Try this Isometric Reset:

1️⃣ Lie on your back with arms in “Cactus” (90 degrees).

2️⃣ Test your rotation by bringing your forearms toward the floor.

3️⃣ If your shoulders round forward, return to Cactus, press your elbows into the floor for 5 seconds, and release. Repeat two more times.

4️⃣ Retest

End with a side-body tabletop stretch to create space from your hips to your armpits.

Final video in this series coming up: Hip mobility and releasing the psoas.

To gain true, functional range of motion, we have to gently show the nervous system that expanded movement is safe. Stay tuned for our next video where we run through a quick posture self-test you can do in front of a mirror.

This video and the rest of the series will be posted on our YouTube channel. You can subscribe here.

I’m still not exactly sure how many hatchlings there were, but it was about two weeks of seeing a face at the nesting box door. Who knows how long each one stayed there, blocking the entry and taking every bite of food delivered by the mom and dad. There were a few times I saw swallows swooping around above the tree, whom I assume were other fledglings, since the parents were busy catching insects to feed their hungry babies. There were also plenty of curious nuthatches bopping around in the tree and even sitting on top of the nesting box now and then.

I realize this is at least my third post devoted to birding, and I’m sure some of my other posts mention birds. Even though watching them distracts me from work I should be doing, there’s something incredibly relaxing about having so much nature around.

The Rufous Hummingbirds showed up early this year and have been dive-bombing the Broadtail Hummingbirds that try to drink from my two feeders. I love that the female Broadtails trust me enough to buzz around the flowers I planted in pots on the deck for minutes at a time, even with me sitting three feet away with a cat in my lap. They know I will protect them, and my presence keeps the Rufous at bay for at least a little while.

The bird bath saw a flurry of activity last week during some particularly hot days. Besides the Robins, who were the only ones I saw bathing early in the season, there have been a group of Red-Breasted Nuthatches (I think), a Northern Flicker, and some sparrows. There were days when I cleaned and refilled it a few times to keep everyone happy.

The decrease in activity signals that summer is coming to a close soon. There are no more nests to watch. I’m left wondering which birds might move in next summer, which feels so far away. It has been a joy to watch the swallows with their fast swooping flights, so I’m hopeful they will return next year. The hummingbirds should be around for a while longer, and of course there are always Mountain Chickadees in the trees.

Monday night, while outside with the dogs, I heard an owl. The Merlin app identified the sound as a Great Horned Owl. After we came inside, Tessie and I stood on the deck for a bit to listen to the hoots coming from somewhere up the crag behind the house.

As the hustle and bustle of summer winds down, I’ll keep listening and watching, hoping to catch glimpses of the wonderful world of birds.

When it comes to mobility, joint health, and stress regulation, consistency will always beat intensity.

Here is why short, daily practices do more for your body than one massive weekly workout:

🧽 Tissue Hydration: Your connective tissue (fascia) relies on regular movement to stay hydrated and mobile. Daily micro-doses keep you from feeling stiff.

🧠 Nervous System Reset: Daily practice acts as a regular “safety signal” to your brain, reducing stress.

🚀 Habit Momentum: Showing up on your mat for just 5 or 10 minutes reinforces a daily habit of self-care that builds over time.

Stop waiting for the “perfect” block of time. Roll out your mat, take a few conscious breaths, and celebrate showing up for yourself today!

You can also view this video on our YouTube Channel, Firefly Community LLC.

The anniversary weekend was busy, with Yoga on the Rocks, teaching SUP yoga, and getting chores done, but we decided to take the girls on an adventure up their first 14er on Sunday afternoon to escape the heat.

After our Sunday morning responsibilities were complete, we ate lunch and then packed our bags. After a boring weekend for them, the dogs saw me put their treats in my bag and got excited. It was their signal that they were going along for this outing.

We drove through Evergreen, then turned and headed up the road toward Echo Lake, where we used to go regularly during the summer when Ella needed her wheels for walks. It was the perfect escape with her because of the cooler temperatures at that elevation and the fairly wide, flat path by the lake.

This time, though, we took the turn up the road to Mount Blue Sky. You have to purchase a timed entry, and we arrived right on the dot at our time (1:00 pm). The ranger gave us some advice and sent us on our way.

As we started driving up the mountain, John and I talked about how neither of us had ever gone up there, always thinking it was so close that we could do it anytime. Tessie stood in the middle, watching out the windshield the whole way, and Mala sniffed the fresh mountain air through the open windows. It had been 87 degrees at home, so we were happy to see the truck’s temperature reading was only 72 when we got to the Summit Lake parking area.

