Travel Archives - Page 4 of 4

Denver. The Mile-High City. The Queen City of the West. Broncoville. D-Town.

I just got back from a long weekend in Denver. I have heard over and over again how awesome the city is, so my friends and I decided to check it out to see what all the hype is about. It did not at all disappoint.

We did some sightseeing, beer tasting, exploring, and hiking. It was the perfect mix of vacation activities. We pretty much followed all of these healthy vacation tips without really even trying.

I wanted to share all the highlights with you! Here they are:

City Running Tours

Since I now manage Minneapolis City Running Tours (PS- did I tell you I manage CRT in Minneapolis now?! Check out my bio here and the Minneapolis group runs here! Then sign up for one!) I wanted to check it out in Denver. Luckily my friends, who aren’t runners, were willing to do it with me (they are so great). We did the Downtown Denver Highlights group tour, which was led by Lee, the Denver CRT Manager.

We met at the REI flagship store on Friday and 9:00am. It was a perfect morning for a run: 50 degrees and sunny. Lee led us around Denver showing us Confluence Park, the Cherry Creek Greenway, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Civic Center Park, the State Capitol Building, 16^th Street Pedestrian Mall, Daniels & Fisher Tower, Larimer Square, Union Station, and many more!

During the run we learned all about the history of Denver, like how it started as three separate towns that eventually formed into one. Lee also added in some other interesting facts, like how the artist who created the mustang statue at the airport (known to some as “Bluecifer” or “Devil Horse”) was killed when a portion of the statue fell on him. Who knew?!

We took some pictures at sights along the 4-mile run and ended back at REI where we started. I am so happy that we did the running tour! My non-runner friends even enjoyed it and were happy they signed up. City Running Tours is such a great way to see a city and learn about its history and culture, all while fitting in some exercise. It was super fun to experience a tour from a participant perspective, rather than a guide perspective. If you ever travel to Denver, Minneapolis, or any of the 14 other CRT locations I would definitely recommend checking it out!

Brunch at Snooze

After our morning run we decided to treat ourselves to a bomb brunch. The friends that we were staying with recommended a place called Snooze, which was just a few blocks away from their apartment.

This place. Delicious. The line was out the door when we got there on Friday at 10:30 (what do all these people do?! They can’t all be tourists?). The 45-minute wait gave us just enough time to go back to my friends’ place to shower and get ready for the day. We were back at the restaurant just in time for our table to be ready. Perfect.

Our waitress, who was awesome and oddly enough had some ties to Minnesota, greeted us with a sweet potato pancake to start (on the house!). It was phenomenal. The sweet potato, the spices, the homemade caramel, the pecans, the ginger butter – all amazing. We devoured it in about 2.5 seconds and I am surprised it even lasted that long.

After our brunch appetizer we ordered a round of mimosas and different varieties of eggs benedict. I had the Late Harvest Benny, which was “sweet potato polenta cake topped with griddled sweet potato, fennel, and kale hash and served with poached cage-free eggs, cream cheese hollandaise, and toasted bread crumbs.” Oh so good. I have never seen such perfectly poached eggs.

Everything was ridiculously delicious and we were all definitely satisfied. The only unfortunate part is that I forgot to take pictures.

A Trip to Boulder

On Friday afternoon after our fantastic brunch we decided to go check out Boulder, which is about a 45-minute drive from Denver toward the mountains. Oh my goodness, this city is gorgeous. All of us were ooh-ing and ahh-ing out the window as we were driving into it.

We started at Chautauqua Park and walked along one of the Flatiron trails. We weren’t properly dressed (skinny jeans, sweaters, and flats are not ideal for hiking), so we didn’t go for very long. However, we definitely walked long enough to drink in a lot of beautiful views (and a lot of very thin air – elevation, yikes).

From Chautauqua Park we went and strolled around Pearl Street. Loved it. Pearl Street is a pedestrian mall with many adorable shops and restaurants. There were tons of people out and about, checking out the stores and the many different street performers.

