Tag motivation

Three easy, at-home workouts that you can do to have stronger legs

There is nothing more embarrassing than being the one to plan a day hike for your family or friends and then be “that girl” who is the out-of-shape squeaky wheel. Day hikes are usually all day, that’s why they call them “day” hikes. Because of the various terrains, you might encounter, building strong leg muscles are important if you expect to keep up with your family while hiking.

A couple of years ago my husband and I were in Las Cruces, New Mexico for his job. When I’m out on the road with him I love to find the closest hiking trails. I fill my backpack with water and snacks and then head out for the day.

Motivation Can Sometimes Be Spawned On By Others

One particular Sunday during our stay in New Mexico I suggested that my husband and I hike one side of the Organ Mountains. He has only been hiking with me a few times, and although he didn’t really want to go, he agreed to it.

After what seemed like forever, we finally found the Pine Tree Loop Trailhead. Although my husband would have rather been watching the NASCAR race back in our camper, he made a valiant effort in coming with me and even carried my backpack. At least for a short distance.

As we maneuvered up the trail, him leading the way, I noticed that although I consider myself to be in excellent shape, he was zipping up the hills with ease and I was gasping for air and sweating profusely.

Every half mile I found myself to be winded and needed to rest. By about the second mile up the mountain, my legs were on fire and needed relief.

I am a hunter and I walk what seems like a million miles during hunting season. But this trek was totally different. The elevation change and the climb to the top were more difficult than I imagined and my legs weren’t as strong as I thought they were.

When I returned home to Missouri I committed to strengthening my lower body. I knew that particular area needed a lot of work and that the starting point would be to build strong leg muscles.

I want to share some of my favorite “stronger legs” exercises with you that I continue to do, even now, to not only prepare you for hunting season but especially for hiking season. Because believe it or not, that time is upon us.

Squats

One exercise I include in my “leg day” workout is SQUATS. I am not always able to get to the gym and lucky for me, and you, squats don’t require you to have a membership anywhere. In fact, you don’t technically even have to use weights. You can squat wherever, whenever, and as many times as you choose to.

I have several sets of dumbbells in various weights that I use. The important part isn’t the weight so much as it is in the motion of squatting and coming back up. When you come down to that 90-degree angle, execute your squat by PUSHING your weight BACK UP. Thus building not only your thigh muscles but your butt muscles as well.

Be sure, however, to stand with your feet hip-distance apart when performing this exercise. I change it up some by pointing my toes out occasionally or keeping my feet CLOSER than hip distance. The changing of your stance will determine which part of the muscle you strengthen and build.

Walking Lunges

Another favorite workout, and one that I ALWAYS do, is the WALKING LUNGE. These are EXCELLENT for building strong leg muscles and you will feel the burn if you do very many. But remember that burning is good!

Basically, you are just taking GIANT steps forward, coming down to a 90-degree angle with the outstretched leg. I love this exercise and do it almost every day.

This is another exercise that you can do WHEREVER YOU WANT! Adding weight the walking lunge gives you a bonus, although you will notice your heart rate going up even more with the extra poundage. Depending on my mood and how I’m feeling on a particular day, I may or may not add weight.

And it’s as simple as carrying one dumbbell with two hands or a dumbbell in each other over your shoulders as you take your steps forward. My arms begin hurting with two so I tend to just use one. This is an easy effective exercise. You’ll notice stronger legs quickly.

Reverse Lunges

My last “favorite” for strengthening legs is REVERSE LUNGES. This exercise is a butt kicker for sure but so effective for building strong legs.

Standing with feet hip-distance apart take a step forward as if you’re going to do a front lunge. Instead of bringing that front leg back to standing position, you just lower yourself until your leg is at the 90-degree position.

Make sure that the knee of your extended foot does not come down past your foot or toe of your athletic shoe. Squat deeper if you have to. The undue pressure will be placed on your knee, and possible injury, if your knees go over your foot too far. Be very mindful of that. It’s not worth injuring yourself. Not to mention it would put a halt to your hiking adventures.

These 3 Workouts Can Literally Be Done ANYWHERE

These three exercises to build strength, as well as “sexy” legs, are easy and can be done anywhere. Not surprising but I have done them in the various campgrounds as well as hotels we’ve stayed in over the years.

We were in Denver last year and I was ” walking lunging” up and down the hallways and executing the “reverse lunge” in the stairwell of Cottonwood Suites. I might have gotten a few stares (little pun there) but I didn’t really care. I was focused on keeping my legs strong and no amount of humiliation or embarrassment was going to keep me from my goal.

“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

As far as how many reps I do of each, I normally do three to four sets of 15, depending on my mood. Three sets are a great starting point.

Strong legs are important for life in general. Not just for hiking or hunting. As I inch through my 50’s I am reminded of that every day.

As my grandchildren get older I want to be able to run and play with them as well as share my love of hiking and exploring all that this big, beautiful world has to offer.

I’ll bet that if you’re like me, you want to enjoy those same things.

Building a stronger body and mind is key to a long and happy life.

Stronger legs are a great place to start.