We strapped on our packs, grabbed our hiking poles, leashed the dogs, and were off!

The girls wanted to check out all the new smells, so we spent a lot of time by the lake before starting the trail up the mountain. There were big rocks to climb over, and Mala misjudged a couple of times, slipping. At 11, we tend to worry about her a bit more these days, but we didn’t need to – she’s still a great rock climber!

Along the way, I reminisced about why I never took Ella on another 14er after she practically dragged me up Quandry when she was young. Ella always had summit fever. On that hike, she could see the summit for much of the trail and was determined to get there quickly. We talked about how Mala has never hiked a 14er. On our big adventure last summer, we reached about 12,500 feet above sea level while crossing West Maroon Pass between Aspen and Crested Butte.

We took a break at a spot overlooking Chicago Lakes, the destination of one of the long hikes we did last summer while training for our grand adventure. Then we pushed on and reached the summit of Mount Spalding at 13,842 feet. With the challenging terrain and low oxygen levels, our hiking pace was much slower than our typical 20-minute miles, so we kept our eyes on the distant clouds.

We continued on the trail toward Mount Blue Sky, but after climbing a bit, we decided to turn around. The trail was getting rockier and harder to follow. Tessie was nervous with all the marmots around, which make a noise that sounds like a smoke detector beeping. The girls were happy to turn around and head back to the lake. We enjoyed the expansive mountain views in all directions and the abundant wildflowers.

After returning to the car, we continued driving to the summit. We saw some mountain goats along the way, and I picked up a tuft of fur from the ground for the dogs to sniff – Tessie tried to eat it, of course. We reached the parking area and walked the last 1/4 mile to the summit. It was a good thing we didn’t try to hike the whole way, because it was already 5:00 p.m. by then.

We saw more mountain goats and even some bighorn sheep along the road on the way down, so Tessie kept watch. We’re glad we were able to make it work and get all of us to the top of Mount Blue Sky on a random Sunday afternoon. We feel fortunate to live somewhere surrounded by so much beauty and endless opportunities to spend time in nature.

Seventeen years ago, that heart attack could have ended my life, but instead I’m alive and well – able to hike, bike, and run on mountain trails, paddle on lakes, practice and teach yoga, swim, write, and enjoy this wonderful life.

It’s easy to fall into a comfortable routine, but doing new things keeps your brain sharp, your body fit, and your heart full.

What’s one thing you can do this week to celebrate life?

In high school, my favorite class was Advanced Placement English, and I enjoyed writing poetry. My SAT scores told the story of someone equally proficient in math as in reading and writing. I kept writing poetry into my young adulthood and filled journals with lyrics from songs I loved, always secretly wishing I could write lyrics myself.

Yet I kept telling myself the same story throughout my life. “I wish I were more creative or good at art, but I’m just not.” I majored in Business in college, thinking it was the most practical choice, and started my career in Human Resources while taking night classes to earn my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. At 27, I moved across the country and continued working in Human Resources until 2018.

After years of writing regular blog posts and newsletters, and even self-publishing my first book, I struggled to call myself a writer. I still didn’t identify with my obvious creativity. I felt that because I wrote non-fiction rather than fiction, I wasn’t a creative person.

I still enjoy music, and even though I’ve never written a full song, I write verses and choruses to the tunes of existing songs for each road trip we take. I journal for nearly every trip and occasionally paint, following tutorials I find on YouTube. I’m critical of nearly everything I paint, except for my favorite, an owl. Just a few weeks ago, to celebrate our ninth wedding anniversary, John and I went to a local pottery shop and spent a couple of hours painting - me, an owl mug, and John, a fox figurine with geometric shapes.

I continue to write weekly blog posts and the occasional poem, have published a Companion Journal for my first book, and am working on my next book. Last Christmas, I asked for 365 Days of Art in Nature. While I don’t do it every day, on the days I do, it’s a meditative practice.

I didn’t become a schoolteacher, as I always thought I would (after making money in the business world), but I do teach. Instead of teaching English in a high school or college, I teach yoga. I’m still learning new things all the time and enjoy traveling to experience new places and different cultures. Maybe, just maybe, I’m a creative after all.

What’s a limiting belief or old story you tell yourself that simply isn’t true? 