We stopped at West End Tavern to sit, chat, and enjoy a beer outside then mosied over to Tahona Tequila Bistro for some margaritas and appetizers. We jokingly researched some houses for sale/rent. Definitely out of our price range…

Red Rocks Amphitheatre & Lookout Mountain

On Saturday afternoon we wandered out to Red Rocks Amphitheatre to do some more hiking and exploring. I added “see a concert at Red Rocks” to my bucket list. The theater is just so beautiful and the views are absolutely gorgeous.

There were a bunch of exercise groups running up and down the steps, which I’ve heard is awesome to do when the sun is rising. My friends and I weren’t really in the mood for that type of activity and instead we went on Trading Post Trail. It was a 1.4-mile walking path that looped around the rock formations. The majority of the trail was flat, but had some inclines/declines/steps along the way. It wasn’t anything too strenuous, but we were glad that we were all wearing tennis shoes this time. There was also a 6-mile hike option, but I guess I’ll save that one for next time.

We planned on checking out the Coors Brewery Tour (recommended to us by one of our Uber drivers), but didn’t realize that they closed at 4:00, which is the exact time we pulled up to the entrance. Oops. I guess I’ll save this one for next time too.

We then drove up to Lookout Mountain and took in some more beautiful scenery. We also took a pretty epic panoramic picture (that we took ourselves, thank you very much).

Other Fun Things

So those were the primary highlights, but we there were lots of other fun and silly things too:

Getting manicures at Aveda Institute and then running into a friend from high school in the lobby as we were about to leave. Hutchinson people are everywhere. It is unreal.
Sitting outside at CRU in Larimer Square while enjoying a half-priced bottle of bubbly. FYI, a bottle of bubbly is the most perfect way to start a vacation.
Enjoying the most delicious breakfast sandwich at Salt & Grinder in the Highland area.
Watching the Gopher’s Homecoming football game with other University of Minnesota alumni. Side note: It was my 5-year college reunion. Where has time gone?!
Checking out local breweries, like Wynkoop and River North.
Seeing and hanging out with so many friends (old and new) from different areas of my life.

I absolutely loved the city of Denver and had such a blast there. It felt surprisingly similar to Minneapolis, but with mountains and better weather. I will definitely be going back!

Have you ever been to Denver? What did you see and do there? I’ll need some more tips for next time!

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Vacations. They are amazing. A time to get away, relax, and just be.

However, it’s not rare to come back from vacations a little bit heavier (and I’m not just talking about your luggage). A new atmosphere, no routine, frequently eating out, lots of wine and indulgences… I’ve been there. There’s no reason you can’t maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle while traveling. It’s all about balance, moving, and drinking lots of water.

Below are 5 tips I compiled for staying healthy and active on vacation!

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I cannot stress this one enough. Sometimes when I’m out of my normal routine it’s easy for me to forget to drink water. Bad. Drinking plenty of water is so, so important – everyday, whether on vacation or not. While traveling you are probably in an environment that your body isn’t used to. Drinking plenty of water will help keep you regulated and hydrated. I always carry a water bottle with me and try to refill it multiple times throughout the day. This is especially important when traveling to a hot weather climate where sweating is a common occurrence, also known as “perma-sweat”.

It is a bit trickier when it’s not safe to drink the local tap water, but spending the extra money on purchasing bottled water will be worth it. I recommend buying gallon sized (or larger) water jugs. This much water is necessary and more cost-effective. You can store it in your room and fill up your water bottle whenever you need to! You don’t want to be zapped of energy on vacation simply because you’re dehydrated. Chug that water!

