Blog

Written By Cricket Jurgovan, Personal Trainer

Finding the right app to help keep you accountable in workouts, meal-planning, and health goals can be tricky, especially when there are thousands to choose from. I chose my top 8 free apps to share with you that have proven to be a great resource when it comes to accountability in so many areas of my life!
RP Diet App

Have you heard the idiom, “Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym”? This app is specifically made by nutritional experts and data scientists to get you results! It’s a diet coach in your pocket—whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or maintain an athletic physique at peak performance—it’s all there! For each meal, you get to choose from a long list of healthy options, and the app tells you exactly how much you need of each food item to be on track with your goals.
My Water & Drink Reminder

If you struggle with drinking enough water like me, this is a simple app that sends you reminders and helps you track your water intake! It’s easy to use and intuitive, and best of all, FREE! It will give you a water amount based on you water weight or you can set your own goal within the app.
Daylio Journal
Mental health matters! Understanding what … Read More

Written by Joe Frey
 

We have all seen them around Hydaway and the trails, most of us own one and we all love using them!  Hammocks.  There may be a bit more to this fancy piece of fabric than you know.  So let’s dive in and discuss the hammock; both as a means to “hang out” with friends and a great camping option!

The History:
To better understand the hammock it is important to know the history and how it has been used in the past.  Hammocks have been around for hundreds of years.  As history goes, the hammock was invented by Mayan civilizations as a way to protect them from the environment around them.  They were then adopted by sailors as a way to ease sea sickness during voyages.  Used widely in the 16th century all the way to our present time.
In 2016 there was dramatic rise in interests among hammock.  The term “hammocking” became a trendy phase among millennials to describe a social way for them to “hang out” with their friends.  People realized you didn’t need to be camping in a forest, you could put you hammock up anywhere. With this rise in interest outdoor enthusiasts also began to use the hammock more as a means of camping.  Making the decision to leave the tent at home and only bring a hammock.

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Written By Lauren Stinner, Marketing Intern

When it comes to finding the right running shoes, you want to make sure that you are finding the shoe specifically for you. Investing in a pair that is suited to you can make all the difference during your run—and after!
In order to find out what why good running shoes can be beneficial I sat down with Alex Karman, a manager at LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center. Alex has been running almost all of her life and has participated in several races including the Deep Hollow Half Marathon at Hydaway and the Disney Marathon in Florida. When asked why she invest in good running shoes she said:
“Good running shoes are extremely important for every runner because they prevent injuries such as shin splints, runner’s knee, and plantar fasciitis. I invested in my first good pair of running shoes after developing plantar fasciitis in my left foot. Running shoes are all made very differently which is why it’s especially important that you get fitted for the shoe that is right for you. Depending on how you run (over pronate or under pronate) should determine the type of shoe you buy and the way it fits. Good running shoes will provide proper cushioning while adding a spring to your step.”
As Alex said, finding … Read More

Written By Tanner Hoffarth, Marketing Employee

Being cooped up inside practicing our social distancing is something we dove into last week that we never thought would be a reality. On top of staying active, it is also important that we practice good eating habits. This includes not just filling our bodies with substance for our “three meals a day,” but filling it with food that makes us feel good.
I have put together some of my favorite recipes that anyone can make for a quick tasty meal. Each meal was also designed to be completely customizable based on your dietary needs or taste bud preference.  On top of that, each of these meals are portioned to feed an army! What does that mean? That means your dinner tonight can make an easy lunch tomorrow.
In this time of uncertainty, being able to cook or know what you will cook for dinner this week brings a little certainty back in order.
With this meal plan, a shopping list is provided for everything you need through the week—that’s if you don’t already have it in your pantry. A shopping list for the week will eliminate the need to continually run back and forth from the grocery store.
Screenshot the shopping … Read More

Written By Alivia Chenoweth, Marketing Manager

So, you’re back at home and desperately missing LaHaye and the motivation to stay fit. We get it. Did you know that in addition to the Wednesday Workout videos that are posted on the Recreation Centers Facebook page, there is currently a library of workouts available for free to students through the Liberty Today App?
How to Get to Our Page

Download the Liberty Today App on your phone
Click the three grey bars in the top left-hand corner
Scroll down to LU Fit

When you get to the LU Fit page, you will be able to see all of the LaHaye Rec & Fit and David’s Place workout spaces that are offered. On the bottom of your screen, you’ll see access to a map of LaHaye, a Stopwatch feature to use during workouts, and then a Workouts tab.