We departed Colorado on Thursday morning, drove through Wyoming, and arrived in South Dakota, where we stayed at a hotel in Rapid City that is also a convention center and has a water park. If I had known there would be waterslides, I would have packed a swimsuit! I can’t resist a good waterslide.

On Friday, we started the day with a quick pit stop at the famous Wall Drug shops, then visited Badlands National Park. The Lakota peoples originally called the region mako sica, which translates to “land bad,” because the rugged terrain, extreme temperature fluctuations, and lack of water made the area incredibly difficult to cross or live in. Dogs aren’t allowed on the hiking trails, so our visit was limited to the many overlooks along the loop road, but it was worth it to have them with us. I was surprised to see prickly pear cacti in bloom in the park – I didn’t expect to find cacti that far north.

We headed back to Rapid City for lunch in a park. Mala was happy to roll in the grass and burn off some energy after spending the morning in the car. Rapid City has a number of nice parks and is a larger, more sprawling city than I expected.

Next, we drove to North Dakota and set up camp at Buffalo Gap Campground near the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We hiked a short part of the Maah Daah Hey trail, a 144-mile trail that (unfortunately) has many ticks! After dinner at the campsite, we went to Painted Canyon for sunset. None of us got much sleep that night because John kept finding ticks crawling on him and Mala. Tessie and I were spared and didn’t have any on us.

On Saturday morning, we packed up and drove the loop through the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where we watched male bison near the road and took in the beautiful scenery. While the topography was similar to that of Badlands National Park, it was greener, with more trees and prairies. It was just as spectacular as the first time I visited 26 years ago!

From there, we drove to Watford City. Along the way, there were fields of yellow flowers, which I believe are canola crops. After lunch, we drove through the park’s north unit. There was a huge herd of bison, with many females and calves. Thank goodness Roosevelt fell in love with this place in 1883 and went on to establish the US Forest Service, proclaim 18 national monuments, and protect over 230 million acres of land (including five national parks, 150 national forests, and dozens of federal reserves).

We set up camp just outside the north unit of the park at the CCC campground. After we all settled into the tent, I opened the weather app and found a tornado alert for 18 counties in North Dakota. Looking outside, we still saw patches of blue sky, so we wondered whether we would experience any of the bad weather where we were. After a bit of discussion, John found another tick on him, and that was the final straw. We broke down camp and headed to a hotel in Watford City.

Soon after settling into the hotel, we started receiving alerts on our phones about potential 80-mile-per-hour winds and severe thunderstorms. We closed the shades and were glad to be in the hotel rather than in the tent. The wind was fierce, and there was a lot of lightning and rain, but we stayed cozy and dry in our room.

After a good night’s sleep, we awoke to blue skies. Aside from some debris and downed trees in the surrounding area, you would never have guessed anything had happened the night before.

We drove all the way to Custer, South Dakota, where we stopped for lunch before heading to our cabin at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. As we pulled up to the cabin, we all noticed it was the exact same one we had stayed in four years earlier during Tessie’s first road trip as a Wild Western Wanderer. The girls were either just really happy to be out of the car or they recognized the cabin, because they leaped out and ran right up the steps. We went for a hike on the Sunday Gulch Trail, had dinner outside the cabin, and then watched the sunset over the lake.

In the morning, we got up early and went for a paddle. It was quiet and peaceful – even Tessie was silent as we paddled around the lake a couple of times. The first time we SUP’d on this lake with her, when she was six months old, her barking echoed off the rocks. She’s all grown up now.

We packed up the car and took one last walk by the lake before driving six hours home. We were a bit overwhelmed by the traffic once we crossed into Colorado after several days in open spaces with so few people.

We enjoyed the trip, but we’re happy to be back in Colorado. I’m grateful for these opportunities to see what a vast, beautiful, and varied country we’re so lucky to live in, and to take the dogs with us. We truly lead charmed lives.

Clockwise from top: Mala and Tessie in Badlands National Park, John and Carrie at Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the family at Sylvan Lake, the family at our cabin in Custer State Park.

Yin Yoga is a passive, grounding practice in which we hold floor-based poses for 3 to 5 minutes. Unlike active “yang” exercises that target muscles, Yin safely stresses the body’s deeper connective tissues—including fascia, ligaments, and tendons. Retraining and hydrating these denser tissues is key to maintaining mobility and long-term joint health.

But Yin is also a workout for the mind. By staying still, we build deep body awareness, notice physical asymmetries, become more present, and anchor erratic energy.

