Arriving back in New Mexico I wasted no time in getting back into healthy training and living. And with the amazing fall weather here, I really couldn’t help it.

Trying to take care of my wrist I’ve decided not to pull my road bike out just yet. I am focusing on exploring the hiking trails in Santa Fe, and getting in some good time with my TT bike. After only 3 hikes I can’t believe what I have missed out on after living in Santa Fe so many years. Being a runner and then a cyclist, I was always focused on flatter running trails/roads and cycling doesn’t really like tired fatigued legs. But there are some amazing places to explore here.

I have been focused on my nutrition also since returning. Back into a routine and settled at home life is easier to eat clean. I jumped into a juice cleanse as my training is in off season mode and I want to feel good going into my wrist surgery.

I have been following the same plan and kidney cleanse as before I left, but have tried a couple new things.

I bought a citrus hand juicer and use that for my morning lemonade, but I have also been using it to juice some oranges and grapefruit as well. This juice I then add to the bottles of juice I make from the larger juicing machine. It adds a little different taste and lightness which I like.

I will admit that being in Italy and all the delicious food and wine did get the best of me this year. But hey, when in Rome… The bread, pasta, and heavy meals paired with amazing wine was something I just couldn’t pass up. So with that, I will say it is a balance in life, I don’t like to keep myself too strict and limited that I regret or don’t experience some of the greater indulgences of life. But I do keep in mind that I am a professional athlete and all is done with moderation and I must follow a healthy track in my general lifestyle.

The Addiction

Being back this week I notice my athletic addiction return quickly. The enjoyment of filling my day with fresh air, dirt trails, gym mats, yoga balls, kick boards and lane lines takes me over like a bear coming out of hybernation.  It is hard for me to understand when people do not enjoy exercise or the outdoors as it becomes such an addiction. And I guess that is just it, it takes starting to become hooked. Fitness and routine are such a part of my life that I feel physically bad without it. It is a time for me to wander the trails of my mind and find those new ideas or remember that old friend I should call. So much of our society says our body needs a calculated number of minutes of exercise per day. But I think that is crap. Our bodies need exercise and movement all the time. A moment or period each day to reestablish those natural roots and let our minds separate from screens and be in that place they are meant to be.

So don’t join a class or push yourself through a boot camp just because you’re supposed to or because you need to loose weight. Get out and find that activity YOU love and draws you to become addicted.