2. Eat breakfast! Eating breakfast is another super important everyday thing, regardless of being on vacation or not. As you have probably heard by now breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It helps fuel your body for all the exploring and activity you’ll be doing… or relaxing, it’ll help fuel your body for that too. Not only should you make sure to eat breakfast, but you also need to make sure to eat a good breakfast. And by good I mean healthy with a mix of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. A good breakfast can be easy or difficult to come by depending on where you are staying and what is available to you; however, you can always get a healthy breakfast in with some proper planning. Here are some of my recommendations:

If you are staying at a hotel with a breakfast buffet (lucky you) try to avoid the sugary pastries and waffles. They are over-processed and you’ll probably get a sugar spike and then hit a wall a few hours later. Plus, save your sugar consumption for an afternoon treat at a local bakery. Instead go for oatmeal and a hard-boiled egg, fruit and yogurt, or peanut butter and toast. These options will help keep you satiated and energized!
If you are staying at a hostel or someplace that doesn’t have a kitchen, grab some fruit and granola bars at a nearby grocery store so that you don’t have to eat out for breakfast every morning (if you don’t want to). These items can also serve as a great mid-day snack while you are out and about in between meals!
If you are staying in a condo/hotel with access to a kitchen, you can stock on up your regular breakfast foods. Fruit, granola, yogurt, eggs, toast – you can pretty much do whatever you want here!
If you are going out for breakfast, you may as well try the customary local breakfast. In Costa Rica it was rice, beans, eggs, plantains, and good strong coffee – it doesn’t get much better than that!

3. Walk everywhere! Walking is one of the simplest and most enjoyable exercises. Regular brisk walking (~30 minutes per day, 5 days per week) can help reduce the risk of heart disease, improve blood pressure and cholesterol, and boost your mood. Also, brisk walking falls within the “fat burning zone”, so you can be burning lots of fat calories while you are sightseeing: multi-tasking!

Walking is my personal favorite mode of transportation. If I want to get from A to B (assuming that A and B are only a few miles apart), my default is walking. It is also such a great method to explore a city. My friend and I once walked 5 miles to check out a local market, which then stretched on for at least another mile or so. We passed by gorgeous parks and little boutiques along the way and were able to see different parts of the city that we wouldn’t have discovered if we had taken a cab. So the next time you are on vacation and want to go to a museum or restaurant, plan a nice walking route that will help you hit other sites along the way.

Not only is walking great for your body, but it is also super cost-effective – as in, it is free! Why pay for a cab or public transportation when you can walk? I’m looking at you, budget traveller.

If you feel like picking up the pace a little bit, go on a sight-seeing run. You can fit in more miles and sights in less time, while also burning more calories! To find a good running route check out MapMyRun, ask your hotel concierge, or consult blogs. You can also do a City Running Tour (shameless plug) for a guided city run!

Please be safe. No running/walking alone at night or down creepy alleys. Also, make sure to bring water (see tip #1)!

4. Do active sightseeing! I love my vacations to have the right mix of activity and relaxing, about 50/50. Long afternoons at the beach are amazing, but it’s not something that I can do day after day after day; I need some activity. Besides walking or running, there are so many other things to try while on vacation. In Costa Rica we went surfing, zip-lining, and hiking. In Mendoza we rode bikes (between vineyards). In San Juan we kayaked and hiked. In Rio we… danced. Dancing is an activity. The fun just goes on and on!

5. Balance healthy choices with indulgent ones! It is my personal philosophy that indulgences are healthy, especially while on vacation. If you are spending the time and money to travel somewhere you better make it worth it! Go to France and not eat a crepe: blasphemous. Make it to Brazil and not drink a caipirinha: it’s illegal. Travel to Italy and not eat pasta: why even go? Savor all of the amazing, local experiences and balance them with other healthy choices.

It’s hard enough to make healthy choices 100% of the time while at home in your normal routine, let alone on vacation. It’s ok that you didn’t run 30 miles that week and it’s ok that you had wine and dessert most days. Stressing about these things is not going to help. Stress does your body no good. It sheds years off of your life and adds pounds to your frame.

Relax. Be active. Be healthy. Be balanced. Be on vacation. After all, #YOLO.

Exploring Denver, Colorado

5 Healthy Vacation Tips

jenna.faye.ivey