Author: Kristen Bramante

  • Post Workout Soreness

    Post Workout Soreness

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    Kristen Bramante

    Post workout soreness… some LOVE it, some hate it. Everybody responds to exercise differently, but experiencing some amount of post workout discomfort is normal. This is especially common for individuals who were previously inactive, or when starting a new type of workout or activity. Muscle weakness, stiffness, fatigue, discomfort, and/or soreness can occur for several…

  • Wearable Fitness Trackers – They’re more than a step or calorie counter!

    Wearable Fitness Trackers – They’re more than a step or calorie counter!

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    Kristen Bramante

    A heart rate monitor (HRM)/fitness tracker can be a beneficial piece of exercise equipment that not only measures your cardiorespiratory fitness level, but also helps guide your workouts and allows you to train smarter. Wearable fitness trackers have come a long way since the basic step-counters (pedometer). Now, these devices commonly have features such as:…

  • Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Aerobic Training

    Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Aerobic Training

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    Kristen Bramante

    This blog is part of a series of posts discussing various components of hiking fitness. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to check out the previous blogs The Importance of Strength Training , Restoring Proper Muscle Activation, The Importance of Core Stability, and Mobility Training. February is American Heart Month, and it’s a time to bring awareness to the…

  • Hiking Fitness: Mobility Training

    Hiking Fitness: Mobility Training

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    Kristen Bramante

    MOVE + FEEL + HIKE… BETTER This blog is part of a series of posts discussing various components of hiking fitness. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to check out the previous blogs The Importance of Strength Training , Restoring Proper Muscle Activation, and The Importance of Core Stability. Mobility Training Mobility training is essentially “joint training” to…

  • Hiking Fitness: The Importance of Core Stability

    Hiking Fitness: The Importance of Core Stability

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    Kristen Bramante

    This blog is part of a series of posts discussing various components of hiking fitness. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to checkout the previous blogs The Importance of Strength Training and Restoring Proper Muscle Activation. Being well prepared for the trail involves more than good cardiorespiratory fitness and leg muscle endurance. An often overlooked…

  • Hiking Fitness: Restoring Proper Muscle Activation

    Hiking Fitness: Restoring Proper Muscle Activation

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    Kristen Bramante

    This blog is part of a series of posts discussing various components of hiking fitness. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to checkout the previous blog The Importance of Strength Training. When it comes to strength and stability training, hikers should focus on: Awaken & Activate Your Glutes! Have you heard of “gluteal amnesia”, “lazy…

  • Hiking Fitness: The Importance of Strength Training

    Hiking Fitness: The Importance of Strength Training

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    Kristen Bramante

    Training for Hiking This blog is the first blog in a series of posts discussing various components of hiking fitness. Be sure to check out the next blog in the series “Restoring Proper Muscle Activation”. It’s a new year and that means new adventures!  There’s a lot of excitement that comes with planning and researching…

  • The Mountains are Calling and I Must GO… Pee!

    The Mountains are Calling and I Must GO… Pee!

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    Kristen Bramante

    Leave No Trace… It’s a simple concept. Yet sadly compliance can be poor, especially in high visitation areas. Topping my list of irritating violations are the piles of toilet paper littering trailheads, hiking trails, summits, and landscapes of our public lands and National Parks. And ladies, I don’t like to admit it, but we probably…

  • Medicine Grizzly Lake (July 8th, 2018)

    Medicine Grizzly Lake (July 8th, 2018)

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    Kristen Bramante

    If you follow Hike 734 you are probably aware that Jake is currently hiking and exploring Olympic National Park in Washington.  Although I’d love to join him on this adventure, my full-time job as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer and some lingering limitations from the long recovery process of a fractured foot is keeping me close…