
In our interview, we bridge his education in anthropology to his farming practice and social work as the co-founder of Frontline Farming. Specifically, we geek out on the fundamentals of farming and the benefits of permaculture and a regenerative agriculture focus. We further dissected the social challenges surrounding food security, justice, and sovereignty as well as the equitable changes needed in our food system.
In this episode, we specifically discuss:
-Frontline Farming's mission.
-Advantages and disadvantages of regenerative agriculture practices with a focus on no-tilling/conservation tilling, water conservation, terracing, and cover crops.
-Inequality in our present food systems and the need for changes in food security, food justice, and food sovereignty.
-The connection between big data, food systems, and racial equity.
-The importance and repercussions of the language we use in our discussion about food systems and the policy that supports them.
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To learn more about Dr. Thompson, visit https://www.frontlinefarming.org/.
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!