Latest / Fit for Hiking / Ep. 62 Training for the Trails with Lauren Miller
Transcript
- Hi, my name is Brady and I'm a longtime fitness professional and Midwest girl turned mountain living hiking addict. And combining my knowledge of fitness and passion for hiking, I've helped hundreds of women get lean and strong for the trails. Think of this as your one stop shop for both education and inspiration on all things female wellness, trail talk and adventure. Hiking, female metabolism, motherhood, nutrition, travel and fitness are all topics you'll hear discussed here. If you are outdoorsy and active, looking to level up your health, unlock your potential, and become inspired to live your most vibrant life, you're in the right place. You're listening to the fit for hiking podcast. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the fit for hiking podcast. Today we have a special guest on the show. Lauren is a nurse and founder of training for trails. Her unique background in the medical field and love for health, fitness and adventure brings a unique twist to her workout plans and overall knowledge. Based in Boise, Idaho, Lauren is passionate about empowering women to train their bodies not just to fit into a bikini, but to climb 14,000 foot peaks and thrive in their outdoor activities. So excited to have you on the show, Lauren. Thank you so much. Happy to be here. Yeah, So let's get into it. Tell us a little bit about kind of your background with the outdoors. Like what kind of sparked your love and interest for hiking and getting outside? Um, I think our whole life, like our family always did, like the cool outdoorsy trips, like we never, you know, went to Italy or Mexico or, um, and, like, stayed in a hotel. We were always, like, staying in RVs or, um, our being across to, like. Different, like national parks and stuff. Mhm. Um, and so my dad really just kind of shaped us into this family. Like we are going to be out in the outdoors. We're not don't expect us comfy bed and yeah. Um, we always did out of the out of the ordinary trips. And one day he was like I'm going to take you backpacking. So we did it. We were out there for three days, first time eating memories because he was in the military. And like, how old were you at that point? Um, that was like 2015, so. Or maybe 2014. So like ten years ago. Okay. Like so it must have been like 18 or something. Um, but before that, we'd always like camp and stuff. Um, but we are finally ready to, like, Face the Bears out in Tahoe and. Yeah. Um, yeah, I remember just being so excited, but also, like, a little bit scared of the bears, even though there's, like, not that many out there, but. Yeah, but backpacking is just a different type of you feel so much more vulnerable. You're like, I'm really happy here now. I know, and like still to this day, I'm a little scared of the bears, even though I've literally never seen one. But, um, I don't know. But then I, um, I like, went to college and felt super lost in, um, like flatland Texas. So I joined an adventure program there and like, learned how to plan trips and be devil's advocate and all this and I really like. Found myself again, and I just continued to find myself in, like, nature. Um, and so I just kept turning to nature for stuff. And then after college, I moved back to or I moved to Colorado. Um, and I started to plan my own trips for my friends, and I'd, like, beg them to come with me. Like, trust me, it's going to be fun, and you're safe. Like, I got this. Um, and then they would always come and, um, like, have a blast and beg me to plan another one. So here we are now, just continuing to keep planning them, I love it. That's so cool. Yeah, it's interesting how like different top seasons of life tend to kind of direct you back towards the outdoors. I've definitely had very similar experiences, even though I didn't grow up in that environment, like my family was very much like hotel people. We went to like the beach and like amusement parks and Gatlinburg and like kind of the stereotypical like vacation spots. And I never did national parks, I never did any camping or anything like that. But then when I did discover how much I loved it as an adult, I it was always like my go to when life was feeling chaotic, like I always found so much peace when I would go places with no service and be exploring like national parks, getting out for hikes. It's such a calming atmosphere and still to this day, people will be like, I want to go here, or my husband and I especially will be like, I want to go here. I want to go there. And like, I've already done it. I'm like either like like National park wise, like I already been to Zion, I've already done the Grand Canyon. And it's just really funny. My dad just really started us out strong. Yeah. That's awesome. That's how I want to be with our kid. Like we're trying to do. I mean, we'll do a mix, I'm sure. Like maybe take her to Disney World sometime for the experience. But I love doing, like, more outdoorsy trips with her. And she loves it too. And I think if you like grow up in it, it's really special to have those experiences and memories starting young. Totally. It