A Successful Archery Season Requires More Than Just A Pretty Bow

With the close of last year’s archery season and the warmer days coming in like a hard rain, literally, I am finding myself thinking about NEXT archery season.   In our household, not only do we hunt as a family but we also practice as a family.    Generally, we get really excited thinking about preparing for the next “round” of hunting and we start practicing and putting in countless hours of flinging arrows. 

Hunting for us is serious business.

Bow Tournaments Are A Great Way To Get In Some Extra Practice

One way we get in some practice, and my favorite way, is shooting bow tournaments.   As a rule, it’s my job to get online and seek out shoots that are close in proximity to our house.  For us, the 3D target shoots are best because you are actually using targets that look like the animals and the vitals are clearly marked to really help you know where on the animal you need to fire that arrow. 

The best place I have found to find a shoot near you at the website 3DShoots.   The website is easy to navigate through, making finding a tournament for your family a piece of cake.

Bow tournaments are actually a lot of fun and if you get a group together, it makes it even more enjoyable.  If you’ve never been, you definitely need to try it out. 

There are several of us in our family that shoot bows and getting up early on a Saturday morning to shoot a tournament is usually the ONLY way I can get three boys up without struggle…unless they’re getting up to go hunting of course.   Once we’ve up, though, we’re ready to put the hammer down on each other. 

It’s competitive in our family and I mean competitive.    But once we shoot at the first target all bets are off and we’re all on our own.  

 There are usually 30 to 40 3D targets at the bow shoots.  Normally you go through half of them and then come back for the second half.   There is absolutely ZERO stress during the competition.  It’s a laid back atmosphere and you meet a ton of new people.  Really the only stress you encounter is with your own family. 

Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect. It Makes Progress.

I am very competitive in bowhunting but mostly with myself.  And let me tell you that the day is ruined, and everyone else’s, if I lose an arrow.  It’s not uncommon for me to lose one per tournament.  I might mention that I have gotten better about hurling an arrow into the abyss of no man’s land…never to be found again.   Over the years I’ve stock piled up and now have quite an arsenal of arrows so if I lose one (or two) it’s okay.  

All in all, tournaments give you a lot of quality practice and after several hours of walking around and laughing,  you don’t even realize you’ve shot forty times.  It’s a ton of fun.

Working Out Is Another Way To Prepare For Bow Season

Another way I get ready for bow season is running and working out.  I used to run anywhere from 3 to 5 miles a day getting my heart rate ready for those long treks through the woods.  But this year I’ve changed it up by lifting weights to increase my strength. My goal is to increase the poundage on my bow.

I also, occasionally, use an AccuBow Bow Trainer.  I love my Bow Trainer.  It’s a rubber band system that allows you to strengthen the muscles needed to pull back your bow easily and without injury.  In the past, this method has actually allowed me to increased my poundage so I would definitely consider it to be an important tool. 

Backyard Targets Work Perfectly For Getting In That Extra Shooting Time

Put up targets in your back yard and you will have 24/7 access to them.  We’ve actually done that and normally at least one of us daily will go back there and take anywhere from 20 to 30 shots just to keep loosened up.  We’ve even been known to have competitions amongst ourselves just for the fun of it.   There are some good climbing trees not too far from the targets and we’ve also put our climbers up and shot out of them for even more practice. 

The possibilities are endless of what you can do to get in some good old fashioned practice. Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged and give up. It’s a constant work in progress. But you’ve got to put the work in. But when you’re out there practicing and having fun it doesn’t seem like work at all. That’s just the way I like it.

It’s Good To Remember Why We Started What We Started

I was trying to remember this morning when and why I started The Running Doe blog website. I couldn’t recall when I posted that first page and as we all do, the trail through the rabbit holes began.

My first official post was in February of ’16 and although it was short and sweet it was a definite reminder of the “why.”

I think we, as humans, all want our lives to have mattered when we’re gone and I truly believe that for the most part people just want to live a good life and share what they’ve learned with others. It’s about that right of passage…passing on what we’ve learned in life to make life easier for others.

The older we get the hotter that fire burns.

I love nature. I always have. I love learning new things and exploring new places. As I scrolled through old FB albums the common denominator with everywhere Wes worked was that I had days of exploring by myself and was completely comfortable with that.

Life is not something we’re tortured to get through. It’s a journey, an adventure sorta, with bills, responsibilities, trials and tribulations but also maneuvering relationships, experiencing new places and learning new things.

The Running Doe is about those things I’m passionate about…being out in nature, hunting, hiking, learning to do new things…and at one time I was an avid runner (hence the running part). I’m even passionate about those things I suck at and haven’t mastered yet 🤣.

It’s about my love of writing. I am a lover of words. It’s about using my life to make someone else’s better and in some cases just doable. I am grateful knowing that my mistakes in life, and there have been some doozies, have actually pulled others up out of their pits believing that if I could so could they.

That’s what it all began as and it’s still that almost 4 years later. It continues to evolve. Am I a know-it-all? Absolutely not, just ask my husband 🤣🤣🤣. But have I made my fair share of bad decisions and mistakes?

Yes!

Resoundingly YES! I’m just choosing to take those negatives and hopefully turn them into something positive and let my life stand for something good when it’s all said and done.

And really that’s something we can all do. Just use our lives to have a positive impact on others.

Our Mess = Our Message 🙂

Peace and love,

Kelly