⚠️ Safety Note: If you are hypermobile, use props to avoid sustained end-of-range motion and start with shorter holds!

Stay tuned for the next video in this series, where we break down the difference between Yin and Restorative yoga.

I get so much enjoyment from watching the hummingbirds buzz around, sometimes so close they make me jump, that I added the second feeder to ensure there was enough food for everyone. I also bought several hummingbird-friendly flowers to plant in pots on the deck. I want our yard to be a safe haven for the birds, so we added the second birdhouse and a birdbath this season. So far, I haven’t seen anyone use the bath, but small birds have been in and out of the birdhouse. I don’t put out birdseed because it attracts bears – we do live in the mountains, after all.

I was overjoyed on Monday as a female hummingbird kept hovering by the deck railing and, a couple of times, flew up to peck at the outdoor rug we put out over the weekend. I figured she was looking for nesting materials, and sure enough, that’s exactly what she was doing. By later that morning, she had built about half a nest on the top of the deck post, where there’s a bit of space between the deck and the post, just under the railing. While a bit hard to see from above, it’s quite visible from underneath. It’s been a few years since there’s been a hummingbird nest so close to the house and so easy to see, so I’m ecstatic. We named her Liza and can’t wait to watch her care for her young. Female hummingbirds do all the work in raising the young. Male hummingbirds do nothing but chase other hummingbirds away from the feeder (unlike the good dads - the wrens and chickadees).

While I was outside, a couple of small deer also passed through, climbing the hill toward the crag behind the house. I’m hoping to see the fox that lives in the area again one of these days, but the timing has to be right since they don’t linger. About a week ago, a black bear and a cub (maybe last year’s cub, since he seemed too big to be born this year) came through the yard. Mama knocked over the recycling bin, but we do a good job of rinsing all our recycling and keep the trash bin in the garage, so she didn’t bother rummaging through it and moved along quickly.

It took me a while to identify the birds exploring the new birdhouse because they always moved fast, and the only features I could really see were a white belly, dark top, and a short beak (so short, in fact, that one time I wasn’t even 100% sure it was a bird from the angle I was seeing it). But on Tuesday, they were making some noise as two of them kept swooping by our slider and landing on the roof and on the branches of the tree with the birdhouse. With the help of the Merlin app, I’ve decided they are Violet-green Swallows. The color just hasn’t been as visible due to the lighting and their speed of movement.

I look forward to many more hours on the deck, watching the wonderful world of nature unfold around me. I keep notes in my phone calendar app about when each year’s milestones occur (when nesting starts, when the little ones leave the nest, etc.), so I’ll be curious to see whether any mountain chickadees or wrens decide to nest in our other birdhouse. In 2024, the wrens settled into the house on June 26. I think it’s too late to hope for the chickadees, since last year the young left the nest on July 4.

I love living in a place surrounded by nature and feel privileged to work outdoors among the wonders of birds' lives and various other critters who call Evergreen home. I look forward to watching the new moms raise their broods this summer from my front row seat.

Try it out.

You can view this video and more on my YouTube Channel, Firefly Community.

Fuel Properly and Warm Up

What you do before a workout is just as important as what you do afterward. Make sure you fuel properly and hydrate. Drinking water and eating carbohydrates before, after, and even during long workouts can help replenish energy stores and speed recovery. Fluid balance supports circulation, nutrient delivery, and muscle function.

Injuries are most common when you push too hard, too fast. Before a strenuous workout, warm up with dynamic stretching. Move through the full range of motion of the area you’ll be working to activate the neuromuscular system and increase blood flow to muscles.

Prioritize Sleep

One of the best methods for recovery is getting adequate sleep. During sleep, your body actively repairs and grows muscles. Sleep is also helpful for regulating hormones, boosting the immune system, and improving overall mood.

Active Recovery and Refuel

Research shows that low-intensity exercise during the cool-down phase of your workout is associated with performance benefits. Active recovery increases blood circulation, which helps remove waste products from soft tissues broken down by intense exercise. Fresh blood flow then delivers nutrients that help repair and rebuild muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

During active recovery, engage in light physical activity that raises your heart rate above resting levels, but avoid repeating the same movements performed during training or an event. Examples of active recovery exercises include walking, swimming or other aquatic activities, cycling or stationary cycling, yoga, and stretching or foam rolling.