feels super lucky. Yes. Yeah. Okay, so now you work both as a nurse and in fitness. So how did your passion for fitness and health, um, kind of stem from your career as a nurse? Yeah, I've I've really always loved, like, anatomy class and nutrition. Like, I remember just being so excited in both of those. And I always wondered, aside from nursing, like how I was going to get nutrition involved. And obviously I love like, the body and the muscles. So I was like, yeah, I'm a nurse, but like, how am I telling people how to move their body and stuff? Um, and then I did ICU for a really long time, and I was with people in like their worst conditions and all this and that. I just really was trying to advocate for myself and my family just like to never. I really never wanted them to be in that position. Obviously accidents happen and there's things you can't control. But just like doing the best we could on our side to like, you know, stay out of the hospital and keep our bodies moving and stuff. So, um, I don't know, it just I've learned a lot from my patients. I talk to them and I ask them like, oh, what did you do? Like, like in, in the in previous times like that, you'll like change when you leave the hospital. It's just, um, you can learn so much from just chatting with people, but. Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure you see a lot. That is very inspiring to for you to be like. Definitely. How we treat our bodies matters. And, you know, it definitely should change. Like how we live on a day to day basis. And some people want to change and some people don't. And and that's okay. Just whatever works for you. But it's really inspiring to see people come out of their like darkest times and be like, I want to change. And they look at you and they're like, how do I do it? And so that's where it kind of started, like teaching people, okay, so maybe just stop the cigarettes or this or whatever your advice is and just just try to stay consistent with it. Um, yeah. Yeah. I think it's cool when you can combine like practicing in medicine with also like lifestyle and behavior modification because unfortunately, like a lot of people who work in medicine. Don't really do that. Like they want to just like kind of put a Band-Aid on things or prescribe medication, which can definitely have a time and place. But sometimes it really does come down to, like, are you willing to change certain aspects of your lifestyle as far as movement on a daily basis, diet habits, sleep, stress, all of these different things that make such a big difference in our health? Totally. Um, in nursing school, I was like, actually really super interested in public health as well, just like, you know, making making vouchers to educate people and this and that. And I do feel like that lacks in our like health care systems now. And I just don't know how it's going to change. So that's honestly why I became a personal trainer, just because I wanted to help people understand, because most people just don't, like, have the access to like education, educational pieces of health. Like, yeah, they don't have someone to teach them what this map means and how to prevent it. They just, like, live their life the way that they, you know, always have and and have the means to do so it's yeah, it's difficult. And how long have you worked in fitness now? Um, well, I've been involved with personal training for like, I think almost three years, but just started at the beginning of the year. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Yeah. So I know you mentioned like education just not being super easily accessible. And I totally agree. Like there's so much out there too. That's just like bad information, like the internet and magazines and stuff. Like almost makes it overwhelming as far as how much information is out there and you're just trying to sift through it all as a consumer and figure out like, what's true. So what would you say now that you have, like taken your education into your own hands as far as fitness and health? Like, what are some of the biggest myths or misconceptions that are taught, especially to women as far as like fitness and health. Yeah, honestly, I just don't love how people just want to be skinny like I. I think my biggest thing is I love being outside and skiing and hiking and like, I want to be able to do those things, do the hard things. And I always feel like after I've summited, you know, like whatever, 1000 foot gain or 2000 foot gain, like that's when I feel strong and like, good about myself. Like I just wish. You'd get away from, like the skinny thing. Yeah, statics are great. And, you know, six packs. Awesome. But like, can you get yourself up a mountain is so impressive or. Yeah. Or something. Yeah. And being thin isn't necessarily synonymous with being healthy. And I think that's a really big misconception. People will look at someone's physique and, and just immediately assume if someone's thin that they're healthy will maybe they lost a lot of weight because they were going through an intense depression or anxiety, or they stopped eating altogether, and they're not even exercising and they're