Workouts Tab
Featured in the Workouts tab are Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced workouts taught by our very own professional fitness staff. Under each of the workouts is an overview of each set, a description of the length of the workout and how many repetitions are needed for the circuit. The workouts range from the following:

Arms
Full Body
Glutes
HIIT
Legs & Core
Lower Body
Tabata
Upper Body

With a wide range of workouts … Read More

Written By Lauren Stinner, Marketing Intern

Just a few weeks ago, the term “social distancing” had never even been a thought. If you are cooped up inside, try and get active for at least thirty minutes per day. In these coming days or weeks, there are some excellent ways that you can keep your body moving while social distancing yourself.
Find an At-Home Workout Routine
Luckily, in our day and age, finding workout resources on YouTube, the App Store, Pinterest and more is easier than ever. Keeping your body healthy and moving can help keep your mind sharp, as well as drive out any anxiety. Take what you usually do at a gym or outside and translate that into a workout you can do in the comfort of your own home!

Learn a New Dance
With the rise of TikTok, there are hundreds of new dances to learn. Not only does this create movement while being inside, but it can also be fun for others to do with you. If you are home with family and distancing yourself from public places and people, try and get your family members to learn a dance with you! This can create community within your living environment while just letting loose.
Go … Read More

Written by Luke Whitmire
 

It is incredible to read and listen to the stories of outdoor adventurers that have been pushing the boundaries over the recent years. Names such as Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, and Colin O’Brady have become household names through their daring adventures and accomplishments in the outdoors. Why do their stories matter to us? Many of us will never accomplish what these professionals have, so what can we learn from them besides a cool story?
One of our values here at Outdoor Recreation is adventure. Adventure is a very vague word and can be used to describe everything from a daring new type of activity to a late-night run to Walmart with your friends, so let’s dig deeper into the word. Our department defines our adventure value by striving to use exciting undertakings to intentionally explore the people and places that surround us.

“We strive to use exciting undertakings to intentionally explore the people and places that surround us.”
-Outdoor Recreation Core Values-

It is important to recognize that this means that adventure is subjective to each person and will vary based on a person’s comfort levels. We see this often throughout our daily lives here at Outdoor Recreation. A great example is our zipline and high ropes course. Our zipline here gets many different reactions from many different people. To the experienced zipliner, our setup may … Read More

Written By Kevin Cobb, Personal Trainer

New Years is a great time to make a change. People often set high goals but end up keeping little to none of those goals. Are you one of the many people who feel that you have given up on your resolutions and goals already? Do you feel like you are still on pace to keep your goals but running out of motivation? I’m going to give you 5 simple steps to keep pushing so that you can succeed in maintaining your New Year’s resolutions.
Find the Why to What You Do
Many people know what they do, but only the most successful people have identified their why. We drive off of having a purpose. Without a purpose, what’s the point of doing something you don’t feel like doing? Motivation is something that constantly changes. When you know your why to what you do, you can develop discipline to be consistent even when your motivation levels are low. In order to develop a hunger to be more consistent and disciplined, you must change your way of thinking. Instead of thinking about how hard you must work—think about the happiness you will feel from fulfilling your goals.

Make Realistic Goals
I have a lot of friends who know that I am a personal trainer, so they … Read More

Written By Abbey Hayes, Group Exercise Instructor

Hi, my name is Abbey Hayes and I love to run. This is a phrase I never thought I would write. Like ever.
Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to three years ago. I was unmotivated, unhappy, and couldn’t run to the end of my block without wanting to give up. I had been over-weight my entire life and saw running as something that would cause humiliation, rather than something that could change my life.
However, I was sick of feeling like this! I wanted to stop dreaming about changing my life AND ACTUALLY DO IT! I began to train for the Virginia 10 Miler and was absolutely terrified. Long story short, I ran the race. I’ve run it three times since and been in the top 10% of women the past two years. After discovering a passion for running, I developed a passion for all things fitness—especially running and HIIT. Now, I teach fitness classes and love working out.
Did you think this blog post was going to tell you the best places to run on Liberty’s campus?
I have something far more important to share with you: the lessons that God taught me as I’ve ran around … Read More

Written by Maria Campanella

I have been working for Hydaway almost four years now.  During my time here, I have had many opportunities to work our trail race events. Every time I am able to do this, I always be sure to hang out at the Finish Line and watch all the runners at that pinnacle moment.  Since working my first race I have always wanted to experience that accomplishment. However, it just felt like a pipe dream and I never actually thought I would be here now, writing a blog about how I ran the Arctic 5K.  But here we are…
I always felt inspired the day of these races to start running, but when it came time to actually do something about it, I never did. Until last November when my friend and roommate, Naomi, came home one day and asked if I wanted to run the Arctic 5K with her.  I immediately said YES!  We started “training” pretty soon after deciding to run the race. We ran in our neighborhood or in local parks mostly, starting with small distances and built up to the 5K. Neither of us started the process really excited to run, but as we did it more and more, we both knew it was growing on us! I always wanted to love running and although I wouldn’t go as far … Read More