After a particularly intense workout session, be sure to drink some electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium to replace what’s lost through sweat. For your post-workout meal, guidelines from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommend consuming 20 to 40 grams of protein combined with carbohydrates within two hours of your workout. The exact balance depends on your training focus: a 2:1 carb-to-protein ratio prioritizes muscle repair after a strength session, while a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio is best after strenuous cardio to refuel.

Rest Periods (Passive Recovery)

Alternate periods of training with periods of rest, where you allow your body to completely relax. Exercise creates tiny tears in the muscles. When muscles heal, they eventually grow bigger and stronger. However, the healing process occurs during rest and recovery, not during the exercise session itself, so you need to allow for adequate time for the body to repair, rebuild, and strengthen itself between workouts.

After strength training, allow 48 hours before working the same muscle groups again. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) suggests that athletes who engage in high-intensity exercise should schedule a rest day every seven to 10 days. Depending on factors such as your age, sport, and training regimen, you may need more frequent rest days, such as two per week.

Massage, percussion therapy, and targeted mobility work can all support soft tissue recovery and help maintain range of motion during rest periods.

Passive recovery is also about shifting from the sympathetic (stress) to the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state. Practices like breathwork, yoga nidra, and meditation can accelerate recovery by downregulating stress hormones like cortisol.

Some signs that you are not allowing enough time for recovery include persistent soreness, poor sleep, irritability, plateaued performance, or elevated resting heart rate.

Recovery isn’t a break from your training; it’s an essential part of it. The adaptations you’re working toward—stronger muscles, better endurance, improved resilience—don’t happen during the workout itself but in the hours and days that follow. When you begin to treat recovery with the same intention as your workouts, you create the conditions for long-term progress, fewer setbacks, and a more sustainable relationship with movement.

In a culture that often celebrates pushing harder, choosing to recover well may be the most powerful way to keep moving.

Read more

Years ago, after riding the Little Scraggy trail in the Buffalo Creek recreation area, when John was just starting mountain biking and I was returning to it after years of road biking, we realized it’s smart to check out trails on foot before riding them. It turned out the trail was beyond our capabilities at the time, but we managed by pushing the bikes in certain areas.

This time, we drove about an hour, partly on dirt roads, to reach a trailhead on the other side of Buffalo Creek to hike the Gashouse and Baldy trails in a clockwise loop. Besides us, there was only one trail runner among the mountain bikers. I wondered what the bikers were thinking of us out there with our backpacks and dogs, but it was a lovely seven-mile loop with areas through the trees, wide, open sections where you could see for miles, and plenty of boulders for the dogs to play on.

The trail had just the right mix of ups and downs, which is what I’m always looking for in a mountain biking trail. The rolling style trails are more familiar to me from my years of mountain biking in New Hampshire's woods. Many Colorado trails are steep and technical, with lots of rocks. This trail was mostly dirt, with minimal rocks and roots. While there were some climbs, none felt overly oppressive. I’m excited to go back soon with the bikes to ride the loop, with a little add-on to enter from a more accessible parking area.

Mountain biking is such a great workout and wonderful stress relief because you can’t think about anything but the trail in front of you when you’re riding singletrack. Over the past year, finding new trails to explore has been fun, and I feel fortunate to live in an area with so much recreation. I hope Colorado continues to protect our open spaces, not only for outdoor activities but also for the animals that live there. Spending time in nature is important for both physical and mental health, and having these vast areas where one can experience awe is a true gift.

A study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, examined the effects of awe inspired by the outdoors on 1,000 participants who hiked, kayaked, and visited scenic overlooks at Lake Tahoe over a two-year period. They found that after just two minutes in nature, participants reported a 33 percent increase in happiness and a 70 percent increase in awe. The findings also suggested that these experiences deepen a person’s connection to nature: environmental stewardship increased by 20 percent after participants experienced awe.

What brings you a sense of awe?

I hope you enjoyed this series. You can find more yoga videos on my YouTube Channel here.

This pose is the “antidote” to Forward Head Position. By using blocks to support the spine, we allow gravity to do the work. This pose is essential because it:

• Realigns the Scapula: Encourages the shoulder blades to slide back and down.

• Opens the Intercostals: Stretches the muscles between the ribs to improve breathing.

• Hydrates Fascia: Gently melts the tight connective tissue in the chest and throat that keeps us locked in a slouch.

Stay tuned for the last video in this series focused on the neck and shoulders.

You can view this video and more on our YouTube channel here.