not feeling strong or good about their body. Um, all we notice is the body weight. Like, I remember, um, going through like, horrible postpartum anxiety a few years ago, and I got, like, lower than I'd been since, like, high school in my weight. But it wasn't, like healthy for a few months because I like, was not, well, like. But people would always come in and be like, you look so great. Oh my gosh. And I know I feel like worse than I ever have actually. And I don't look great. I don't feel great. Yeah. So I think there's just just focusing on the metric of like quote unquote skinny ness, is not it. Like it's just not, you know, so I just wish there was a functional fitness like background more out there. But, you know, yeah, it's not always like the sexiest thing though. Like most people just want like what looks good unfortunately. Right. Right. Yeah. Okay. So what are some other myths that you've seen? Um, I mean, besides the skinny, um, I mean, on the guy side, like, lifting as heavy as possible is not always the best thing. Um, you can get so injured. Um. And the last thing you want is, like, some type of injury that's going to make you dysfunction, like in your, you know, next coming days to be consistent in the gym. Like, if you get hurt on Monday, you're probably not going to be in there on Tuesday. And if you are, I don't know if you should be just, you know, to make the injury worse. Like, um, so just things like that, I don't know. Um. Injury is awful, but yeah. Or even just pushing. To the point where you're so sore that you can't even get to the gym consistently. Like that's the one that I definitely see is like, people going so hard and then it it definitely causes them to have to scale back on their frequency of hitting the gym because they're so sore, because they, like, just went way too hard, instead of just kind of moderating the weights that they're using or easing in. Yeah. One thing I kind of did learn is like, as good as sore feels like it's not always the best thing, um, to keep consistent, but of course, feels great. People want it, so, you know, you gotta give it a little bit. But yeah, soreness is not. Again, like how skinny ness is isn't always an indicator of health. Like soreness is not always an indicator. Soreness and sweat don't always show like a great workout. And that's another one that as a trainer, you definitely have to fight because it feels like if you have a good burn or if you're crazy sore, if you're really dripping in sweat, it feels productive, right? It feels like you're doing all the right things, when in reality that might just not necessarily equate to like body composition changes or muscle gain. It could just be like you did a lot of really intense exercise and you sweated your butt off, but you didn't actually do anything for like hypertrophy or muscle growth. Right? When I, when I first started, you know, working out was probably when I started back playing soccer in elementary school and stuff. Like, I always thought that cardio was it. That's how you're fit. I never really understood like weightlifting until recently, and it's just been the best thing I ever did was just like, set the boundaries for yourself. I've never been a good runner. I always try my hardest. But, you know, like, you don't have to run. If it doesn't, if it doesn't make you feel good or you don't love it like there's other things. Yeah, yeah, definitely. And different forms of fitness like work towards different goals too. Like it's not like all cardio is bad, it's just more like, what's your goal? You know, if your goal is body composition change, then maybe cardio isn't everything you need to be focusing on, but if you are trying to get in shape for a race, then yes, cardio is going to be what you need to be focusing on. Um, so there's not just like a black and white answer for like, this is the exercise that you need to be doing that everyone needs to be doing. Um, so as a hiker, skier, outdoorsy gal, what type of training do you find works best to support your hobbies? Um, honestly, I'm in the mountains a lot, so anything incline, whether that's outside or inside, I do. Um, right now, the smoke's really bad. So I've been inside, you know, trying to do some interval training on tread. Um, but when I can get out to the trails, I usually do, um. Leg day obviously is the best, um, for hiking and everything. There's obviously other, um, you know, other body parts that are good for hiking, but I really kind of focus on the heavy leg day. Um, and, you know, if I'm feeling tired, like, just to give myself that rest and, you know, at least try to show up and just do what you can. Um, and, you know, if you're not feeling it, just do everything that you feel like you can do, and then at least you showed up for yourself. Yeah, yeah. Sometimes stuff. Yeah, yeah. So kind of a combination of the steady state cardio and strength. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. I always tell my clients like something is better than nothing. Even on the days where you're like, maybe you're about to start your period or you are just totally drained and like, you don't feel like you have a lot in you. Uh, maybe that day you're just going for, like, a slow incline walk or just a regular walk outside. Like, instead of kind of having that all or nothing mindset where you're like, on for a week, then off for a week, you know, or whatever, just trying to at least do a little bit of movement a few days a week will definitely go a long way. Just kind of those little weekly deposits towards your health. Yeah. Yeah. So how do you see the benefits of your training in your outdoor activities? Well, first, would you tell us like a typical weekly schedule for you? Like what does that usually look like? Like Monday through Sunday? Well, it's been crazy the last couple months and I love it. I'll say I'm so busy, but I love being busy. Um. You know, I work in the hospital four days a week, and any time I'm really not at the hospital, I'm usually at the gym. And that doesn't mean I'm, like, working out, but, you know, trying to plan stuff in the community, trying to just talk to people in there. Um, and then on the weekends, I usually try to be outside, either with my husband or friends. Okay. So how many days a week are you doing gym workouts, would you say? Yeah, I try to lift weights like 3 or 4, depending on how busy the week is. And then we just started incorporating some intervals, sprinting just on a track. I've been loving it. I haven't sprinted and like, I don't know how long. It feels so good. Um, and then maybe a hike or two during the week and then of course, one rest day try. Yeah, yeah. That's great. That sounds pretty similar to what my schedule is. I've been doing, um, some hill sprints in my neighborhood because we're up at like 8000ft, and it's quite hilly, mountainous. And so even just sprinting up my driveway, I'll do that like once a week, like 5 to 8 sprints. And it really does help you stay like athletic, I think like having to run fast again when you haven't done that in a long time. And I'm 32 now, so like I'm not in positions where I'm having to sprint all the time, but I'm playing rec league softball this year, and I do feel like my sprints have helped. Like with base running, I feel like it helps with hiking because you are going to have like bursts where you're like having a really like haul ass up some steep inclines. And it does help when you are like anaerobically ready with some, with some sprinting. So I'm a big advocate of like the steady state cardio and lifting. I do feel like at least incorporating a little bit of intervals can definitely help with your overall fitness and just athleticism. Yeah, we've been loving it. I got my husband and well, he's been a runner for a while, but I've gotten him into the the interval sprints and he's just he's just eating it up. He loves it. Yeah. Like okay keep it going. Yeah. And so how would you say you see like the benefits in your outdoor activities with that type of schedule. I mean personally, like, there have been years where I, I wasn't a weightlifter and like the beginning of my trail run season this year, I just felt so strong because I was training all winter. And you just have to remember that, like, it takes a not a while, but it takes a consistent and long period of time just to train for a season and like what you're going to do in the summer, like just train the entire winter and spring and you'll just feel so much more prepared and just like, just like, ready to get out there. Um, so it's been great this summer and just being on the trails and yeah, seeing like the results of the work that you do all year, it it's very motivating. And I do think about that in the winter when it's like snowy and bleak and I'm just like, okay. But I'm like, June, I'm going to be really glad that I didn't just succumb to, like, sitting on the couch all winter, because it is tempting when it's those long, dark, cold days and like, it's super it to get to the gym. Yeah, it's definitely not as motivating, but I do find that when I'm consistent year round, instead of it just being like, oh crap, you know, I'm doing this big hike in four weeks. Yes, you can definitely get a lot of good training in in four weeks. But for me, being, like, well-rounded all year makes a big difference. Yeah. And I'm sure all my friends would say the same thing about me. I'm extremely type A and I embrace it. We love it over here. Um, and I just overprepare and train myself for like, I wouldn't say not overtrained, but I overprepare, so I'm ready for whatever's coming at me. Um, and that doesn't mean going hard the entire time, but, you know, do doing some walks at the beginning and, you know, getting your mileage up towards the big hike. Yes. Yeah, exactly. And so as far as like weight lifting, I know a lot of women potentially could be listening to the show and maybe they haven't done any form of weight lifting before or it just kind of still sounds daunting. Where do you feel like is a good place to start if you're like? You've never really just gone to the gym and, like, lifted weights. Maybe you've only ever done classes or like, done really lightweight stuff or hit, but you want to start actually getting stronger. What's a good place to start that doesn't