Hey there! In case you are new here, I wanted to introduce myself and give you some background about my fitness journey. My Name is Stacey. I am from Colorado. I grew up in the Denver metro area and moved to Durango, CO, a few years ago. I live in a neighboring New Mexico town as my boyfriend, and I just bought a house. We are so excited to have our home and to begin our life together. It has been super busy lately with the house hunt and various life things. So it’s been a while since I posted last, and I am finally ready to dedicate my time to writing, posting, and creating content!

Throughout the years, I have fallen in love with fitness. I love pushing my body to its limits. I have had struggles with consistency. I know that to see any results, consistency is critical. That is a non-negotiable fact. I have learned many things over the last decade about myself and how to keep myself engaged in my fitness journey. Motivation will not always be there, but building habits will always be there.

My fitness journey began about a decade ago with my discovery of yoga. After going to my local yoga studio every single day, I discovered circuit training, which inspired me to learn more about strength training. I fell in love with pushing my body and those gym endorphins. After I moved to Durango, I fell in love with hiking and backpacking. After all of that, I wanted to learn more. I got my NASM-CPT in 2020 and then got a job at the rec center teaching fitness classes. I am so excited for the future ahead with my career and my current fitness goals.

Welcome to part 2 of my fitness journey

Hiking/backpacking

Hiking and backpacking are so much fun. I love being out in nature and experiencing the world. I love constantly moving on the trail, making miles, and setting up camp for the night. Then waking up in the woods to do it all over again is such a wonderful feeling. I quickly learned that despite my strength training and yoga background, I was not in great shape when it comes to cardio and mobility.

I learned that long backpacking trips require some training. I needed to improve my cardiovascular health as well as my mobility. My focus on strength training did not include mobility and cardio but just lifting as heavy as possible. Which, to be clear, was not a lot. I did not have a great strategy for progressive overload to continuously increase my weight.

So began to focus on adding cardio to my strength training, with more strategy but not as much as I needed. I saw progress in how hiking and backpacking were easier to achieve. I was not needing as many breaks. I could feel that my breathing was better but not perfect as I have asthma. I felt stronger with 50 pounds of gear on a backpacking trip. But after a while, I felt stiff and less mobile. So I began learning more about mobility training.

Mobility training

My ultimate goal is to create longevity with my body. I want to continue to do physical activities for as long as I possibly can. I want to be that old lady on the trail with 50 pounds of gear, KILLING it. So I began researching ways to incorporate mobility training into my fitness journey.

Mobility training works on those supporting muscles that support the larger muscles as well as the joints and helps promote movement in the body. I like incorporating stretching and light resistance band movements in all planes of motion. By incorporating mobility training, I noticed that hiking and backpacking are a little easier and everyday life is easier.

Fast forward to today

I have been on and off with my fitness journey for the last decade to this day. I never had a super strong strategy to achieve my fitness goals. I now have my NASM-CPT (certified personal training) so I have a significant understanding regarding building a fitness program. But the consistency has never been there. Having the best fitness program does not mean anything if consistency is not there.

I have had so many habits of having excuse after excuse. “I’ll get back into if after x event” does this sound like you? I'm sure we all can relate to that mindset. Most recently I have been having some health issues that have prevented me from working out, right at the time when I am like “okay I am ready to get back into it.” Then I am physically unable to work out. Which is devastating. So then I am like “when I feel better I’ll get back into it.” But this health issue may not have a timeline to feel better. So I have been working on a program for myself that brings me back to basics and includes yoga, cardio, mobility, and strength training.

Stay tuned for next week’s post that goes more into depth about my current fitness goals and routine.

If you are here and reading this, that means you have an interest in your health and fitness. That is so good; I am so excited for you! Taking care of your body is literally the best thing you can do for yourself in the present and the long term.

“Do something today your future self will thank you for”

— unknown

I find that quote so inspiring. Hard work will pay off in the future, but you also have to live in the moment, and I feel like taking care of yourself is doing both. You are doing good for yourself now as well as for your future self.

If you are interested in learning more about all things health and fitness, follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram @myactivelife_stacey. I am now offering nutrition and personal training online coaching programs. These six-week programs are designed to help you create lifelong healthy habits with nutrition and fitness. Click here to learn more!

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