July 2016 – Page 2 – Paint Your Landscape

“Going to the mountains is going home”. ~ John Muir

We all have that sense of going home when we revisit a place, either physically or in our daydreams, that strikes a chord in our soul. The greater Yellowstone ecosystem, of which Bozeman is a part, is reminiscent of home to us.

Rosie admiring Grotto Falls in Hyalite Canyon

So many memories swirled around me as we drove across Montana – the smell of rain on a warm summer day, pine needles wafting up from a trail crushed by our footsteps, the sight of billowy clouds hugging the limestone-crested mountaintops, the squawking of magpies as they hop across a golden meadow.

Jim, Rosie, me, & Terry enjoying the views on Triple Tree Trail

Yep, we are having that déjà vu feeling of going home as we scan the 360º mountain range view and those big Montana skies. We spent two years in Yellowstone after escaping the corporate life and fell in love with the west in a much deeper, soul-healing way. The beauty and serenity of the wild surrounds us here, creating a perfect flow. This is our “true west”.

Bozeman has been discovered since we last visited. It is tough to see land being chewed up by plot after plot of subdivisions, but it was bound to happen. Bozeman now boasts 8 breweries, a great farmers’ market, a vibrant downtown lined with boutique shops, and is on the cusp of being a “foodie town”.

Bartender, where's my beer? — Bartender, where’s my beer?

Leaving the downtown area you are immediately enveloped in uninterrupted vistas. The breathtaking beauty of six mountain ranges that almost completely surround Bozeman beckon to outdoor enthusiasts year-round, and the many ranches dotting the landscape speak to the strong conservationist spirit here.

Terry enjoying the views from Sypes Canyon Trail

Paradise Falls

Rosie and me on Shafthouse Trail

We’ve spent sunny days hiking in the Bridger Mountains, playing pickleball at the local tennis club, reconnecting with Yellowstone friends, enjoying great meals prepared by our friend Jim, and hop-scotching across the city taste-testing microbrews.

This is a place that welcomes you, a place where you begin to wonder if you could lay down more permanent roots. It has been a perfect place to spend a couple of weeks, thanks to our gracious host and hostess Jim and Rosie. We can’t thank them enough for welcoming us into their beautiful home, filling our days and evenings with fun activities and lots of laughter, watching stunning sunsets and storm clouds build while relaxing on their deck.

Just one of many character-filled old buildings around Bozeman

Blanketflower

Cody and Chief

Pretty shooting star

Mama pronghorn and her three babes

One final adventure before saying our goodbyes, and it was quite a send-off, was a magical day at the Montana Folk Festival in Butte. One of the Northwest’s largest free outdoor music festivals, the Montana Folk Festival featured multiple stages with 20+ continuous international musical performances throughout the day and into the evening. This festival rivals the national event we had been to several years earlier, also in Butte, and has continued for the past six years through the generous donations of its visitors and local sponsors.

Wild man Jason D. Williams, playing rockabilly. He may have been the highlight of the day.

Friends Jim, Karla, Rosie & Maria enjoying the show.

Chubby Carrier from Louisiana, playing zydeco

Brisk crowds, even with the threat of heavy thunderstorms.

A free spirit

Our trek north continues, as we make our way to Glacier National Park.

So, where is it that home calls out to you?

The older I get the more determined I am to stay focused on a regular fitness program. I want to move into my golden years a strong, healthy woman. Hiking, biking, and pickleball are all a part of my fitness routine, as is resistance training, which can be more of a challenge when your home is on the road. I get easily bored so feel the need to change things up often as well. I believe our bodies need these shifts to keep us off those plateaus that tend to derail our progress, and in the process we burn more body fat, increase strength, improve flexibility, and build muscle mass.

Throughout my life I have tried many workout programs in my quest to reach fitness goals, some with better results than others. Over the past few years there has been a great deal of discussion around the positive benefits from high-intensity interval training (HIIT), giving our metabolism the boost it often needs. I can vouch for its efficacy, so when I read about Tabata training, which is a HIIT program, I was ready for the challenge.

Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and his team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo discovered this training program recently after working with two groups of athletes for 6 weeks. Group one worked out 5 days/week for an hour at moderate intensity while group two worked out 4 days/week at high intensity. For group two each workout session lasted four minutes total, 20 seconds for each of eight exercises, with 10 seconds of rest in between each exercise.

Group one increased their aerobic (cardiovascular) system with no improvement to their anaerobic (muscle) system but group two rocked it, boosting their aerobic strength beyond that of group one and increased their anaerobic system by 28 percent.

This protocol is the official program, while most Tabata training programs you find online are copycat versions, lasting 20-30 minutes. The intensity is not as extreme but you will still get a great workout that leaves you breathless and pleasantly sore.

Here is just one example of a Tabata workout:

Push-ups (4 minutes)
Squats (4 minutes)
Burpees (4 minutes)
Mountain Climbers (4 minutes)

Perform each exercise for 20 seconds at high intensity then rest for 10 seconds, striving to complete 8 sets. Rest for one minute, then move on to the next exercise.

I downloaded a custom interval timer to my Android phone and created by own Tabata timer but there are many timers available for both Android and iPhones. You can check them out here.

The beauty of a (copycat) Tabata workout is that you can do just about any exercise you want, particularly those that work your large muscle groups. No fancy equipment is needed, although you can use dumbbells and incorporate kettlebell exercises as well. All exercises could be done using only your body weight, so whether you pull your home down the road with you or travel by car, staying in hotels along the way, this is a convenient program to use. If you are looking to change-up your exercise routine, google Tabata training or check out the YouTube videos online, and get ready for an intense workout.