feel like too overwhelming for a beginner? I mean, obviously what I'm going to tell everyone is to, you know, get a personal trainer. But if that's not in the means for you, get a friend and just explore together. Um, you know, stay on the outside parts of the gym at first and really like, watch videos and making sure your form is good if you can't get a trainer. Yeah. Um, and like, really, not just like winging it, but having intention in, you know, watching where your, you know, your needs are supposed to be and where your ankles are supposed to be compared to your shoulders and hips and stuff. Um, and yeah, I think just bringing a friend makes it a little bit easier in that regard. Yeah. Um, you know, going first always until you feel like you're not going to hurt yourself. Yeah, I will advocate for that till the end of time. Like you don't. Just yet. I think when people hear weightlifting, they immediately assume like big barbell lifts or like Olympic style lifting. That's like intimidating, um, to anybody. Like, even if you have been going to the gym, that can be intimidating. Um, yeah. So, you know, when we're saying weightlifting, it's like any form of resistance training, like putting added resistance on your body, even if that's £5 to start, it's going to be different for everyone. And that is where, like, having a coach or personal trainer is so helpful because they can kind of meet you where you're at and do form checks and give you a plan so that you don't just show up, because it's definitely a little more intimidating when you show up and you have no clue what you're doing, you don't know is actually going to work or be productive, and you don't want to go and waste your time, right? You don't want to show up and wander around and then end up on the elliptical because you're like, well, I don't know what else to do. I don't know how to work these things. Um, so either hiring someone who can put together a plan for you and help you become more comfortable, or even just asking like a gym attendant like, hey, can you show me how to like, set up these machines? Because they are even different, like gym to gym. Like they're sometimes also go to a gym and I'll be like, I don't know how this works. This is different. And I've been lifting weights since I was 17. Like I started really young, I would say, and I've been well versed in a lot of gyms and still sometimes I come across ones and I'm like, oh, I don't know how to do this. I feel a little weird. So there's nothing wrong with going up to a gym attendant or asking someone like, hey, do you know how to adjust this? Could you show me? It's not like nobody's going to be like, oh my gosh, this person, what are they doing? Like, we're all kind of in the same boat. And I think just getting that comfort makes a big difference. And going with a friend, like you said, who maybe does know how to do things just so they can kind of show you the ropes the first few times. Right? And then my type is going to come back in there again, go in with a plan, or else you're just going to be on the elliptical, like you said. So you know, whether it's just like the five movies that, you know, like bicep curls, tricep dips. Like squats, lunges. If you just have like four, that's four right there. You can just go in and just get more comfortable with and then add weight as you go. And then you'll start looking around and finding other things that people are doing. And you're like, okay, I think I can do that. And then you try it and you do it, and then that's one more exercise in your in your book. So yeah, exactly. I think a lot of times what we see on like Instagram or TikTok or Pinterest or whatever is like really over complicated workouts that like look super cool, but they're actually not necessary. Like you don't need to be doing 20 different new exercises every time you work out like I do. The same basic push pull, squat, hinge, single leg step, and core movements every single workout on repeat. And I will the rest of my life because those are like the foundational things, and I'll vary it a little bit, and I'll try to make it more exciting for my clients with different variations. But in general, you should kind of be repeating the same basic compound fundamental movements for the rest of your life. And it doesn't need to be that complicated. And I think when you take out that pressure of like, I should be doing 100 different exercises, it also becomes can become a little bit less intimidating. To impose better simple is better. Yes. Yeah. Exactly. Okay. So you are balancing being a nurse, fitness business, your own personal fitness and your hobbies and that's a lot, I'm sure. So what does this look like on a weekly basis for you? Yeah. Um, it's definitely tough to keep all track of, but, um, I have so many like. Colored markers and calendars all over the place. Um, but just like trying to keep my schedule organized and plan it ahead, um, so I can, you know, meet my goals for the month and, um, hit my workouts without being stressed about what am I doing today? It's just already all there for me written out. Um, so I usually try to do that before the month started. So August, I did it, you know, a couple of days ago, but, um, but yeah, just trying to keep it all in, you know, one place. And so it's written out for you and, you know, whatever works for you in that regard. Um, but yeah, the big calendar is what works for me. Yeah. Okay. So you work a couple of days a week as a nurse, and then on the other days, are you working on the fitness business? Oh, yeah. So depending on if I'm at the hospital or not, usually my lifts are after work, which I'm not loving, but I have to do it anyways and just show up for myself. Um, I'm usually a morning person, but I don't have the mornings a lot of the time. So I love my days off and I usually do my big hikes on those days and, um, interval sprints or whatever we got going on, but. Or be in the community. Yeah. And then as far as working on my fitness business, um, yeah, it's usually after work. It's been kind of a lot, but I'm trying to fit it in wherever I can. Yeah, yeah. That's impressive. A lot of time management, I'm sure. Yeah. Going part time in nursing. Hopefully soon. So that'll be a lot of help. Yeah. You work 12 hour shifts now, I'm assuming. Um, I'm in the PACU, which is recovery. Surgical recovery. Um, and it's, uh, nine hours, so four nines, which is a lot better. I don't know how people do it with 12 hours. Yeah, yeah, that'll work out in with 12, I know two. Yeah, yeah, we worked with a lot of nurses in Mountain Metabolic coaching. And when they work 12 hour shifts, like we don't even try to fit in workouts on those days because it's just like, there's no way. Yeah, I don't I don't know how people do it. That's amazing. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. So with all of that in mind, like you have a very packed schedule, what are some of like the top daily habits that you personally implement and that you would recommend for listeners just on a basic level, to stay on top of your health when you have a lot that you're juggling? Yeah. Um, proper sleep. I will be in bed at 10:00, hopefully lights out every night like it's. It's a must for me. Um, and if you know, I can't continue to plan for the next day, it's. Whatever. Sorry. I gotta go to bed. It's 10:00. Um, because I have, you know, can sometimes be late nights, but 10:00 is my cutoff, no matter what. And you do whatever works for you. I don't know, people have kids on the listener side, but it can't be that easy sometimes. Yeah. Um. Uh, but that's what I do, and I, I meal prep on my days off, so I always have food in the fridge because I do get hangry. And if I'm hungry, I will eat bad and I will go buy stuff. Um, so just having it ready, I usually try to do that on my day off or, um, you know, any free time I have, it doesn't have to be fancy either. Like, I literally buy a rotisserie chicken, a box of couscous and broccolini, and it takes me about 30 minutes. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, like, um, just depending on how much time I have during the week and everything, but just trying to cut out those little moments where I have a little bit of free time. Yeah, I'll try to prepare my week. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Um, let's see what else. I mean, obviously having a roommate is helpful. Using them is great, but yeah, a lot of that. So, um. Yeah. Cool. Um, any big adventure adventures planned for the rest of this year? Oh, yeah. Well, we, of course love to camp. We don't need a lot of training for that, though. Just anything to be outside. Um, but we do have a big, uh, backpacking trip in the North Cascades at the end of the month. Not too bad. I have been looking forward to this trip, and I've heard such good things about them. I can't wait, and we can bring my dogs, so even better. Yeah, that's a nice thing about North Cascades. Like, it's it's kind of interesting how there's actual sections where it's dog friendly, whereas most national parks, it's not at all. No. And, uh, we used to do, like all these, uh, huts in Colorado. Um, and you can't bring your dog, so that's always a bummer. But yeah, definitely little runs here and there. Um, I have like a team for some of the runs in, in Boise. And so, um, and just trying to make a community plan and hope everyone has fun. That's cool. Awesome. Well, where can listeners find you? Yeah. Um, my Instagram training for trails. Um. That's it. No underscores or anything. And then my website is, um, training for trails.com. Awesome. Well, thanks so much for coming on today. It was great chatting with you. It's who this is great. Thank you so much. Yeah. All right guys, we will see you in the next episode. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the fit for hiking podcast. As always, I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and informed on how to take your health and adventure into your own hands. For more content like this, be sure to follow along with my daily posts at Ponytail Underscore. On a trail that's ponytail underscore on a trail. You can also stay up to date on my new episodes being released at Fit Underscore for hiking, and find more free resources at Pony Tail on a trail.com. Happy and healthy trails.